Atkins Ailments

by Ava
(Canada)

I tried the Atkins Diet for 4 months last year. At the beginning I found the diet to be very easy (after I got over the carb cravings).

My choices of food were fairly limited, so that made it easy to bring only those foods into my home. It was all items I could purchase at the grocery store.

They do have a huge line of products (such as vitamins, protein bars, etc.) but I never much cared for many of them. There were only 2 of their protein bars that I liked, and at almost $4 each, I wasn't buying many of those.

I supplemented the diet with vitamins as I felt the diet was not balanced enough.

After about a month and a half, I started to really struggle. The vitamins weren't enough to help supplement the diet and I began craving fruits, vegetables, and cheese (milk products) on a regular basis.

The diet strictly limits, if not eliminates, many items in these food groups. I don't specifically remember what the limits were on fats, but I do remember eating a lot of bacon.

Due to the strict limitations of this diet, I avoided eating out and special occasions at all costs. I just found the diet too hard to work into outings, especially once the cravings came.

I only remember eating out once with my sister during that 4 month period, and choices were so limited it was disheartening. I could have made a chicken Caesar salad (dressing on the side, no croutons) at home for much cheaper.

After about 3 months on the diet, I began to have severe digestive tract pain. I did not connect it to the diet at all.

I figured I was doing something good for my body. I wasn't. It took 4 or 5 visits to the doctor to figure out what was wrong, and after that I stopped the diet.

While I do believe in adding more protein to my diet, I also believe in some balance with complex carbs, etc.

I would never do this diet again, and I would never recommend this diet to anyone.

I had some minor health problems to begin with before the diet, and it took me several weeks to overcome the effects of this diet, and the toll it took on my body.