Atkins diet worked for me but I had to modify later

by JR Lao
(Philippines)

It was in March of 2007 that I came across Atkin's Diet Revolution book.

Since I was in 6th grade up to the time I got my first job, I was a really chubby and fat kid/guy.

I was about 181 lbs that time, for a height of 169 cm, if I remember correctly. Not obese but overweight, nonetheless.

I had already tried some diets but most of them were self-prescribed, I guess, and not from a nutritionist, book or anything.

The diet program in the book was so promising. At that time, I was already so eager to lose some weight and make a major change in my life. Part of it was the curiosity whether the diet would work for me or not.

I followed the program from the induction phase to the lifetime maintenance phase as honestly as I could. I also incorporated at least 30-minutes of aerobic exercise each day.

Before the Atkins Diet I ate mostly carbohydrates, especially white rice that is the staple food from where I live. The sudden cutting off of carbohydrates in my diet made me feel light-headed for the first two days but my body was able to completely adapt thereafter.

In as early as four days in the diet, I felt results and that made me continue with the program.

Many people were already noticing major changes in me and I was very happy with the comments I was getting. Then, one day, an office mate commented that I was already too thin and I looked like I had a sickness of some sort.

That was the time that I realized I was doing Atkins too much and decided that I should find other diet programs similar to Atkins but not as intense.

So I started researching for other diets on the internet and then I came across ideas about glycemic index, complex carbohydrates, proteins, good fats and bad fats, etc.

From that time on, I modified the Atkins diet. I cut off bad fat in my diet, incorporated complex carbs (fruits and veggies) while watching out for high GI foods and made sure that I was taking enough proteins.

I also started going to the gym and did weight training.

I am not so sure what my diet is called right now but I have no regrets that I started doing Atkins. For more than three years now, I have maintained my weight at 158 lbs which is just within the recommended weight for my height.

I would recommend the Atkins diet just to jump start your weight loss, but for the long-term I would recommend that you modify the program.

If you know much about nutrition, you can do this yourself but consulting a nutritionist would be best.

Just like any other diet program, I do recommend that you consult your doctor or nutritionist before starting with Atkins since the high protein, high fat foods recommended by Atkins may not be good for your health.