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Atkins says to eat as much low-carb as you want until full. In fact if your in phase I, its very specific the foods you can eat. So technically yes, its unlimited - of certain things.
I've never had much of an issue with hunger eating low carb, boredom -sure, but mostly because I'm kinda picky and don't want to spend a lot of time cooking new things (so I make the same things over and over)..
Atkins says to eat as much as you want until full..that kind of conflicts with counting carbs.
I never feel full eating a low carb diet.
I already lowered my carbs to under 25/day
No-Atkins says eat until you are satisfied and keep your carbs low. If you have any of Dr. Atkins books they say you have to count carbs. You can eat protein and fat until you are satisfied. That does not mean stuff yourself silly.
It is easier not to have to count calories when you are low carbing it, however you will not lose an ounce of weight if you are taking in more calories than you are burning. One needs to be mindful of how many calories are being eaten regardless of the type of food you are eating. If you are not burning it then it is going to turn to fat. It is easier to eat less when you are eating low carb.
I'm not so sure it's quite that simple. When I've been on a low-carb diet, I required a lot of protein to prevent hunger, and some of that protein took the form of cheese and beef or lamb, most of which are high-fat. I have no idea how the calories add up, but it seems like I might have been pushing the limit, calorie-wise, but I still lost weight like gangbusters, and got lean.
The most radical of the low-carb diet, Atkins, allowed people to eat as much fat as they wanted (I think the diet doesn't allow any carbs, not sure). Men would eat eggs and sausage or bacon for breakfast, and continue with fatty treats at meals throughout the day, and still lose weight. What I've noticed is that women can't do that. They're not able to eat as much fat as men, and still lose weight on those diets. For example, some people treat themselves to whipped cream on berries for desert, cream in their coffee, fatty salad dressings, etc. but it doesn't work when women do that. Women do seem to have a limit.
But the science behind the low-carb diets is that low carbs prevents the body from releasing excess insulin, which is related to fat retention in the body and to conversion of nutrients into fat. Also, low-carb diets encourage the body to release more Human Growth Hormone, which helps combat fat retention, and helps build lean muscle-mass. The diet works with the endocrine system to facilitate weight loss.
Atkins says to eat as much as you want until full..that kind of conflicts with counting carbs.
I never feel full eating a low carb diet.
I already lowered my carbs to under 25/day
Are you doing Atkins, OP? Does it allow carbs? How long have you been doing your diet? I find that for the first 2 weeks I'm always hungry, but after that, my body adjusts to the low carbs, and suddenly I can hardly eat any carbs and I feel full, as long as I get adequate protein. A major shift happens after the first week or two. You just have to get through that first phase. What they mean by "eat as much as you want" means "eat as much as you want of green veggies (virtually 0 carbs, most of them) and protein".
Also, once you've done this type of diet, you can't go back to what used to be a "normal" amount of carbs. I don't know what the Atkins instructions say, but usually you have to be very careful to ease yourself back onto carbs, little by little, to not gain weight back, and you have to stay on a modified form of the diet the rest of your life. Which isn't bad, but it's not for everyone. It's important to know that going in.
I'm not so sure it's quite that simple. When I've been on a low-carb diet, I required a lot of protein to prevent hunger, and some of that protein took the form of cheese and beef or lamb, most of which are high-fat.
Women do seem to have a limit.
.
I find that i do have to eat lots of protein to prevent hunger too.
I am talking about eating like say,5 chicken breasts or 5 chicken thighs and about 4 cups of salad with ranch dressing only.
I eat once a day though,so it should balance out
Maybe women do have a limit in the amount of fats we are supposed to be eating......but if i limit fat,then the diet no longer is Atkins.
It becomes the Stillman diet.
That diet has you limiting carbs and fat.
You are basicallly only allowed lean protein
I've been on low carb on and off for years. I've never counted calories. It has worked for me to just count carbs. Try it both ways OP and see which works for you.
I find that i do have to eat lots of protein to prevent hunger too.
I am talking about eating like say,5 chicken breasts or 5 chicken thighs and about 4 cups of salad with ranch dressing only.
I eat once a day though,so it should balance out
Maybe women do have a limit in the amount of fats we are supposed to be eating......but if i limit fat,then the diet no longer is Atkins.
It becomes the Stillman diet.
That diet has you limiting carbs and fat.
You are basicallly only allowed lean protein
You can't survive on only lean protein, your body can't handle that. I posted a link about rabbit starvation earlier in the thread...that's not when you forget to feed your bunny, it's when you're eating only lean protein and you start to have physical problems. Apparently the human liver can't handle more than 285-365g protein a day.
About Atkins, one of my neighbors has been following the Atkins diet for about a year and she's lost about 90 lbs and gone from a size 20 to a size 10.
I agree that once/day isn't good. That's not required by the diet, is it? Why are you doing that, OP?
I also agree that a diet that limits fat to an extreme, allowing only lean meat isn't good, either. Your body needs healthy fats, at the very least; certain oils for salad dressing, avocado oil is very good (1/2 avocado isn't too many carbs on some diets), and fats help fill you up and give you a sense of satiety. But Atkins not only allows but encourages eating fats. I think Atkins may fail women only if they go really overboard with the fats. But the fats that come with ordinary meats, eggs, cheese are ok.
So, OP, what is it you're having trouble with? Why did you ask about counting calories? Your meals sound like you're on the right track. Have you not been losing weight? Maybe it's because you're having one huge meal/day.
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