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Does anyone here follow the original Atkins plan without modifications?
I am continually re-reading it and noticed that so many people use 'their' variations of it or the newer versions.
In the original - Atkins stated he never had a case where his diet did not work for someone. It was all about finding your Critical Carbohydrate Level (CCL). His plan to me was very simple and he stated your CCL could change throughout your life. You didn't have to wait 3-6 weeks for a stall out to fix it, you were supposed to make a change the first week you stop losing unless you were in maintenance.
I think many people have misread what was allowed the first week and not always following what he said to do if there was a stall. Maybe they forget and don't re-read or with all the 'new' info, it just get jumbled up. Here is how I have read the original plan and I have read and re-read the entire book to many times to count.
First of all pg. 126 he wants you to take in double the daily minimum multivitamin requirement with at least 800 units Vit E, 1000mg Vit C, double the recommended Vit B complex. He says not to go over recommended dosge for vit D and Vit A. He also says to take in additional calcium if you experience leg cramps and extra potassium for fatigue, and salt for weakness from rapid weight loss.
He also encourages the use of the ketosticks throughout although he does state the diet can be done without them. His importance on use was to help you with monitoring your CCL and how well your body is functioning in burning the fat stores. I know there are studies and people that say color variances of the sticks are not imprtant as long as it is pink. But imo there is something to the different shades if you take in all the rest of your information like he point out, and it can help you to know when and how to change your woe.
The first week you take in basically 0 carbs -only one week of induction. We all know the meats, fowl, eggs, are all acceptable. But not all seafood is - leave out oysters, clams, mussels, scallops and any pickled fish. The original didn't limit margarine, shortening, or mayo. It also allowed artificial sweeteners, vinegar, extracts and other condiments w/o sugar. You could enjoy coffee, tea, diet soda as long as it did not contain sugar. You could have the juice of a lemon or lime, 4oz of cheese incl. cottage, but no cream cheese or cheese spread. Heavy cream was allowed at 4tsp a day but no milk.
I have seen posts where someone states their are acceptable salad veggies allowed during the first week of induction that I believe are not listed. Under salads the first week pg. 137 it states (bold I did for emphasis)- "Two small green salads a day (each less than one cupful, loosely packed) made only of leafy greens, celery or cucumbers and radishes. Dressings with vinegar, oil, salt, dry spices, herbs, grated cheese, or anchovies. Or else a sour pickle in place of a salad. Plus . . . green olives."
I think people have added in the veggies that are allowed starting week 2 on pg. 138. Induction week above clearly states leafy greens, celery OR cucmbers and radishes. OR a sour pickle instead of salad, plus GREEN olives. If induction week were to include the salad material listed on pg. 138, there would have been some reference to it on the induction page listing.
Atkins wanted this to become a permanent way of life and wanted it to be something that could be done easily. So, after Induction week or Level 1 as it is called, he did not specify what you could or could not add back into your diet. In fact pg. 144-145 he said put back what you've missed most as long as it starts at only 5-8 grams of carbs a day for the week. You would continue adding something new at 5-8 grams of carbs each new level until you reach your CCL. Regardless of the level the constant is to avoid sugars, and he believes nothing is more likely to stop your progress than fruit.
So how did you determine when to move to a new level or know your CCL?
He asks key questions on pg. 144 to know if you are ready to move to a new level.
Are the ketostick turning purple? Are you no longer hungry? Have you stopped eating at night? Do you have more energy? Are you still losing weight or inches? If yes to all of the questions, you can start a new level and start adding in the 5-8 grams of carbs per day per week. At the end of the week, you ask yourself those same questions to determine if you can go to the next level adding in another new 5-8 grams of carbs per day per week.
For CCL, pgs. 148-149 you will determine this in a similar way, you go through the levels and when you find that things have stopped working You no longer answer YES to your questions, you have found your CCL. When that hits, you go back to the basic (phase 1) plan for two - four days and then back to the week (level) before you stopped losing. He states the CCL may not run constant throughout your life and that is why you must keep asking the questions and reevaluating your levels especially while losing weight.
So when I hear about people saying they are on Atkins 72 and have stalled, I immediately wonder have they followed the plan, gone back to level 1 and then to the level they left off at when they where losing or gone back through the levels if their CCL point had changed. There is also a whole chapter dedicated to helping those who get stuck temporarily.
Once you get within 5-6 pounds of goal, you should add in an addtl 5 grams of carbs until your weight loss slows to less than a pound a week. The lst 5-6 pounds should not be lost at more than that rate. And move into the long-term maintenance.
If you started on the plan with only 10 or less pounds to lose, he says you can go through the levels every four days instead of the week as long as you are answering yes.
Did Atkins say Calories don't matter? No, he said not to worry about counting them. On pg. 275 he states that they do play a role - "A 1,500-calorie, ten-gram diet will take more weight off - and more quickly -than a 2,000-calorie ten-gram diet. If the carbohydrate levels remain unchanged, then extra caloric intake does make a difference.
[Click here to Read MissyDee's Journal]
Diet Calendar Entry for 31 October 2013:
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1187 kcal
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Fat: 96.13g | Prot: 64.88g | Carb: 8.39g.
Breakfast: Kroger Heavy Whipping Cream, Cheesy Bacon Quiche. Lunch: Boiled Egg, Fried Egg, Taco Soup. Dinner: Sargento String Cheese Mozzarella Cheese Snacks, Boiled Egg, Ground Beef (80% Lean / 20% Fat). more...
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