Going on "Atkins" Help with Carbfree Recipes

[golfgar]

Well I am too fat and need to go on the Atkins diet.  Have done it before and it works but I always go back to the carbs and bulk up again.  I believe that processed foods are the devil's tool to draw me down there more quickly.  I know the basic stuff like proteins and such but would like some good recipes to try which are not meat or eggs.  For instance, a local grocery store sells prepared foods and one of the items they prepare are patties made from spinach, portabella mushrooms, artichoke hearts and parmesan cheese.  The veggies are chopped, toasted and then mixed with the grated fresh parmesan cheese, the mixture is then made into patties and finished in a frying pan where the cheese melts and holds the thing together.  I have managed to duplicate it and they are quite tasty.  Actually I am considering adding some bacon because....well you know.  More food suggestions are appreciated greatly.
 
Thank you.

 

[Not A Nice Person]

My favorite meal these days is a poached fish filet or chicken breast and a big pile of parmesan roasted vegetables---get a 400º oven going, toss a pile of veggies (I like asparagus, mushrooms, sugar snap peas and summer squash) with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and plenty of freshly grated Parmesan.  That goes on one side of a pizza pan, and then I make a separate foil pouch for whatever meat I've picked, add marinade, capers, thinly sliced onions or tomatoes, whatever . . . and close it up fairly tight on the other side of the pan.

Whole thing takes 20 minutes in the oven, accomodates endless variations and whatever's in the fridge and tastes amazing.  I know it's more veggies than Atkins, but your colon will thank you, and you'll still lose weight.  
 
~Boar

 

[Devil Doc]

You're doomed to failure with the Atkins' Diet. Sure it works. You can loose 20lbs in a week  However, when you starve yourself of carbs you put your body into ketosis, which means your body is literally eating itself and it isn't exactly good for you. Your body begins to crave carbs and eventually you succumb and go on a binge and gain all the weight that you had lost. In fact most people gain back more. The diet isn't sustainable. You would be much better off learning how to eat properly. Take your time, 2lbs a month is plenty. What's the rush. You didn't gain the weight overnight and you shouldn't loose it overnight. Just for shits and grins, check out to see what Dr. Atkins, a cardiologist, died of.
 
Doc

 

[Robusto_SingleMalt]

You're doomed to failure with the Atkins' Diet. Sure it works. You can loose 20lbs in a week  However, when you starve yourself of carbs you put your body into ketosis, which means your body is literally eating itself and it isn't exactly good for you. 
 
Doc

That is just plain wrong. There is a HUGE difference between the harmless and even healthy ketosis and the dangerous ketoacidosis which have the effects you indicate.
I have been on LCHF since 2009, lost ~15kg and more or less gotten rid of my metabolic syndromes.
 
@golfgar: I have no particular receipts to offer as such, but I eat red meat, fatty vegetables and avoid sugary root, beet and fruit, especially grapes, bananas, corn, bread, pasta, potatoes and white flour products.
Good stuff is green salads, tomatoes, squash, olives, mushrooms, full cream milk, sour cream, cottage cheese, fatty fish like salmon and mackerel (is that spelled correctly?).
 
Another thing is to reduce beer and instead replace with (dry) red wine. Reduce hard liqour. But there's noone that say you have to give up drinking (or smoking for that matter).

 

[sar127]

I'm no nutritionist but from I understand I think Doc is right. It doesn't makes sense to me that eating high fat diet can possibly be good for you. I did some research when deciding to lose weight and what ended up working for me was eating small meals 5-7 times a day, consuming 500-1000 less calories a day than my normal "indulgent" diet, and light workouts a few days a week.

I also didn't go zero carb or anything, just aimed for low fat, low sugar, no carbs at night, high protein and high veggies. I'm no organic food fanatic but I did stay away from processed foods, anything with high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, refined grains and sugars. Basically anything I didn't understand on the nutrition label I didn't eat.

 

[Rod]

You're doomed to failure with the Atkins' Diet. Sure it works. You can loose 20lbs in a week  However, when you starve yourself of carbs you put your body into ketosis, which means your body is literally eating itself and it isn't exactly good for you. Your body begins to crave carbs and eventually you succumb and go on a binge and gain all the weight that you had lost. In fact most people gain back more. The diet isn't sustainable. You would be much better off learning how to eat properly. Take your time, 2lbs a month is plenty. What's the rush. You didn't gain the weight overnight and you shouldn't loose it overnight. Just for shits and grins, check out to see what Dr. Atkins, a cardiologist, died of.
 
Doc

 
True!
 
I went gluten free for a few weeks and you drop weight fast.   But the problem is, who the hell can actually live gluten free/carb free for more than a few weeks?  Eat healthier and exercise. 

 

[jfields]

Doc and Rod are right!

Doc also said it best a few years back in one of his post. Something along the lines of " It's simple! Take in less calories than you burn."

When I want to lose I just watch what I eat, portion control, and exercise. I do cut out things like beer, bread, and large quantities of sweets. But, cutting out potatoes, rice, and pasta is extreme and asking for rapid weight gain once you fall off the wagon. I speak from learning the hard way.

 

[Devil Doc]

Too bad I don't take my own advice. :whistling:
 
Doc

 

[Lagamm]

You want to drop weight. Simple, exercise, be physically active and eat often and in small portions. High protein is good but your body needs carbs too. Balance your diet and generally eat good, small portions and often. When you take your body in any extreme it is a recipe in long term failure in my opinion.

 

[Cparker]

I can't speak about Atkins pro or con, but a friend a few years back was on Atkins, and she made "fake mashed potatoes" out of steamed cauliflower and white cheese. It was a pretty solid dish, and I would eat it whether on a diet or not. 

 

[Not A Nice Person]

I had my thyroid out in 2000, so I have my particular set of issues to deal with---it made a new man out of me, but the first thing that new man wanted to be was BIGGER.  :blush:
 
Needless to say, I've tried pretty much everything.  I grew up on healthy, whole grain, home cooking, big vegetable garden out back, big salad with dinner eating and I've maintained that over the years, more or less.  I've been Pritikin, done vegetarian, lacto-vegetarian, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, lacto-ovo-bacon-cheeseburger-o-vegetarian . . . 
 
Since the operation, I've tried South Beach, reduced portions, and now I'm cutting out carbs and eating small portions of meat and big piles of vegetables.  What I'm doing now is the first thing that's both worked and also felt sustainable.
 
Here's the sad truth and bottom line: your body wants to be the fattest its ever been. You can lose weight reducing portions, reducing calories, reducing carbs, reducing fats.  But your body will adjust, and whatever you decide to do, you will have to do THE REST OF YOUR LIFE because your body will adjust to it, and keep trying to get back to the fattest its ever been.  It's a survival trait built in over thousands of generations of evolutionary biology.
 
Cardio helps, a lot.  Heavy iron helps, a lot.  Limiting carbs and especially, paying attention to glycemic index and insulin resistance helps a lot.  Staying away from high fructose corn syrup definitely helps a lot.  But at the end of the day, if you can't live with what you're doing for the whole rest of your life, you're going to put the weight back on.  And it's NOT as simple as "burn more than you take in" because . . . your body STILL wants to be the fattest it's ever been. 
 
Being healthy and fit is not a matter of weight or BMI.  Eat well, stay active, drink in moderation, enjoy life, and find what works for you. And stay away from things that come in crinkly packages and colorful boxes, or drive thru fast food wrappers.
 
~Boar

 

[sar127]

Here's the sad truth and bottom line: your body wants to be the fattest its ever been. You can lose weight reducing portions, reducing calories, reducing carbs, reducing fats.  But your body will adjust, and whatever you decide to do, you will have to do THE REST OF YOUR LIFE because your body will adjust to it, and keep trying to get back to the fattest its ever been.  It's a survival trait built in over thousands of generations of evolutionary biology.

 
Good point! Ted.com is where I first learned about this, in case anyone is interested in knowing more: 
http://www.ted.com/talks/sandra_aamodt_why_dieting_doesn_t_usually_work

 

[golfgar]

First I wish to thank everyone for the suggestions and input. I have been reading a lot about this trying to decide the best approach for me. This is not the first time I have embarked on this journey. I probably haven't got as long to permanently change the lifestyle now as I had the first time I lost weight. In theory that should make it easier. However, the truth is that cutting out processed food works for me and has in the past. But it works best combined with an increase in physical activity.

So to kick off the new deal my wife and I went to the Soulard Farmers Market and bought fruits and vegetables. Great deal on the strawberries, 6 lbs $5.00. While I know that fruits contain carbs I believe the raw fruit carbs are better for you than say root vegetable carbs and certainly better than processed food carbs. The veggies were all green. So I shall embark on a sort of diet which cuts out processed foods, sugary sauces and complex carbs while keeping the carbs from fruit and green leafy vegetables. I think, this along with a reasonable amount of proteins from fish, meat and eggs will be something I can adopt. Combine this with walking and some light weight training and that should do the trick. The real trick for me will be keeping this as a permanent change. Also, I saw a friend of mine at the club, he has lost 60 lbs and claims it was done simply by drinking cessation. He said it was not necessarily the booze calories but the crap he ate after having a few. So, sadly, I have decided to quit drinking for a while anyway and see if I can get a jump start. Memorial Day BBQ...no beers. Oh well have to give it a chance. Ball game Yanks v Cards tomorrow....no beers (no nachos, pretzels or other junk either...should be easier without beer). I guess I will find out how much I like baseball vs going to the game and having beers. I should make an excellent designated driver.

Thank you all for your input and if there are any more suggestions for recipes like cauliflower please keep em coming.

My dad was over for the BBQ today, one of the dwindling number of WWII vets around and I thanked him for his service and thank you to all of the veterans for their service.

 

[Cigar FF]

Seeking a more holistic approach to an auto immune disease, I was forced to start a reduction diet which removed glutens, sugars and dairy from my diet. By definition, I was overweight but I lost 20 lbs in about a month. The 1st 10-13lbs was in the 1st week to 10 days but it was certainly unexpected. Who knew.

There is a book called Wheat Belly. I highly recommend you read it. Wheat today provides little to no value to your body. It actually spikes your insulin and has an opposite effect on your body. It should change your view on foods that contain wheat.

As a result of this diet, I feel great. I have energy, I don't feel bloated after I eat, I don't feel like taking a nap every 30 minutes. It has been quite an experience. I was one of the biggest anti-diet people out there. I love my milkshakes. I enjoy & appreciate the taste of foods. It is sometimes tough to find places to eat dinner but there are many chain restaurants that have a gluten free menu, which was a surprise to me. There is also an app that will provide you with local stores and restaurants that are gluten free. You can still eat steak, pork, turkey, chicken.

I'm not celiac so I don't have as extreme of a need to stay away from glutens but I was surprised to learn that some restaurants go as far as to have separate kitchens to prepare food in. I struggled for the first week or two and craved every shit food you could think of. I can't help but acknowledge how good I've been feeling, how much energy I have and the fact that I lost as much weight unexpectedly.

I would never push my thoughts or views on someone but I encourage you to look into gluten free and read the wheat belly book. I anxiously await the time when I can have a cheat day but that won't be for a few months. My wife has also adopted the gluten free meals along with our children. She doesn't have to do it and she is glad she did because she constantly talks about how great she feels.

PM me if you have any specific questions. I'd be happy to help where I can. Trust me, I hate not being able to eat a slice of pizza or have that milkshake or sundae after dinner. Stepping on the scale and seeing the pounds drop off just by adjusting my diet is impressive to me. Good luck.