Doctor wants me off Atkins NOW!!!

Boondox · Nov 13, 2003

Went in for a checkup today, 40# less than the last time I saw the doc and 7" off my waistline. I feel great, have more stamina, and have only 10 more pounds to go before hitting my target weight.

BUT my cholesterol has gone from 187 to 330+ /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

He actually recommended the South Beach Diet as an alternative, so I'll have a ton of questions for Garry (Golfgar4).

Pete

yooperdave · Nov 13, 2003

You have me afraid to get my cholesterol checked /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif!

I do eat a healthy tub-o-garden salad for lunch everyday though. I heard that 7 servings of veggies/salad will lower the bad cholestrol.

Maybe I will get a check up early next year.

Good luck & thanks for the heads up

Yooper Dave

Docsknotinn · Nov 13, 2003

Time to try the morning bowl of oatmeal routine. There is also a relatively new sugar substitute out called splenda. No chemicals, no caleries /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Dave

Mrwurm · Nov 13, 2003

Pete, I have not been following the atkins diet strictly but I have used the 'low carb' concept. I simply eliminated the foods from my diet that were highest on the glycemic index. Without getting all complicated, I'm simply following an Atkins maintenance type diet.

Four weeks after starting this 'diet' I:

Lost 15 pounds

Total Chol went from 173 to 160

Good Chol went from 48 to 51

Triglycerides went from 450 to 250

For those who don't know, these are all moves in the right direction. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

My weight loss has leveled off. I would have to follow a stricter diet to lose more. I have gone from 215 to 200 lbs. I would like to weigh 185, so, I'm not too far away.

TimSullivan · Nov 13, 2003

My wife and I have been on the South Beach diet on doctors strong recommendation. We have each lost over thirty pounds and are on stage two. The first two weeks were the worst but now it is not really that bad. I cheat every once in a while but it really has not effected my weight loss.

We have found new foods that we actually like in the book. It is the best diet we have every used. We are committed to stay on this diet as we feel so much better. Stage three or maintenance adds a lot more foods and we will be there soon.

We are scheduled for cholesterol tests early in December. Mine has to go down.

OkeeDon · Nov 13, 2003

I had to get new health insurance (old company stopped writing in our state), and I was rated up for mildly high cholesteral (247). I set about a diet to reduce cholesterol and got it back down under 200. No eggs (not even egg noodles), very little red meat, etc. etc. While working hard to get this down to life-saving levels, my sister-in-law and brother-in-law visited. Teh were on Atkins. They didn't eat all the things I was eating, and were heavily eating all the things I was avoiding. Frankly, I thought they were nuts. High cholesterol kills. A little extra weight just looks bad.

Mrwurm · Nov 13, 2003

Don, I've added lots of eggs and red meat to my diet, and my numbers got better. (just like the Atkins book said they would) Don't ask me how it works.

Boondox · Nov 13, 2003

Even my doctor was surprised. He says most people have an initial surge in their cholesterol levels, but after six months or so the body adapts to the changes and the levels generally drop below baseline. That was not the case for me. Bad genes, I guess. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Pete

thcri · Nov 13, 2003

I don't have my numbers here at home. My Cholestrol after being on the Atkins two months went up about 6 points. Not a big deal because my ratio got better. After being on the Atkins now for 7 months my ratio continued to get better and my overall number is now done to somewhere around 165. My doctor is really impressed. But was is really great for especially with diabetes in our family was my glucous levels have dropped drastically. Oh yes, did I mention I am 70 lbs lighter. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

But all keep in mind, the Atkins is not for everyone. If you are going on any diet you should make sure your doctor is ok with it and also with any diet, when you quit you will gain it back unless you watch yourself.

murph

gadgetman · Nov 13, 2003

My Heart Doc was the one that turned us on to Atkins. He had lost a lot of weight and dropped his cholesterol. When I started my Cholesterol was almost 300 even taking Zokor. Tri was almost 700!!!!! After 6 months my Cholesterol went to 150-160 range, and Tri dropped to 150. HDL & LDL were both still a little high.

After almost two years (as of Oct 03) my Cholesterol was 186, Tri-262, HDL-43, LDL-78. My wife and I have sea-sawed somewhat by hitting the bread and some other no-no's but we stay very close.

When we first started and saw the list of things we COULD eat, I said no way. Eggs, bacon, all meats, pork rinds, etc. We also use the Splenda Sweetener in everything. My wife has used it in deserts and you can't tell the difference.

But like some have said, some people respond to this diet and some don't. That is why Doctors are hot and cold on the diet. Some of the most recent tests seem to confirm what Dr. Atkins was preaching. Too bad he didn't live to see them back him up.

We eat out a lot and most places will work with you by subing things you can eat.