Carb Addicts vs. Atkins, anyone try both? Curious!
 

Hi everyone! :wave:

I was looking at some of the different diet plans for low carb and have some questions.

I'm currently trying to do the Atkins diet, but not really suceeding too much, I did it about 3 years ago and it wasn't a problem but this time I am having a hard time curbing my cravings. If it's around, then I will eat it pretty much.

Now, I saw the Carbohydrate Addicts plan and it sounds interesting, more like what I would like. 2 low carb meals and one regular controlled meal.

I'm wondering if anyone has done the Atkins and then switched over to this had any success, or what anyones results are..

I would really appreciate some advice, this sounds like it's more up my alley and not such a "diet" like the atkins. I just bought the Carb Addicts book online and look forward to checking it out.

Thanks everyone! :cheer:

Hi Christy P,

Swiching didn't work for me - I put weight on on carbohydrate addicts diet. However this doesn't mean it won't work for you. CAD is for carbohyrate addicts - not for everyone. Why not try it for a week or two and see what happens - it's your body and we're all different.

Robert

Hi Robert,

Thank you for responding. I can see how anyone would gain weight on the CAD, going from hardly any carbs to being able to have one sorta regular meal a day.

This CAD sounds a bit more realistic to me, I can't wait to get the book and read up on it. I would think that a breakfast could be my regularish meal and then just salads or low carb for the other two. That plan would work for me. I guess I'll see when I read up on it what the carb limits are etc.

The thing about the Atkins is that if I nibble a bit of something I feel so horrible about it, and whipping up these low carb recipes are kinda not my cup o' tea. Some are good, but I cannot see myself doing that for the rest of my life. The CAD seems more realistic to me.

Sorry for the rambling!! Hee Hee! :daze:

Hi Christy: :wave:

I can only speak for myself, but I did do Atkins a year ago for
about a month and had weight loss which I was happy with,
but I found it difficult to stick too I was always thinking of food
and knowing I would be always limited to having even a slice
of cake just wasn't cutting it for me.

Since being on CAD I know this is the plan for me, I find It more
realiastic for my lifestyle, if I have to go to a wedding or function I
don't feel restricted because of the Reward meal factor. I just
need to plan a little and I can enjoy the occasion. We are all
different we just have to experiment a little to find out what
works and what doesn't.

Alicia

Hi Christy

I'm a real carb addict too :rolleyes:

For me Atkins works because it has helped me to overcome the cravings...I am over them completely now. I guess it's a bit like giving up any addiction (eg smoking) I had to go "cold turkey".

For me CAD would forever be tempting me with the one thing that is my down fall - carbs!

The best thing is that I am now truly free of carb addiction and it is soooo liberating!!

I guess we each have to try things out to see what works the best.

Good luck

Lesley

I've tried both as well and wound up gaining weight on CAD. It didn't help the cravings, either as I found that I was always looking forward to that reward meal where I could have whatever goodie I was craving. Limiting my consumption to such foods to once a day wasn't helping me crave them any less than before and actually made it more difficult for me to stay away from them the rest of the day. For me it's almost equivalent to telling an alcoholic or drug addict, "You can still have what you're addicted to, but only for one hour each day". It just didn't work for me. I know that it has worked well for others, but perhaps their addictions weren't as strong as mine or they have much more willpower than I do.
If you were used to making desserts and such from a box mix, I can see where making low carb treats would be more of a chore, but since I was already in the habit of making any baked goods or sweets homemade, it's not really any more difficult to make them low carb. I made a low carb cheesecake last night and it didn't take more than 15 minutes to put together and get into the oven and that was with a couple of interruptions from the kids. Meals are also really no more work than before since I rarely made anything from a mix or a box before. If anything, it's less work because I'm not having to mess with rice, noodles or potatoes....just meats and veggies.

Hi everyone! :wave:

Thank you for all your posts, very interesting how everyone has different results with different diets!

I should get my book soon, so until then I will still be Atkins it. I haven't weighed myself in about a week, it's PMS week so I KNOW I'm heavier right now. I can feel it......... *sigh*

Had a yummy dinner though and am ready to nap!!

hello Christy

Its a great idea to read CAD. IMO these things are all complimentary.
Ive done both no great success with either LOL but at the minute Im combining the two ( I like things complicated !) I have been CAD 5 months and lost 5" though the scale is playing games with me.

If you type " carbohydrate Addicts Diet" into a search engine you will find the Hellers homepage which has a quiz to determine if you are CA.

Also there is right here a CAD forum , which may well provide you with a lot of answers. Do have a look in , its very useful, and post any questions you like.

Hi Christy

I am not really answering your question but...I love blabbing!
I am at the moment following Atkins. I can see myself doing this for a long time however, I initially wanted to shift to CAD after reaching my target weight (a looooooong way to go!!)

However, what I will do, is maintain Atkins as the main stream and from time to time (weekend, celebrations, etc...) remember the time rule from the Hellers!

ciao :wave:

Hi
 

I was just on CAD over a month ago, and though I didn't gain weight, I didn't lose either. I also couldn't get the cravings to stop and I was seeing myself eating more "sweet" things than healthy things at my reward meal. I need limitations so Atkins works the best for me. I do think that I'll be doing CAD when I'm closer to my goal. By then I will not have had sweets for a long time and maybe my sweetness cravings will be easier to handle.

Hi Everyone! :wave:

I can see where the craving factor would come in on CAD. I'll check out that site and see what it says, sounds interesting though!

Thanks everyone.

I kind of alternate Atkins w/ CAD. I don't eat red meat & don't always get enough calories with Atkins, plus I really miss pizza, pasta, & sandwiches. So, some days I'll be strict & say "no carbs" strict Atkins. Other days (weekends, special events) I'll try to follow a slightly tainted CAD plan. I've been losing pretty well lately & I think it's good to shuffle things up a little bit. My boss lost A LOT of weight (it would be impolite to ask how much :) ) on CAD & was the one who introduced me to it. The biggest downfall most people have with CAD is losing control at their reward meal. If you can keep that under control you'll lose weight.

Paty

Hi,

I'm a newbie here and I dont know much about CAD or Atkins, but I started CALP on 1-19-03 and today I reached my first self-imposed "reward day". I reached 30 lbs lost! HOORAY!!! Personally, I have had a really easy time sticking with the program. As with other new ventures, I have been doing quite a lot of research and I believe I am learning as much about myself as I am the LC lifestyle.

As for cravings, here again, I've been so fortunate. For the first week, I only had cravings for something crunchy and I have since developed some recipes that fit the bill for that.

The biggest thing for me is how much BETTER I feel. I could go on and on about more energy, less aches and pains etc. ,but I cant emphasize enough about my mental and emotional outlook since I started the program.

Any, I am sold on the premise of CALP and through a little research am able to eat tastey , satisfying and LC foods and it is working. Prior to this, I would never have believed I could not have fresh-baked bread and not missed it, but I truely dont.

I weigh myself every day and who would have ever believed one would look FORWARD to weighing oneself!!

Anyway, GOOD LUCK and remember "Habit is like a cable, we weave a strand each day until, at last, it is unbreakable"