Mon, Sep-04-06, 15:42
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Butter Tastes Better
Posts: 5,201
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Plan: Atkins OWL / IF-23/1 /BFL
Stats: 100/100/100
BF:
Progress: 34%
Location: SF Bay Area
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I have read through both books. If you look at them backwards, the "maintenance" phase is very similar with both plans.
Atkins has a white-list-style approach. It starts off by wiping the slate clean and relearning how to eat. Its focus is on natural, whole foods. Natural proteins, fats and low glycemic fruits and veggies. Within the first 2 weeks your body shifts its primary source of feul from sugars (carbs) to fats (ketones). When in this ketogenic state you have a good stable level of energy and appetite suppression. After that you slowly introduce new foods one at a time. You learn to customize the plan to fit your lifestyle and needs. You see how your body reacts to certain foods. Whether they trigger cravings, give you headaches, make you feel bloated, slow down your rate of loss etc. You do count carbs, at least initially. 20 grams of "net carbs" during the first 2 weeks. The carbs should come mostly from vegetable sources and fiber is deducted. After that you move up the carb ladder by adding more veggies, from there you progress into foods like nuts and berries and then on to legumes and eventually whole grains. Atkins uses the appetite suppressive effects of ketosis to help teach how to listen to your body and eat when you are hungry. Do not stuff yourself but eat when you are hungry and until you are satisfied. Many who are maintaining do not count their carbs as diligently as those who are starting. They tend to be very familiar with their bodies and the regular foods they eat and have a rough idea of how many carbs they take in. It seems to work particularly well with those who are metabolically resistant. It does not restrict the amount of natural fats one can eat and considers them to be healthy. There is a point of contention when it comes to sugar alcohols. In the more recent Atkins books it seems he approved of sugar alcohols because they do not effect blood sugar. Unfortunately Atkins passed away before the low carb boom where everything had tons of sugar alcohols in it. Most people following Atkins have learned that sugar alcohols do effect them and drastically limit the amount that they eat. They also tend to count the carbs in sugar alcohols as regular carbs to help limit their consumption and many find that these "frankenfoods" tend to trigger cravings and are best avoided.
South beach also begins with a 'carb detox' of sorts. It stresses that it focuses not on reducing all carbs but on eating "good" carbs and "good" fats. Agatston believes (or believed) that natural saturated fats (as opposed to chemically saturated fats)are unhealthy. There is more of a traditional "diet" focus there where you eat reduced fat cheese, drink skim milk and use products like smart balance and fat free cool whip instead of things like real butter and real cream. South beach suggests eating carbs based on their glycemic index. It introduces foods like whole grains, tubers and higher GI fruits much sooner than Atkins does which some people find to be very important. It also emphasizes portion control much more than Atkins does and does not require getting into ketosis. It is a cross between a low fat and low carb diet. It allows the eating of "healthy" fats like olive oil and nuts more liberally than a traditional low fat plan and the eating of "healthy" carbs like fruit and whole grains much sooner than many low carb plans. It seems to be a good choice for those who dislike or "fear" fatty foods, people who may have gallbladder problems, people who do not have much weight to lose and people who feel they cannot live without whole grains early on.
Both of them are strict in their own way and people have lost weight and maintained it on both plans. Also, like I said, in the end phase(s) they are really quite similar.
Also, while it is good to pick a plan and stick to it, there is no law that says if something isnt working for you, you cannot try something else. Different things work for different people and there is no one size fits all. Usually I suggest trying a plan for 8-12 weeks and if by then you really don't feel its right for you, try something else that might be more suitable.
Also, I strongly believe in working a plan to suit your tastes and lifestyle. For example, just because Atkins doesnt restrict fat consumption, it doesnt mean that if you do not like fatty foods you have to eat tons of it or that you cannot eat leaner cuts of meat if your taste buds prefer it. It just gives you the option and variety.
Anyway, I suggest you read through both books. You can probably get them at your local library and I wish you the best of luck with whatever plan you choose.
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