I am not kidding. If you only new how much sugar I take it you would not believe it.

Fortunately, I am only around 20 pound over weight. I was thinking of going on the Atkin's diet, since I just gave up smoking and want to lose weight. But someone else told me it's not the food I eat, but it's the sugar I take in. I have to admit this person is right.

I just got the book Sugar Busters out of the local library. I'm going to try to stick with it. Has anyone here had success taking of around 20 pounds with this way of eating? Is it better or worse than the Atkin's diet?

Giving up sugar is going to be the hardest thing I have ever done. It really is. Any words of advice would greatly be appreciated.

Thank you

Hi Pudgyman: (oh, I feel mean )

I've read Sugar Busters. It was one of the first low carb books I read. It's also the least restrictive low carb books.

For what it's worth, here are my thoughts:

Sugar Busters cuts out the sugar. Whole grains are OK. The authors are a 40-30-30 plan (carbs, protein,fat). They certainly don't advocate as high a fat intake as Atkins because they feel saturated fats cause coronary disease. That's a whole other issue. Therefore, low-fat or nonfat products are recommended. Mostly their carb choices are based on the glycemic index.

I mostly found when I first started doing low carb, that I started substituting one sweet addiction for another. Fruits became my vice. That did me no good in controlling my unstable blood sugars.

My only advise is that you have to figure for yourself what works best for you. There is no "correct answer". I'm sure lots of people will lose weight on this kind of plan. After all, sugar and refined flours are the worst offenders. What you may need to watch for, however, is behavior difficulties. Are you hungry all the time? Are you substituting one addiction for another? Are you bingeing? Those kinds of observations will tell you how well the plan works for you.

Is it better or worse than Atkins? That's a loaded question. How do you define "better". Lose weight quicker? Feel better? Feel less deprived? I'd venture to say that you'll lose weight quicker on Atkins. But you probably will definately feel more deprived on Atkins if you are addicted to grains. That's why you need to decide what is best for you.

Giving up sugar was the hardest thing I ever had to do. I still struggle with the cravings. I used to carry big bags of candy with me everywhere I went, I was so afraid of being hungry (not knowing I was hypoglycemic). If I could do it, you can do it. It will never be easy, especially if you cheat. The best advise for you is not to tempt yourself into thinking that you can have just a little sugar. Five days of bingeing on sugar later, you'll be very angry with yourself. Been there, done that.

Also, to help things along, make sure to take chromium picolinate to help stabilize your blood sugars (200-600 mcg) and l-glutamine supplements to help with cravings. Atkins recommends that when sugar urges emerge, take 1-2 grams of L-glutamine, preferably with some heavy cream and a touch of nonsugar sweetener.

You can do this

Hope this helps,
Wanda

Hi.... I started Atkins induction in September and I can still remember how detoxing my body felt. I was so dizzy and lethargic and I was on day 5 and thought I was going to pass out. Then like a dream I woke from on day 6... I felt a cloud lift and then I felt good. Really good and then I realized what I had been putting inside myself.

I'm not saying I haven't had cheats over this entire time. But my body feels bad when I do now. Also... I don't know if you ever feel bloated or gassy but when you LC you don't feel that anymore.

Try induction if you are interested for 2 weeks only and see how you feel. We can all tell you and tell you but until you understand how you can feel SF it is all just words....

http://atkinscenter.com/Archive/2001/12/15-464579.html

All the best.

Hi Pudge!
As you can see by my stats I've been pretty darn successful with SB.

I do however eat more fat than the book reccomends and I keep my starchy carbs servings to 2-3 a day.

My experience has been that no matter what plan you are on it has to be tweaked to your own personal body chemistry.
Get the basics down and then experiment to find what works best for you.

Good luck! ---will be looking forward to seeing your progress!

molly

Hi Pudgyman!

Wow, this diet works really well for me. I've enjoyed it so much, it hardly feels like a diet.

Over the months, I've found my niche. I've combined SB and Adkins and found that this way works well for me. Although I follow SB pretty well... As far as eating whole grains, lower fat meats and eating fruits at the suggested times... I buy Adkins products and use some of Adkins recipes. I love adkins "endulge" bars and his sugar free syrup. I buy different kinds of sugar-free chocolate. (Gourmet, dark-chocolate sugar free turtles are phenomonal!!!!)

Don't think of a low-sugar diet as giving up your "sweet-tooth". There's plenty of "sweet" recipes and products made with artificial sweetner that satisfy my sweet tooth. And I'm sure it will satisfy yours too!

Good luck and hope this helps!

Melanie

Hi Mellie,
I saw how much weight you have lost......how wonderful!!! I have a question for you. I have been on Atkin's about 1 month now. I find it limiting. How do you combine Atkin's and Sugar Buster's? Can you give me examples of what you eat in a day? Thanks!-----Angie