Conversion from atkins to w.w.

Welcome to the group John. It sounds like you may not be eating enough. Try eating at least your 28
points and drink your water. I know it sounds kind of scary, but try it for two or three weeks, it
works! If you feel as though you aren't able to eat any more than you arenow , try adding olive oil,
or nuts to your diet to increase your points to 28. Good luck!

Brenda

"John" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have been on the Atkins diet for a while. Lost a good bit of wieght but decided to try Weight
Watchers for a change of pace and more variety. I

have

Quoted message said:

no problems with this diet, as a mater of fact I really like this diet.I love fruits and eating a
couple of grapefruits a day. Here is my delimma.

My

Quoted message said:

points are 28 points a day, Alot of days I have only been eating 22 or 23.

I

Quoted message said:

have never gone over the 28 points. My usual daily eating routine is

Oatmeal

Quoted message said:

in the morning, around 10:00 am I eat a grapefruit. Usually a small

Wendy's

Quoted message said:

Chili at lunch. Then a smartones meal at night with green beans and maybe some Corn on the cob.
Might snack on a bag of popcorn at night and I

always

Quoted message said:

eat a apple right before bed. I love my apple at night. I have gained 2 pounds since I have been
on this diet. I really like it but I sure did not want to gain wieght. Any ideas? Thanks in
advance.

You don't say how long you've been trying WW? Nor how long ago you may have stopped Atkins.

I am not a nutritionist but theories of Atkins are that a lot of water weight is lost when the sugar
stores in your body are depleted and when you first start up with carbs/sugars your body might
reverse that process and retain water to store the sugars. So it might take a bit to balance out
those changes.

WW does encourage folks, as Brenda suggests, to eat their minimum points. Altho, one week of less
probably would not kill the entire diet and you may need to adjust to this new way of eating.

I tried Atkins about 4 years ago. Frankly, I did lose weight on it but I could not give up fruits
mostly and I had no energy to hike. And what is interesting, is that on WW, I lost weight just as
quickly as Atkins those first weeks.

WW does work. Portion control is an important element.

Good luck

Fred
219.2/160./164.0 (Lifetime July 2003) Started WW: Oct 29, 2002

John said:

I have been on the Atkins diet for a while. Lost a good bit of wieght but decided to try Weight
Watchers for a change of pace and more variety. I have no problems with this diet, as a mater of
fact I really like this diet.I love fruits and eating a couple of grapefruits a day. Here is my
delimma. My points are 28 points a day, Alot of days I have only been eating 22 or 23. I have never
gone over the 28 points. My usual daily eating routine is Oatmeal in the morning, around 10:00 am I
eat a grapefruit. Usually a small Wendy's Chili at lunch. Then a smartones meal at night with green
beans and maybe some Corn on the cob. Might snack on a bag of popcorn at night and I always eat a
apple right before bed. I love my apple at night. I have gained 2 pounds since I have been on this
diet. I really like it but I sure did not want to gain wieght. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

Welcome to the group, John. I'm hoping our resident expert (Ray, I think???) will come along and
explain things to you - as I know I'm going to botch it all up in the process. But I'll try anyway
(and just confuse the heck out of you). <Grin>

It is not uncommon when changing from atkins to ww, to at first see an increase in your weight -
actually it is expected. I believe it has something to do with the ketosis process that the body
goes into when on the high protein diet ... sugars being converted into something, or muscles/body
getting rid of extra stores. Within a few weeks of sticking to the newer plan, you should start
seeing a decrease once again.

Secondly, It sounds to me like you may not be eating enough - especially if you are also
exercising. Believe it or not, you do have to eat to lose weight. If you consistently eat low,
you're body will go into starvation mode - thus hanging onto every possible ounce it can in an
attempt to keep things functioning. Whenever I got stuck, I went back to review things ... added a
bit more *good* food and after a week or so the declines started up again. Also cutting too far
back on fats can have an adverse effect on weightloss ... another thing I am very guilty of. Add
good fats (olive oils, fishes, etc.) and you may also see more of a decline. If your usual routine
includes that daily wendy's chili and frozen prepared dinner, chances are your sodium levels are
much higher - which will cause you to retain water, thus upping the scale results. Any way you can
get away from the prepared meals and instead fix yourself fresher meals? The change of pace will be
good for the system.

Like I said, hopefully one of the guys will follow along shortly and give you better
information as to what your body is currently going through. Keep the chin up though, it is
only a temporary increase.

Joyce

John said:

I have been on the Atkins diet for a while. Lost a good bit of wieght but decided to try Weight
Watchers for a change of pace and more variety. I have no problems with this diet, as a mater of
fact I really like this diet.I love fruits and eating a couple of grapefruits a day. Here is my
delimma. My points are 28 points a day, Alot of days I have only been eating 22 or 23. I have never
gone over the 28 points. My usual daily eating routine is Oatmeal in the morning, around 10:00 am I
eat a grapefruit. Usually a small Wendy's Chili at lunch. Then a smartones meal at night with green
beans and maybe some Corn on the cob. Might snack on a bag of popcorn at night and I always eat a
apple right before bed. I love my apple at night. I have gained 2 pounds since I have been on this
diet. I really like it but I sure did not want to gain wieght. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

My oldest girl was on Atkins, started at the same time I started WW. I lost more weight than she did
(actually had more to lose) and reached my goal. She gave up before reaching her goal, said she got
to the point she missed too many foods, and started having horrible cravings. I won't say one is
better than the other, guess it is finding which program works best for each individual .. on a
permanent basis. I know myself and my daughter, could not follow a lifetime of the Atkins
philosophy.

Joyce

On Wed, 03 Mar 2004 22:17:10 -0800, Fred <[email hidden]> wrote:

<snipped>

Quoted message said:

I tried Atkins about 4 years ago. Frankly, I did lose weight on it but I could not give up fruits
mostly and I had no energy to hike. And what is interesting, is that on WW, I lost weight just as
quickly as Atkins those first weeks.

WW does work. Portion control is an important element.

Good luck

Fred
219.2/160./164.0 (Lifetime July 2003) Started WW: Oct 29, 2002

John said:

I have been on the Atkins diet for a while. Lost a good bit of wieght but decided to try Weight
Watchers for a change of pace and more variety. I have no problems with this diet, as a mater of
fact I really like this diet.I love fruits and eating a couple of grapefruits a day. Here is my
delimma. My points are 28 points a day, Alot of days I have only been eating 22 or 23. I have
never gone over the 28 points. My usual daily eating routine is Oatmeal in the morning, around
10:00 am I eat a grapefruit. Usually a small Wendy's Chili at lunch. Then a smartones meal at
night with green beans and maybe some Corn on the cob. Might snack on a bag of popcorn at night
and I always eat a apple right before bed. I love my apple at night. I have gained 2 pounds since
I have been on this diet. I really like it but I sure did not want to gain wieght. Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.

first of all, coming from low carb to WW will cause some weight fluctuation.
Second you MUST eat your target to lose, I know, I have trouble eating my
points most days, but it must be done to keep your body out of starvation
mode. Third, WW is not a diet in the traditional sense. It is a way of
eating that you work with until you can live with it for life, Welcome to
the group and best of luck, Lee
John <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have been on the Atkins diet for a while. Lost a good bit of wieght but decided to try Weight
Watchers for a change of pace and more variety. I

have

Quoted message said:

no problems with this diet, as a mater of fact I really like this diet.I love fruits and eating a
couple of grapefruits a day. Here is my delimma.

My

Quoted message said:

points are 28 points a day, Alot of days I have only been eating 22 or 23.

I

Quoted message said:

have never gone over the 28 points. My usual daily eating routine is

Oatmeal

Quoted message said:

in the morning, around 10:00 am I eat a grapefruit. Usually a small

Wendy's

Quoted message said:

Chili at lunch. Then a smartones meal at night with green beans and maybe some Corn on the cob.
Might snack on a bag of popcorn at night and I

always

Quoted message said:

eat a apple right before bed. I love my apple at night. I have gained 2 pounds since I have been
on this diet. I really like it but I sure did not want to gain wieght. Any ideas? Thanks in
advance.

John said:

I have gained 2 pounds since I have been on this diet. I really like it but I sure did not want to
gain wieght. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

As mentioned before, that is most likely water retention do to the return of carbohydrates into
your diet.

Keep going for a while and see how your body react.

Cheers Marc

welcome to the group john 🙂
"John" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have been on the Atkins diet for a while. Lost a good bit of wieght but decided to try Weight
Watchers for a change of pace and more variety. I

have

Quoted message said:

no problems with this diet, as a mater of fact I really like this diet.I love fruits and eating a
couple of grapefruits a day. Here is my delimma.

My

Quoted message said:

points are 28 points a day, Alot of days I have only been eating 22 or 23.

I

Quoted message said:

have never gone over the 28 points. My usual daily eating routine is

Oatmeal

Quoted message said:

in the morning, around 10:00 am I eat a grapefruit. Usually a small

Wendy's

Quoted message said:

Chili at lunch. Then a smartones meal at night with green beans and maybe some Corn on the cob.
Might snack on a bag of popcorn at night and I

always

Quoted message said:

eat a apple right before bed. I love my apple at night. I have gained 2 pounds since I have been
on this diet. I really like it but I sure did not want to gain wieght. Any ideas? Thanks in
advance.

---
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Version: 6.0.592 / Virus Database: 375 - Release Date: 18/02/04

Joyce said:

It is not uncommon when changing from atkins to ww, to at first see an increase in your weight -
actually it is expected. I believe it has something to do with the ketosis process that the body
goes into when on the high protein diet ... sugars being converted into something, or muscles/body
getting rid of extra stores. Within a few weeks of sticking to the newer plan, you should start
seeing a decrease once again.

Hehe. I'm no expert but I do like to research things. If you want to know all about this stuff
google for "lyle Mcdonald ud2" The UD2 diet is a cyclic ketogenic diet that is extremely complicated
but very effective.

When you do Atkins the body goes into ketosis. One important aspect of this is that the glycogen in
the muscles is depleted. Glycogen is associated with a lot of water, so you lose up to about 10
pounds of water (and glycogen) in the first fortnight. Unfortunately when you come off atkins and
start eating carbs again the glycogen is immediately restored along with the water, and you put on a
good few pounds in a few days. This makes it seem like atkins is really good and ww is really bad.
Interestingly this lack of glycogen is why Fred found that he didn't have energy for hiking.

As others have said, you should eat your points. There are some good ways to add a few calories
without hassle. Add olive oil to your cooking or if you want to go the whole 10 yards eat peanut
butter sandwiches!

Ray
--
rmnsuk
273/202/182

Thanks to everyone that answered my post. I lost a ton of wieght on Atkins, but I just am so tired
of it. I don't think Atkins would be as freindly as far as maintenance. I don't even feel I am on a
diet now. I can eat so many more things than I could on Atkins. I love fruit and missed it so much.
I was eating very little on atkins and guess I got use to not taking in much. Thanks again to
everyone that took the time to answer.

Welcome John!

I'm a former LCer, and missed the fruits and veggies

Julie "John" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have been on the Atkins diet for a while. Lost a good bit of wieght but decided to try Weight
Watchers for a change of pace and more variety. I

have

Quoted message said:

no problems with this diet, as a mater of fact I really like this diet.I love fruits and eating a
couple of grapefruits a day. Here is my delimma.

My

Quoted message said:

points are 28 points a day, Alot of days I have only been eating 22 or 23.

I

Quoted message said:

have never gone over the 28 points. My usual daily eating routine is

Oatmeal

Quoted message said:

in the morning, around 10:00 am I eat a grapefruit. Usually a small

Wendy's

Quoted message said:

Chili at lunch. Then a smartones meal at night with green beans and maybe some Corn on the cob.
Might snack on a bag of popcorn at night and I

always

Quoted message said:

eat a apple right before bed. I love my apple at night. I have gained 2 pounds since I have been
on this diet. I really like it but I sure did not want to gain wieght. Any ideas? Thanks in
advance.

best of luck, Lee
John <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Thanks to everyone that answered my post. I lost a ton of wieght on

Atkins,

Quoted message said:

but I just am so tired of it. I don't think Atkins would be as freindly as far as maintenance. I
don't even feel I am on a diet now. I can eat so

many

Quoted message said:

more things than I could on Atkins. I love fruit and missed it so much. I was eating very little
on atkins and guess I got use to not taking in

much.

Quoted message said:

Thanks again to everyone that took the time to answer.

Quoted message said:

ray miller said:

Joyce said:

It is not uncommon when changing from atkins to ww, to at first see an increase in your weight -
actually it is expected. I believe it has something to do with the ketosis process that the body
goes into when on the high protein diet ... sugars being converted into something, or muscles/body
getting rid of extra stores. Within a few weeks of sticking to the newer plan, you should start
seeing a decrease once again.

Hehe. I'm no expert but I do like to research things. If you want to know all about this stuff
google for "lyle Mcdonald ud2" The UD2 diet is a cyclic ketogenic diet that is extremely
complicated but very effective.

When you do Atkins the body goes into ketosis. One important aspect of this is that the glycogen in
the muscles is depleted. Glycogen is associated with a lot of water, so you lose up to about 10
pounds of water (and glycogen) in the first fortnight. Unfortunately when you come off atkins and
start eating carbs again the glycogen is immediately restored along with the water, and you put on
a good few pounds in a few days. This makes it seem like atkins is really good and ww is really
bad. Interestingly this lack of glycogen is why Fred found that he didn't have energy for hiking.

It was definitely too noticeable. And one of the reasons Atkins had to fall by the wayside for me.
And at that time, asking in the Atkins (no carb???) newsgroup never did get me satisfactory answers.
As here, some folks have a bit of trouble picturing the level of intensity of some of my "weekend
warrior" stuff and I think also picturing someone obese doing that level of stuff!!! But, at least,
with WW, you can eat carbs. So I can get energy foods to kick in. But in no-carbs, there was just no
real help - now, that may have changed but at that time, I got no help.

Quoted message said:

As others have said, you should eat your points. There are some good ways to add a few calories
without hassle. Add olive oil to your cooking or if you want to go the whole 10 yards eat peanut
butter sandwiches!

Or add flax oil to cereal - altho, it does flavor things a bit (too much). At 3 points a TBL, it
adds up quickly. (I think oil is 3 pts/Tbl)

Quoted message said:

Ray

Quoted message said:

I have been on the Atkins diet for a while. Lost a good bit
of wieght but decided to try Weight Watchers for a change
of pace and more variety

Hi John,

I just switched from Atkins yesterday. I have had good
success with WW before and I had hit the dreaded plateau on
Atkins that no amount of "tweaking" was changing. I really
have no good advice on how long it takes for the
water/glycogen issue to resolve. I just wanted to say hello
and "me, too" and wish you all the best.

Patty Belle
177/177/157

Quoted message said:

I have been on the Atkins diet for a while. Lost a good bit
of wieght but decided to try Weight Watchers for a change
of pace and more variety

Hi John,

I just switched from Atkins yesterday. I have had good
success with WW before and I had hit the dreaded plateau on
Atkins that no amount of "tweaking" was changing. I really
have no good advice on how long it takes for the
water/glycogen issue to resolve. I just wanted to say hello
and "me, too" and wish you all the best.

Patty Belle
177/177/157

Quoted message said:

I have been on the Atkins diet for a while. Lost a good bit
of wieght but decided to try Weight Watchers for a change
of pace and more variety

Hi John,

I just switched from Atkins yesterday. I have had good
success with WW before and I had hit the dreaded plateau on
Atkins that no amount of "tweaking" was changing. I really
have no good advice on how long it takes for the
water/glycogen issue to resolve. I just wanted to say hello
and "me, too" and wish you all the best.

Patty Belle
177/177/157