Atkins Diet: Is it possible for vegetarians?

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I have been asked this question two times this week, and I figured if I was getting it from multiple sources there might be more thinking it. It also comes on the heels of the ecoAtkins study (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608162426.htm). So is it possible for a vegetarian to do Atkins?

I am certainly not the expert on this as I love the meat in my diet as much as the next omnivore, but there are others who certainly are. There is one even on Youtube an Australian lady called lowcarbveggie (http://www.youtube.com/user/lowcarbveggie). She has some great low carb recipe videos posted here. But how about Atkins specifically with its focus on fat (65% Calories in Induction)? Absolutely.... Especially if you allow dairy and eggs on your diet, an ovo-lacto vegetarian. The quiche (sans the sausage) in the last video or the low carb pizza crust are just as legal for them as for the meat eating low carb. The Atkins Diet features lots of vegetable eating from day one, and there are still sources for good fats (aka all of them except trans fats) in the variety. Just because you are vegetarian doesn't mean you have to be slave to sugar. I would perhaps caution against a reliance on soy for the protein in your diet. There is developing evidence about the dangers of soy that I haven't completely made up my mind.

Finally, this video is not say this meatless way of eating is any better or worse than others. I just wanted to offer hope to even those who don't eat meat that they too can experience the appetite suppression and boundless energy of Atkins.

Please, be sure to support my friend ShrinkingTonyG (http://www.youtube.com/user/ShrinkingTonyG) as he starts down this path as well!

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Atkins Diet
• Low Carb
• Bowulf
• vegetarian
• vegan

[hootyhaha]

2007 I lost 35 lbs in 5 weeks. Atkins, Running every day, diet pill, not eating much on the Atkins plan. Unsafe the way I went about it I admit.

2011 I'm trying it again, but I'm not going as extreme. And in 2 weeks I've only lost 6-9 pounds.

In between those years I've tried several times but crashed. Is it possible for the body to build a tolerance to Atkins and even hold on. Like the body is saying, "NOT THIS TIME!" and holding on to the fat harder?

[bowulf]

@hootyhaha Check out my golden shot theory video posted here on Youtube, but let me remind you that 6-9 pounds depending on the amount you need to lose could be fantastic. Most people are geared to lose typically 5-10% of their weight to lose on Induction. How much do you have to lose?

[hootyhaha]

@bowulf I was going for 35 lbs in 5 weeks. I did that in 2007. But I'm 4 years older now, and I guess age plays a factor in it too? Somebody told me that the body can become conditioned to Atkins. Since 2007 I've tried the diet several other times and crashed. Maybe I got my body used to it?

[bowulf]

@hootyhaha Could be less likely to dump the water as quickly or that the more capable to burn fat for fuel, and less likely to simply burn the glycogen. It isn't necessarily less likely to loose, but just more quickly to get acclimated to burn the fat.

[marnao122]

Hi Kent, I have been back on Atkins for almost two months now and I have lost 27 pounds so far. I absolutely love your recipe segments and hope to see a lot more in the future. I make the mock danish a lot upon request from family members(even though I can't seem to get mine to look like yours). I also love the cauliflower bisque. I have a spaghetti squash so I can soon try the chicken alfredo. I hit a stall at 23 pounds lost and the stall lasted about 2 weeks, but its going down again.

[bowulf]

Congrats that is fantastic progress in 2 months. That is a significant amount of fat tissue lost or burned up. I hope to have another recipe video next week sometime as my work load settles down, but thanks for encouragement. They are sometimes stressful to make -- ask my wife about the exploding mousse from last time.

I hope you like the Alfredo recipe -- the only caution with that is letting the sauce get too thick... If it does add a little cream/water mixture to the dish.

[hootyhaha]

@bowulf I lost 6-7 pounds first week of induction. But I was running every day, and working out in my brazilian jiu jitsu class. However a lot of that weight I also attribute to losing past food weight through.. bathroom breaks, and also losing water weight. Because the next week I stalled big time.

[bowulf]

Maybe it is rising out of ecoAtkins being reported in the media. Either way I welcome all to the "dark side." :-D

[gogrean]

Thanks for making this video, Kent. I've seen this question being asked on the Board several times in the past two weeks, so I'm sure it will help a lot of people.

Georgiana

[bowulf]

3-5 days typically... The mental aspect of Induction Flu can hit some people harder than the physical aspect. It took me about 2-3 weeks to be less irritable but then I again I "lost" a lot of comfort foods and my former way of eating. It was very much worth it though.