I did Thompson’s Plan for a few days and then, as people were wondering about the plan and I started doling out my thoughts on his plan, several things started to hit me:
1. With as much as I tweaked his plan to make the plan a weigh t loss success for others, it was just Atkins with style;
2. I really like the generally fast weight loss of Atkins, even though I stalled for foobutt near the entire month of April… which–hello! Sucked! and
3. Thompson’s information is like an updated, more laid-back version of Atkins, and I’m thinking I might as well just admit I’m doing Atkins and subconsciously giving largely Atkins advice.
So, while some of you are going to kick me soundly in the butt (I’m all butt–take aim!), I’m following the one plan I’ve known since 1984. Atkins! Dr Thompson’s plan is great! Still, really, for me, and the more I was giving you guys advice I was like, “Holy Crap! Eat low carb… ignore glycemic load… modified OWL…” I am thinking I am in denial thinking I wasn’t just telling you to follow Atkins.
I know a lot about low glycemic load and like the plan; so, if you are following Thompson’s plan, please don’t go running away. The recipes and discussions here are as pertinent as ever.
I am glad to help you, even though I’m a fat lardbutt and need induction more than my chocolate donuts… glorious though they be… (and technically induction friendly if you use cocoa powder instead of the chocolate squares)…
Ironically, I got a lot grumpier on Thompson’s plan, too. I don’t believe that, for me, the carb choices I was making were as clever or as educated. See, I’m lazy and have to be forced to think on my feet, lest I think on my butt…or with it. When I follow Atkins, you get crullers. When I follow Thompson, you get more processed foods, like wraps and tortilla shells.
I can continue to give you both options, but I can’t eat the tortilla shells right now.
I could say psyche on the plan change, but it wouldn’t fit, and it’s not the right sentiment. This isn’t something light-hearted. I have had to give this a lot of thought–though it seems like just yesterday I said I was changing plans.
Psyche is something you yell after telling someone there are naked Miley Cyrus pictures in their email inbox and then they open them up only to find they’re Burt Reynolds with more body hair than you can shake a stick at. (I love that one)
Or you yell psyche when you tell your Garmin Nuvi that you will, in fact, take highway 70, and then you decide to take Martin Rd instead. (And we all know that’s a really good psyche, because electonic appliances can hear us talk).
Or you can oooooooh psyche! tell your neighbors your behind is super-glued to the toilet seat and to come slip you crackers under the door for sustenance until the fire department shows up.
So, this isn’t really a psyche because there isn’t an inherently huge lack of maturity or thought in this. Just good, solid fact:
That being, I was pissed that I was stalled for a month on Atkins, and took my ball and went to Thompson. This was just to find out that even while Dr. T and I were enjoying chocolate donuts over sugar-free cocoa, I was still making goofy eyes at the tall, dark handsome cauliflower pizza across the room.
Oh, Ricardo Pepperoni, how you taunt me so…
OK. So I am definitely going to remain on Akins, no take backs or mulligans and I’ll attempt to not mope when I hit a stall (like all of stupid April). But I’m still going to be publishing recipes that are low-carb and helping anyone who has questions about the plan, because I’ve followed both.
And you, if you are following Thompson, are going to continue to allow me to field questions and give support. Because, frankly, couldn’t we all use it? And, after all, what worked for me isn’t going to work for you necessarily. You have to follow the plan you love. If you like the freedom of Thompson, do it! If nothing else, I’ve introduced you to an amazing cardiologist (he really does remind me of Dr A) and you’re richer for understanding that there are other options out there. Palatable options.
I have followed Thompson in the past, but found that, ultimately, unless I treated his plan as Atkins, I just caused myself grief in the long run, moving away from whole foods and into convenience foods.
That said, Cinco de Mayo recipes coming tomorrow! I am chopping cauliflower as we speak (I’m typing with my toes)…
and I am reading your comments and fixing the errors in the recipes. I am giving finals this week to a home schooler so my time has been intensely limited.
If you’re wanting to talk to me directly and not in email, I’m an administrator at a board called lowcarblounge.com and am glad to also offer assistance, support and anything you need there as well!
If you dislike a recipe and had problems with it, let me know. It might be a mistake I made when putting the recipe together. I’m not a professional recipe-person. I just have really cool running shoes.
I am also in the market for a good food processor, so if you have any experience, let me know what you think of yours!
Looking forward to posting more weight loss success, recipes and less gritching about my former stalls…
Jamie
Hi cleochatra just passing by iam from Kansas, reading your blog and seeing the word pepperoni and pizza make me hungry. Take Care 🙂
Steve
Hooray!!!!! That’s all…carry on.
I heart you, Jamie!
Hi Cleo,
Thanks so much for the Oopsie Rolls recipe- I have been doing Atkins since February and I happened upon your blog and thought, they sounded good and easy to make. Well, three batches later, I’m a happy camper and I think I can now do this way of life forever. I also read your Dr. Thompson comments, and although I’m not familiar with his work, I’m very glad you’ve decided to go back to Atkins. I for one am envious of your 61 pound loss. I’ve been doing Atkins for 9 weeks and have only lost 14 pounds, so your weight loss sounds fantastic to me! Anyway, enough of ny sniveling and back to the rolls… thanks to you I have been enjoying French Toast and garlic bread and other yummies I thought were out of reach… You’re my hero!
Thanks again, Ruthi from Jax, Fl.
P.S. Angel is the hottest!
WELCOME BACK MY DEAR! Been there (other diets, plateau, the works!), done that (return to the arms of Atkins)!!! It takes a lot of Cleos'(guts) to do what you did.
Take care! BTW, try and change your artificial sweetener, that may be the cause of your plateau.
Nilda
Thank you so much for your honesty and willingness to just be “real”. I always look forward to reading your blog, and will continue to do so!
glad to see you back on the “dark side”…. 🙂 hehehehe..
I will check you out on lowcarblounge.com… thanks
TJ aka bigflopman
I think that a ‘plateau’ is just a rest stop. Your body needs to take a breather to adjust to the changes! It just sounds healthier to enjoy the other benefits of low carb—increased energy, decreased cravings, etc. Weight is not and indicator that fat loss is or is not occurring. Weight is a ‘gross’ (literally) measure, and you are releasing fat stores if your insulin levels are low and you are in mild ketosis. If your body retains some fluids to help you accept the changes, that is good. Keep the faith! You are a real blessing to everyone! JM
Well Miss Cleo, all I gots to say is, “You da’ woman!” Funny thing to me is that almost every low-carb plan today was a ‘take-off’ or adaptation from Atkins. I just honestly don’t think one can do better than Atkins. The only other plan that I’ve considered is Protein Power, and it simply adds to the ‘legal’ foods just like most others. The problem is, as you know, that the added foods are generally in a higher-carb range and therefore they slow weight loss. I’m with you girl…I’m sticking with the Tried & True Atkins Plan!
I’ve been stalled for over a month now as well. I’m thinking mine is quite possibly a medication, Propranolol, the doctor put me on about 6 weeks ago. Others have actually had weight gain with it, but I’ve managed to stay the same. I went back off of it Monday so I hope to see the scale moving downward once again as soon as this stuff gets out of my system.
Stalls are not fun, but I’ve learned that I’m more determined that ever to stick to the Low-Carb Nutritional Lifestyle.
Thanks for your honesty and candidness…and as always your unique (read twisted) sense of humor in your posts! Keep up the good work….You Da’ Woman!
Ron aka The Former Donut Junkie
Welcome back! I am sure you will see great losses in May and I can’t wait to see more of your recipes.
Just a plug for a food processors… KitchenAid KFP750. After dithering about the food processor thing for years, to the point where my husband totally refused to even listen any more, I bought this one, and it’s great. Works well, cleans up well, has a neat little mini-bowl if you only want to do a little or small stuff AND a wide spout for big stuff, and it comes in pretty colors. 🙂
I love reading your blog and miss you when your busy(and boy you have lots to keep you busy)
Take heart I agree with the rest stop theory…you body just need time to mourn the loss. You just need to regroup and contiune down your road to success.
Thanks to you, your wit ,wisdom and recipes I am arming myself for my next weightloss …lost 30 then went into holding pattern .
and last but not least ….
CONGRATS ON ALL YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS !!!!
you rock girl and are my hero
Take care and keep up all your good work
raindrop
Cleo, you’re such a smart (LC) cookie! I finally dusted off Dr. T’s book and read it this week, and I was thinking just last night that it might be something worth doing for maintenance, but I didn’t see that it was actually going to take any weight off me…anytime soon!
It made me sad to see that Dr. T prefers margarine over butter (gasp!) and thinks statins are good for people (they’re the DEVIL!). BUT, he has a lot of good advice, and it just might be helpful AFTER I lose some weight–or if I ever feel the need to take a break and don’t want to regain!
You’re so brave to be such an open book for the rest of us…we luvs you! :>)
Your original post was aptly titled, “Stop this Crazy Merry-Go-Round or Hold My Hair Back”!
I went right out and bought Dr. Thompson’s book. I’ve not read much of it yet.
It quickly struck me that low-carb implies low glycemic load. Although not all diets that have a low glycemic load are necessarily (ultra) low-carb. I think that both approaches should result in weight loss. They both focus primarily on controlling insulin levels.
What I’m not sure of yet (as I haven’t read enough) is which diet is easier to follow. With low carb, you’re always counting and calculating. Will the low glycemic load diet be less calculating or more complex calculations?
It’s also interesting how food preparation can impact the glycemic index. For example raw carrots are much lower than cooked. This is because cooked carrots digest more rapidly. But such variances could drive an anal perfectionist batty.
Hi Cleo,
So glad you’re back on Atkins! About your stall: Jimmy Moore talks about having a 10-week stall in his weight loss and he still lost 180 pounds! You are in great company, girl! And I’m positive you will get where you want to be. Keep up the GREAT work!
Thanks…
Hey, Cleo, it’s OK!
I think it’s really important to tailor Atkins to your own individual needs – he even says so.
Don’t lose sight of the fact that YOU ARE DOING GREAT!!!
It’s totally normal to stall, and the more weight lost, the more the body NEEDS to stall to catch everything up and remain in balance.
A lot of times, stalls are just where the body holds some extra water for a little while to help it adjust to the new weight.
Also, most people eat SO MANY carbs – compare the carbs you typically eat now to what you used to eat – BIG DIFFERENCE!
So just keep at it, eating something like “not very many carbs”, and you will do great!
Give yourself and your body time to lose the weight, and then it will stay off.
If you have cravings, allow yourself to plan for small amounts of higher carbs now and then, because the goal is to stay on plan for the rest of your life, so you need to allow a bit of flexibility to make it doable.
Also, it doesn’t matter what you call your plan – Atkins is great, and so are many other low-carb authors – what’s important is that it’s YOUR plan, tailored by you and for you.
hugs!
Tara
I’ve been reading your blog for a few weeks. I have been doing atkins since Feb. and I too am envious of your losses! Alas, I have had 2 setbacks since, so that is part of my problem, but it is b/c I lose 4 or 5 lbs(over 2 or 3 weeks)and then nothing and I get so frustrated!AHHHHHHHH. I just keep reminding myself that it is better to be 14lbs. lighter, than to be 20 lbs. heavier! Keep the laughter coming! and the recipes!
After your initial post about doing the Low Glycemic Load diet, I got Dr. Thompson’s book from the library and read it cover to cover. I hated that he advocated margarine over butter, and drugs. However, I loved that at the end of the book, he says to do what you can live with for a life time.
I also liked his take on eating carbs: if you can’t give them all up, then eat only 1/4th of what’s on your plate, AFTER you eat everything else that’s not carbs. And eat sweets instead of starch to satisfy the sweet taste bud, but only what you can wrap your fingers around.
This way of eating I can live with. I live with my 16 yr old daughter who loves her carbs, and my 19 yr old son comes over with junk food. Aargh! Sometimes I eat just a bite so I don’t feel deprived. And usually find that it doesn’t taste as good as I remembered.
So, the last few days I’ve had more carbs than in the past 2 months, mostly in the form of breads (white flour, yikes!). Understand, not a huge amount compared to what I used to eat, but more than I had been having (2 chocolate muffins with homemade chocolate frosting, or 3 pieces of pizza with the outside crust cut off). Could I be allergic/sensitive to wheat? My stomach definitely rebelled. I felt like crap, bloated up, and had abdominal cramps.
Cleo, give yourself some credit! Your exploration of Thompson’s plan and decision that it’s modified Atkins helps all of us. You’ll lose the rest of the weight, just give your body time to adjust, so you don’t gain it all back.
Erica
I would LOVE to join Lowcarblounge.com, may have even been a member at one time, but everytime I try to register it tells me the letters from the security graphic are wrong. I am staring at them and they are correct. WTH??
I’ll contact you here and on LCF.
Elaine
PS 18.4 lbs lost !!!
Hey Jamie~In regards to this post, I say “ROCK ON!” You do what you gotta do to make it work for YOU!! Did you see the key word in that sentence…YOU!! 🙂 Anyway, onto other biz-ness…I made the oppsies last night with the Wilton tins you suggested. Can I just say, “I’ve got hell-a-good buns!!” HAHAHA I also attempted your “crepes” creation…at first, mine was more of “craps” creation…but after a little more tweeking, by george (er, um, Jamie) I think I got it! I will say though that I STIRRED the mixture. Leaving it all fluffy was giving me thick pancake crepes that just absorbed the oil. And on the oil, after most was absorbed by the first two crepes, I wiped the pan out and just sprayed it a little with Pam. Isn’t she great!?! 🙂 Once I did those two little things, they came out grrrrrreat!!! Ok, so it’s a long post, but there is more…In the crepes, I put in the sugar free cheesecake pudding (made with heavy cream) and a few sliced strawberries with a dollop of whipped cream…DELISH!!
I just finished the thompson book. I also don’t understand his liking of statins and margarine.Otherwise, I have had luck with modified atkins. I try not to have wheat, potatoes or starches, and absolutely no soft drinks. But, I take a day off on Sunday, and I make a great thin crust pizza, which I do on the grille.
Keep up the good work.
Denny Mikey
I love all your recipes. Will you ever be able to eat fruit, especially apples? I can’t live without apples.
Can Atkins be done with apples?
Do you use artificial sweeteners? A new study (Purdue) say they makes us fatter then standard sugar:
tinyurl.com/6dljnu
tinyurl.com/67xp46
Maybe some of us have a sugar addiction, carbs are sugar, and that’s why we do better on Atkins…
I’m so confused.
Blue
From the likes of all the comments here, I’d say you have friends who would back you on whatever plan you’d choose to follow because it is, after all, your low-carb wit and sugar-free wisdom that keep us hanging around — well, that and the next amazingly resourceful recipe you invent.
Don’t stop!
Lee in Nashville TN
Wow, you guys!
I have to say I’m overwhelmed with your positive and kind words!
I am going to come back first thing in the morning and respond to you (I am still homeschooling to try and get through the universe… man does Uranus get sore).
Bwaaahhhh!!!
OK. Nevermind.
Love,
Jamie
Hey, games! Thanks so much for the kind words!
Nancy– Yeah, I knew you’d be happy… LOL! I’ve been on a new induction since Monday and have already lost a bunch more weight (for me). Thanks for being so caring. You really are the best!
Ruthi– YEAH GIRL! Go Angel! (Take that Spike)… Thank you so much, and Way to go on those 14 pounds! That is no small low-carb potatoes. You’ve told 49,000 calories to vacate your hips and thighs and to find someone else’s parade to schmootz on! You rock!
Nilda– you raise a VERY good point. I’m cutting back Diet sodas and am definitely cutting down the sodium. Water weight can literally cause me to gain or lose 8 pounds in less than a week– a point too obviously depressing when you weigh in at TOPS and you’re up an absurd amount of weight for no reason.
patty– Thank you for being so understanding. I’m glad to be back with Atkins. I am a creature of habit.
Hey, t.j.! LOL I love the Dark Side! At least when Darth Vader comes to call, he’s wearing a slimming cape.
JM– Thank you so much for the much-needed dose of reality and scientific fact. I can be rational– when I’m not the one in the stall for over two weeks. That’s when I start to panic. I need to keep it real, and pay attention to your words. Thank you so much for blessing me with your common sense!
Ron– Wow! see? You’re stalled and I’m over here boohooing in my low-carb chowder. I googled your medication and this is ironic…
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070728115838AAij74V
(I hope that shows up!) It’s yahoo answers. Someone wrote:
“Yes. Atkins has some interesting writing on this exact subject of weight gain and beta blockers. He preferred a different method of BP control for his patients. He was a cardiologist.”
So the beta blocker could be stalling you. If there’s a better medication out there, hopefully your doctor can prescribe it. Otherwise, knowing you’re going through a stall also makes me feel less like a lonely stallyperson.
Way to go on hanging in there!!!
michelle– Thank you! I’ve been having good luck so far since re-inducting and cutting back on sodium. I really think the stall would have broken on its own if I had calmed myself. I’m sure I produced my own problems (don’t we all?).
Nina– Thank you! I am so totally checking those food processors out (especially if there are colors. I like shiny and could use some kitchen Blingage! Thank you for the model number as well!
raindrop– (What a pretty name!) Wow! Thirty pounds! Go you!!! That is a lot of weight!!! Thanks so much for being so sweet! (OMG I’m using a lot of exclamation points and must be stopped). I miss having days to write and look forward to finals and classes being over with soon. I will have more recipes up today, though! I hope they turn out (lol)–
I’m still typing…on phone… brb!
daron, I really think that counting GL is work. The thing is, everything is GI online (save for a few, precious resources). While Dr Thompson stated in the book, you don’t have to count GL, I am a rampant perfectionist when it comes to empirical data and need to know how many this is or that is. I have to have something to go by.
That said, I look to carbohydrate counts. At this point, I say to myself (and to others) to eschew counting GL and count arbs. “Treat this like Atkins modified OWL, with induction-level net carbs and then eat what you wish so long as you remain within those numbers.”
And then I realize I’m still speaking in terms of Atkins. If I’m that devoted to giving advice for other plans based on Atkins, I need to remain on Atkins.
I did follow low-GL last year and had a small measure of success (but loved the food freedom). The weight definitely came off more slowly (I ate 25 net per day, which was probably too many), and I admit I ate the occasional starches (which we know sets ketosis back to some degree if the carb amounts are high enough–and I do believe tater tots count)
I’m just at the point where I need to get this danged weight off and worry about food freedom later. Looking at my butt, it ain’t like I’ve been without food freedom! It’s time to buckle down, knowing that in OWL and maintenance I’ll have time for more freedom.
I like that T pays righteous homage to Dr Atkins. That, to me, made me really respect Dr Thompson. Others sometimes tend to rip off Atkins and then claim *Atkins* is unhealthy.
I also like Thompson’s book for some of the recipes, and his views regarding drinking water, exercise (slow twitch muscles and mitochondria) and insulin resistance. Dr Atkins struck me as a man with so much information in his brain that he’d write a 500 page book and mention something once on page 345 and I’d gloss over it. Dr Thompson is, to me, the information Dr Atkins would have given regarding health and wellness had Dr Atkins been alive to write more books.
I could be wrong (ask my kids who think this is more often than not), but I think Atkins maintains that raw is different than cooked, too. Spinach cooks down, and Dr A always said to measure foods pre-cooking.
Let me know if Thomspon is different in that vein. I think because he deals in pre-set measurements, then a cup of spinach, raw is going to vary from a cup of cooked spinach in GL and carbs.
1956 okie– Because he is a pusher of high fats, it shocks me that Thompson would support margarine over butter.
I know little about statins. Are those for cholesterol? Educate me!
Thank you so much for taking the time to send some kudos and smarts and lovin’ my way.
Hey, anonymous! Thank you for providing another example of someone who has stalled for a long time and then continued to lose weight. Here’s to few stalls. And if they hit, I hope they’re fashionably short.
Tara– you rock! Thank you! I do admit I eat an off-plan meal occasionally but it has NOT hurt me. I know what I do others can’t necessarily, and I wouldn’t advocate people do what I do. But the stall was totally NOT off-plan related. I was just stuck.
Now I’m going again! woohoo!
bamagirl! you are doing tremendously~! I just whine because even though I’ve been fat for most of my adult life, I feel I deserve to be thin (which I don’t) and have slimming ankles (which I don’t). It’s a bad attitude to have, and I’m shifting those paradigms to lifelong fitness and health (with cute skirts). Hang in there! and your baby is too cute! *squee*
Erica– Thank you for your comment! I think that for a family, low GL is the way to go. So, I feed my family 1/4 of the starch (instead of all 4/4) and buy low GL foods whenever plausible. I do allow them occasional Pop Tarts, but for the most part, it’s low glycemic load (or just high-carb Atkins maintenance). I am so glad you looked at the book. I agree with you re: margarine, and am needing to research statins.
Elaine– it looked like you got in! If you have any questions, be sure to PM me and I’ll help.
barbi– LOL! You are too cute. I love it! I think your adding the pudding sounds divine! I am going to have to play in the kitchen and find a good pudding.
Denny– I think you’ve hit that nail on the head! In the 80’s dad and I had an off-plan meal each Friday night (he was a first generation Atkineer and I was a second). Now, granted, I never want to treat Friday night as a night to eat crap as a result of being a kid eating McD’s french fries every week… your idea of something small and able to be contained makes much more sense! I try to keep my off-planners to once a month or less, just because I have so much to lose, but it is good for people to read your testimony and know that Thompson is, in many ways, how we, as Atkineers, can eat during maintenance. (Or during the plan if people aren’t prone to quitting Atkins altogether and molesting the Little Caesar’s man).
I used to be a stolid NEVER EAT OFF PLAN person, but you know what that got me? A 115 pound in 7 months, and a 140 pound gain in the next 12 when I thought I’d never eat popcorn again.
All or nevers make something a “diet” that people start and stop. To me, ever day is about choices, as it is for you. and you’re making the choices which work for you! I applaud you.
Hey, Blue! I appreciate your thoughts!
As for apples, you can have apples on the Atkins rung for higher-carb fruit. Wait for it! There is nothing else out there like apple. Trust me God–it *ain’t* turnips, and my friend 2big says that jicama is the only thing that will make it through a nuclear explosion and still be crunchy. Wait for apple. It is worth it!
On to sweeteners, it is being said more and more (and thank you for those rocking links) that sweeteners still futz with blood sugar and cause all manner of issues. I know Splenda kills me. Aspartame kills other folks. It’s insane that something meant as an artificial sweetener causes so many problems, but then again, they are chemicals.
I haven’t tried stevia, and cyclamates are illegal here.
I think you make an outstanding pint :Re sugar and addiction. We have sweet spots on our tongue buds. We want to taste sweet. I’ve seriously fund that in the absence of corn syrup solids and cutting back artificial sweeteners, I’ve been more able to enjoy the sweetness in cheeses, meats, nuts (on that rung), and berries (on that rung).
Even our human predecessors without their sugars had a sweet tooth for natural, whole foods. Honey wasn’t always available.
A warning about stevia – a little goes a long way. I have some and use it occasionally. I have used both the liquid and the powder. It does tend to have a bitter taste as well. I do have some recipes that call for stevia but haven’t made them yet. I’ve been using a 1 to 1 mixture of erythritol and xylitol for my tea. Otherwise, I don’t use any sweeteners
BTW, I made your oopsie recipe without sweetener and they were great.
Hi Honey!
Here is some “food for thought”: Have you ever considered a Ketogenic Diet?
I just started this on 5/2 (Watch-Me-Shrink started on 3/24) I fully believe in the principles. If you’d like to know more, there’s a ton of info on my Butterfly Blog (starting at Post #40)
A little more to it than this, but in a nutshell:
a Ketogenic Diet is like doing Atkins for 6 days a week, then a 24-hour influx of Carbs & Calories (low Fat) to raise Leptin (amino acid based protein-based hormone) which has a strong tie to carbs & insulin, and is a critical component of keeping the metabolism humming and burning fat as fuel.
Note: You must exercise on this plan, HIIT Cardio + Resistance Strength Training w/ Weights.
XO,
HB
I think the leptin replenishing has definite merit. I know I eat off plan about once a month (just a meal and no sugary dessert), and it not only doesn’t stall me, but I tend to lose weight afterwards.
Keep me posted on your progress. I am an Atkins girl, but we’re all sisters and brothers together in low-carb!
I’ll be watching and cheering you on!