Atkins vs SBD?

[kransden]

I orginally did the Atkins diet around 2000-2001. I initally lost 30 lbs and kept it off for over a year. Then I had family problems and boom. I never went back on it due to pg etc. I have just weaned dd and want to get in shape.

Can someone tell me the difference between the 2 diets? I found the Atkins diet to be really labor intensive until we lived on steamed veggies and grilled meat. Is the SBD just as labor intensive? Is it easier to follow?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.


Karin and Katie 10/24/02

[egoldber]

Well, I don't know anything about Atkins, but I've been doing the SBD since the beginning of November.

Here are the basics of the SBD:
1) Only whole grain breads/cereals are allowed, no refined flours
2) Lots of vegetables and lean proteins, some fruits
3) Try to make your diet consist of foods as low in natural sugar as possible and minimal to no foods with added sugar
4) Avoid hydrogenated vegetable oils

There's no carb counting or points counting. As long as a food is "allowed", you can generally eat as much of it as you want.

I don't find the diet to be restrictive or complicated. It takes about a month of intensive label reading to figure what is generally acceptable and what is not, and after that its second nature. And once I re-discovered Trader Joe's I was much happier, since htey have lots of foods we can eat at good prices.

It does rely very heavily on vegetables, so it is labor intensive unless you buy the pre-packaged salads. But I honestly don't like the pre-packaged stuff as well. I invested in a HUGE salad spinner and every 2-3 days I make up a huge batch of lettuce greens and keep them in the refrigerator for quick meals. I also sometimes chop up other veggies ahead of time to make that easier as well.

HTH,

[mabuckles]

Beth,


What do you buy at Trader Joe's that works on the diet? I have heard such great things about Trader Joe's but when I get there I walk around unsure as to what are the best things to buy there vs the regular grocery store for the SBD.


Thanks!

[egoldber]

My staples from Trader Joe's are:

whole wheat pita (stone ground flour)
whole wheat english muffins
and they have a LARGE selection of whole grain breads

They also have lots of cereals for good prices, like the Kashi cereals. I also think that their nuts are well priced. I use their fat free half and half in my coffee. I buy their natural peanut butter for me and their soynut butter for DD. They have a few different varieties of whole wheat crakcers. My favorite brand is Akmak, but they also make a whole wheat version of a Triscuit that is super good! They also have lots of frozen fruits and veggies that are great to have on hand.

They also have a version of Goldfish crackers that has no trans fats that I buy for DD. And also, I started buying the Trader Joe's O's (Cheerios-alike) for her. They are cheaper than Cheerios and have only whole grain oats, fewer ingredients and less additives than Cheerios.

Goodness, I just love that store! :)

[kransden]

Thanks Beth! It sounds a lot like phases 2 and 3 of the Atkins diet, but there is never much detail on that in the books. I personally think because people never get past the first 2 weeks of the diet where they can only eat meat, green veggies, fat and full fat cheese LOL!

I think I'll buy the book and give it a read.


Karin and Katie 10/24/02

[mabuckles]

Thanks Beth!

[Jeanne]

I am currently doing Atkins but the less fatty version. I simply cannot stomach bacon, eggs, cheese, etc.. every day. I am doing this simply to get the boost I need in order to maintain. Once I get there, I'll go back to just counting fat and calories. Also, I'll hopefully get more time to exercise. I have a toddler and infant right now so time is really tight. I'm staying on Phase 1 of Atkins until I get to 20 pounds of loss.
However, I have found it easier than SB and WW because I'm not hungry and the carb counting is much easier than looking through the ingredients list for sugars, etc... I do eat between 20-30 carbs per day and save those for the things I really need each day like strawberries, a peanut butter sandwich on low carb bread (Trader Joe's makes a great savory version), small serving of cottage cheese, and veggies. I snack on cheese but mostly turkey slices and celery with dip.
With SB and WW, I was just hungry all the time and that is when I fell off the wagon. For me, this was my absolute last resort. This is not a healthy diet and I will not be on it for longer than a month. But it is doing exactly what I had hoped it would do- stave off the hunger and eliminate the cravings. I almost cannot believe that I haven't craved sugar because I am a complete sweets junky. So it's working for me but as with all elimination diets (SB and WW included), I couldn't stay on any of them permanently.
I just don't have the time these days to count points every single day or prepare all the snacks that I would need to get me through the day.

[egoldber]

Just curious as to what you find so different between SB and Atkins. I don't think of SB as an elmination diet (after the first 2 weeks anyway) and I thought that WW emphasized portion control, but that nothing was essentially forbidden, as long as you stayed within your point limit.

I'm asking mainly for my DH. He has also been on the SB with me, but has plateau'd for several weeks now. He travels a great deal for business and finds it really hard to stick to it when traveling. I've been wondering if something more Atkins-like might be easier for him.

Just curious,

[Jeanne]

I didn't like the constant monitoring of foods for the SBD. And while you can introduce after two weeks, you're still avoiding several things and having to eat a ton of veggies that don't always agree with me. I was at my wits end with greens after awhile. With WW, while it does emphasize portion control, it very often lures you into a false sense that you can eat junk if you eliminate elsewhere or for several days which doesn't often inspire life changing habits. Nor does snacking on zero pointed food continuously - at least for me. And while I think they are both much healthier than Atkins for long-term maintenance, I was hungry all the time. I cannot be constantly hungry and consumed with thoughts of my next meal in the heavy loss phase.

I was really surprised with Atkins. I thought I would never be able to avoid sweets but the truth is, as long as I'm not hungry, I don't even think about it. The protein fills me up and has given me so much energy. The Atkins website has a carb link that lists all the foods. In the first two weeks or so, you stay below 30 carbs. After that, you gradually take yourself back up. I have yet to enter that phase because I decided to just stay below 30 carbs until I drop 20 pounds (I have 6 more to go). I need to loose a total of 30 pounds so that last 10 will be spent on the second phase of gradual return. I will not stay on it for maintenance though. I'll go back to counting calories and fat grams - my own version of WW and one that worked for me (pre babies) for 5 years. The premise of Atkins is simple and I think it would probably be much easier to stick to with a heavy travel schedule. I'm assuming he doesn't cook when he travels and you never really have an absolute as to what you're getting with prepared food -fat gram wise. I can't speak to the maintenance phase, as I haven't done it yet. But for loss, it's surprisingly easy.

The one problem with Atkins in the loss phase is that you cannot blow your carb count. If you do, you're back to three more days before your body will go back into ketosis (using its stored fat to burn). It's unforgiving that way. But it's easier in that you only need to read one line on the label - carb count. And if you print out the carb list and carry it with you, you can pretty much tell how many carbs you might be getting in prepared foods as long as you avoid the big carbs - sugar, potatoes, and bread products. Keeping carbs low is much easier than keeping fat super low if you are really trying to drop and can't put a lot of time into it. With a baby and toddler, I just don't have the time to deal with SB and WW. I was really getting desperate to get this weight off. For me, keeping this weight on is as detrimental to my psyche as it is to my health right now. I could not stand it another minute and it makes me sad that I've avoided so many picture moments because I'm always horrified at the excess weight. Three years was enough for me and I was desperate for results. Thankfully, it's really working and I'm not suffering much at all.

[Jeanne]

I forgot to mention that I am not filling myself with red meat on this diet. I am too particular about my steak and hamburgers so I only have red meat once per week. I eat chicken and turkey most days with a salad, celary, and stawberries every day. I also eat Swordfish steaks from Trader Joes. Tuna right out of the can is another thing I eat about twice per week.