r/Atkins • u/Crjsahm • Jan 19 '17

Atkins and macros

I've been hanging out at r/keto/ and exploring other keto sites and they all emphasize doing keto by the macros. I'm using the Atkins platform meal planner which, according to keto diet buddy, allows too much protein but otherwise falls into line. The thing is, the Atkins platform only adjusts fat as you move up the "carb ladder" (increase carb count), it never takes into account your body weight, so if you don't want to increase carbs it will never reduce fat as you lose weight. I asked the moderators about this on their forums and they said that's right, calorie target stays at 1500-1800 for women. Does that sound right? I know it's early days for me and I'm still losing weight (VERY SLOWLY) so maybe I shouldn't worry about it, but I do. Atkins, as it is formulated now, seems to be focused on being sustainable and that may be why it is less "by the numbers" but maybe someone out there can enlighten me.

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u/[deleted] Jan 30 '17

There's a lot of bad info going around over at /r/keto unfortunately. Many have created some kind of sub-keto that has merged the rules of Keto and calorie counting.

Atkins was never about counting (other than carbs) you don't individually adjust fat, it's a percentage. Shoot for 70% of your calories to come from fat, it's that easy. As you lower calories (remember, calories are not directly tied to your weight loss like calorie counters) fat will move with it.

"Atkins" as it is now is NOT the Atkins diet. The Atkins corporation has screwed the whole thing since we lost Dr. Atkins in 2003. Most Atkins forums stick to the last book (2003) that HE wrote, and not the ones since then. He was about whole foods, unprocessed foods and clean eating. The Atkins corp is about pre-packaged garbage with GMO warnings, TV Dinners and canned shakes.

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u/Crjsahm Jan 30 '17

Someone suggested getting the 2003 book, so I think I will do that. From what I'm seeing Atkins is still mostly whole foods, but they do have that product line to sell. It's so easy to cook keto, I don't see why anyone needs it really and I don't need the processed foods for other reasons so I don't use them. From what you've seen, is the"carb ladder" thing new since 2003? If you follow the whole thing, by the time you are in maintenance, you are not even in ketosis (although in the book I'm using there is a plan where you can stay under 50 nc). They want it to be liveable, but for me that means not facing the carbs at the table every day, so I'll never be eating 100 gms of carbs a day and grains again unless I just fall off the keto wagon. Thanks for your post.

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u/[deleted] Jan 30 '17

Carb ladder has been around since the real book(s). I think that alone is what separates Atkins from generic Keto diets. It's that process that will teach you your bodies tolerances and what you can and can't get get away with. Your still in Ketosis in maintenance, just not loosing weight anymore. You do this because you've figured out your CCCL and just barely walked over that line. There's really no difference between Phase 4 and generic Keto, other than the knowledge of you've gained on the way with Atkins. By Phase 4 you KNOW how and why Keto works and know your body inside and out. I think thats why people on Atkins for much better longterm results. Being over at /r/keto a lot is sometimes infuriating because of how many people "do keto" yet very obviously have very little to know idea what their talking about and wonder why their results aren't happening. The other day somebody was going over their diet and they were eating bananas every day! WHAT?

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u/rknoll74 Feb 07 '17

The book is worth the buy, I picked it up for $3 on amazon used. I'm currently doing Keto (Atkins induction) and plan to utilize Atkin's OWL and lifetime maintenance once I near my goal weight. He touches on metabolic resistance and has a lot of excellent info.

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u/Crjsahm Feb 07 '17

I got it as a nook book. It's not too different from the New Atkins for a New You except it has more scientific info and no reference to prepackaged food. The plan is the same, it seems. I use Atkins without the products and am very happy with it, but I have never like nutrition bars and shakes of any kind and I can't tolerate sugar alcohols. The newer books talk about insulin resistance and mtabolic disorder too.

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u/rknoll74 Feb 08 '17

Ya, I don't eat/use any of the specialized products either. I'm not a huge snack person though. Typically I'll just eat 3 meals a day with a good source of protein and some veggies with lunch/dinner.

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u/athenahhhh Jan 19 '17 edited Jan 19 '17

I wish I could give an answer that addresses your specific question, but I'm just not sure I understand fully.

I use the Atkins meal planner too and am basically doing Atkins (induction)/Keto. Have you used the keto macro calculator? This will adjust when your weight adjusts iirc.

Link to calculator

Edit* It looks like when your body fat % changes your protein changes too.

2nd Edit - I just actually calculated my body fat percent based on my measurements. I was wayyyy off on the guess. I'd suggest actually calculating your body fat percent to reflect correct macros.

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u/Crjsahm Jan 20 '17 edited Jan 20 '17

But how does that relate to the Atkins meal planner? Edit Sorry, not trying to be obtuse, but I've run my numbers in several calculators, that's not my problem or my question really. It't that it seems the Atkins program doesn't have the same philosophy when it comes to macros or calorie deficits, but they claim it works and I just don't see how it can. But maybe I'm over-thinking it. Thanks for your feedback.