The Atkins Diet

Who does not desire to have a fit and shaped up body? Perhaps we all do. Overweight is the biggest enemy of our health. But factors such as sedentary work, lack of time to exercise and the availability of delectable fast food have made it extremely difficult to have stabilized weight.

It is not only a person’s appearance that is badly affected by being overweight but also his fitness. Usually obese people keep on confronting one or the other health problem. There are times when excess of weight becomes a mental torture and leads to depression.

It is quite an easy task to gain weight but immensely difficult to reduce it. Though there are various remedies prescribed to shed weight, all can’t to followed or trusted. One old and quite effective way to become light is the use of Atkin’s Diet.

Dr. Robert Atkins (1930-2003) was the father of Atkin’s Diet. In 1972 he popularized the diet in his famous series of books. In practical application also the diet turned out to be quiet successful. Thus it became more and more popular with time.

Dr. Atkin believed that carbohydrate is the primary reason behind gaining weight. This is because carbohydrates are composed of energy providing items such as sugar, starch, cellulose and gums. So if a person reduces the intake of carbohydrates (carbs) he or she can greatly get rid of many pounds. Thus people should avoid potatoes and other starchy vegetables along with sugar, grains, pastas and fruits for these are the major sources of carbs. In the opinion of Dr. Atkins doing this will translate a carbohydrate-burning metabolism to a fat burning one.

Atkin’s diet is critical of carbs related but not of fatty and protein rich stuff. In fact it recommends its users to eat food that provides them fats and proteins. In the case of proteins it particularly emphasizes the consumption of animal protein.

Though atkin’s diet has done wonders in many cases, it has many shortcomings. If this diet is quite popular with one set of people, some others are enormously critical of it. this is because of several reasons.

Firstly Atkins meals are not only low in carbs but contain negligible amount of essential vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients. Secondly atkin’s diet is flourishing with cholesterol boosting fats that can be very troublesome. Thirdly since atkin’s diet promulgates animal protein, vegetarians find it difficult to adopt it. In the fourth place according to the American Heart Association (AHA), a high protein diet is not adequate to lose weight. So diets such as Atkin’s can cause nutritional deficiency and other cholesterol related problems (cardiac arrests) in the long run. Finally critics believe that eating meat and other high protein products can lead to osteoporosis, colon cancer, heart diseases and renal diseases.

However the best way to reduce weight is to avoid excess as well as complete elimination of anything. A person should take a diet rich in essential nutrients (vitamins, minerals, proteins, fibers etc.), stay away from fatty foods as much as possible. Also carbs such as sugar should be consumed in a regulated manner.
How To Do The Atkins Diet The Right Way

Obesity is the main reason for many diseases like cardiovascular problems, diabetes, depression, and sleep apnea. The only way out of this problem is to follow a strict and healthy diet. But that doesn’t mean avoiding food altogether for that it is not at all a good option since it would deprive our body of essential nutrients. Hence a controlled carbohydrate diet is advised for carbohydrate is mostly responsible for increasing one’s body weight.

The low carbohydrate Atkins Diet was first introduced in 1970’s by Dr. Robert Atkins. But it became popular almost 10 years later after the release of his book – ‘Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution’ which went one to become one of the bestsellers of that decade. In no time, millions of people in the United States and abroad began to follow Atkins diet specifications as their first diet choice.

What is Atkins Diet?

Atkins Diet is a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. It promotes using meat, eggs, and cheese while discouraging high carbohydrate-content foods such as bread and rice. If excess carbohydrates are taken in, excess enzymes should be generated to digest it. This may lead to disintegration of pancreatic cells in a long run, which may further lead to diabetes.

According to Robert Atkins, on having a low carbohydrate diet, our body will enter into a state of ketosis, in which, instead of carbohydrates, fat is digested to release energy. This reduces the need for more insulin produced by the pancreatic cells and the fat deposits are subsided. Thus, the body weight is reduced to a considerable amount.

Advantages of Atkins Diet:

1. Considerable amount of body weight is reduced by the burning of fats which is the secondary source of energy.

2. Inter-meal diets could be avoided since you won’t be hungry between meals.

3. Could maintain constant blood sugar level.

4. Since most of the toxins contained in our body are removed along with the burning of fats, overall heath is improved.

Things to Note:

1. It is recommended to consult a doctor or physician before trying out Atkins diet meal plans.

2. Daily exercise is highly recommended along with Atkins diet foods.

3. People with kidney disorders, pregnancy, and diabetes are advised not to follow Atkins diet meal plans.

Phases of Atkins Diet:

1. Induction – In this phase, which includes first 14 days of the diet, it is said that you will lose up to 15 pounds of your body weight. During this time, the amount of carbohydrates consumed per day will be less than 20 grams. The only carbohydrates included in your Atkins diet recipes will be low carbohydrate-content vegetables like tomato.

2. Ongoing Weight Loss – During this second stage, the consumption of carbohydrates is raised up to 5 grams per day.

3. Pre-maintenance – During this stage of Atkins diet meal plans, the rate of fall of body weight will be slower. Also, you can experiment various other foods to see whether they add your body weight or not. If found safe, you could add it to your Atkins diet food products.

4. Maintenance – You enter this phase when you find that you have reduced the body weight to the desired level. Also you could add some more carbohydrates to your diet which do not raise your body weight, like full wheat bread.

Tail Piece: The ultimate result of Atkins diet program (other diet programs as well) depends solely on how well the person follows the recommendations. Hence make sure that you follow it religiously.
More Tips On Atkins…

The Atkins diet can be boring because of the limited choice and some believe it can be dangerous. Get a physical to make sure you can tolerate the diet and inform the doctor about your decision to try the Atkins diet. Make sure you completely understand how the diet works.

You can get all the information, both positive and negative, that you could want online, at the library or the bookstore.

The Atkins diet attempts to get your body to burn fat instead of carbs as fuel. Atkins dieters sometimes experience physical reaction in the early weeks of the diet.

There are things that can be done to alleviate these symptoms. Dizziness and muscular cramps can be experienced by new Atkins dieters. You might have dizziness, cramps or other physical effects caused by the dietary changes you are making. You can take steps to prevent cramps and other symptoms.

Brain fog, dizziness and muscular cramps are common reactions to the dietary changes. Minerals like potassium wash out of your system rather quickly. A banana will not replace all the potassium loss, you need to take a supplement. Your symptoms should improve in about an hour.

Here are some hints to help you stay healthy while on Atkins.

There are ways to help you combat the symptoms of the dietary changes. You need to eat at least 8 calories per pound of body weight. You need to drink enough water to flush toxins from your system.

Some people recommend drinking water equal to half your body weight, that is a lot of water. Water helps the body to rid itself of acidic ketones and also helps in lipolysis , the burning of fat rather than carbs for energy.

Don’t weigh or measure yourself more than once a week, more often will have you obsessing over every 1/4 ounce. You will likely see a decrease in inches after the first week, if not you will surely see it in pounds. Eating the carbs that make you feel your best, still means you need to stay within the limits for the diet stage you are in. You will get more “bang for the buck” if you choose unprocessed, natural nutrient dense carbohydrates.

Sugar is an absolute no-no. Regular exercise is absolutely necessary.

Do not even consider a program that promises you can lose weight without exercise. Exercise helps the body to better utilize the foods you consume. Not doing enough exercise is as bad as doing too much. Ask your doctor’s advice about how often, how much and what type of exercise is right for you. Don’t start off by trying to run a 10k, try a walk around the block and build up tolerance for more.

Be sure to take the nutrient supplements prescribed by your doctor. You should have a journal to record your weight loss and food consumption. If a major event or life change happens, record it and the emotions, since these can affect how you eat. What happens in your life affects what you eat, how much and even how often you eat.

Significant events should also be entered because even good stuff can affect you.

Keep track of exactly what you eat in your food journal if you are diabetic you will be able to see how certain foods positively or negatively affect blood sugar levels. You should record your daily test results in this journal also.

Your journal will teach you to recognize patterns and to realize when your blood sugar levels are changing. Share your journal, or at least the trends you have noticed, with your doctor so that he can determine what needs to be done. Read the labels on every pre-packaged food item, look for white flour and hidden sugars.

You will lose weight faster if you limit your caffeine intake. The Atkins diet, or any other diet, is not going to take off 50 pounds in a week. A weight loss of 2-4 pounds a week may be realistic for one person but not for another. Losing more than this could be dangerous.

If weight loss is very rapid your body will go into starvation mode and try to hold on to what it can, and weight loss will stop cold. Any large weight loss will be regained if you return to your “normal” eating habits. Your prior “normal” eating patterns are what made you overweight to begin with.

A diet that promises phenomenal weight loss in a very short period of time is likely a scam. A really workable diet is one that recommends a balanced diet, exercise and possibly supplements. Be sure that any supplement is safe in general and for you in particular.

Just because a supplement is all natural, doesn’t mean it is safe. Some supplements can interact with certain medication, so be cautious. No medications, vitamins or supplements should be taken without your doctor’s approval.