Atkins diet reviews

By Weight Loss Consultant • Related • Filed Under

Now let’s focus on a complete overview of the Atkins program. The Atkins Diet has surely been referenced as the solution to obesity. It is a ray of hope for those who believe that they can never look good. The Atkins Diet makes you feel good, look good and more importantly live healthy. The Atkins program is divided into four phases: induction, ongoing weight-loss, pre-maintenance and lifetime maintenance. These four phases complete the Atkins program. They help turn your body from a carbohydrate burning machine to a fat burning machine and the Atkins program helps keep your body that way. In simpler terms, the Atkins program helps you lose weight and helps keep it off.

Phase 1 – Induction: Induction is the first phase of the Atkins program. This can be considered the most effective and most restrictive phase of the program. At this stage, you are allowed to eat very little carbohydrates. Your total intake consists of a maximum of 20 grams of carbohydrates. This stage usually results in rapid weight loss. The time you need to spend in this stage depends on various factors, such as what your weight loss goal is and how comfortable you are with this lifestyle. Basically, the factors that need to be satisfied within this level include:

  • Your blood chemistries, lipid values, blood pressure or blood sugar levels need to continue to improve or stabilize to normal limits
  • Your comfort within your day-to-day life style includes a regular sleep pattern and high energy levels
  • You are not bored with the diet and you do not cheat on your diet!

Consuming 20 grams of carbohydrates doesn’t mean you eat one slice of bread the whole day that has the 20 grams of carbohydrates in your allotment. This approach will not work. As each food item is unique in it’ attributes, you have to be very selective in the foods that you consume to achieve your daily supplement of 20 gram of carbohydrates. The reason this approach doesn’t work is that the Atkins diet is designed to control the sugar levels in your blood, which in turn results in a release of a hormone-based insulin, which is responsible for the conversion of body carbohydrates to body fats. This induction phase can last up to 6 months depending upon the factors mentioned above.

Phase 2 – Ongoing Weight Loss: Phase two comes with a bit of freedom. It allows you to add some carbohydrates at your discretion to your diet. You start this phase with 25 grams of carbohydrates and increase the amount by 5 grams each week. So in the second week of second phase, you can take in 30 grams of carbohydrates, and in the third week, 35 grams, and so on. You continue increasing your intake level until your body stops losing weight. When your body has stopped losing weight, you again reduce 5 grams from your diet and at this stage you can expect a constant weight. The added carbohydrates must come in the form of vegetables only.

Phase 3 – Pre-Maintenance: By the time you reach this stage, you have attained your desired goal. This stage shifts the focus from weight loss to weight maintenance. You can add 10 grams of carbohydrates each week until weight gain begins. As the carbohydrate intake is increased, you are given a bit more freedom to move up the food guide pyramid.

Phase 4 – Lifetime Maintenance: This is the final phase of your journey. In this phase you learn how to maintain what you have earned from the last three phases for the rest of your life. This phase allows you to choose from a variety of food items while still keeping the weight off. You learn how you can stay fit and maintain your weight level for the rest of your life. It is this phase that is compared to the roots of the Atkins Diet. Not only will obesity be eliminated from your life, it will never come back, as long as you maintain the carbohydrate level determined especially for your body. This is determined by Atkins Carbohydrate Equilibrium (ACE) and varies from person to person.

There are so many diet programs out there, what make the Atkins Diet the best among them? The most important factor is that it works and it has established success stories to back it up. It is resulting from studies and extensive research, which has produced a perfect base. Many people say the USDA’s food program is the guide to good health. However, the USDA food guide is always affected by the political arena, and it could therefore never be perfect. If the USDA establishes that a certain food should not be consumed, the interest group related to the production of that particular product will oppose the USDA. As a result of political pressure, they will often retract their statements. It is a sad reality of politics and economic interests when it comes to food consumption. On the contrary, the Atkins Food Guide is based on research and science.

Another advantage of the Atkins Program is that it helps you lose weight fast. During the start of the induction phase, you can lose weight at a rate which you can never thought you could possibly achieve. This is usually due to the loss of water weight in the beginning. Low intake of carbohydrates results in regulated sugar levels, which in turn regulates insulin levels. This insulin retains sodium, which in turn retains water. If you consume fewer carbohydrates, this whole cycle slows down and you lose water weight during the first 3-4 days. Soon, due to less insulin production, your body starts burning fats and you lose more weight. This process is what makes the plan so effective. Many people think that this rapid weight loss can affect their body adversely, however this is simply not true. Fast weight loss is a matter of concern only if you are not consuming foods on your diet properly or if you are not consuming sufficient amounts of water.

Finally the flexibility and ease of implementation of the entire diet makes it a real winner. The Atkins Diet Plan provides recipes, which are low in carbohydrate content and delicious. They do not ask you spend hours working out causing you to lose the important elements of your lifestyle. In fact you can adjust the Atkins diet very easily to fit with your work life.

Yes, you can do all the things you never dreamed you could do while obese. This diet not only gives you a great shape, but it also protects you from other consequences of obesity, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. In short it can make you live the life you have always dreamed of.

Since the Atkins diet is very popular, naturally, it has drawn criticisms. There are different opinions coming from doctors, health experts and diet specialists. Some say that Atkins may be dangerous, although to some it is considered healthy, while still others say it is effective only for the short term. However, thousands of people have tried and succeeded with the Atkins diet. Many have shared their experiences about the effective works of using the Atkins diet; thousands of testimonials can be heard and read about the benefits of Atkins in keeping weight off.

One of the many criticisms that the Atkins diet faces is that it offers a high fat content diet. The instant rise of the low-fat diet craze dealt a heavy blow to the Atkins diet, which involves butter, oil and fatty meats. Since it became a fad, people have become conscious of what they are eating, and their low-fat mindset has made them think twice about including butter or cream in a meal. On the contrary, Dr. Atkins’ diet program focuses on good fats. He has pointed out the use of helpful fats such as extra virgin oils in his guidelines and programs. It is also known that the proper use of these oils is beneficial to our brain function and mood management.

Another criticism is that the Atkins diet focuses on food and ignores exercises. However, it clearly states in the Atkins book that the need for exercise is essential. Aerobic and anaerobic forms of exercises are encouraged, as both can enhance your weight loss efforts. A great deal of attention has been given to food choices and intake, because they are such an integral part of the program. However, just because food is the main focus of the program does not mean that exercise is unimportant. It is also a vital component in the Atkins diet program.

There are many who will also claim that the Atkins diet is only suitable for short-term weight loss programs. These people have tried using the Atkins diet, established that it was indeed effective, but have found it to be difficult to maintain as a lifestyle. Nevertheless, many people can testify that the Atkins diet can be easily integrated in your daily living over an extended period of time. Since the Atkins diet has an appetite-suppressing effect, it ultimately results in a quick weight loss. With its rich foods and this simple motivation, many will likely stick to it even over the long term.

Some side effects of using Atkins, such as constipation and bad breath, were quickly pointed out by other critics. However, these claims are somewhat exaggerated. If these problems occur, it is generally during the early phase of the diet where the body is still adjusting to the new diet. Besides, just by drinking additional water, both problems can be easily solved rather quickly.

All forms of diets have their advantages and disadvantages, depending on the person who undertakes the program. If you are a person who enjoys and loves preparing good food, then Atkins is suitable for you. It is good to pay attention to those criticisms about the Atkins diet, but bear in mind that you should also look beyond those criticisms and allow yourself to know the truth about the program. Start following the Atkins program, and you may discover the greatest diet of all time.

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