wellness

Will the Atkins Diet Really Work for You?

It seems every time you turn around someone has the diet that will make all your weight loss dreams come true. Some have been proven good and others have turned out to be dangerous to your health. This brings us to the Atkins diet, what is it? Will it work for you?

Some years after Dr. Robert Atkins finished medical at Cornell University in 1955, he found himself overweight and looking for answers. Atkins made is diet plan similar to one that he had seen in the Journal of American Medical Association. He first published Dr Atkins Diet Revolution in 1970.

Through the years, he changed his plan a little but he never got too far away from the diet’s basic principals. The diets is focused on eliminating carbohydrates from the western diet.

The entire diet revolves around the idea that carbs are the main cause of being overweight. As you can see, the diet limits your intake of carbs. There are four steps in this plan, each step building on the one before.

Induction. The most restrictive is the first phase. It is advised to do this stage for two weeks, however, Atkins maintains that you can continue this particular stage for months. Carbohydrates are limited to 15-20 grams per day of which 12-15 must come from leafy vegetables. Small amounts of cheese and generous amounts of meats and essential oils are allowed by this diet. The objective of this stage is to render the system into ketosis and add healthy portions of fiber into your meals.

Ongoing Weight Loss. The second phase is to gradually increase the intake of carbs until a sustainable weightloss of 1-2 pounds per week is achieved. Carbohydrates will increase by five grams each day from a special food list, but vegetables can be eaten depending on how much carbohydrates are in them. Dieters stay in this phase until they are within five to ten pounds from their goal.

Pre Maintenance. This is when the pounds don’t fall off as quickly, Atkins says that the last 10 lbs or so should take 1-3 months to disappear. Dieters should use the method in phase 2 and add carbohydrates in at as much as ten grams per day again to the point that they are able without gaining weight, during this phase.

Maintenance. Here is when you take all that has been learned from the previous phases and continue on a healthy plan in order to stay at your best weight. Prevent the typical end of diet mentality and going back to bad habits.

But, you must be warned about ketosis. This condition happens when the blood levels of ketone are elevated. The liver’s normal response to a low carbohydrate diet is to convert fat into fatty acids; expect this to happen. Usually the body relies on glucose taken from the carbohydrates that you eat, but when there are no carbohydrates the body starts to use stored fat in place of this. Your will be aware of ketosis in your body when your have a metallic taste on your tongue and your breath smells foul.

Medical professionals are divided in their opinion on ketosis. While the debate is far from over, people have stated that it stresses the liver unnecessarily and can be destructive to muscle tissue.

For many people the diet does work, the first phase alone can net a ten to fifteen pound loss in as little as a week. As with any diet, the results will be exponentially multiplied with exercise in order to increases the metabolism and help to prevent cardiovascular disease.