Atkins diet
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FREE Diet Profile
There are four phases to the Atkins diet
Top 10 Questions and Answers on Atkins Diet
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If:
* You feel you are addicted to sugar or have sugar cravings often.
* You are looking for a low carbohydrate meal plan that is still high in fiber.
* You are tired of counting calories and prefer to eat until you are satisfied.
Might NOT be a good fit if:
* You are a vegetarian or do not like a lot of protein-rich foods.
* You have certain medical conditions or are on certain medications, like diuretics.
Dr. Robert Atkins first wrote about the Atkins diet in the 1970s, in his book The New Diet Revolution. Over recent years, the Atkins diet plan has become one of the most popular diet plans - with Time Magazine naming it “The most popular diet program”.
Food manufacturers quickly formulated low-carb food products, but during 2004 the diet rapidly fell out of favor. However it will always remain a very useful diet for many people.
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Sample Meal Plan
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Best For
Meat lovers
Sugar addicts
Basic Philosophy
or Approach
By limiting your carbohydrate intake initially to 20 grams daily, you’ll jump-start your weight loss and switch over to fat metabolism. As you get closer to your goal, you’ll slowly add back healthy carbohydrates to continue to promote weight loss and adopt this healthy lifestyle.
Foods That Aren’t
Allowed
Bread
Pasta
Starchy Vegetables
Cakes/Cookies
Risks
Initially you may experience constipation, fatigue and/or headaches. These symptoms generally go away within 4-5 days, but if your symptoms persist see a doctor.
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Summary: Atkins Nutritional Approach
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There are four phases to the Atkins diet.
Phase One, Induction, jump-starts the fat burning process by eliminating almost all the carbohydrates from your diet. By doing so, the body is forced to use fat for energy. This phase is only 14 days long, and you should see results within those first two weeks. While you do not have to start on Phase One, it is suggested to do so in order to maximize immediate results. There is a list of acceptable foods to follow, including several sources of protein and a few sources for carbohydrates and fiber (mostly salad and leafy greens). you must severely limit your intake of carbohydrate to a tiny 20g a day (most of us eat around 250g a day). As well as avoiding carb-rich treats such as biscuits, cakes, chocolate, crisps, fizzy drinks, croissants and pastry, this also means ditching bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, milk, fruit and most veg from the menu. In contrast, you can eat unlimited amounts of red meat, chicken, fish, cheese, eggs, mayo, cream and butter. It’s during the Induction phase that your body switches from burning carbs to burning fat and blood sugar levels stabilise.Energy may be lower during the first couple of days, and you may feel hungry until the fat burning process kicks in (about 48 hours). The first phase also has a strict set of rules that must be followed in order to actually work.
Phase Two, Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL), is based on slower and more steady weight loss utilizing a wider range of acceptable foods, including nutrient-rich carbohydrates. These foods will help establish a fat-burning system in the body while still maintaining that lower carbohydrate balance in order to boost weight loss. This is the phase that any dieter can start on if they want to see more gradual results instead of boosting their results with the strict Phase One rules and food choices. Consumers are to stick with OWL until they are within 5 to 10 pounds of their weight loss goal.
It’s time to enter phase three, called Pre-maintenance, once you have just 5-10lb left to lose. During this phase, you increase you carb intake by 10g each day for a week at a time. The idea is to slow down your weight loss to no more than 1lb a week in an effort to prepare your body for the final phase, weight maintenance. By now you can start to include tiny amounts of traditional starchy foods such as porridge, bread and pasta – and we are talking tiny amounts! For example, just 40g cooked brown rice or 30g cooked pasta each provide 10g of carbs!Ideally, weight loss should be less than a pound per week. Essentially, you are inching towards your final goal while finding the balance that works best for your body in terms of healthy carbohydrate intake.
The fourth and final phase, Lifetime Maintenance, aims to help you maintain your weight. While you can have a slightly more varied carbohydrate intake, most people need to limit carbs to less than 90g a day – that’s still only around a third of what most of us eat a day. The result: you’ll be following a low-carb diet for life.
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How the Atkins Diet works
The first two weeks of the Atkins diet is termed the “induction” period. During this time, dieters are permitted to eat no more than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. This translates into a diet consisting of nearly unlimited meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, cheeses, oils, butter, margarine, bacon, and sausages. The 20 gram carb limit is generally derived from trace amounts of carbs in sauces, dressings, cheeses and a couple cups of lettuce greens or vegetables daily. During these two weeks, participants are not allowed to have any milk, fruits, grains, cereals, breads or “high glycemic index ” vegetables such as potatoes, peas, corn and carrots. After the first two weeks, dieters can begin adding about 5 more grams of carbohydrates to their diet weekly. Generally, a diet consisting of no more than 40-90 grams of carbohydrates is what dieters must stick to long term, in the “maintenance” phase. Even this is a scant amount of carbohydrate compared to what health experts and major health organizations recommend.
Not until the inception of “low carb mania” would anyone have thought it wise to limit their intake of healthy fruits, vegetables and whole grain breads and cereals. But, since these are “high carb” foods, you will be limited to small amounts of these nutritious staples on the Atkins plan. Let’s compare the Atkins diet plan to the diet recommendations from the American Cancer Society for optimal cancer prevention:
1. Eat 5 or more (optimally 9) servings of fruits and vegetables daily; include fruits and vegetables at every meal and for snacks.
If one were to consume a fruit and vegetable at each meal and snack this would tabulate to upwards of 85 grams of carbohydrate, the upper end of the “maintenance phase” limit on the Atkins plan. Forget about having any healthy whole grains, legumes or milk products for the rest of the day. This recommendation would be extremely difficult to adhere to even on the maintenance phase of the Atkins plan.
2. Choose whole grains in preference to processed grains and sugars
Will you have anything left in your daily carb ration to have healthy whole grain products like bran, whole wheat bread, brown rice, oats, and whole grain cereals? Considering each serving of these healthy foods contains a whopping 15 grams of carbohydrate, probably not. Forget about beans and legumes too, despite the fact that they are a nutrition powerhouse, they simply have too many carbs…..
3. Limit consumption of red meats, especially those high in fat and processed
There is no limit on the Atkins plan to the amount of protein, fats and red meats one can consume. There is little else to eat other than these foods with such a significant carbohydrate restriction.
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Cost
All the resources necessary for the Atkins Nutritional Approach are available online at Atkins.com—completely free of charge. If you wish, you can purchase Atkins Advantage products such as energy bars and shakes, but they are not a necessity. The cost of food is the only concern, and since you are not buying any special foods or products, you are simply required to buy appropriate groceries in order to use this plan. With no cost to the dieter, this plan is an excellent way to lose weight through proper food choices.
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Website In Focus
The Atkins website, Atkins.com, is well designed and very well maintained. There is more than enough information available for successful dieting, and it even includes a shop for its related products. The website, though, lacks basic functionality in its navigation, leaving the visitor to rely heavily on the Back button. We would prefer a universal menu and consequent universal submenus for each section. For example, when looking at the different phases, it would be nice to have a Phase menu at the top or bottom of each page so that we can quickly navigate from phase to phase. Otherwise, the site is in excellent condition and provides more than enough support for any dieter new to the Atkins system as well as dieters familiar with the system.
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Positives
?? Encourages smart food choices to reduce weight.
?? Discourages sugar and simple carbohydrate intake in order to maximize fat burning in the body.
?? Works towards lifelong results—not immediate and short-term results.
Negatives
?? Food choices at first are extremely ?? Their customers do not like them at all and have negative things to say about their experiences. Click here to read a popular Atkins Diet Blog.
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Final Thoughts
With no additional cost and a wealth of online resources, the Atkins Diet is a great option for dieters who have a sense of commitment for their dieting plans. The simple diet bases its success on limiting carbohydrates to the bare necessities so that our bodies eliminate stored fat before using new carbohydrates as energy. While the rules are strict at first, eventually the plan aims at finding an equilibrium between carbohydrates and proteins, producing positive effects on weight maintenance. The goal is not to simply eat as much protein and as little carbohydrates as possible—it is to create a balance between the two that best suits your own body and metabolism. With this balance, weight can be maintained easily, and by shifting the balance slightly towards proteins, weight can be lost easily and steadily. The Atkins Diet is simply a smart choice when followed correctly.
People looking to lose weight should consider finding a healthy eating plan that they like and can live with long term – and if you have a problem with carbs – this is a great plan to get them under control. You should also exercise each day by doing an activity that is fun and enjoyable. Finally, if you find weight loss with Atkins to move slowly, try the addition of a supplement specifically designed to help with weight loss. Be sure that the product you choose includes the two key elements all effective diet products need; a fat-burner to rid the body of excess weight on the arms, hips, belly, thighs and buttocks, and an appetite suppressant to help control caloric intake and keep cravings at bay. Many good intentions are ruined by cravings that take us over and sabotage our dieting efforts. If you combine all these elements, along with patience and diligence, you will see the pounds come off. You can click here to see a list of quality weight loss products that could accompany and/or replace the Atkins Diet.
If you are thinking of beginning this diet, we strongly encourage you to research and read as much as possible before beginning the diet and consult with your health professional.
Successes
Atkins has been very successful for many people and has resulted in not only significant weight loss - but also health improvement.
Many people do find the diet demanding at first - and need to make significant behavior modification to get the best out of Atkins.
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Both studies were published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
Atkins Diet Study 1.
The first was conducted by the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where 132 severely obese patients were randomly put on either a low-carbohydrate diet, or a low-fat diet, for six months. The Atkins dieters limited their carbohydrate intake to 30g a day and received counselling on healthy types of fat, such as omega-3 fatty acids. The low-fat dieters were put on a calorie-controlled diet, with no more than 30 per cent of total calorific intake from fat.
Only 79 people managed to complete the six-month trial. Low-carbohydrate dieters lost an average of 13 pounds, compared to four pounds for low-fat dieters. No significant changes in cholesterol or blood pressure levels were noted in either group, but the low-carbohydrate consumers did reduce their levels of triglycerides (blood fats) by an average of 20 per cent, compared to only 4 per cent in the other group.
Atkins Diet Study 1 - Conclusion
Despite the weight loss results, the study stated that the findings:
“… should be interpreted with caution, given the small magnitude of overall and between-group differences in weight loss in these markedly obese subjects and the short duration of the study. Future studies evaluating long-term cardiovascular outcomes are needed before a carbohydrate-restricted diet can be endorsed.”
According to senior investigator, Dr. Samuel Klein:
“This study demonstrates that a low-carbohydrate diet can have beneficial effects in treating obesity. Additional research is needed to understand why subjects assigned to a low-carbohydrate diet lose more weight than those assigned to a conventional diet and to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of low-carbohydrate diet therapy.”
See Abstract of Atkins Diet Study 1
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Atkins Diet Study 2.
The second study was carried out over one year, led by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Only 63 obese men and women took part, and were either assigned to a low-fat diet or the Atkins approach. All the participants met with a registered dietician at the start and then at three, six and 12 months into the programme.
Over 12 months, Atkins dieters had lost an average of 9.5 pounds vs. 5.4 pounds on the low fat diet. Also, Atkins participants had greater increases in HDL cholesterol (18 per cent, vs. 3 per cent) and greater reduction in triglycerides. There was no change in either group in levels of bad (LDL) cholesterol.
Atkins Diet Study 2 - Conclusion
Despite the weight loss results, the study stated:
“The low-carbohydrate diet produced a greater weight loss (absolute difference, approximately 4 percent) than did the conventional diet for the first six months, but the differences were not significant at one year. The low-carbohydrate diet was associated with a greater improvement in some risk factors for coronary heart disease. Adherence was poor and attrition was high in both groups. Longer and larger studies are required to determine the long-term safety and efficacy of low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diets.”
See Abstract of Atkins Weight Loss Diet Study 2
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Top 10 Questions and Answers on Atkins Diet
1. What is Atkins Diet?
Dr. Atkins diet, first introduced in 1972, is strictly focused on limiting carbohydrate consumption.
That is why it is called a low-carb, high-protein diet or sometimes simply a low-carb diet, together with other diets such as South Beach Diet, Power Protein Diet etc…
2. What are carbohydrates, and where can they be found?
Carbohydrates provide your body with its basic fuel, very much like a car engine and gasoline. Glucose goes directly
into the cells, which convert it into the energy they need.
There are two types of carbohydrates:
Simple carbohydrates (also called “sugars” on food package labels): glucose, fructose and galactose are referred to as monosaccharides. Lactose, sucrose and maltose are called disaccharides (they contain two monosaccharides).
Complex carbohydrates (”starches”), made up of chains of glucose molecules, which is simply a way plants store glucose.
Starches can be found in great quantities in most grains (wheat, corn, oats, rice) and things like potatoes and plantains.
Your digestive system breaks a starch back down into its component glucose molecules so that the glucose can enter your bloodstream.
A complex carbohydrate is digested more slowly than simple carbohydrates because it takes longer to break down a starch.
Complex carbs can be either high in fiber such as broccoli or low in fiber such as bananas or potatoes.
But carbohydrates are not the only substances the body uses: it also needs proteins and fats.
3. What are proteins and where can they be found?
A protein is any chain of amino acids. Carbohydrates provide cells with energy, proteins provide cells with the building material they need to grow and maintain their structure.
Protein can be found in both animal and vegetable foods. Most animal sources (meat, milk, eggs) provide “complete protein”: they contain all of the essential amino acids.
Vegetable foods usually have few or none of the essential amino acids. Example: rice is low in isoleucine and lysine.
Some vegetable sources contain quite a bit of protein — things like nuts, beans, soybeans, etc. are all high in protein.
4. What are fats and where can they be found?
Fats are also an important part of our diet. Many foods contain fat in different amounts. High-fat foods include dairy products like butter and cream as well as mayonnaise and oils.
There are two kinds of fats: saturated and unsaturated.
Saturated fats are normally solid at room temperature, while unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature.
Vegetable oils are the best examples of unsaturated fats,while lard and shortening (along with the animal fat you see in raw meat) are saturated fats.
We can further distinguish the unsaturated fats between polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Unsaturated fatsare currently thought to be more healthy than saturated fats, and monounsaturated fats (as found in olive oil and peanut oil) are thought to be healthier than polyunsaturated fats.
Fat is necessary because: the only way to get certain fat-soluble vitamins is to eat fat, your body has no way to make certain essential fats, so you must get them in your food.
Another reason is that fat is a good source of energy, in fact it contains twice as many calories per gram as do carbohydrates or proteins. Your body can burn fat as fuel when necessary
5. and how can I loose weight by reducing carbohydrate consumption?
Atkins diet and other low-carb diets are based on the theory that certain carbohydrates have a greater impact on blood sugar levels than others.
So you count these carbs. They are the ones that matter. To figure out the net carb count of a food item, you need to identify the carbs that don’t have a high impact — those from fiber and sugar alcohol, and subtract that total from the
overall carb count
Just regulate your blood sugar levels (from carbohydrates) and you’ll be able to better regulate your appetite… and
your weight.
Therefore, say Atkins diet proponents, the culprits are carbohydrates and there is nothing wrong with eating as much meat as you want!
What you should do is restrict carbohydrate consumption,specially starchy foods such as bread, rice, corn etc…,except for what they consider as “good carbohydrates” such as high fiber vegetables (broccoli etc…)
According to them, the energy we need should be taken from proteins, and sometimes fat, but as few carbohydrates as possible, hence the name: low carbohydrate diet..
6 . What else does the human body need?
Mainly vitamins and minerals. These can be found in various foods, fruits, etc..It seems the “Standard Western Diet” is deficient in vitamins and minerals. This has led to the creation of vitamin and mineral supplements.
7. Is Atkins diet efficient?
Anybody can note the simple fact that cutting back on carbohydrates works, at least for a quick drop in body fat and body water.
However, for most dieters the problem is the long-term effects on the body due to such a drastic reduction in carbohydrates.
Whatever Atkins diet proponents have said, this remains a real problem and people like those at South Beach Diet have tried to solve it by introducing carbohyfrates after the 14 days initial phase.
8. What about the “fat makes you fat” theory?
According to Anthony Colpo, one of the most articulate of the Atkins diet defenders:
“Some folks have been so inculcated with the simplistic “fat makes you fat” theory that they just cannot believe a diet high in fat can lead to a loss of bodyfat.
The fact is, high fat diets can result in spectacular fat loss - as long as carbohydrate intake is kept low. Eat a diet that
is high in both fat and carbohydrate and your bodyfatpercentages will head north real quick! ”
9. Does Atkins diet cause coronary heart disease (CHD)?
On May 26, 2004 A Florida businessman filed suit againstthe makers of Atkins diet.
The man claimed as a consequence of following the low-carb diet, he suffers from severe heart disease, necessitating angioplasty and a stent
One of the fiercest opponents of Atkins diet, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) President Neal Barnard, M.D, said that the diet proponents “push dieters to avoid healthy foods, like rice, beans, and pasta, while ignoring the risks of high-cholesterol, high-fat meat and cheese. The idea that cholesterol and saturated fat don’t matter is a dangerous myth.”
But what does the other side say? As expected, we hear a totally different story.
Here is Anthony Colpo’s take on the CHD issue:
“A low carb diet based on paleolithic food choices, that is, a diet based on free-range animal products and low carbohydrate, low-glycemic plant foods, fits the bill quite nicely. So go ahead, eat your steak and salad!”
10. Are there any other health risks?
In additon to CHD - coronary heart disease - Atkins diet has also been blamed for a number of other “atrocities”, such as:
colon cancer, impaired kidney function, osteoporosis, complications of diabetes, and to cap it all: constipation,headache, bad breath, muscle cramps, diarrhea, general weakness.
