The Atkins Diet Revealed
The Atkins Diet – Obesity is a nightmare to both the sufferer and the government. Obesity is a really traumatizing condition, and worse still it is a killer disease which the government is trying to curb through the help of medication and advocating for healthy eating habits. Some people have the time to go to the gym but for those who are on a tight schedule are in a dilemma of what to do.
Fortunately, the Atkins diet plan has become so popular due to its effectiveness in overcoming high cholesterol. The Atkins diet is a natural way that will help you lose weight by encouraging you to change your eating habits with the aim of changing your metabolism. By following the Atkins diet plan you will not only overcome high cholesterol but also overcome hypertension, diabetes, poly-cystic ovarian syndrome plus feeling more energetic.
The Creator And Theory Behind The Atkins Diet
Atkins diet is a nutritional approach that was created by Dr. Robert Atkins who was an American physician and cardiologist. He gained much popularity after editing a dieting plan which entails limiting the consumption of carbohydrates and increasing protein, fat, leafy vegetables and dietary supplements. Through his research he termed carbohydrates as the bad guy. He argued that people suffering from excess weight eat too much carbohydrates, and that our body burn them carbohydrates and fat for energy. However, carbohydrates are burned first, thus inhibiting the burning of stored fat. He concluded that if intake of carbohydrates is reduced drastically and intake of protein and fat is increased our body will efficiently burn stored fat which will cause a natural weight loss.
How The Atkins Diet Works
Atkins diet works in four phases with each have a different time frame.
- Phase 1. – Induction is the first phase encourage a drastic reduction in the intake of carbohydrate from the about 250g which is what most people take to about 20g. At this stage you will be forced to avoid foods like chocolates, biscuits, crisps, fizzy drinks, pastry, and cakes and eat unlimited amount of red meat, chicken, fish, butter, cheese, cream or butter. The essence of this phase is encourage you body to switch from carbohydrates to burning fat. This phase last for two week but you can extend.
- Phase 2 – Ongoing Weight Loss is the second phase which will allow you to increase your intake of carbohydrate gradually by 5g daily for one week. But the increase is limited until the critical carbohydrate level is reached. This limit varies from one person to the other and enables a weight loss of between 1 and 3lb per week. Note that, some people only require 25g and others require 50g to be able to lose between 1 and 3lb. The only foods that you can take include vegetables, fruits nuts and seeds while the rest are still not allowed.
- Phase 3 – The third phase is known as per-maintenance, here you will increase the intake of carbohydrate by 10g each day for one week. At this stage you are allowed to eat porridge, bread and pasta but limitedly. The essence of this stage is to slow the rate of weight loss to not more than 1lb per week.
- Phase 4 – The last phase is lifetime maintenance. This phase helps in maintaining your weight after the loss. At this stage you will increase the level of carbohydrates to less than 90g per day for the rest of your life.
Pros
Atkins diet will help you lose weight in very short which is very encouraging. Additionally, helps in changing your bad eating habit.
The only minus of this diet is that it is very hard to follow.
The Atkins diet really works for those who will follow the diet plan to the letter.
