Atkins Diet

Atkins Nutritional Approach, widely known as the Atkins Diet or just “Atkins”, is a well-known low-carbohydrate diet.

This diet was created more than 30 years ago by Dr. Robert Atkins (medical school graduate), who allegedly adapted his diet from another diet he read in the Journal of the American Medical Association. He later went on to resolve his own overweight condition by following the low-carb principle and in 1972 released his Diet Revolution.

On the Atkins Diet, participants are not supposed to go hungry and are required to eliminate consumption of carbohydrates and replace them with high-protein foods. There are four phases to be followed over a set periods of time in which participants gradually re-introduce specific foods and adapt their eating habits until they arrive at the final Maintenance stage.

There is a possible misconception about the Atkins Diet that it is about nothing but red meat. While red meat is allowed, participants can rely on various sources of leaner protein.

Most people will not sustain the Atkins diet principles for life and will gain weight back if they re-introduce substantial consumption of carbohydrates and other "bad" foods into their diet.

However, according to the majority of consumer reports, Atkins does work as a plan to start losing weight.

Atkins consists of four phases: Induction, Ongoing weight loss, Pre-maintenance and Lifetime maintenance.

According to Atkins' own website ( www.atkins.com ) "Atkins Nutritionals Inc. is a leading player in the $2.4 billion weight control nutrition category and offers a powerful lifetime approach to weight loss and weight management."

The company additionally manufactures and sells a selection of nutrition bars and shakes to support the nutrition principles of the Atkins Diet. According to their own claims, their products appeal to "a broad audience of men and women who want to achieve their weight management goals..." and are available in "more than 30,000 locations throughout the U.S. and internationally"

The four phases of the diet: Induction, Ongoing Weight Loss, Pre-Maintenance and Maintenance, are based on Dr. Atkins’ division of carbohydrates into two categories: favorable and non-favorable. In the first phase, participants are supposed to reduce carbohydrates drastically; along the other phases, they are supposed to re-introduce favorable carbs.

The Atkins Diet claims, unlike other weight-loss methods, that you wouldn’t have to cut on foods you enjoy. In the first "Induction" phase (which is supposed to last 14 days) the maximum amount of net carbs allowed is 20 grams, coming from salads and non-starchy vegetables.

During the second phase, referred to as the "Ongoing Weight Loss Phase", participants are allowed to take in an additional 25 grams of net carbs, increased by five grams as weight loss continues.

The third phase is known as "Pre-Maintenance" and is to be entered once the individual is 5-10 pounds away from their target weight. In the process of losing those final few pounds, the net carbs amount is to be increased by additional 10 grams per week.

At this stage participants are asked to evaluate their ACE (Atkins Carbohydrate Equilibrium), which will define the amount of carbs they will need to maintain their goal weight during the final Maintenance phase.

Summary: The goals of the Atkins diet - weight loss and consistent insulin and energy levels throughout the day - are to be reached through increased consumption of protein and through removing processed food, generating sugar in the body. Followers of the Atkins diet find they stay fuller longer, which is a benefit of decreased cholesterol and triglyceride levels as research has shown.

Food & Recipes:

By not reducing calories, while removing extra carbs, people can still enjoy tasty foods like butter, cream, egg, bacon and steak. Followers of the diet are advised not to eat white bread, baked goods, pasta, rice and chips. (A wide range of Atkins-approved foods can be found on Dr. Atkins' website and books.)

Exercise:

Exercise is a central element of the Atkins Diet plan and plenty of tips, exercises and advice can be found on their website.

Pros:

Atkins is known for tolerating flavorful foods without focusing on their fat content. This can mean "heaven" for meat-lovers, although they too will need to consume plenty of vegetables to get proper nutrition.

Cons:

The different stages of the diet require considerable work. Additionally, there is an ongoing debate as to possible harms of a high-fat diet over extended period of time. Atkins is not meant to keep people only on red meat and butter (which is what some may believe). Sticking to the plan and eating variety of leaner proteins is essential.

About $5 a week through eDiets.com