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Atkins Diet Plan
- What’s it All About? |
by:
Martin
Smith |
A typical breakfast
consists of 3 or 4 strips of bacon, two or more eggs and coffee.
A snack would maybe be chunks of cheese and a cup of coffee with
cream. Dinner might be a huge steak fried in butter. Sounds really
good right? It sounds so tempting but there is a trade-off. You
will have to give up carbs such as breads, potatoes, pasta, rice,
and other things like chocolate, cake, some fruits, veggies, and
milk at least in the beginning.
The theory is that when you cut out carbs your body are forced
into burning fat that your body has stored to give it energy.
Your body burns more calories when burning fat than when it is
burning carbohydrates and you will lose weight more quickly. Your
blood sugars stabilize which prevents overeating.
The first phase of the Atkins Diet Plan is the Introduction Phase
and must be followed for at least two weeks. You are only allowed
to consume 20 grams of carbs a day. You can load up on as much
red meat, chicken, fish, cheese, eggs, mayo, cream, and butter.
It is during this phase that your body switches from the burning
fat to burning carbs.
The second phase is the ongoing weight loss phase. During this
phase you increase your carb intake by about 5 grams daily until
you find your critical carbohydrate level for losing weight. The
most carbs that you can eat and still lose between 1 and 3 pounds
a week. Breads, pasta, potatoes, and rice are still off limits.
The third phase is the pre-maintenance phase that you enter when
you have only five to ten pounds to go to meet your goal weight.
Your carb intake increases by ten grams each day for a week in
order to help your body adjust to the addition of carbs and the
final phase of maintenance.
The fourth phase is called lifetime maintenance and intended to
help you keep your motivation. Carbs are limited to less than
90 grams a day. Get used to it though because you will be on a
low carb diet for the rest of your life.
There are some concerns about the long-term effects of the Atkins
Diet Plan and other low carb plans. There is such a high consumption
of fat, particularly saturated fats and this can cause an increase
risk of heart disease.
The Atkins diet eliminates some nutrients and this could cause
deficiencies and other health problems in the future. Since there
is a limited intake of bone building calcium you could be at increased
risk of Osteoporosis. A very limited intake of antioxidant nutrients
could cause problems such as heart disease, cancer, and premature
aging.
One drawback of the Atkins Diet is that it can become boring.
Vegetarians have difficulty with this diet because veggies, seeds,
and nuts are off limits in the first stages. The diet does present
a view of healthy eater, which keeps us healthy and free from
disease.
Other concerns are that the initial weight loss comes back quickly
when you go off the Atkins plan and a lot of people drop out in
the induction phase. The carbs are very low and ketosis can result
which is dangerous for a diabetic or anyone else for that matter.
This diet is high in cholesterol and you can develop constipation
and/or heart disease because of the high fat content. Since the
diet is low in fruits and vegetables, it also lacks cancer-fighting
antioxidants. The most serious drawbacks to the Atkins plan are
that it is not intended for long term use and there are unsafe
if not downright dangerous side effects.
A few positive notes about the Atkins Plan are that it works!
You lose a lot of weight quickly and you can eat as much as you
want of certain foods especially protein and fat.
The Atkins Diet eliminates to a great degree carbs from rice,
pasta, potatoes, breads, some fruits and veggies. It also eliminates
cancer-fighting antioxidants. It is a high fat and high protein
diet that can increase the risk for certain diseases like high
cholesterol and heart disease.
On the upside, this is one diet that actually works but it is
not a diet that you can be on for an indefinite period of time.
Once you go off the program and resume more ‘normal’ eating the
initial weight loss will come back. Also, as with any diet plan
check with your doctor to be sure you can safely do it.
To conclude let me give you a reminder. The Atkins diet is not
for long term use and it has inherent health risks. If you need
to lose weight you may already be at risk for heart disease and
high cholesterol, the Atkins plan has the potential of actually
increasing those risks.
(c)www.atkins-diet-plan-n-books.com
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About the author:
Martin Smith is a successful writer providing advice on a variety
of subjects. For information on Atkins diet plans, drop by the
website. His numerous articles resource of interesting and relevant
information. http://www.atkins-diet-plan-n-books.com
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