Sunday, January 11, 2009

Will the Atkins Diet Really Work for You?

By Ricardo d Argence

Whichever way you turn, someone is hyping a new diet that will make you reach all of your weight loss goals. Some have been established to be beneficial and others have ended up being harmful for your health. This brings us to the Atkins diet, what is it? Will this diet work for you?

Dr. Robert Atkins finished medical at Cornell University in 1955. Some years later, he found himself overweight and looking for answers. He based his currently popular diet program on a diet something like what he saw in the Journal of American Medical Association. He first published Dr Atkins Diet Revolution in 1970.

Over the years, he revised his plan somewhat but never strayed from the diets core principals. The diets focus is on eliminating carbohydrates from the western diet.

This diet will restrict the consumption of carbs, as you no doubt imagine. The cbasic principle of this diet is that carbs are what cause you to be heavy. There are 4 phases of the diet with each phase building onto the next.

Induction. The first phase is by far the most restrictive. The recommended duration of this phase is two weeks, but Atkins says that you can safely remain on this phase for months. Carbohydrates are limited to 15-20 grams per day of which 12-15 must come from leafy vegetables. This phase of the diet also allows for small amounts of cheese, generous amounts of meat and essential oils. The goal of this phase is to put the body into ketosis stage and had healthy amounts of fiber to the diet.

Ongoing Weight Loss. Phase 2 consists of slowly raising the carbohydrate intake until weight loss is being achieved at a more reasonable level, 1-2 pounds per week. Carbohydrates are to be increased at five grams per day and still from a safe list of foods, vegetables first determining how many carbs can be ingested without gaining weight. Dieters are to stay in this phase until they are five to ten pounds from goal weight.

Pre Maintenance. This is the time when weight loss slows even more, Atkins recommends loosing the last ten pounds or so over a 1-3 month period. During this phase, 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.

Maintenance. Consider everything that you learned from the past phases and be consistent with a healthy program to stay at your best weight. Make sure you don't return to your bad dietary habits when you reach the end of your diet.

Ketosis. This condition occurs when there are elevated levels of ketone bodies in the blood. This happens when the liver converts fat into fatty acids, a normal response of the liver to a diet that is extremely low in carbohydrates. Normally the body depends on glucose from the carbohydrates in your diet, when they are absent the body will begin to burn fat stores instead. You know your body is in ketosis state when you have a metallic taste in your mouth or bad breath.

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 a large number of people, the diet does work. The first phase alone can reduce your weight ten to fifteen pounds in a week. As with any diet, the results will be multiplied with excercise in order to increase your metabolism and help to prevent heart disease. - 15437

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