Many people like being able to eat as much protein and fat as they wish, since these foods are often restricted in more traditional diet plans. For people who have tried a low-fat, high-carbohydrate weight loss plan without success, increasing protein in their diet often results in decreased food cravings and more rapid weight loss. Several studies have shown that Atkins plan can help you lose significant amount of weight. Recently, two studies were published in the New England Journal of Medicine that looked at the low-carbohydrate approach pioneered by Atkins for more than 90 days, in comparison to low-fat diets. The studies showed that the Atkins approach was slightly more effective for weight loss. More importantly, it was associated with greater improvements in blood fats known as triglycerides, which contribute to atherosclerosis and heart disease. One study found that those who followed the Atkins approach for a year raised their levels of HDL cholesterol (or good cholesterol), which helps prevent atherosclerosis. These findings are important because the conventional wisdom had been that a higher-fat diet such as the Atkins approach would raise LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and lower HDL cholesterol. It is important to point out that longer term studies are necessary to fully gauge the impact of this diet on CHD. 3 months or 1 year will not be enough. The diet is relatively easy to follow; there are no complicated meal plans.
How Atkins Diet Help In Losing Weight? Atkins Diet is a system that enables our body to lose weight in a natural way by inducing a change in metabolism. Our body is capable of burning both fat and carbohydrates to provide the energy required to function properly. Carbohydrate, in the form of glucose, is the first fuel used to provide energy to our body. Dr Atkins suggests that when we reduce our intake of carbohydrates significantly, our body convert from burning carbohydrates to burning fat as fuel. This process is known as lipolysis. The secondary result of this process is ketosis. When fat is burned for fuel, ketones are released through the breath and urine, and their quantities can be measured with ketone strips. This is how we lose weight through Atkins Diet Plan. Dr Atkins also says that ketosis will affect insulin production which will prevent more fat from being formed. Once we enter ketosis, our body begins efficiently using the fat as fuel and our cravings for carbohydrate will subside
Restricted Foods on Atkins: Total carbohydrate intake is counted, without much regard to where it comes from, though in Atkins for Life he had begun to talk more about advising less glycemic carbohydrate. Still, added sugars and refined grains are pretty much off the list for the rest of your life (which is the norm with lowcarbdiets). Amount of Restriction: Starts out with a lot of restriction in the Induction phase. After that the amount of restriction is tailored to the individual, depending upon their response to the diet. Amount of Structure: The phases are quite structured, with detailed instructions on adding small amounts of carbohydrate. Within that structure, however, the dieter has a lot of choice about what to eat and how much. Individual Variation: The program focuses on helping people find their individual carbohydrate tolerance levels. Atkins also introduces a concept he called “metabolic resistance,” which will partly determine this level. Learning Curve: The biggest hurdle is simply learning how many grams of carbohydrate are in each food you eat. Here are the carb counts of many common foods. Diet Phases: The Atkins diet has four phases: Induction, Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL), Pre-maintenance, and Maintenance. The length of these phases depends mainly upon how overweight a person is and how they respond to the diet. In his books, Atkins emphasizes the importance of each level, however, on the Atkins Web site it says, �Beginning with Induction is your choice — you can begin Atkins at any of the four phases. However, Induction will jumpstart your weight loss as you cut back significantly on carb consumption
