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Pros and Cons of the Atkins Diet

The Atkins diet is one of the most popular low carbohydrate diets on the market today. Its popularity has sparked dozens of look-a-like diets who center on the same principles of high-protein, low-carbohydrate eating. There are a lot of fish in the sea when it comes to choosing a low-carbohydrate plan.

Studies have shown that low-carbohydrate eating has many benefits. There have been scientific results that low-carbohydrate diets like Atkins do create significant weight loss without having to restrict calories. People who use the Atkins diet have also reported this. There are studies that show that low-carb eating improves triclycerides, reduces blood glucose for diabetics and pre-diabetics and increases good cholesterol (HDL). Low-carbohydrate dieting has been scientifically proven to improve insulin sensitivity, decrease blood pressure and lower blood insulin levels. When compared with low-fat diets, low-carb dieters lose less muscle mass.

Although not scientifically proven, there are many common benefits reported by Atkins dieters and other low-carb dieters. These include an increase in energy, a reduced craving for sweets, better concentration, improved mood and an lessening of depression type symptoms.

However, there are also some benefits that are specific to the Atkins diet. If you have been a low fat dieter in previous years, you’ll enjoy eating all of those “forbidden foods” that you once had to go without. Steak, butter and cream are a regular part of Atkins dieters’ meals. There is a certain pleasure that goes along with eating foods that were once off limits. Atkins dieters are encouraged to eat their full of rich meats, cheeses and fats and oils.

Atkins is also simple to use, compared with some other low-carb diets on the market. There are some basic food carbohydrate counts that you’ll need to learn, but after that, you are free to eat from the acceptable food lists.

Dr. Atkins also emphasized finding your own personal carbohydrate level. Different people have different levels of carbohydrate tolerance. While some gain weight on just 90 carbohydrate grams a day, others can live comfortably at 120 carbohydrate grams. During the ongoing weight loss phase and pre-maintenance phase of the diet, you will learn your personal carbohydrate count that will help determine your carbohydrate goal for life.

The popularity of Atkins is a double-edged sword for dieters. There is a lot of information available on the diet, which makes it easy to find resources and support. There have been many, many Atkins books written and there are endless amounts of websites that offer tips and group support. However, everyone has heard of Atkins and probably has an opinion on it. There are some big misconceptions out there about the nature of the diet, and you’ll no doubt have to defend your new way of eating from time to time.

There are some other minimal downsides to using the Atkins program. You do need to count carbohydrates in everything you eat to make sure that you are staying within your personal carbohydrate range. There is also the issue of Induction, the most hotly debate aspect of the plan. Induction can be difficult to get through if you’ve had a diet that centers on carbs and sugar. Also, many people try Induction and mistakenly believe that this is the way that the whole diet is going to be. They end up quitting before they get into the actual Atkins plan.

Sometimes, although it is not common, people will experience a carb crash on the 3rd to 5th day of the diet. This reaction is a result of their body finally experiencing ketosis, or running on fat instead of carbohydrates. The effects are transient, but many people have sworn off low-carb diets entirely because of this happenstance.

Overall, with the minor drawbacks considered, Atkins is one of the most popular low-carb diets for a reason. It works. Thousands of people have had success with the Atkins approach to the low-carb way of living.

Weight Loss, Exercise And Diet Plus Chocolate Cake

I have read about many theories on weight loss, exercise and diet, and understand the theories of the Atkin’s Diet, grapefruit diets and calorie controlled diets. I have read about them all. But which of them actually work? That is the 64,000 dollar question with a very simple answer.
All or none! You can eat chocolate cake if you work it off next day! Whatever diet you use, there is one very simple equation that is ruled by science; by the biochemistry of our bodies. If energy in is greater than energy out, you have an excess of energy. If energy in is less than energy out, you have a deficit of energy. In common parlance, you can equate energy in with calories eaten and energy out with calories used up. An excess of energy is stored either as fat or as glycogen in the liver, and a deficit of energy equates with weight loss.
This equation is a law of physics, as Scottie of Star Trek would say, or a law of biochemistry. It cannot be broken, no matter what diet you are on. Some foods can increase the metabolic rate, which is the energy used by the body when at rest, such as for breathing, blood circulation, thinking and the 1001 other things that the body does, even while you are asleep. If you wake up in the night feeling very hot and sweating, that is your body burning excess calories. A high metabolic rate is why some people seem to be able to eat everything without putting on a pound.
Most fat is stored under the skin, and that is the fat is normally lost first when you exercise. However, other fat can be stored round the abdomen and major organs such as the heart and liver. That fat is the most dangerous. It is difficult to shift, and can place great strain on the major organs. That is why abdominal fat is considered to medically undesirable, and is considered to have a greater effect on your health than fat elsewhere in your body.
The only way to lose weight is not to try a fad diet, but to take in fewer calories than you use up. It is simple math. 1000 calories in, 1001 calories used, then you lose weight. Simple. Better to have 1000 calories in and 2000 used, but that is beside the point. The message is that Atkins will not work if you eat more calories than you use. The theory is that a low carbohydrate diet increases your metabolic rate. So equal calories taken by Atkins and a high carb diet, means that Atkins loses more weight due to a higher metabolism. Atkins fails when too much fat is eaten and not enough exercise is taken because the subject relies on the diet and fails to exercise. That is a recipe for disaster with any diet, Atkins or not.
It is unbelievable how many people, some claiming to be expert dieticians, refuse to accept the concept of calories. Calories are fact, not a concept, and are popularly used as a measure of energy intake. It doesn’t really matter whether you use calories or any other units, anybody that does not accept their relevance in diet are nuts.
To repeat, and to put it in a nutshell, energy absorbed must be less than energy expended if you are to lose weight. The best way to lose energy is exercise. The more exercise you do, the more weight you lose, as long as you eat less energy that you are using. Where you lose the weight depends on what parts of the body are being exercised. If you have fat thighs, you won’t lose thigh fat if you exercise your arms. You will end up with skinny arms and thunder thighs.
If you carry out a structured exercise campaign designed to trim your whole body that is combined with a good diet regime, then weight loss, exercise and diet will work for you as science dictates that it must. Science is fact, not opinion.
Exercise and diet can work together. Learn how to combine them in a productive way and you will lose weight a lot easier than you could have believed. No more diet fads. You can eat anything you want, in any amount you want, as long as you exercise to work off what you eat. A tub of ice cream is fine if you are prepared to do an hour on the treadmill next day. So don’t think that losing weight means the end of the chocolate cake – it needn’t. It is all a matter of balance.

Low Carb Diets Are They Right For You?

Low carb diets are mostly based on cutting the amount of carbs you eat and increasing the amount of proteins and fats. This diet helps your body to consume fat reserves that are already in your body. Low carb diets are still popular and while they may help the average individual lose weight, they aren’t for athletes.
Low carb diets are not only safe, but if followed properly, can be heart-healthy. Low carb diets have several good effects on cholesterol. Low carb diets are designed to prevent blood sugar levels from spiking and causing the overproduction of insulin a hormone that helps convert carbohydrates to body fat. The first carbohydrates you need to add back to your diet when you move beyond Induction are more vegetables, then seeds and nuts, then berries and then if you are still losing legumes and grains. Low carb diets are easy for people who enjoy meats and cheese, but it may be tough for a vegetarian to go on a low carb diet.
Low-carb dieters dropped an average of 26 pounds, compared to an average of 14 pounds shed by the low-fat group. The low-carb group had decreases in blood fat levels and increases in good cholesterol than their counterparts on a low-fat diet. Low-carb diets are very popular for their quick results.
Low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diets (such as the Atkins diet) have become very popular in recent years. These diets promise weight loss, weight maintenance, good health, and disease prevention. Low-carb dieters should also be aware that low-carbohydrate and low-calorie are not the same thing, just as low-fat and low-calorie are not synonymous. When something, like carbohydrates, is taken out of a product, (e.g., chips, ice cream or chocolate candy bars) other things are added to replace it.
Carbohydrates are not bad, only some of them are, and should be eaten in moderation. Finally, there is the personalized metabolic typing diet, which is using your body’s intuition to determine the best combination of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates for your optimal health. Carbohydrates are found in almost any kind of food, even vegetables — not just bread and pasta. Carbohydrates including bread, pasta, rice, cereals, milk, most fruit and any sweets usually provide over half of people’s daily calories. On a low-carb diet, however, carbohydrates are limited or avoided, thus leading to a significant reduction in calorie intake.
Low-carbohydrate diets probably result in weight loss by forcing your body to burn fat for energy. The body would rather burn carbohydrates- either from blood sugar or stored carbohydrates in your liver and muscles. Low-carbohydrate diets are essentially very simple. By restricting carbohydrate intake, cravings for carbohydrates will over time subside, resulting in a lower food consumption and weight loss.

Diet Eating and Weight Loss Control: Find the Flavor That You Savor

Diet eating and weight loss control doesn’t have to end because your cravings have boiled over. Analyze your cravings, and find a new flavor to savor that helps you reach your weight loss goals. Diet eating and weight loss control requires substantial skimping on your favorite foods. Unsatisfied cravings become monumental when dieting. Eating becomes a frenzied rush to put everything and anything that can satisfy your craving into your mouth. Diet eating for weight loss control becomes out-of-control. Self-control slowly loses its affect on weight loss control, and a burst of splurging on your favorite foods temporarily suspends your weight loss goals. Diet eating for your weight loss goal is set on the back burner until your cravings are satisfied. You don’t have to let your cravings boil over and spoil your weight loss plans. You can learn how to lose weight without ongoing relapses if you learn the secrets behind your cravings, and how to savor the flavors that you’re allowed to enjoy. Managing your cravings is the surest path to diet success. Cravings can be emotional, environmental or physical. In the world of cravings, Chocolate cravings have a Hollywood status. The allure of chocolate is not only in its taste, but in its texture, aroma and convenience. It can be difficult to separate environmental, influential, and physiological causes of a chocolate craving. However, as any woman experiencing PMS can tell you, the craving is real, and it is powerful. Diet eating without chocolate can be tortuous. Chocolate is limited in many weight loss programs because of its fat and sugar content. Fortunately, chocolate’s international fame was enough to produce countless versions of low-fat, low-carb, and low-sugar chocolate versions that are aimed to satisfy the cravings of diabetics and dieters around the world. Finding a comparable flavor to savor in the vast assortment of low-fat and low-carb substitutes that are on the market today is one way to control your cravings. This might take some research into what’s available that suits your taste buds, but it’s probably the easiest way to acclimate your diet eating plans to satisfy your cravings and stick with your weight loss goals. Medical experts are still debating whether cravings stem from nutritional deficiencies. However, scientific journals are full of studies that examine chocolates’ “psychopharmacologic and chemosensory” effects. Medical studies and diet eating studies also show that a drop in blood sugar, which occurs when you skip meals, increases the craving for sweets. The Atkins Diet Weight Loss Program is formed around this concept, and the Atkins diet eating plans cater to moderating blood sugar levels. Craving for sweets while dieting or not dieting is nothing new. Tests have shown that babies prefer sweet liquids to non-sweet liquids. Nature is even sweet-tooth oriented. Sweeter plants are less likely to be poisonous. But plants don’t need to lose weight, we do. Diet eating and weight loss control can succeed if you take the time to analyze your cravings from all angles. Find the flavor you savor and find a healthy substitute for your diet eating plans to lose weight. A solution might be to try the Atkins diet, which specifically focuses on the physiology of craving control in your diet eating plan. Diet eating doesn’t have to be a constant battle with temptation. Find a tasty substitute and savor the flavor. Save the splurging for your new clothes when you reach your weight loss goals.

The Atkins Diet – Separating Fact From Fiction

The Atkins Diet has been in existence for over 30 years and has enjoyed a surge in popularity over the last few years.
Pioneered by Dr. Robert Atkins, the theory behind the Atkins Diet is simple. Your body prefers to utilize carbohydrates (such as in grains, cereals, breads, etc.) for energy and will burn them first prior to body fat. By cutting down dramatically on carbohydrates in your diet, you force your body to burn fat for energy.
Reducing the carbohydrates in your diet puts your body into a state called “ketosis.” This word is derived from the “ketones” that are used by your body for energy when sugars/carbs aren’t available. When you are in this state of ketosis, your body is producing ketones from your fat that is being burned for energy. Ketones are essentially the leftovers from this process and are used in place of sugar in the body.
One of the major misconceptions about the Atkins Diet that has been widely reported is that you can or should eat extremely unhealthy, fatty foods all the time. This is not actually true. Dr. Atkins recommends that you limit your intake of these types of foods (e.g. butter, sausage, bacon, etc.) and instead focus on healthy fats such as olive oil, fish oil, nuts, etc.
The Atkins Diet has many positives and negatives that have been associated with it. Some of the positives include:
– Rapid Weight Loss – though the first couple of days the majority of weight lost is water, your body does become more efficient at fat burning and you do lose fat.
– Reduced Mood or Energy Swings – eating carbohydrates (especially sugary ones) can lead to mood and energy swings. This is often seen as the post-lunchtime or afternoon energy crash. When you eliminate the carbs, you eliminate the source of this problem.
– Reduced Consumption of Refined Foods – highly refined foods are the source of many health problems. The more processed a food is, the less nutrients are generally in it. The Atkins Diet encourages a focus on the consumption of more natural state foods such as vegetables, lean meats, fish, eggs and healthy oils.
Some of the negatives that have been associated with the Atkins Diet include:
– Rapid Regaining of Lost Weight – this can happen when a person comes off the Atkins Diet. They regain all the weight they lost. One of the major reasons for this is that when you eliminate the carbs from your diet for a long period of time, your body becomes more sensitive to them. When you go back to your regular eating habits (which may not have been great to begin with), your body reacts more strongly to the sugar and carbs in foods, leading to weight gain. This weight gain can be reduced by easing off the Atkins Diet gradually rather than by feasting on carbohydrates.
– Lack of Food Choices – it can be difficult to find things to eat that are low carb. Most grocery stores are primarily stocked with carbohydrate-laden foods and it can get boring eating the same things over and over again. Luckily, with the popularity of the Atkins diet and other low carb diets, there are many delicious recipes available to help alleviate this boredom.
The Atkins Diet may not be for you but by incorporating some of the principles in it, such as lowering your carbohydrate intake and eating more natural-state foods, you may find that you can achieve great results without ever having to restrict yourself. It may take a little longer but the results will be more permanent as it is more of a lifestyle change than a diet.

Atkins Diet Food – The Atkins Pyramid That Knows Best

Foods which are a part of Atkins diet are easily available everywhere. Whether you cook your own meal, or buy prepackaged foods, there is a wide variety. You get a solution irrespective of how you want to go with the Atkins diet program.
At the time of making choices of your foods, have the Atkins food pyramid in your mind. This pyramid looks very different from the USDA’s food guide pyramid. Eggs, beef, fish, tofu and chicken are all protein sources which are at the pyramid’s base. Your diet must have these foods, on a regular basis. Salad greens, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach and asparagus, which are low glycemic vegetables, form the second tier.
Avocado and berries form the third tier. After the early stages of the diet, fruits should be eaten occasionally. A few things to be used sparingly are seed and vegetable oils, legumes,cheese, dairy and nuts . The Atkins pyramid puts foods based on whole grains in the peak, while the FDA pyramid has fats and oils in this place. The mainstay of Atkins diet is not the whole grain foods.
At the beginning of the Atkin’s plan, you have to ensure you follow which foods are okay for the part of the program of which you are a part. The induction phase, which lasts two weeks is most restrictive.
To stay within the list of acceptable foods without crossing the limits, you owe it to the success of your dieting. To do this best, follow Atkins menu plans, printed in the ‘New Diet Revolution’. There are several other Atkins cook books, and other cookbooks aimed at low carbohydrate diets which help in meal plan formulation.
Use a cheat sheet of foods acceptable to Atkins diet where ever you go. In case you are hungry when you’re not at home, it would look embarrasing to remember what you cannot and can eat. It will be easy to locate things which you can eat on the run, if you have the list. Don’t rely on the ‘low carb’ label to tell you if the item is friendly to your diet. Manufacturers have jumped to low carb diets since the time Atkins diet became the craze. They do not have your health on mind, but they just want to sell their products. Relying on foods in your plan is best to stay in the diet.
To keep track of the right foods, there are programs on the internet. Several programs are available, a few of which are free while some have monthly fees. These services need you to register. carbohydrate gram levels. Printable forms of weekly shopping lists are available, which help you pick the right foods easily, and quickly for the diet program.
If you know what to look for, the diet foods is easy to get. To help you in making better food choices, apart from making you stay long term on the program, the online resources, books and food pyramid can be used.

Choosing Right Diet Plan for Weight Loss

 

In this modern time, people are very conscious for their health, looks and overall appearance. Everyone wants to get rid of fat, overweight and plump body. To achieve a perfect body or figure, people blindly follow fitness programs, diet plans and other fat-treatments. Unfortunately, most of the people end up into wrong paths and don’t find any improvement after spending loads of money and time. Hence, choosing a right diet plan is very necessary for overall personality development.

Which Diet Plan suits to me?

Everyone is aware of this fact that better health can not be achieved without following a right diet. There are lots of diet plans like south beach diet, zone diet, Mediterranean diet and many more that are especially planned according to different dietary needs and objectives. But it is quite difficult to make out which one of these numerous plans is meant for you. Below are some points that will guide you in choosing the best diet for yourself:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hopefully above tips can assist you finding the best ones for your health!

The Atkins Diet

The Atkins diet hit the diet scene in 1972 when Dr. Atkins published his book, “Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution”. And the Atkins diet was really revolutionary. Most diets of the day focused on counting calories and maintaining a low fat diet. Calories were felt to be the enemy and the fewer you ate, the better off you were. Dr. Atkins paid less attention to calories in his diet and more to reducing the number of carbohydrates in the diet. To followers of his diet, the carbohydrates were the problem. The diet promoted the use of lots of protein and a moderate amount of fat with the idea that your metabolism will cause you to lose weight on this diet.
The Atkins diet was not taken very well by many nutritionists who were promoting diets low in fat and protein. This was about the time that the four food groups turned into the food pyramid. Fruits, vegetables and grains were near the bottom and should be consumed the most. Unfortunately for the Atkins diet, these were things that were to be avoided on the diet. Near the top of the food pyramid are fats and meat proteins. We weren’t supposed to eat many of these types of foods on a healthy diet and yet they were prominent in the Atkins diet.
The Atkins diet included menu plans high in bacon, fried meat and even fried pork rinds. While there were some salad greens on the diet plan, you were allowed to add fatty dressing to the diet plan. The Atkins diet plan really promoted eggs, cheese, meats at every meal and, in some cases, protein bars or protein drinks. This was a time when cholesterol and triglycerides were being better understood and their role in heart disease was made more clear. Experts felt that the Atkins diet plan was too high in cholesterol and other fats, making one’s risk for heart disease greater. Dr. Atkins continued to promote his diet plan, amid a great deal of controversy.
The Atkins diet also included some Atkins products, like Atkins hot cereal, Atkins protein shakes and Atkins protein bars. Instead of having regular hot cereal, you would choose the Atkins variety of hot cereal. The company made money off of these specialized products and still does, but to a lesser degree. As long as carbohydrates were counted and Atkins products used, the diet was expected to help you lose weight.
It’s unclear how successful people were in losing weight on the Atkins diet. If dieting is truly based on calories, the Atkins diet certainly weren’t lacking in them. Since the origin of the Atkins diet, more is known about the effects of cholesterol (from meat protein) and triglycerides (from other fats) on things like stroke, peripheral artery disease and heart disease (coronary artery disease). Doctors are more likely to check cholesterol and triglycerides in patients and doctors are active in putting people on medications to lower these fats in the blood. Few doctors would recommend such a high content of cholesterol and fat for patients at risk for heart disease. Few would recommend this kind of diet for even normal people. Still, there are those who still go on the Atkins diet in the hopes of losing weight.

The Atkins Diet: Eating to Lose Weight With the Atkins Weight Loss Program

 

The Atkins Diet has been proven to be a successful way to lose weight. Although the validity of reducing carbohydrates has been hotly disputed – time has let science prevail. Atkins diet works to lose weight. The Atkins Diet hasn’t been hiding under an upside-down bowl of chocolate pudding over the last few decades. The Atkins Diet Weight Loss Program has been helping people lose weight and keep their weight off for years. Decades ago, the Atkins Diet stirred things up in the dietary world – going against the conventional wisdoms of how to lose weight. Atkins told his dieting audience that if they wanted to lose weight, bread had to take a backseat to meat. Losing weight meant losing carbohydrates. Atkins’ voiceful confidence in his dietary theories prevailed to make the Atkins Weight Loss Program one of the most recognized diets in the world. Diet eating took on a new form. Dieters were shocked that they could still savor the juicy red steak and lose weight at the same time. Flavors stayed and carbohydrates were exiled. The Atkins diet surpassed its “fad” status, and time has demonstrated that the Atkins diet is a scientifically proven way to lose weight successfully. Back in 2007, the Washington Post reported a study done by Stanford University that compared four diets. Two were low-carb diets, one was a behavior modification diet, and one was a low-fat diet. These were all very popular diets that women chose to lose weight. The Atkins diet was one of the contenders, and the winner. More women were able to lose weight with the Atkins diet than the other low-carb diets that sought to capitalize on Atkins success. Additionally, more women were able to lose weight with the Atkins diet than they were with the low-fat diet and the diet that focused on losing weight with behavior modification. Atkins Diet Weight Loss Program did more than just help women lose weight. It also helped women reduce their bad cholesterol. Triglycerides levels dropped. Triglycerides are linked to heart disease. The women losing weight with the Atkins diet also lowered their blood pressure, and had the highest increase in HDL – which is the good cholesterol. LDL, on the other hand, is bad cholesterol, and a major factor in the risks for heart disease. Experts have speculated that Atkins Diet Weight Loss Program would substantially increase a dieter’s LDL. This would be a logical assumption since the Atkins Diet suggests that you can lose weight by substituting meat (high in saturated fats) for carbohydrates to help you lose weight. The results of the Stanford study showed only a slight increase in LDL levels; however, the LDL blood levels from the Atkins dieters were no different from the other dieters. Eating to lose weight with the Atkins Diet Weight Loss Program no longer has to carry the stigma that it’s a “fad.” Dieters can feel confident that they will lose weight with the Atkins diet. Eating healthy to lose weight with a low-carbohydrate diet will not cause the imminent heart failure that some dissidents feared. Losing weight with the Atkins Diet Weight Loss Program is the scientifically proven way to get your diet out of your book and onto your plate. You’ll lose weight, lose triglycerides, and gain some good HDL. The proven success of the Atkins diet means you don’t have to lose faith – the only thing you have to lose is weight.

The Atkins Diet by Diet Debate

The Atkins Diet, introduced by Dr. Robert Atkins in the 1970’s has spurred a legion of low-carb dieters in the United States. For two decades, millions of Americans have restricted their intake of carbohydrates following the teachings of Dr. Atkins. The diet, which was reintroduced in the book Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, focuses on the restriction of carbohydrates to 20 grams in an individual’s diet at the start of the program and then tailoring his diet to accommodate up to 40-50 grams of carbohydrates during the ‘maintenance’ phase.

During the first phase or the induction phase, dieters are not allowed to have more than 20 grams of carbohydrates and they also can not have any alcoholic or caffeinated drinks. They must also refrain from consuming starchy foods, bread or even fruits. There are no imposed restrictions on meats and other sources of protein and yet weight-loss is fastest during this period. Later on, more carbohydrates will be allowed in the diet but dieters will be asked to watch their intake of refined grains and sugar. By the time a dieter reaches the Maintenance phase, he would already have been used to making smart food choices and would already know the amount of carbohydrates he can consume that will keep him in top shape.

Proponents of the Atkins Diet claim that the program teaches your body to burn calories more efficiently and as a result is said to lessen fatigue, depression, and muscle pains.