Let’s all be honest.
If you live anywhere in the Western world you have heard of the famous Atkins diet. Talk about marketing hype. This diet takes the cake. The debate is still wide open and there is still a gross amount of criticism regarding the validity and health benefits of this diet.
There’s still a raging debate as to whether this is the most successful diet ever or not, but there is no doubt that the Atkins diet is absolutely one of the most advertised diets.
Here’s the thing, millions of people have tried the Atkins diet at some point or another. At the pinnacle of this diet’s popularity in 2003, it is thought that more than 3 million people in the United Kingdom alone tried the Atkins diet.
With the Atkins diet, the basic premise is to decrease carbohydrates and increase high hat foods, like bacon, eggs, cheese and steak.
Good grief!
How much of that lard can you really stand to swallow after just a few weeks of really sticking to the diet?
For people that have been on a diet before, the Atkins diet sounds like heaven on earth. Who wouldn’t want to eat all the eggs, steak, mayo, cheese and bacon every day?
Yum! ...Whatever!
Well, here’s the bad news about the Atkins diet. You are not allowed to have any bread or salad with that charbroiled steak. Avoid the veggies. What? It might sound good at first but for most people it’s not long at all before you are going crazy without that piece of fluffy break or the crunch of a carrot or two.
With the Atkins diet, the well preached theory is that by cutting out the carbohydrates in your diet then you will force your body to use the fat you have stored up in order to obtain the energy needed to get you through the day.
So here’s the catch. In order to obtain this “magical” state you must not eat any bread, pastries, potatoes, pasta, milk, rice, fruit, vegetables (well, there are a couple you can still eat) and, absolutely, no junk food or soft drinks. But according to the Atkins diet, you are expected to eat red meat, fish, chicken, cheese, mayonnaise, cream, butter and eggs. During the “Induction Phase” of the diet which is the first 14 days on the diet, this is going to be the only foods you are allowed to eat.
The second phase of the diet is called Ongoing Weight Loss and it lets you increase the intake of carbohydrates by 5 grams per day, starting from the basic 20 grams per day stipulated by the Induction Phase. You have to work closely with your diet during this phase to see how much you can increase the carbohydrates and still be able to lose between one and three pounds a week. The Atkins diet tells you to stay in this phase until you almost reach your goal weight.
Once you have around five to ten pounds left to lose, then it’s time to take on the third phase of the diet, called Pre-Maintenance. At this point you are to increase your carbohydrate intake by 10 grams a day in order to slow down the weight loss process.
Then you head into the Lifetime Maintenance and a lifetime of eating around 90 grams of carbs per day for the rest of your life. Moving from 250 grams or more to less than 100 grams and for the rest of your life could be quite a challenge for many people.
It is important to remember that the side effects of the Atkins diet depend on the user. There are some people that do just fine on this diet, but others get kidney infections from the high-protein content or even high cholesterol from all the fatty foods they have eaten.
Others get dizzy and even feel just crummy all together which is not all that surprising when the body goes into starvation mode when you eliminate the carbohydrates. Another clogging problem can be with constipation since you are eating such high fat and avoiding high-fiber fruits and vegetables. Your blood calcium may also take a nose dive which can lead to osteoporosis or other bone conditions later on in life.
Think about it and do your research. Talk with your doctor before making the decision to take this diet. It is controversial and while it has people who tout is as the best thing since sliced bread there are others who beg you to avoid it because of the health risks.
Don’t rush into the decision and make an informed decision. Here’s to a healthy lifestyle and the weight loss you are looking for!
