Just like any other diet, the Atkins diet can become boring and for some very dangerous.
Before you get into the plan make sure you get a physical and talk to your doctor.
We already know that the diet works but how do you work the diet?
There is plenty of advice and information available online and in the library.
The Atkins Diet is an attempt to trick your body into burning stored fat rather than the carbohydrates you consume for energy.
In the process you might have some physical reactions that are important to know about.
The good news is that there are things you can do to combat some of the side effects.
Some people experience dizziness or cramps or other physical effects from the changes you are making in your diet.
There are things you can do to prevent or alleviate these things. Be aware that you could experience dizziness, leg cramps, or brain fog.
Remember that the mineral potassium is washed out of your system fairly quickly. Do not eat a banana instead take 90 milligrams of a potassium supplement. It should start working to relieve your symptoms in about an hour.
Below are some suggestions that will help keep you healthy while on the Atkins Diet Plan. These are suggestions to help you combat the symptoms while your body adjusts to the changes.
Eat enough calories. For most people eight to ten calories for every pound of current weight. Too few calories will cause your body to go into starvation mode and weight loss will either slowdown or stop completely.
Drink enough water. You must drink at least 68 ounces of water a day. Some believe that you should drink half of your weight in water daily.
Weigh and measure yourself once a week only while on the Atkins plan. You should see a decrease in inches and even if you don’t, you will see it in weight.
Eat the amount of carbs that make you feel your best.
Eat only natural, unprocessed, nutrient dense carbohydrates. Stay away from sugar.
Exercise regularly. If you are told you can lose weight without exercise, run don’t walk in the opposite direction.
Physical exercise helps your body to use the food you consume appropriately.
Too little exercise can do as much damage as too much exercise.
Your doctor can help you determine what your activity level should be. Start off really slow and build up so that you will gain more benefit from your food plan and exercise.
Continue to take nutrient supplements according to your needs and under a doctor’s supervision.
Keep a weight loss and food journal. If a significant event happens like the death of someone close, the loss of a job, or too many bills you might want to note that.
These events could affect how you eat. Actually anything significant that happens should be noted because good stuff can also affect you.
In this journal you should also note exactly what you eat at each meal, and if you are a diabetic you will be able to understand how certain foods affect your blood sugar levels negatively or positively. Obviously you will be noting your daily testing results.
By doing this you will be able to recognize patterns. When are your levels the highest or the lowest? Be sure to share these things with your physician, as he or she will be able to help you determine what to do.
Read the labels on everything. Look for any hidden sugars like syrups and look for anything that ends in “ose”, such as lactose, fructose, sucrose, maltose and dextrose.
Lose weight faster. In order to accomplish this try reducing your caffeine intake.
Set realistic goals. A healthy weight loss typically is not much more than one to three pounds a week. Any more than that could be unsafe.
Losing weight too quickly can trick your body into thinking that it is starving and rather than losing weight your body will stop losing weight and try to hang on to what it can to survive.
Aside from all of that, note that any large initial weight loss will likely return if you return to normal eating habits.
If a diet seems too good to be true, It probably is.
The best kind of diet is one that encourages balanced meals, moderate activity, and supplements as needed. Before taking any kind of supplement make sure that it is appropriate for you.
Although they may be all natural, they are not necessarily safe. They can still negatively interact with any medications and you could still develop allergic reactions to it. Bear in mind that nothing should be taken without your doctor’s input.
There are so many diet regimens offered in the market today.
Each one has its own unique characteristics. Some of them work and others do not.
The Atkins Diet is not actually new. In fact, it has been around for many years now and you can say it is not the “in” thing anymore.
The idea behind this diet is that you reduce your carbohydrate intake to the barest minimum.
There are various stages in the diet. The first one is called the induction stage.
This stage is where you practically starve yourself of any carbohydrate-containing food.
The first day that I tried this, I felt myself shaking all over and I couldn’t do much anything else but sit down on the sofa! You get used to it though.
Gradually, your body gets used to the decreased carbohydrate intake. After a couple of weeks, you can gradually increase your carbohydrate intake.
You must be very patient and disciplined in order for this diet to work for you.
I had to learn the carbohydrate content of almost all food items while I was on this diet. You might also need to come up with a journal wherein you can list down everything that goes into your mouth everything.
That way you can keep track of your carbohydrate consumption for the day.
It is not as bad as it sounds because this diet focuses on high protein intake.
That means you get to eat a lot of meat, eggs, and other such food. If you are a meat lover, then this diet might work out for you.
You might end up spending a lot more on your food though, as meat products and other high protein foods are more expensive than carbohydrate-rich foods such as rice and bread.
Another disadvantage is that you might experience stomach and kidney problems.
From my experience, I lost weight continuously and quickly as long as I stuck to my diet. However, after several months of being on it, I easily got sick and my stomach gave me problems.
The doctor said that this is due to the lack of vitamins and minerals. So if you are going to try this out, make sure you have enough supplements to give you nutrients.
Another very important thing Atkins works while you are on it. If you suddenly revert to your old eating habits, then expect to gain all the weight you lost back.
More than half of Americans are struggling with obesity. The “quick fix” for “fat” for the last 50+ years, becoming ever more popular, has become the Atkins Diet.
The Atkins Diet is very simple restrict your carbohydrate intake. And guess what? It actually works.
But Dr. Atkins, after the initial few years of his popularized diet, began to make modifications and refinements to the original basic diet.
And several other people have taken the basic Atkins Diet, modified it just a little, and come up with a new and very workable diet.
There are three major misconceptions to the Atkins diet. The first common myth is many people believe this means don’t worry about the amount of calories or fat you eat so long as it’s not carbs.
The second common myth is many people believe all carbohydrates are equally bad.
The third common myth is that the Atkins “Low Carb” diet is actually a “High Protein” diet. All of these, however, are enormous misconceptions.
The First myth:
many dieters who use this program believe that calories and fat do not matter when eating low carb food, but in some cases this has proven to be fatal. Depending upon your particular body chemistry, when eating high fat food your cholesterol could climb and climb, leading to a heart attack or stroke. Also, it has now been proven that the older we become the less our body is able to metabolize the “high fat” portion of the Atkins “lo carb” diet, leading to additional dietary and health problems.
The Second myth:
The Atkins Diet is actually a “Low Carb” diet, not a “No-Carb” diet. What should be cut out are breads, rice and potatoes. Fresh fruits and vegetables should not be cut back and many should be somewhat increased. Finally, after the first month you can “safely” add breads and potatoes — in limited quantities. One friend of mine eats 1 bite of breads/toasts, etc., served with his meals, such as garlic breads. One bite and not a morsel more.
The Third myth:
Mention the Atkins Diet and most people’s reaction is “Oh, yes, the ‘high protein’ diet.” Not true at all — it’s a “Low Carb” diet – protein intake remains unchanged. Some carbs only, not all, are restricted (versus eliminated completely); fats, particularly in older people, need to be restricted; protein should be kept to 4-6 ounce portions per meal, the lower values for breakfast and lunch. What you need to increase is your intake of high-fiber foods such as celery, etc.
The reason why the Atkins Diet works is because your body metabolizes its stored fat (carbohydrates) in order to burn digest the protein, fiber and fat you are eating.
The Atkins Dieters tend to leave out several food groups, including fruit and vegetables, since they are “high carb food”, and then tend to grab a steak instead, which has very low carbohydrates.
The true danger of the Atkins Diet, however, lies in the fact that, for people who already have health challenges, the Atkins Diet actually worsens some conditions and creates other health challenges that did not exist before the Atkins Diet.
The worst of these is Gout. If you have a tendency to suffer gout, no matter how well controlled you have it, a strict Atkins Diet will create a severe gout condition and gout attack for you.
If you merely had the tendency for gout with no active gout, the Atkins Diet will precipitate an actual condition of gout in your body.
If your body type and chemical makeup is suitable for the Atkins Diet then by all means use it.
Remember that there are several similar alternatives out there which may be more suitable than a strict Atkins, to include some of Dr. Atkins own later work and recommendations.
If you have health challenges, to include a tendency for gout or actually suffer from gout, or have diabetes or any of several other disorders, the Atkins diet is definitely something you need to avoid.
And not just the Atkins Diet. Any and all diets which highly restrict or eliminate one of the essential food groups we all need to maintain optimal health is equally bad.
Stop the insanity and use a REAL diet the only proven diet which will work for virtually everyone.
A completely balanced, restricted calorie, diet containing a little bit of everything.
Eat three meals a day, get your sweets, carbs, veggies, fruits, juices, protein and keep it to 1200 calories a day.
Give this diet a year of your life, weigh yourself every Monday and keep track of your weight, see where you are with it.