The Atkins Diet involves restriction of carbohydrates to more frequently switch the body's metabolism from burning glucose as fuel to burning stored body fat.
The diet consists of four phases: Induction, Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL), Pre-maintenance, and lifetime maintenance.
The Induction phase is the first, and most restrictive, phase of the Atkins Nutritional Approach. It is intended to cause the body to quickly enter a state of ketosis. Carbohydrate intake is limited to 20 net grams per day The allowed foods include a liberal amount of all meats, fish, shellfish, fowl, and eggs; up to 4 ounces (113 g) of soft or semi-soft cheese; salad vegetables; other low carbohydrate vegetables; and butter and vegetable oils. Drinking eight glasses of water per day is a must during this phase. Alcoholic beverages are not allowed during this phase. Caffeine is allowed in moderation so long as it does not cause cravings or low blood sugar. A daily multivitamin with minerals is also recommended to boost energy levels. The Induction Phase is usually when many see the most significant weight loss — reports of losses of 5 to 10 pounds per week are not uncommon when Induction is combined with daily exercise.
The Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL) phase of Atkins consists of a small increase in carbohydrate intake, but remaining at levels where weight loss occurs.
Pre-maintenance. Carbohydrates intake is increased again this time and the key goal in this phase is to find the "Critical Carbohydrate Level for Maintenance."
Lifetime maintenance. This phase is intended to carry on the habits acquired in the previous phases, and avoid the common end-of-diet mindset that can return people to their previous habits and previous weight.
How long you stay in each of these phases isn’t set. According to the Atkin’s professionals, if you have 40 pounds to lose, you stay in the induction phase until you’ve lost 20-30 of those pounds. Then you move on to the next phases. If you have less or more weight to lose, it’s different. It’s a personal decision and depends on what you want to get out of the diet.
PROS:
- Rapid weight loss. As mentioned above, you can shed 5 to 10 pounds a week.
- Simple and easy to follow. Since your food choices are very limited, it’s easy to know exactly what to eat.
- You decide when to move from one phase to the next. There’s no pressure to move on to the more difficult OWL stage if you’re not ready. You can stay in the induction stage for as long as you feel you need to.
CONS:
- Rapid weight loss does not allow you to easily KEEP the weight off. A healthy rate of weight loss is .5 to 2 pounds a week. This rate is the best to go with if you want to easily maintain your new weight.
- The diet doesn’t worry about overall health, just how much weight the dieter can lose.
- Loss of energy and slow metabolism. Carbohydrates are the body’s source of energy, and the Atkin’s diet deprives the body of most of the carbs it needs to keep chugging along. The Atkin’s diet recommends taking a multivitamin to compensate for this lack of energy that your body naturally gets from foods like carbohydrates.
- Lose muscles quickly causing loose skin. When your body loses weight at a rate of 5 to 10 pounds a week, you lose a lot of muscle very quickly, not giving your skin enough time to respond to the shrinkage going on everywhere else. You can prevent this somewhat with exercise, but how are you expected to exercise with only 20g of carbs a day?
- Lack of support system. Unlike Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig, followers of the Atkin’s diet must seek their own support system. Sometimes this can be very difficult.
Cost: While there is no monthly registration fee like other programs, buying all of that red meat can be pretty pricey.
Long-Term Effectiveness*:
Your Doc would Recommend it:
Easy to Follow:
Universality :
*http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200409/s1192092.htm
TOTAL: 2.75 OUT OF 5
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