|
Atkins Diet: All The Meat, You Can Eat
Atkins Diet: An Overview
 The
Atkins Diet was developed based upon ideas originating from William Banting in
the late 19th-century, which were then popularized by Dr. Robert C. Atkins in
1972, when he published his book the “Diet Revolution“. The Atkins diet is based
upon the theory that you can eat all of proteins you want and still lose weight
as long as you severely restrict your carbohydrates. At the time of its early
development, the Atkins diet would not allow the eating of any
carbohydrates.
Over the years however, Dr. Atkins modified his original position, with the
Atkins diet now allowing some non-starchy vegetables and some unrefined fruits
and grains. The diet continues to not allow sugar, simple carbohydrates or
refined grains and starches.
The Atkins diet works by inducing a state of ketosis in the body. When your
body is in a state of ketosis, you may eat as much food as you like, but the
body believes it is starving. When it is deprived of carbohydrates to burn, it
then turns to burning fat instead. There has been some dispute of whether or not
ketosis is in fact damaging to the body, with some diet experts suggesting that
it may damage the liver or that the body may burn lean muscle mass for fuel as
well as fat. The Atkins diet is based upon the theory that over-consumption of
and hypersensitivity to carbohydrates is at the root of many individual’s
problem with being overweight. Dr. Atkins concluded that it is the way your body
processes the carbohydrates which you eat and not the fat which causes you to
gain weight.
The Atkins Diet Plan:
The Atkins diet consists of four stages, induction, ongoing weight loss,
pre-maintenance and maintenance stages. The objective is to create the process
of ketosis in which your body burns fat as fuel. Dr. Atkins concluded that
ketosis may be produced by reducing your carbohydrate intake to less than 40
grams per day. The four stages of the Atkins diet begins with the induction
stage.
(1) Induction Stage:
The induction stage
takes place in the first 14 days of the plan during which Dr. Atkins said that
you can lose up to approximately 15 pounds. This rapid weight loss is due to
limiting your carbohydrates to 20 grams per day. The only carbohydrates allowed
by the Atkins diet are the low carbohydrate vegetables such as lettuce, broccoli
and tomatoes. With these types of carbohydrates, you may be limited to 3 cups
per day. Fruit and starchy vegetables such as potatoes are not allowed, and you
are restricted from drinking alcohol or caffeine. Some diet experts have
concluded that at least part of the initial weight loss may be mainly water
weight loss.
(2)
Ongoing Weight Loss Stage:
After the
first “induction” stage, you then begin a transition stage of weight loss which
involves increasing the amount of carbohydrates in your diet until your body
comes out of the state of ketosis.
During this stage of “ongoing weight loss”,
you may then increase your carbohydrate intake by 5 grams. You will eventually
hit a plateau, after which you will then have to restrict your carbohydrate
intake once again.
(3) Pre-maintenance Stage:
During the pre-maintenance stage, weight loss will happen more slowly and you
will be able to “test” certain foods to see if they may be added back your diet
without gaining weight.
(4) Maintenance Stage: The last stage of the
Atkins diet is the “maintenance” stage, in which you may introduce more
carbohydrates back in your diet, while continuing to be aware of the less
healthy ones, which will result in your weight once again returning. At this
stage you may be able to choose to eat healthy carbohydrates such as whole-wheat
bread.
Atkins Diet-Final Comments:
Although the Atkins diet may seem counterintuitive in that you can eat large
amounts of meat and fat, it has been demonstrated to be an effective diet for
weight loss. Some of the best results have been when it has been utilized in the
short-term. Some of it’s problems include that weight may return fairly rapidly
when you stop the diet, and that it has a high dropout rate in the induction
phase. Bad breath frequently is a side effect of this diet. Also, it may not be
a healthy diet for the long-term because of the high amounts of cholesterol and
saturated fats which are ingested. Some experts also conclude that it may be low
in vitamins and minerals especially in the induction stage. Finally, my
conclusion is that this diet does not promote healthy eating or a balanced diet,
but has been demonstrated to have a relatively high level of effectiveness for
many individuals as a short term solution to weight gain.
By Paul Susic MA Licensed Psychologist Ph.D Candidate
(Health Psychology)
|
