Atkins Diet Background
You may be wondering if the Atkins Diet is really the weight loss phenomena that works. And you may be wondering why Oprah Winfrey discusses it more than any other weight loss program. Well, there is a good reason for it. You see, for more than 30 years, many people have used the Atkins diet to help them lose weight. In the early 1990's, Dr Atkins released his best-selling book
Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution which brought his diet back into the spotlight.
How The Atkins Diet Works
Now if you are puzzled how it works, then let me share this with you. Basically, the Atkins diet is about replacing the carbohydrates that you eat in a day, with foods which are high in proteins and fats. Now these fats include trans fats and hydrogenated oils.
Minnie Driver
Minnie Driver is on record having used the Atkins Diet to great effect.
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So what does that mean? Well, it means you replace foods like rice, breads, and pastas with proteins and fats like read meats, eggs, fish chicken and stuff. But the Atkins Diet is more than reducing your consumption of carbohydrates and replacing them with fats. You see, many people think that when you are on the Atkins diet, you don't have to exercise and control food portions. This is a very common misconception.
The Process
You see, for the first 2 weeks on the Atkins Diet, you should notice some weight loss. Now when you first begin the Atkins Diet, you may feel you have less
energy. The reason for this feeling is because you are cutting your
energy producing foods to zero. Therefore, be prepared to feel
lethargic, tired and sleepy for the first couple of weeks. However, your body begins to cope with the reduction in carbohydrates. SO once you have reached your desired weight, and your body begins to get used to the reduction in carbohydrates, you move onto the next phase called the "Premaintenance and Maintenance phase". At this point, you slowly start eating carbohydrates until you get to the point where you are maintaining your weight. Dr Atkins call these "favourable carbohydrates".
The Verdict
For many people, and for many members of our community, the Atkins diet has definately helped them lose weight. However, many people find it hard to continue this diet in the long term. And the reason is because doctors have found long-term health risks with the Atkins Diet. This includes type 2 diabetes, kidney impairment
and other serious medical problems. We also should point out that Atkins diet may explode your shopping budget. Therefore, if you want to kickstart your weight loss in the short term, then the Atkins diet will help you. But if you are looking for a longer term solution, then there are healthier ways to do this other than the Atkins diet.
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