The Atkins Diet

The Atkins Nutritional Approach stresses a balanced carbohydrate diet supplemented with good vitamins, minerals and regular exercise. (also referred to as the Adkins Diet).

Emphasis is placed on creating a new and healthy way of eating with the Atkins Diet, rather than just the temporary period of dieting to lose weight.

The emphasis is on balancing carbohydrates rather than counting fat grams and calories.

The Atkins Diet consists of a four-phase plan:

1. Finding the limit of each individual
2. Weight loss
3. Weight maintenance
4. Disease prevention

The Atkins diet prevents the usual weight gain after the diet is over.

Low fat and low calorie diets usually leave the dieter hungry. When diets require the counting and restriction of calories weight gain begins as soon as the dieter achieves their weight and returns to a higher calorie diet. This rebound effect causes the dieter to regain the lost weight and, in many cases, even more pounds than were lost. With the Atkins diet, this doesn't happen because the dieter has found their effective level of carbohydrate intake, which then allows them to maintain a healthy weight for a lifetime.

The Atkins diet stresses wholesome, natural foods limiting processed and junk foods. This ensures that the individual feels energized and healthy. And because the dieter is eating wholesome foods, rather than refined foods, the health is improved and maintained.

Fatigue, diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, arthritis, allergies, and many other chronic ailments can be prevented. If the individual is already afflicted with one of these illnesses, medications can sometimes be reduced because of the healthy diet.

How the Atkins Diet works:

Every individual has a different limit of carbohydrates which they can consume and still lose weight. That limit must be found by each individual.

With emphasis on salads and non-starchy vegetables consumption of carbohydrates are restricted to 20 grams to begin. Carbohydrates are increased weekly by 5 grams a week until weight loss stops.

Then 5 grams are subtracted weekly until weight loss begins again. This amount of carbohydrates is then consumed until the desired weight is achieved.

Then to maintain weight carbohydrates are again reintroduced into the diet by increasing 10 grams per week. When weight loss stops this amount of carbohydrates is the proper amount for the individual to consume to maintain the desired weight.