The Atkins Diet

One of the most pushed and advertised diets of all time. There are not many dieters that didn’t try it. According to statistics, more than 3 millions of people from the United Kingdom tried the Atkins diet just in one year. However, fitness and healthcare professionals are not really recommending it, at least not for a longer period of time. Even so popular, the Atkins diet is many times considered to be an unhealthy diet and is not recommended. Others claim they were able to shed extra pounds easily and without any unhealthy side effects. So you decide.

The Atkins diet is based on a strange idea that lowering the carbohydrates intake to minimum and eating foods high in fats will let you lose the weight. Cutting down the carbohydrates will force your body to use the stored fat as a primary source of energy. It is actually most likely the only diet that lets you eat steaks and cheese. That is also one of the key reasons why this diet became so popular. Everyone likes the idea of eating good eggs and steaks and still be loosing weight. However, there is a little catch. You can eat all of these, but without a salad or bread with that steak. Believe it or not, it will become a real problem after few days.

The Atkins diet consists of 4 phases:

1. Induction Phase

The first phase that should take two weeks. During this phase you are basically allowed to eat only red meat, fish, cheese, butter and eggs. You are not allowed to any bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, fruit and vegetables. Of course junk food as hamburgers and pizzas are also strongly forbidden.

2. Ongoing Weight Loss

During the second phase, you are allowed to increase the carb intake by 5 grams per day. Once your body is unable to lose between 1 and 3 pounds per week, you stop the increasing the carb intake. This is called the Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing Weight. This phase should last until you almost reach your desired weight.

3. Pre-Maintenance Phase

Once there is between 5 to 10 pounds left to shed, third phase should take place. During this phase you again increase the carb intake, this time by 10 grams per day. As a result, the weight loss process will be slowed down.

4. Lifetime Maintenance

The final phase that should last for the rest of your life. During this phase you should eat about 90 grams of carbohydrates every day.

The side effects of the Atkins diet strongly depend on the dieter. Some were not facing any side effects and were able to reach theirs weight loss goals. On the other hand, some slimmers did have some infections of the kidneys. Therefore it is up to every dieter whether to try this diet or not.