Atkins Diet: The Goods and Bads
The Atkins Diet has been and still is one of controversy for decades now. Many people are don’t know that the Atkins Diet was first released in the 1970’s. I am aware of this because my mother put me on the diet when I was a child. She always had me on a diet because my weight yo-yoed up and down throughout my formative years.
One of the reasons for my weight fluctuations could be because of the many diets I was exposed to over the years. My first diet was the Atkins Diet. This plan was shown to me when I was ten years old. However, the plan had been out on the market for a few years before I had a go at it.
Basically, the eating plan revolves around protein and water. You need a lot of water on this plan as is the case in any weight loss plan out there. Water is vital on the Atkins Diet because your body loses so much weight so quickly that your kidneys have difficulty flushing everything out of your system if you are dehydrated.
The protein is important in the plan because your body will actually lose calories digesting a large quantity of protein. You lose weight through eating certain foods. Your body uses its stored fat to process the protein. However, your body will burn carbohydrates first.
When you completely (or almost completely) eliminate carbohydrates from your diet, your body has no other resource for energy other than its storage of extra fat to burn. The Atkins Diet is a high-protein, low-carbohydrate eating plan that works wonders at first. You can lose a lot of weight in relatively little time on this program.
I can’t remember exactly how much I lost when I was on the Atkins Diet years and years ago but I do remember that it was an awful lot. I remember getting a lot of compliments on my success but I don’t remember having trouble on the plan at all. I did eat a lot of cheese, eggs and meat on the plan. Eventually, I longed for some cereal and bread.
Herein lays the biggest problem with the Atkins Diet. The plan is not realistic. People will go back to eating carbohydrates at some point in time. Unfortunately, it takes only a small amount of carbohydrates to throw your efforts out the window. These carbohydrates include fruit on the Atkins Diet.
I found myself gaining weight quicker than I lost it once I quit the program. The Atkins Diet is a great way to lose a lot of weight in a little bit of time but it is not a life-long eating plan that most people can follow. If you are looking to lose 20 to 30 pounds in one month, the Atkins Diet is a fine choice. If you are making a life change, best look for another program.