A physician by the name of Robert Atkins started the Atkins Diet in 1972 after he stumbled upon a study he read in the Journal of the American Medical Association about weight reduction through the elimination of sugar and starch. At the time he was overweight and decided to implement this study into his own life and ended up losing a significant amount of weight. This led him to promoting the diet in his own series of books. The overall premise of the diet is to start with limiting the number of carbohydrates being consumed while eating as much fat and protein you want. Then, gradually increasing the amount of healthy carbohydrates consumed. There are 4 phases to the Atkins diet: Induction, Ongoing Weight Loss, Pre-Maintenance, and …show more content…
The second phase of the Atkins diet is Ongoing Weight Loss where you slowly increase the amount of carbohydrates in your diet. Essentially you add 5 grams of carbs to your diet every week until you reach a point where you aren’t gaining or losing weight (Atkins, 2002). The third phase of the diet is Pre-Maintenance in which carbohydrate intake is slightly increased again. However, this time the increase is significant enough that the body is no longer in a state of ketosis. The key here is to find a maximum level of carbohydrates you can consume without gaining weight (Atkins, 2002). Lifetime Maintenance is the final phase of the Atkins diet. In this phase you are expected to carry out the habits acquired from the previous phases. If you find yourself gaining weight again then you can revert back to one of the previous phases. This is a permanent lifestyle you need to adapt in order to carry on with the progress you made so far (Atkins, 2002). The main reason we are limiting carbohydrates in the first place is to control the release of insulin by the pancreas. Carbohydrates are responsible for raising insulin levels, which in turn promotes glucose uptake by the cells. On the other hand, insulin initiates a pathway that inhibits fat breakdown and at the same time promotes synthesis of fatty acid, cholesterol, and glycogen. Therefore, elevated levels of insulin are associated with cardiovascular disease.
“Induction Phase“. In this phase the dieter is to severely restrict their carbohydrate intake. This
It is important to manage the carbohydrate intake week-to-week (Atkins par. 7). The third and fourth phases of the Atkins diet are for maintenance phases. Dieters should avoid any foods that could possibly cause weight gain, and continue to watch the intake of carbohydrates. The intake of carbohydrates may be increased during this phase but still must be managed (Atkins par. 8). The Atkins diet has had some controversies and some successes as well. This diet is a high-fat diet and the government health agencies only recommend thirty percent of fat in our diets. The Atkins diet requires the dieter to consume much more fat than that, easily (Atkins par. 9). A success that the Atkins dieters have experienced is not only weight loss, but an improvement in health as well (Atkins par. 10). Although this diet has been very time consuming for dieters, it has had wondrous outcomes.
If you cut down on carbs, you train your body to burn fat instead. Once you get your body trained, then you can start eating some carbs again, and you keep your weight down.”
The Zone and Atkins diets aim to achieve lower levels of insulin in the bloodstream. The Zone diet reduces carbohydrates by structuring calorie intake to a 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein, 30% fat ratio. The ratio decreases the amount of carbohydrates consumed, inturn lowering overall insulin levels. The Atkins diet also lowers insulin levels by lowering the quantity of carbohydrates ingested. This four phase diet begins with extreme limitation and gradually allows small amounts of carbohydrates. Though these diets implement different approaches they both reduce the insulin levels in the bloodstream.
Once you have adopted the ketogenic diet, sticking to it will be one of your
In the Atkins Diet you will be cutting out most carbs and eating low-carb. There are about 4 phases to the diet. Phase 1- cutting out almost all carbs and eating mostly vegetables for any carbs you would get that day. While cutting out carbs, you will be eating for protein. Phase 2- You are still eating the vegetables, you will start adding berries and nuts. Phase 3- Adding more foods to your diet. Adding more carbs back. Phase 4- Maintaining your weight and continuing to eat healthy.
The Atkins and South Beach diets are two popular ones at the present. Both involve limiting a person’s carbohydrate intake. The Atkins diet centers on controlling and limiting the number of “processed” carbohydrates and sugars that a person consumes. The South Beach diet does the same thing, but by cutting out all carbs and sugar, then slowly adding whole grain carbs and unprocessed sugars back into the diet.
The fourth and last phase of “The Atkins Diet” is called “Lifetime Maintenance“. Dieters begin this phase once their weight loss goals are met. Dieters are allowed to eat more carbohydrates, however only enough that will not cause them to gain weight. Breads and other starchy foods will always be severely restricted. This phase is meant to last a lifetime, and Dr. Atkins claims that eating like this causes people to become much healthier and reduces their chances of chronic diseases. (2)
One of the reasons for this is that low-carb diets tend to get rid of excess water from the body. Because they lower insulin levels, the kidneys start shedding excess sodium, leading to rapid weight loss in the first week or two.” Low-carb diets can actually lower blood sugar and insulin levels while helping to treat diabetes, Gunnars states, “by cutting carbohydrates, you remove the need for a lot of insulin. Both blood sugars and insulin go way down. The best way to lower blood sugar and insulin levels is to reduce carbohydrate consumption. This is also a very effective way to treat and possibly even reverse type II diabetes.” Another great health benefit to going on a low-carb diet is that it will also lower your blood pressure, which lowers your chances of getting a stroke or heart attack. “Low-carb diets are very effective at lowering blood triglycerides, which are fat molecules in the blood and a well known risk factor for heart disease,” says Gunnars, and this is because carb consumption elevates blood triglyceride levels. HDL and LDL are referred to the two types of cholesterol; HDL is considered good, and LDL bad. “HDL carries cholesterol away from the body and to the liver, where it can be reused or excreted. One of the best ways to increase HDL levels is to eat fat… and low-carb diets include a lot of fat,” says Gunnars. So by increasing the
This paper will discuss an article published in Time.com (2007, March) by Lindsey Tanner, explaining a recent research study which found that the Atkins diet beat three other diets for weight loss over a one year period. The actual research study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on March 21, 2007. Though the findings revealed greater weight loss for the Atkins participants, this paper will discuss the reasons why the study may be flawed, and its results not appropriate for making inferences regarding the public at large.
There are many different types of diets such as weight loss diets, muscle diets, weight gain diets and much more. Many people believe that the word "diet" refers to a painful and long term process of just losing weight. In this report I will be talking about two different types of diets. The first one is a Atkins diet , Atkins diet restricts carbohydrates in your meals. Instead it emphasizes the intake of proteins and fats. The second one I will be talking about is a Lean Muscle diet. In this diet there are 2 requirements, one is that you must workout to gain "lean muscle" and you must eat more than the amount of calories you burn.
The New Atkins Diet is based solely on the idea of having a low carbohydrate diet will make you lose weight. Dr. Atkins, who is a well known cardiologist, decided to limit his patients intake of sugar and carbohydrates when this concluded it showed great success with weight loss as well as his patients being able to keep the weight they lost off (reduce). The New Atkins Diet is also based of the idea that everyones body can use energy in two ways, either by the use of sugar or by the use of fat. This helps the individual lose weight because the body uses fat issues as fuel instead of carbohydrates as feul which, overtime, results in loss of fat tissue. Atkins is also based off science. When a person consumes carbohydrates
The limitations and choices of carbohydrates, in both the Atkins and the South Beach, may be one of the main differences, but they also differ in the way the diets are executed in a step by step process. In the Atkins diet, it requires several stages in order to achieve the intended goal weight reduction. There are four phases within the diet. The first phase is known as the induction phase, where dieters are urged to be on a low carbohydrate and a
“Carbohydrates are an organic compound that serves as a major energy source for the body” (Dictionary.com).
Atkins Page 66 – as you adjust find enjoyable physical activity to add into your daily routine as your energy levels allow.