by
Nick Nilsson
Have
you ever wished for a diet where you ate bacon,
eggs, red meat, butter and sausage all day?
Surprise! It's not the Atkins Diet.
The
Atkins Diet has been in existence for over
30 years and has enjoyed a surge in popularity
over the last few years.
Pioneered
by Dr. Robert Atkins, the theory behind the
Atkins Diet is simple. Your body prefers to
utilize carbohydrates (such as in grains,
cereals, breads, etc.) for energy and will
burn them first prior to body fat. By cutting
down dramatically on carbohydrates in your
diet, you force your body to burn fat for
energy.
Reducing
the carbohydrates in your diet puts your body
into a state called "ketosis." This
word is derived from the "ketones"
that are used by your body for energy when
sugars/carbs aren't available. When you are
in this state of ketosis, your body is producing
ketones from your fat that is being burned
for energy. Ketones are essentially the leftovers
from this process and are used in place of
sugar in the body.
For
more information on ketosis, go to
http://www.ketosis-ketoacidosis-difference.com
One
of the major misconceptions about the Atkins
Diet that has been widely reported is that
you can or should eat extremely unhealthy,
fatty foods all the time. This is not actually
true. Dr. Atkins recommends that you limit
your intake of these types of foods (e.g.
butter, sausage, bacon, etc.) and instead
focus on healthy fats such as olive oil, fish
oil, nuts, etc.
The
Atkins Diet has many positives and negatives
that have been associated with it. Some of
the positives include:
Rapid
Weight Loss - though the first couple of days
the majority of weight lost is water, your
body does become more efficient at fat burning
and you do lose fat.
Reduced
Mood or Energy Swings - eating carbohydrates
(especially sugary ones) can lead to mood
and energy swings. This is often seen as the
post-lunchtime or afternoon energy crash.
When you eliminate the carbs, you eliminate
the source of this problem.
Reduced
Consumption of Refined Foods - highly refined
foods are the source of many health problems.
The more processed a food is, the less nutrients
are generally in it. The Atkins Diet encourages
a focus on the consumption of more natural
state foods such as vegetables, lean meats,
fish, eggs and healthy oils.
Some
of the negatives that have been associated
with the Atkins Diet include:
Rapid
Regaining of Lost Weight - this can happen
when a person comes off the Atkins Diet. They
regain all the weight they lost. One of the
major reasons for this is that when you eliminate
the carbs from your diet for a long period
of time, your body becomes more sensitive
to them. When you go back to your regular
eating habits (which may not have been great
to begin with), your body reacts more strongly
to the sugar and carbs in foods, leading to
weight gain. This weight gain can be reduced
by easing off the Atkins Diet gradually rather
than by feasting on carbohydrates.
Lack
of Food Choices - it can be difficult to find
things to eat that are low carb. Most grocery
stores are primarily stocked with carbohydrate-laden
foods and it can get boring eating the same
things over and over again. Luckily, with
the popularity of the Atkins diet and other
low carb diets, there are many delicious recipes
available to help alleviate this boredom.
The
Atkins Diet may not be for you but by incorporating
some of the principles in it, such as lowering
your carbohydrate intake and eating more natural-state
foods, you may find that you can achieve great
results without ever having to restrict yourself.
It may take a little longer but the results
will be more permanent as it is more of a
lifestyle change than a diet.
About
the author: Nick Nilsson is Vice President
of BetterU, Inc., an online exercise, fitness,
and personal training company. Check out his
latest eBook "The Best Exercises You've
Never Heard Of" at http://www.thebestexercises.com
or visit http://www.fitstep.com.
You can contact him at betteru@fitstep.com
or subscribe to BetterU News, his fitness
newsletter at betterunews@fitstep.com
