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Atkins Diet
Dr. Robert Atkins first wrote about the Atkins diet in the 1970s, in his book The New Diet Revolution. Over recent years, the Atkins diet plan has become one of the most popular diet plans – with Time Magazine naming it “The most popular diet program”.
Food manufacturers quickly formulated low-carb food products, but during 2004 the diet rapidly fell out of favor. However it will always remain a very useful diet for many people.
In response to the negative press some aspects of the Atkins program received, the people at Atkins have revamped their program for 2010 so that it lines up with a healthier way of eating called “The New Atkins for a New You.” See how it has changed below.
Original Atkins Diet
Atkins has four phases – all with a carefully controlled level of carbohydrate intake.
Phase 1
The restrictive induction phases lasts for a minimum of two weeks and calls for a maximum of 20 grams of carbohydrate intake (no starchy vegetables, fruits, grains, bread).
Weight loss on the Atkins diet is based on the process of Ketosis:
“First, the main source of energy for our bodies is carbohydrates. When we have fewer carbs in our body, it must look elsewhere for another source of energy. Next in line is stored body fat. So reducing carbs forces the body to burn fat. This process is called Ketosis. Secondly, carbs stimulate the creation of insulin. Insulin is what converts excess carbs to fat. So when you have less carbs you have less insulin and therefore create less new fat.”
Phase 2
The Ongoing Weight Loss phase involves adding more fibrous vegetables (carbohydrates) until the “Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing” is reached. The small increases in carbohydrates are carefully managed on a week-by-week basis.
Phase 3 and 4
These phases are maintenance phases – where carbohydrate intake can be increased – but only until the point that weight is maintained (Critical Carbohydrate Level for Maintenance). Any food that may lead to weight gain should be avoided.
Atkins recommends choosing unrefined or unprocessed carbohydrates.
The New Atkins
The New Atkins For a New You is designed to reflect a greater emphasis on healthy, nutritionally dense foods along with portion control. Atkins has recently strengthened their online diet program and is in the process of making their services international.
The New Atkins for a New You differs from the original in the following ways:
- More of an emphasis on wholesome foods.
- Stresses the importance of healthy fats.
- More focused on nutrition from fresh vegetables, lean protein, fruits, and whole grains.
- More flexible to appeal to people with busy lifestyles.
- More emphasis on portion and Calorie control.
- Special attention given to those who are diabetic as well as vegetarians.
- More emphasis on being active and exercise.
Pros
- Many have experienced success following the Atkins Plan.
- Quick results can be experienced.
- Many restaurants have adopted low-carb options on their menus.
- The New Atkins has been adapted to a broader range of dieters with special dietary considerations.
- Many Atkins approved snacks are available in the grocery store.
See our more extensive review of The New Atkins Diet Plan here.
Cons
- One of the most controversial issues with Atkins is that it is high-fat diet. Most government health agencies recommend no more than 30% fat in our diet – yet with Atkins you can easily consume more fat than this. However, the new Atkins has lined up with this percentage and recommends healthy fats.
- One must question how healthy the process of Ketosis is. In the short term it may have the desired effect – but in the long term? Some suggest that certain organs may be overworked to sustain the process of Ketosis.
- Promotion of their own line of processed meals and snacks.
Conclusion
Atkins has been very successful for many people and has resulted in not only significant weight loss – but also health improvement. Many people do find the diet demanding at first and need to make significant behavior modification to get the best out of Atkins. If you are thinking of beginning this diet, we strongly encourage you to research and read as much as possible before beginning the diet and consult with your health professional.
See Also:
Check here for healthy meat recipes.
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@chris
i know this diet is popular, and while you may have lost weight on the atkins diet, it is a terrible diet. the diet has such a low carb total that it actually will slow fat loss because metabolic rate will continually shut down. your body NEEDS carbs… a lot of people that do this diet gain the weight back and then some because over half the weight they lose is in muscle mass that is being consumed due to the lack of carbs. muscle is where fat is burned in the body, and this diet causes muscle loss. when people leave the diet their metabolism is so slow they have no chance of sustaining the weight they are at. for anyone else reading this and is a beginner and wants good programs, i would recommend something like Body for Life, or the Cheat to Lose diet… those diets actually allow an exit strategy, and deal with boosting the metabolism and feeding the body to lose weight, not starving it.
Love the posts from all on low or no carb foods. Meg, do you have a menu you make out for your meals? Also it’s proven on a 60 carb or less you feel great, and lose the same in a weeks time. You can add in them 60 what ever it is you like. Hell, eat 10 steaks and have 6 Miller lites, and for salt & chocolate, if you can read the labels, you know what you can and can’t have. Keep water in your diet, 64 ounces a day.
I went on this diet in 1995, when I was 19. I lost 90lb in 3.5 months (I’m 6’2″ and went from 280 to 190). I got off the diet and proceeded to add carbs, but make what I thought where healthier (low-fat) choices. By 2003, I had gained all the weight back, and then some. Now, I know that low-carb diets works great for me, so I’m trying a non-specific Low Glycemic Index diet. I’ve been on it one week, and have already lost 7 lb. It’s a diet that I’ll be able to live with for the rest of my life because the food choices are not so restrictive.
In 2004 I did the Atkins diet and I lost 45-50 pounds and I looked and felt amazing. I tried to go off the diet and be healthy but it did not work and now in 2011, I am at the heaviest I have ever been and I am so uncomfortable. I am worried that I will go crazy on this diet again but it was the only thing that ever worked, and I need to do something…I think I need a lot of support.
All this stuff about high protein less carb is just a western writer’s viewpoint. It’s the same conditioning that gets people to automatically say that there’s a deficiency in vegetarian diets, and it has nothing to do with reality. It’s only the West that isolates food into groups (which is not food at all!) – the Shaolin have pre-existed the knowledge of protein, carbs, calcium etc for hundreds of years – Vitamins were only ‘discovered’ in the 1920s!
It;s time people forget the rubbish thinking of breaking your food up into percentages of this and that – nature has taken millions of years to work out the perfect combinations so I suggest you stick to that process and not some hack trying to sell another book.
I decided to try the atkins diet at first I missed some of the yummy high carb foods.Now I dont miss them at all.I have lost 8 pounds in one month.I feel really good,Im not tired all the time and feel like walking and getting out more.
I have been on the diet now for four days and exercise four times a week. And this week I was TERRIBLY sick with a cold, so bear all this in mind. Okay, so my weight is 130 lbs and I want to get down to 115 lbs. I’m not crazed, just have a very small frame. In my younger high-school days, I used to weigh 105-110 lbs, but have had a child and am more realistic about my goals now. But I started this diet to trim up. I work out and have EXCELLENT muscles, but they are hard to see because of the couple layers of fat over them. So, for Bikini Season I wanted the cut muscles to shine through and get rid of some of the stubborn cellulite on the back of my thighs.
Now, for the first couple days on the Atkins, I felt like crud… dizzy, tired and miserable. But keep in mind, I had a raging cold. My husband has the same cold, but his immune system is waaaay better than mine. Anyway, at first, I thought it was the diet making me feel that way. Then, I noticed that now, on day four, my cold has actually subsided so much now that I am in the same stage of recovery as my husband. So this diet is actually IMPROVING my health.
As for losing weight… I don’t have much to lose in the first place, but in this fourth day, I have lost four lbs. So imagine how much you would lose if you actually NEED this diet due to basic chunkiness or obesity! It is a really good diet and I recommend it so far. I will try to update throughout to tell how I overcame or dealt with certain phases of the diet. But so far, so good. No cravings yet… but I’m a sugar-monger, so we’ll see…..
This diet really worked for me the first then I had a bunch of thyroid problems and am not able to lose the weight. But I had heard that if you go off the atkins diet you won’t work the second time just wanting to know if this is true?
I have tried many diets since high school and now at 27 this is the ONLY diet that has finally worked for me!
I went from 240 to 170 in 4 months. In the fourth month, my weight loss was beginning to slow down a lot, so I stopped eating red meat completely. I ate only baked fish fillet, roasted chicken breast, veggies only, and a gallon of water a day. That jump started my weight-loss and I’m gonna keep doing that until I get to my goal of 125 lbs.
I’m really surprised at how this diet has managed to suppress my sugar cravings. I used to go crazy for sugar and thought I couldn’t live without it.
wow this really works
I have been on the for about 11 days now and have lost 11 lbs, I have been more disciplined than I thought I would and it has worked…I have always drank lots of water anyways so that probably makes it easier for me as they tell you to drink lots of water. I am going to stick to it for 3 weeks, see where I am at…I would like to lose 25 lbs and stay there…we shall see but this diet works and I had to try it to believe the weight would come off. I loved my carbs and sweets but I am getting used to neither or in small amounts.
i’ve tried once,but i failed.i would love to go back again. the atkin’s principles is sensible!
I was on the atkins diet several years ago and had some good results, however medication and age made it a lot harder to take of my weight. I have been on the Body trim which has been awesome. Same principal Low Crab High protein, eating six small meals a day and walking 10,000 steps has given me a great result. You can also have a free day where you can eat whatever you like.I haven’t lost a hugh amount of weight but my clothes a fitting again so yay for me.
this is a shittt diett and its does not work x
the alternate day diet is so much better and you don’t get hungry at all, so i advise you to not juse this diett.. everyone of all agesss!!!!! ok?
comment back please x love you
im on this diet again…did it a long time ago and lost bout 15 pounds in a few weeks.It was great.
hi,,it really works…i hve tried almost evry thing to lose weight…gym,suana,yoga ,diets,fasting nothing worked like atkins did…i lost 9 kg in 25 days…now i have started work out to tone up my body..and iam just 8 kg away from my ideal weight…:)!!
kay so im a 14 yr old girl and tmrw im gna start phase 1 for the next two weeks at least. So anyone have any tips on what i can eat at school?:) hope this goes well im 57 kilos the most ive ever been i wanna be 52 or 53 kilos and if i manage to at 50 kg my figure wud be great!:)
Hi, i’m in the end of induction phase and of course it was a bit difficult to eat such a lot of meet. i just want to loose about 14pounds and so far i lost 4puond, without cheating. my main concern about this diet is how can we eat cooked vegetables, mixed ones, how can we measure gr of carbs, and pies or italian lazana. ok for the first phases but later i need to get back to normal food, write know i’m cooking for my family and the diet for me, and cooking is taking too much time, bests
Becky head on over to the atkins diet BB forum. I think you’ll love some of the advice you’ll get and not to mention tons of support! I am restarting atkins on the 11th! wish you all the best although im sure you’ve got the book by now!
Hyaaa I want to start the Atkins diet on Tuesday but with it being a bank holiday weekend the book wont come in time, soo i was wondering if anyone would be kind enough to share any helpful tips and what an idea of which foods i should try stick to for the first phase until i can get my hands on a book & devise a proper eating plan Thankkks!
This diet is fab! I was 93 kilos when I started in beginning of April this year 2010. And now its August 2010 and i am now 75kilos. fantastic how it works..and I have o0nly been on it for 4 months.. … I love it and can say nothing bad about it ..I have added a few carbs every now and then but always in the morning …but I want to reach 70 kilos or 65 kilod then stop from there n go on the ongoing weight loss phase of atkins
Atkins & low carb isn’t only for weight loss. I’m a Type II diabetic. On the ADA (American Diabetic Association) recommended diet my blood sugar was not in control and I had cravings for sweets. On Atkins, blood sugar is normal all the time… without insulin or drugs. I’m indifferent to sweets. Notes: Faced with embarrassing research data that showed Atkins offered superior glucose control, The ADA has begun to allow… very begrudgingly… that Atkins may work. (IMOHO..They simply don’t want to admit that they were wrong, and their diet has been a disaster. I mean, recommending a diet that’s 60% carbs… for diabetics!? It’s obliviously nuts. I also wonder if they’re afraid of lawsuits. )
This diet worked for me before, many years ago – and I kept it off until MANY years later when a bad marriage and stress demanded my focus elsewhere. Now in happier times, a few months ago, I restarted this diet….and as before, it works. I am a bit older now, and I do also exercise at least 3 times a week, but I don’t make myself crazy with it…after induction I added a few healthy things – dark chocolate, plain unflavoured yoghurt, the occasional bit of brown rice, but I’ve dropped wheat and sugar completely and I’ve never looked back.
And – I don’t miss it. We eat home-cooked foods, wholesome, real foods, and I do eat the odd Atkins bar, but limit myself to one serving a day of any “prefab” lowcarb bar, or biscuit.
People complaining that it’s not healthy simply haven’t read the research which clearly (and increasingly, over time) has supported Dr. Atkins’s programme.
My phase 2 foods consists of usually something like this:
1)Regular, organic yoghurt (no sugar) with crumbled dark chocolate and tea for breakfast.
2)Lunch is usually some sort of salad, or I’ll nibble on cheese and meat.
3)Dinner is always vegetables and meat (salmon with cucumbers and bell peppers, or something), especially if I didn’t eat salad at lunch.
4)Dessert – if we feel like it? Homemade low carb ice cream, homemade lowcarb pecan cookies, you get the idea.
This has worked for me for months now, steadily and dependably – I have energy, I have my health back, and EVERYONE notices the difference – including me.
As for the guy above that says it’s about “getting off your ass” and that people will “eventually get bored and eat pizza”, I can only say – speak for yourself! It’s neither an accurate representation of the diet, nor every person that follows it. Exercise is beneficial for the heart, for energy, for shaping our muscles and improving our metabolism – I don’t do it to burn calories as it’s simply not very realistic. I’ve learned that the single best thing we can do for our health is cut out processed carbs – in any form, and get our carbs from honest, whole carbs that the body will utilise more slowly.
AND – reduce cravings.
The way I see it, if you “have” to have any food, it’s the same as booze, and it’s something to be wary of, not an excuse to stop dieting.
One of the problems lowcarbing had was the myth that it’s a “stuff your face on bacon” diet – or that you could mindlessly eat all the pre-fabricated stuff companies started pumping out in response to it’s popularity – neither is true!
I lost almost forty pounds doing Atkins and kept it off for six years. I have a bad sweet tooth, but after two or three weeks of following this diet the cravings completely disappeared. It can be difficult to drop the bad carbs/sugar initially, but it is so worth it! Check out atkins.com for a detailed plan. The site also lets you sign up and track your progress.
Ohh and I forgot you can have alcohol, rum and diet coke or there are low car beers.
If that is your take on Atkins you haven’t being following it correctly. For starters you don’t have to be a big meat eater. IF you follow the plan you eat balanced meals and get all the fiber you need in leafy greens such as spinach and kale. In fact the majority of your carbs should come from veggies! Giving up white bread is the best thing you can do, it has no nutrients you are better of eating wheat any day, but that is not to say you can’t have bread it’s just during phase 1, you avoid it. People forget, there are 4 phases to Atkins and you can switch phases at your will. Phase 1 you eat 20 carbs per day. One of the keys to Atkins is eating a large breakfast, medium lunch, a small dinner. I have been on this for three months now and this week alone I lost 7.4lbs in 6 days! It works! I don’t have cravings, and I have engery, energy, energy, for days. It is a life style diet, so, if your not ready to committ then don’t, but if you are sick and tired of being sick and tired this is the way to go. To handle cravings you can have Atkins bars, shakes and even sugar free jello. But if you FOLLOW the plan you won’t have cravings. You will hit a slow point in weight loss, so I reversed my meals. I ate dinner food for breakfast and breakfast food for dinner. That alone has been a key factor to fueling up for the day. Remember eat to live, not live to eat!
This is a great and effective diet and I have lost and gained back a couple of hundred pounds over the years. It’s pretty easy to follow and contains a lot of bulky tasty food but you need to be a big meat eater. The main issue is that you are going to have to give up white bread, white rice, white pasta, alcohol and any sweets. If you live a busy life style and need to go to the fast food drive thru there isn’t anything other than a salad or Chili on the menu that does not contain bread. You end up eating burgers with lettuce for the bun. You also will become constipated from all the protein and lack of fiber. Like I said the diet works great if you stick to it but as soon as you cheat the cravings will overwhelm you and you will find it difficult to get back on track. It’s great for someone that wants to lose 20-40 lbs quickly. However, long term you need to change your bad habits and get off your ass and exercise. You will eventually get bored and eat that slice of Pizza or bread and the next thing you know you’ll fall off the wagon and gain it all back.
can u send me some feedback.
I lost 30 Lbs on this diet. You are never hungry but do have cravings. I didn’t do it correctly so I had a lot of stomach issues. I gained my weight back due to severe personal stress and I am now back on a different healthier diet.
The diet works!! Did it before pregnancy 3 years ago and lost 20 lbs in 2 weeks. I have only gained about 12 lbs, in 3 years. The weight does not come back quick and you will lose at least 13 lbs in 2 weeks with no exercise. I exercise at least 3x a week!