There are a lot of diets out there that have been around for quite a while, with many of them having celebrity endorsements that really makes you wonder whether or not they really work. As the holidays are finally about over, it is time to start thinking about the common New Year’s resolution of losing weight. One of the more popular diets over the last 15 years has been the Atkins Diet, but a lot of people do not know much about the Atkins Diet in reality.
If you are thinking about starting a new diet and want to know some of the basics about the Atkins Diet, then continue reading to learn about this diet. We are going to be giving you some of the answers to some of the most common questions people have about the Atkins Diet, which will help you figure out whether or not this is a diet for you to try.
Table of Contents
What is the Atkins Diet?
The first and most common question that people have about the Atkins Diet is what is the Atkins Diet? Basically to put it in simple terms is that the Atkins Diet is a low-carb weight loss diet that gives you a balanced weight-loss plan based on years of research. With the Atkins Diet, your body will switch how your metabolism works and this means instead of burning carbohydrates it will begin burning fat. The Atkins Diet graduated carbohydrate introduction allows your blood sugar levels to drop which decreases the insulin spikes, and these two things are what causes cravings and hunger. This means that since your blood sugar will be lower and your insulin production will stop spiking, you are able to lose weight since you will not be overeating. The Atkins Diet is very good for people who have carbohydrate intolerance since there are four phases in this diet which allows you to have a gradual carbohydrate increase with each of these phases.
Is it Dangerous to Lose Weight Quickly?
Another common question that people have when it comes to diets in general, but specifically with the Atkins Diet is whether or not it is safe to lose weight quickly. A lot of people will find that they do indeed lose weight quicker with the Atkins Diet compared to other diets, so it is more of a common question that people have about this diet in particular. Good news for you is that it is okay for your body to lose weight quickly, as the initial decrease on the Atkins Diet is basically water weight. You will lose quite a bit of weight in the first 4 days, most of it being water weight. This is because of the fact that you are eating less carbohydrates and this means your blood sugar does not spike as much and this then gives you less insulin output. Insulin often times results in your body retaining salt and this makes your body retain water, so if you are not producing the same amounts of insulin it will mean your body is not retaining sodium or water as much. After the 4 days of water weight loss, you also will begin losing body fat, and the bigger you are the more weight you will be losing during this phase.
What About Calorie Counting?
A lot of people think that they should be counting calories, but with the Atkins Diet, you count carbohydrates and not calories. When you begin Phase 1, you can only have 20 grams of Net Carbs, but progressing to Phase 2 you add carbohydrates through 5-gram increments. As you get towards Phase 4, you add more carbohydrates up to 10-gram increments. Phase 4 is the Lifetime Maintenance phase. While you do not have to calorie count working the Atkins Diet, it is always good to maintain a healthy calorie intake which is between 1,500 and 1,800 calories each day. If you are already someone who has used calorie counting in the past, then you know the amounts of food it takes to maintain this healthy range of no more than 1,800 calories a day.
the Atkins Diet isn’t appropriate for everyone. For example, the Atkins Diet recommends that you consult your doctor before starting the diet if you take diuretics, insulin or oral diabetes medications. In addition, people with severe kidney disease should not follow the diet, and the weight-loss phases of the diet aren’t suitable for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding.