The Atkins diet has been around for some time now. While there have been other diet regimes like the grapefruit diet, the Hollywood diet or the sugar substitute diet that were developed before the Atkins diet, the Atkins Diet is one of the oldest that is still popular among various people who want to lose weight.
Information about the Atkins diet will be incomplete without really understanding the history behind the diet itself.
History of the Atkins diet
It was in 1968 that the Atkins diet was introduced by Dr. Robert C. Atkins to a group therapy weight control organization, Perma-Slim.
It is basically a diet that is rich in protein and fat and low on carbohydrates. It has weathered many experts who have criticized the diet to a large extent.
The diet plan inspired many other modifications that were developed such as the Pritkin Diet Program, The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet, The Beverly Hills Diet and the Zone diet.
Increased Consumption of Protein and Fat
The Atkins diet stresses on the consumption of protein and fat. In fact, it allows those who are participating in the diet to eat as much protein or fat as they desire.
This includes eggs, meats, poultry, cheese, vegetable oils, butter and cream. Non-starchy vegetables such as cantaloupes and berries are also allowed.
On the other hand, the diet does not allow consumption of carbohydrates in any form. Therefore, bread, pasta, rice, cereals, wheat and starchy vegetables like potato and sugar are prohibited.
A typical Atkins diet plan for a day provides about 1600 calories, 104 grams of fat and about 47 grams of saturated fat. The aspect that has been most criticized about the Atkins diet is that it does not provide adequate nutrition because it restricts fruit and vegetable intake.
The high amounts of protein puts a lot of pressure on the liver and the kidney, two organs that have to work harder to process the food that is consumed.
The Atkins diet is not ideal for those who are vegetarians since the menu is highly tilted towards meat proteins.
Due to the high intake of fat, those who have a heart condition or osteoporosis should avoid adopting this diet at all costs.
Those who are looking for rapid weight loss are the ones who can benefit the most from the diet.
It is also an approach that does not force you to starve. Therefore, it is something that you can follow for a long time, as long as you ensure adequate intake of nutrition through supplements that may be required.
Is the Atkins Diet Effective for Long-Term Weight Loss?
The Atkins diet is recommended for obese people who need to lose weight quickly.The diet helps in rapid weight loss and the results start to show within a few weeks.
However, this diet is not necessarily known for its long-term results since people tend to return to their normal unhealthy diet and gain back the weight that they have lost.
Advocates of the diet, however argue that Atkins diet plan is one that can be continued for a long period of time and those who manage to do so can keep obesity at bay using it.
Atkins has gotten a bad rap, but it actually works quite well, when followed correctly. The problem with Atkins is that many people never leave the induction phase. This phase, which severely limits carbohydrates; even from fruits and many vegetables, causes rapid weight loss.
This rapid weight loss is what causes many people to want to stay in the first phase. However, because this phase is very restrictive in what you can eat, it gets boring. So, people fall off the wagon entirely rather than moving on to the second and third phases.
The second phase is designed to help each individual dieter determine what level of carbs they can eat and keep losing. If you want to keep the weight off, you have to complete this phase and learn about what your own body can tolerate.
Then, in phase three, when you’ve reached your goal weight, you go through a similar process to determine the carbs you can eat without gaining weight. If you follow all phases of this diet correctly, it can become a very healthy lifestyle.