The Rise and Fall of the Atkins Diet. Eat Well, Lose Weight?

By:Bill Urell

Now there is a diet that will help you in losing weight with a promise of never being hungry. Sounds impossible right? No, it is not because of a new diet revolution called the Atkins diet.

The Atkins diet is a low-carbohydrate diet that was formulated by Dr. Robert Atkins. It is also known as Atkins and Atkins Nutritional Approach. Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution along with other series of books was authored by Dr. Atkins to discuss his concepts and ideas on the diet. Some of the health benefits are better memory and heart functions to name a few.

Dr. Robert Atkins formulated the Atkins diet to solve his own overweight problem. Based on a theory, overweight people ingest more carbohydrates. Since carbohydrates and fat are utilized for energy and carbohydrates are burned first, eating lesser carbohydrates means that body fat is burned in its stead.

The Atkins diet, even though has many success stories for losing weight is primarily for preventing disease, good health and maintaining weight. Further, it has four phases. The first phase is the induction phase wherein you are restricted to having only 20 grams of carbohydrates in a day. Alcoholic and caffeinated drinks and beverages are prohibited in this phase and mostly 4 ounces of meat, cheeses, 3 tablespoons of cream, 2 cups salad vegetables and 1 cup low carbohydrate vegetables is allowed. It has been reported that weight loss often occur at this stage.

The second phase of the Atkins diet is the ongoing weight loss (OWL) phase wherein 5 grams of carbohydrates is added every week to find the critical amount of carbohydrate intake that is essential for losing weight. If 4.5 kilograms or 10 pounds is reached within the target weight then the OWL phase stops.

Pre-maintenance is the phase succeeding the OWL phase where there is an increase in carbohydrate intake so that the amount of carbohydrate intake for maintaining weight is found.

The last phase of the Atkins diet is the lifetime phase. Under this phase, it is assumed that the habits achieved throughout the other phases are maintained so that you will not go back to pre-Atkins habits and weight. This phase values unprocessed food and it is a choice to go back to earlier stages if weight gain is experienced.

There are some people who are for or against the Atkins diet. It is important to see their views before embarking on the diet regimen right away.

Anti-Atkins:
* Atkins is connected with renal disease, heart disease, colon cancer and osteoporosis.
* Since it is a protein diet (mostly meat products) it is not vegetarian-friendly.
* It is a diet low in fiber but high in cholesterol and saturated fats.
* Calcium, potassium and magnesium are below the recommended daily values for the body.

Pro-Atkins:
* Fat and protein can be taken in.
* There is weight loss (steady and rapid).
* Appetite is reduced.
* Sugars and processed grains taken in are lessened.
* Atkins diet is a life-time diet plan.
* You can never be hungry with this diet plan.

The popularity of the Atkins diet was during the years 2003 and 2004. Statistics also showed that for every 11 adults, 1 was on the Atkins diet in the peak of its popularity. But with Atkins gaining popularity, sales of carbohydrates-heavy products declined tremendously. Soft drink companies even tried their hand in low-carbohydrate products to keep up with the trend. But when Dr. Robert Atkins had a fatal injury in the head which also lead to his death in 2003, rumors circulated that he suffered from a heart condition that was caused by his weight. In the year 2005, the company Atkins Nutritional filed for bankruptcy because of poor sales.

Digg del.icio.us Blink Stumble Spurl Reddit Netscape Furl

Article keywords: atkins diet, atkins

Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Are you interested in the truth about healthy lifestyles? Bill Urell reviews only the best diet and fitness plans, tips, and articles. Are you using these proven stategies for health and peace of mind?Click here: Atkins Diet

Top Weight Loss Articles
1). Every Diet Gets Harder - The Self-fulfilling Prophecy Of Failure By : Helene Desruisseaux The two reasons why every diet gets harder, and what to do to about it.
2). How To Drop Weight and Become Healthier Using These 7 Simple Everyday Life Tips? By : Monty Lee These days more and more people are getting intellectual instead of physical jobs. Sitting in the office chairs all-day long has become a norm for many of us. Stress, busyness and rush make us forget about regular food and stuff our stomachs with cheeseburgers and sodas, which don’t do anything good for our bodies. As a result of such crazy life rhythm, we rarely find time for exercises, gyms or balanced nutrition.
3). Is there Any Hoodia in that Hoodia Weight Loss Product? By : Richard Keir Copyright 2006 Richard Keir Gotten any email spam lately with a 'warning' about buying fake Hoodia products or Hoodia products with a variety of fillers? Of course, they assure you that THEIR product is 'the original product.' It may be the original product, whatever that might mean, but the chances of it containing Hoodia are pretty close to zero.
4). The Difference Between Liquid Hoodia And Hoodia Pills By : Rand Hanes For those interested in taking hoodia, they will be presented with a choice between pill and liquid forms. As with any natural supplements taken, there are certain distinctive differences between liquid and pill forms of consumption. Similarly to taking multivitamin supplements, hoodia in liquid form is more expensive but has been shown to assimilate into the body system faster and have a greater amount of the substance used by the body than when it is taken in pill form.
5). Can Hoodia Help You Lose Weight ? By : Ken Black How can Hoodia help you lose weight, or is there more to it than that?
6). 8 Ways To Create Balance To Achieve Lasting Weight Loss By : Meri Raffetto Need to lose weight? Dreading the thought of another diet program? You don’t have to follow diets to lose weight. There are many people discovering this for themselves and they are the ones who are finding long term weight loss apposed to short term fixes. The key to weight loss is finding the right balance of what you eat, what you think, and what activity you do.
7). The Secrets of Long-Term Weight Reduction and Disease Prevention By : John Savage The Mediterranean Diet is probably the most realistic and safest way not only to lose weight, but to also prevent serious disease.
8). Weight Loss Myths Exposed By : Kim Beardsmore It probably won’t come as a surprise to hear there is a great deal of confusion around nutrition. In fact, many people reading this article will have only a scant idea about the different food types and what our body actually needs to keep healthy. One of the simplest systems I’ve encountered is this. If the food tastes good, then it has to be ‘bad’ for you! And then there’s its counterpart, “If the food tastes ‘bad’ then it must be ‘good’ for you”.
9). Your Anchors & How They Keep You From Your Weight Loss Goals By : Kelly Burris Anchors are the reasons that attach you to any behavior. Your anchors originated from extremely strong repetitive memory associations, which are triggered by your five senses of hearing, vision, smell, taste, and touch. You are constantly being anchored in different ways through out your life. For example, when you hear a certain song and it brings back a memory of a certain person, or a place in time, this is an audio anchor or an anchor triggered by your sense of hearing.
10). Overweight and Dying - Mummy Stay With Me A Little Longer By : kacycarr Scientists have now discovered that skeletal frame humans are more vulnerable to bouts of anxiety than that of oversized happy porkers that at the time of study were found to be less prone to depression in their recent research. Then in the same article a snippet revealed how a 16 year study stated that slim people are more confident and content, surely this is a great factor for happiness denoting a safe healthy life.

New Weight Loss Articles
1). What Everybody Ought To Know About Doctors, Diets And Weight Loss By : Glenn Freiboth The truth of why a record number of doctors are prescribing drugs for weight loss to put a quick fix on very complicatied problem.
2). Fat Consequences In Children By : Mark Kimathi As the world battles with an epidemic that is proving difficult to manage and showing signs of becoming a costly affair, our children are getting caught in the cross fire. Adult onset diabetes, weight loss surgery and weight loss medication for children is not exactly what parent had in mind when planning for their posterity.
3). Exercise Is The Winding of a Spring to Help Your Body/Mind Clock Beat the Eroding Effects of TIME. By : Johan Tonsbeek Regular daily exercise, especially for Baby Boomers, can be compared to the winding up of a spring in a watch or a clock to help it display the proper time.
4). Some Healthy Tips To Lose Weight By : Abbas Abedi Learn about a few important tips to lose weight easily.
5). Weight Loss Tips Without Losing Your Appearance By : Casey McCarthy The top 7 weight losing tip are all here. If your looking for the best weight losing tip in a sure cut way to lose lots of weight you must read on.
6). How Your Big Stomach Is Breaking Your Heart, Literally By : Gregg Hall If you are anything like me you told yourself over and over that you would never let yourself get out of shape like your parent; totally inactive, major overweight, and also having the health problems that come along with it.
7). Why Herbal Weight Loss Is A Highly Effective And Natural Diet By : Clive Jenkins Before ingesting any herbs as part of a herbal weight loss programme it is important to check they are recognized medically as been safe for human consumption. There are some substances which should not be consumed, as they contain highly toxic properties which are potentially very dangerous for our vital organs.
8). Using the Safe and Natural Method of Self Hypnosis for Weight Loss, You Can Be Slim & Trim for Life By : John Leogue The strategy of slim people remains a mystery to anyone who battles their weight. Could it be that slim-and-trim folks simply approach food and eating with a different mindset?
9). Hypnosis For Weight Loss Works By : Joyce Jackson Learn why losing weight with hypnosis is not only effective but offers long term permanent weight loss results.
10). Before Considering Gastric Bypass Surgery Be Sure That It Is Covered By Your Insurance By : Gregg Hall The gastric bypass procedure can be very expensive; it can also have many complications. But the big question for so many is, "Will my insurance cover a Gastric Bypass operation?"