All Info About Atkinsdiet - By: Allen Barckley

The short name for the Atkins nutritional approach is the Atkins diet. Dr. Robert Atkins invented this low-carb diet. He had gained a lot of weight in medical school. A medical Journal had an article about a diet. He perfected it and released it to the public.

Dr. Atkins had rather radical theories about the nature of weight gain as expressed in the Atkins diet. He held that saturated fats weren't as bad as people claim. Instead it was carbohydrates that led to the weight problems Americans have. Atkins held that our obsession with fat actually worsened the problem. Carbohydrates are used to make up for the lack of fat in low fat foods. Eating a low-fat version of foods was actually less healthy.

The Atkins diet changes this. Once Carbohydrates were removed from a diet, people would burn more stored body fat. Once the fat was burned, the pounds will follow. Atkins flipped the equation from lowering caloric intake. Dr. Atkins held that your diet could actually help you burn calories. Dr. Atkins claimed that his diet would result in the body burning an extra 950 calories each day. But later reviews of his studies found that his claims were false.

Dr. Atkins also touted the positive influence this Atkins diet could have on people with type 2 diabetes. As opposed to type 1 diabetes, type 2 is often closely associated with diet and people who weigh too much. So in general any diet that helps decrease weight will help address type 2 diabetes. Dr. Atkins also said that his Atkins diet would remove the need for medications such as insulin, because it severely cut down on carbohydrates which Atkins claimed were the major cause of type 2 diabetes. But that's counter to the prevailing medical theories regarding type 2 diabetes which, although recommending that lowered intake of carbohydrates and weight loss help manage diabetes, ascribe no causal relationship between carbohydrates and type 2 diabetes.

What are the specific rules of the Atkins diet? It follows four phases - induction, ongoing weight loss, pre-maintenance and lifetime maintenance. The details of the induction phase is as follows.

The first phase of the Atkins diet, Induction, is like the boot camp for the diet. It lasts for about two weeks. Carbohydrates are nearly removed entirely from the diet, only 15-20 grams can be consumed each day. The result of this phase should be ketosis, a metabolic reaction by which the body converts stored fat into fatty acids, generally prompted by a lack of glucose. During this phase weight loss can reach as much as 10 pounds per week.

The other Atkins diet phases are generally used for determining the levels of carbohydrates ideal for losing weight and for maintaining a standard weight and not gaining weight. Dr. Atkins himself died of complications of increased fat intake in his diet, which is something to keep in mind when choosing this diet.

About the Author

Delmondo Sorell studied about health, diet and fitness for many years. He wrote several articles about Diet and Fitness Get More Info Here: http://www.dreamdinnersmenu.com/atkins

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Allen-Barckley/50627

Additional Articles From - Home | Health & fitness | Weight loss