Along with exercise, our diet, and nutrition also plays an important role in reducing our weight. Hence, this obsession persists in all of us to undertake some form of dieting. But going dieting is certainly not an easy thing. What to eat and what to stay away from is always a perennial issue.
One of my friends told me that she ate the normal menu which she cooked for the family, but her weight loss recipe is “portion control.” This is a basic diet plan.
In this plan, you cut down on the portion of food you consume. For example, if you usually have two pieces of toast for breakfast, you should eat only one piece. If you normally eat two cups of rice for lunch, cut it down to one cup. In this way, you are automatically reducing your calorie intake by half.
Another popular method of dieting is to stop all intake of fatty foods and sugar. In this diet, you cut down on your oil, butter, and ghee intake which automatically reduces your fat deposits.
While I was leafing through a magazine, I read about one of our Hollywood celebrities following the Atkins' diet. This immediately aroused my curiosity about the diet. Though I have heard about the diet many times, I had no inside knowledge about it. So, I immediately set to work on it and found out certain basic facts' about the Atkins diet, which I want to share with my readers.
The Atkins' diet made its first appearance in 1972 and was invented by its namesake, Dr. Atkins. According to him, this method enables us to lose weight by inducing a change in metabolism. Our body burns both fat and carbohydrates to provide energy. If we reduce the intake of carbohydrates significantly, our body starts burning only fat to provide energy. This method is called “lipolysis”, which in turn induces ketosis.
In ketosis, our body burns fat as fuel. Atkins also felt that ketosis will affect insulin production, which will result in less fat being formed. And, once your body enters ketosis, your cravings for carbohydrates will reduce significantly, which, in turn, will reduce your body weight.
The major difference between Atkins' diet and other types of diet are that, while most diets restrict calorie, intake, the Atkins' plan encourages us to eat more. While most of the diets recommend low fat, high carbohydrate intake, Atkins' does just the opposite. Instead of carbohydrate and sugar, this diet wants us to consume plenty of fat and protein.
The core principle of the Atkins' diet is that, by limiting carbohydrates, our body is forced to burn its stored fat, rather than carbs, for fuel.
The Atkins' diet has a four carbohydrates stage plan induction, ongoing weight loss, pre-maintenance and lifetime maintenance. Thanks to these four stages, you can reduce as well as maintain your weight throughout your life.
Induction—phase 1: This phase lasts for two weeks, by the end of which you can obtain significant results. Another point is that, in this diet plan, you can begin at any of the phase. But it is recommended to start with induction. As you cut back on your carbohydrates significantly in this phase, you will jump start your weight loss program.
In this phase, only 20 gm of carbohydrates is allowed and hence your weight loss is significant. As you drastically cut down on carbohydrates, your body shifts into high gear and starts burning fat. This takes about 48 hours to occur, and you may feel hungry and irritated for the first three-four days. But don't worry, as soon as your fat starts getting converted to fuel, you will feel fit as a fiddle. Induction will strengthen your immune system and also improve our long-term health.
Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL) phase 2: In this phase, the weight loss pace slows down as you add nutrient-rich carbohydrates to your diet. During this period, you will boost your body's ability to burn fats as well as understand your body better. You will find the appropriate number of carbohydrates which you can consume and still lose weight.
Your body will also prepare itself for permanent weight management. The number of carbohydrates which you can eat is increased to 25 gm per day for the first week and increased in five gm installments for the next few weeks. If your weight loss is significant, you can increase your carbohydrate intake. A person has to be on OWL until he or she is within three-five kg of their goal weight.
Pre-maintenance—(phase 3): Pre-maintenance is a practice run for lifetime maintenance. In this phase, you are fast approaching your target. As long as you continue to lose weight, you can increase your weekly allotment of carbohydrates by another 10 gm. You will be in this phase until you reach your goal and stay on it for one month. The objective here is to achieve a state of balance called Atkins' Carbohydrate Equilibrium (ACE). The ACE is your individual level of carbohydrate intake, wherein you neither gain nor lose weight.
Lifetime maintenance phase 4: In this phase, you have to focus on your individual ACE and strive to stay within two kg of your ideal weight for the rest of your life. By following a sensible eating plan, you gain energy, better health and confidence in yourself.
By following these four phases, you not only achieve your dream weight but can also maintain it throughout your life. You can learn more about this diet by reading the book, Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution. But, as with any other diet, this plan also has its pros and cons. The good point is that this diet recommends exercise as a vital part of the weight loss program. Another point to be noted is that you cannot start on carbohydrates after you lose weight, as this will result in your gaining back all that you have lost.
Medical experts advise that people who have gout, kidney problems, diabetes or are pregnant women should not follow this diet plan. As this diet is very stringent, do consult your doctor/dietician for proper advice.
Your dietician will provide you with a proper menu chart as to what should be eaten, in what quantities, etc., based on your eating habits and general lifestyle.
The Atkins diet plan isn't a brand-new occurrence. The diet program initial appeared inside the late 1970s and has grown in popularity recently in a reaction to the reduced-fat diet plan craze. As dieters had trouble with reduced-fat options, they searched for a new option, and Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution book discovered a brand-new audience.
A great deal of individuals has jumped for the Atkins bandwagon and there has been a lot of hype so. But what are the fundamentals of the Atkins diet plan?
The Atkins diet program is based on a theory of why we get extra fat. According to Dr. Atkins, the over-ingestion of carbs and simple sugars leads to gain in weight. The way your system processes the carbohydrates you eat have more to do with your waistline than the quantity of excess fat or calories that you are having. In his book, Atkins outlines an event known as “insulin resistance.” He theorizes that numerous fat people have cells that usually do not work properly.
If you try to eat unwanted carbs and sugar, your system notices that sugar amounts are elevated. Insulin is released in the pancreas to store sugar as glycogen inside the liver and muscle cells for excess power later on. Nonetheless, your system can just shop so very much glycogen straight away. As soon as your system reaches its limit for glycogen storage, the excess carbs are stored as excess fat. This occurs to everybody who eats as well numerous carbohydrates.
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