Overview
Dr. Robert Atkins is considered the godfather of low carb diets . He first published his book Dr. Atkin's Diet Revolution in the early 1970's and later reintroduced it as Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution in the early 1990's. For many years the consensus among nutrition experts was that excess fat in one's diet caused excess fat in one's body. Atkins a cardiologist by training, turned this theory on its head, and said that carbohydrates not fat, were the cause for the epidemic in obesity. The diet Atkins recommended was low carb, high protein and high fat. This caused an uproar among the diet establishment, and has proven to remain controversial to this day.
The basics of this diet are to initially remove almost all carbohydrates from your diet . This includes not only breads, pastas and cereals, but also fruits and only the least starchy vegetables. The purpose of this phase is to put your body in a state of ketosis, where your hunger is turned off, and you lose a dramatic amount of weight in a short period of time. After the initial two-week phase you are allow a wider range of vegetables, along with some legumes and some dairy. This middle phase is to last so long as you are losing weight. The final phase which is the lifetime maintenance phase, you are allowed a very slight amount of carbs so long as you do not begin to put on weight.
Pros
- Fast Weight Loss: You can lose weight very quickly on the Atkins diet . Results of 10lbs or more of weight loss in the first week are not unheard of. Also your hunger levels are typically reduced to zero, because hunger is triggered by your blood sugar levels, which remain low without eating carbs.
Cons
- Uncomfortable: Constipation, bad breath, jaundiced skin, and extremely low energy levels are all common complaints of those on the Atkins Diet , especially during the induction phase. Also a diet of almost all protein and fat becomes very monotonous and unappealing within a short amount of time.
Bottom Line
The reason this diet is still around and still talked about is because it works....in the short term. Try it for a week and you will definitely lose weight. Ultimately the diet is unsustainable, as most people find the food choices far too limiting, and end up quitting the diet at some point. In the end what is the point of doing anything, if it can't be sustained in the long term.
