Free Copy of the Atkins Diet Concept

You don't need a copy of the Atkins  diet  to lose weight; you just need to understand some of the basics of the  diet . The premise of the  diet  is that processed foods and the high carbohydrates cause the rise in obesity in America. Sugar, flour and other processed carbohydrates are the cause of the nation's ever-growing waistline. Dr. Atkins also promotes the removal of trans fat, not saturated fat from the  diet .

Below is an outline to give the highlights of the  diet . It is not exactly a copy of the Atkins  diet  demonstrates the highlights of each phase.

Phase One:

Phase one restricts the  diet  dramatically. This phase puts the body into a state of ketosis and Ketostix, used by diabetics, measure this. Ketosis leaves the breath vile and the mouth tasting like you've sucked on a silver spoon, so if you have a romantic evening planned, it's not a good time to start the  diet .

Rules of Phase One:

• Reduce carbohydrate consumption to a net of 20 grams per day.
• Salads or green vegetables compose 12-15 grams of the carbohydrates you consume.
• Eat lots of meat, shellfish, chicken or turkey, fish or eggs.
• Include soft or semi-soft cheese, up to 4 ounces a day.
• Add low carbohydrate vegetables.
• Butter and vegetable oils are in phase one of the  diet .
• No alcohol.
• Eight glasses of water each day.
• Moderate use of caffeine.
• Watch for ketosis using the Ketostix.

Phase Two:

Phase two is the OWL phase of the  diet . OWL stands for Ongoing Weight Loss. This level identifies the intake level of carbohydrates to keep losing weight without as much deprivation. Learning about the body and the foods that trigger cravings is a large portion of this phase. There is a hierarchy of foods used when adding more carbohydrates to the  diet . Each week of this phase, the  diet  increase the carbohydrate level by 5 grams by adding one more food from the hierarchy.

Carbohydrate Ladder of Phase Two:

Add these back to the  diet  in portions that contain 5 grams of carbohydrates. A new food group joins the  diet  each week. Vegetables Dairy Nuts and Seeds Fruits Juices Convenience Foods

Phase Three:

This is the pre-maintenance level. Phase three begins when you come within ten pounds of your weight goal. Increases in carbohydrates are in increments of 10 grams each week from the carbohydrate ladder. The hunt for the appropriate level of carbohydrate intake where weight loss ceases is the goal of this level. Throw away the Ketostix when you reach phase three.

Phase Four:

Phase four is the lifetime maintenance level. Weight loss and lifetime good eating habits are the goals for this level. The option to reduce the level of carbohydrates is available if weight begins to creep back.

While this outline is not an exact copy of the Atkins  diet , it gives all the main points of the  diet .

The Kudos for the Atkins  Diet :

The initial loss is more rapid on the Atkins  Diet . The  diet  tends to increase the HDL cholesterol (The good cholesterol) It teaches a long-term lifetime method of eating

Thumbs Down for the Atkins  Diet :

• The severe restrictions of the  diet  create a high rate of failure.
• Kidney damage may result from high consumption of proteins.
• Long term weight loss is the same as it is for any calorie-restricted  diet .

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