Atkins Diet Plan Revealed

The Atkins diet plan is famous worldwide for the way it has helped countless thousands of everyday people to easily and permanently lose weight. That is does so in such an unusual manner is what has really helped to make the Atkins diet plan so well known.

In this article we're going to take a look at the Atkins diet so you can gain a better understanding of what it entails and therefore whether it's a suitable means of losing weight for you.

The Atkins diet is broken down into a number of different "steps" though they can be summarized quite successfully as follows. The initial phase of the Atkins diet cuts out just about every source of carbohydrates in your diet. You will cut out pasta, bread, fruit, many vegetables, rice and so on. In fact, you'll be sorely limited on the foods you are allowed to eat. Meat, dairy and certain vegetables will be your limit.

This introductory phase will help put your body into a catabolic phase whereby the body, being given virtually no carb source to use as fuel for the body's everyday activities is forced to burn up the fat stored in the body, so helping you to burn that fat and lose weight.

This initial phase can be quite a shock to the system - but that is how it's meant to be. To go from hundreds of calories every day down to nothing can leave you feeling tired, grumpy, unhappy, even sick. The process can also lead to bad breath, headaches and loose stools so it is not without it's risks.

However users of the Atkins diet plan swear by it's results and having tested it myself last year I did indeed find considerable weight loss over this initial period, though it is only fair to mention that a considerable amount of this was likely water loss as much as fat loss.

Typically this initial phase of the Atkins diet will take place over 7-14 days though you may, if you wish, carry it on for longer.

Once you are in this fat burning zone it is time to move onto the next phase which sees you starting to reintroduce carb sources into your diet slowly and so the diet becomes a little more interesting at this point. By now I was desperate for some fruit having not had any for a few weeks and I was growing tired of all the rich, dairy foods so this next phase made a welcome change for me, though it is also likely that you will see your weight loss drop off a little bit with these new carb sources.

Lastly you end up on a maintenance phase which whilst offering you even more food choices still limits your carb intake.

Some people claim the Atkins diet plan is unhealthy due to the high fat diet that it leads to, though others dismiss this. Some people also find the incredible limits on what you can eat a bore while others thrive on bacon and eggs, steaks and cauliflower cheese.

The only way to really tell is give the diet a try yourself. Just be aware that the first 2-3 days can be tough, so it is suggested that you try them when you don't have anything major planned. Start on a weekend or a vacation where you are under less pressure and a headache is unlikely to be a deal breaker. And may I wish you the best of luck!

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