Weight Loss - The Atkins Diet
By Jay Bauder, Thu Dec 8th

The Atkins diet, without a doubt, has been the mostcontroversial diet of all time. Seldom does a week go by thatthe news media does not mention the Atkins diet.

The Atkins diet, first introduced in 1972 by cardiologist Dr.Robert Atkins, is considered the most extreme of the low carbdiets. Hundreds of research studies by universities and researchteams throughout North America, Europe, and Asia have beenconducted on the Atkins diet.

The Atkins diet, as with any diet program, has its good and badpoints - but, whatever side you are on, one thing is for sure.Dr. Atkins, and the Atkins diet, has done for the diet andnutrition industry what Mohammad Ali did for the boxingindustry. Dr. Atkins created new awareness and introduced newconcepts that will forever affect how we look at diets forweight loss as well as diets for health. Although the low carbdiet was first written about in the late 1800's, low carbdieting truly came to life with the birth of the Atkins diet.

Let's take a look at three good and bad points of the Atkinsdiet.

Atkins diet - the good stuff.

1. THE BURNS FAT FASTER THAN ANY OTHER DIET. Thehuman body is designed to use two different fuels to sustainlife - glucose from carbs or ketones from fat. Glucose is theprimary fuel, fat the backup. Every weight loss diet is based onthe concept of burning fat. Conventional diets generally aredesigned to burn fat by starvation - by eating fewer caloriesthan you use every day. This causes the body to dip into itsreserve energy source - the fat surrounding your abdomen andyour thighs first.

The approaches fat burning a different way. Itlimits the glucose (carb) intake so the body adjusts itself tousing ketones (fat) as its primary fuel. Normally within threeto four days of starting, your body is literally a fat burningmachine on the Atkins diet.

2. THE DOESN'T LEAVE YOU HUNGRY. Unlike mostconventional diets, the is not based so much oncalorie intake. Dr. Atkins does, however, warn that you shouldnot stuff yourself but only eat until satisfied. Also, since youare replacing carbs with protein, and the main protein source ismeat, a high percentage of each meal will consist of meat andfat. Meat and fat are more fulfilling and much slower to digest.Not only do you feel more satisfied at dinner, but it will staywith you longer on the Atkins diet.

3. THE IS SAFE AND HEALTHY. The vast majority ofstudies show the to be extremely healthy, incomparison to other conventional weight loss and lifestylediets. Nearly every study shows the the winner inreducing cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure. Inaddition, many cases of acid reflux, sleep apnea, and diabeteshave either had the symptoms reduced or completely disappearwhile on the Atkins diet.

Also, you'll often hear "we have no way of knowing the long termsafety of low carb diets". Fact is, the has beenaround for over 30 years - longer than most other weight lossprograms. Although first written about at the end of the 19thcentury, the low carb diet has actually been around forcenturies prior to that.

How so? The North American Eskimo. Their diet has primarily beenno or very low carbs. Yet chronic diseases that are epidemictoday, such as diabetes and heart disease, were practicallyunknown among the Eskimos. At least this was true until theywere introduced to sugar and white flour. The Eskimos have beenwell studied and found to be a healthy and hardy bunch, evenafter centuries of living on a low carb diet. Yes - a low carbdiet much more extreme than even the Atkins diet.

Atkins Diet - The Bad Stuff.

1. THE BURNS FAT TOO QUICKLY. The primary concernhere is toxic overload. When toxins enter you body, either fromenvironmental sources or from additives in prepared foods, yourbody's defense mechanism will quickly try to eliminate themthrough the liver and kidneys. Quite often the overload is suchthat the body will also hide some of these toxins in your fatcells. When burning fat these toxins are released again intoyour bloodstream. You can experience toxic overload when youburn fat too fast, as in the first weeks or months of the Atkinsdiet.

2. THE CAUSES FATIGUE. Yes, initially it does - fora couple of reasons. First, switching fuels from glucose toketones is stressful to the body. It's a drastic change in yourmetabolism. You might say it's similar to mild drug withdrawal.Many people actually do have a "carb addiction" and not evenrealize it. Secondly, as we learned a minute ago, your body willquite likely be working hard dealing with toxic overload ifburning fat too fast, as early in the Atkins

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diet.

3. THE LACKS GOOD NUTRITION. Plant life is the basicnutritional source for all living creatures, including humans.When an animal eats plants, some of the nutrients, such ascalcium and other minerals, are sent to different parts of thebody where needed. And even if we eat an animal from nose totail, including the bones, we are still missing some of thesenutrients and essential enzymes that are burned up in themetabolic process. Good nutrition suffers when we drasticallylimit carbs, particularly with the induction phase of the Atkinsdiet.

Atkins Diet - Is It Right for You?

The has been proven safe, effective and Dr. Atkins'nutritional concepts are basically sound. This is probably thebest choice for fast weight loss for an upcoming wedding orcruise - or to jump start your new life. A lot of water and aGOOD vitamin supplement are strongly recommended with ANY diet,but particularly with the Atkins diet.

The can be adjusted to a less aggressive program ifyou have a lot of weight to lose and wisely choose to lose thepounds more slowly over a longer period of time. This would beless stressful, much healthier and give the stretched skin achance to shrink. Skipping the induction phase is one way. Youmay find this more sustainable over the long haul using theAtkins diet.

One important key to health and success with any low carb dietis to make every carb count by choosing nutrient dense livecarbs. These include fresh vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage,spinach, and green beans. This is critical where total carbs arevery limited - such as with the first two stages of the Atkinsdiet.

About the author:

Jay is the web owner ofhttp://www.weight-loss.biz/weight-loss-online/ WeightLoss Online, a website that provides information andresources on nutrition, weight loss programs, and fitness. Youcan also visit his website at:http://www.diet-pill.info/diet-program/ for Diet Program