Atkins Diet Weight Loss Success

Atkins Diet Basics Simplified

Gwen Bagiu — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:21:51 +0000

Quick reminder of what this diet is before we go to the Atkins Diet Basics. One good point about this diet plan is it is not design for quick weight loss but rather fast, effective and long term weight loss. Isn’t that good news?

Okay so basically, the nature of Atkins Diet is mainly about controlled low carbohydrate diet and more protein and fat in our daily meals. Why low carbohydrate? Find out here.

There are four phases to be followed in this weight loss plan. You have to understand these four phases first, understanding is everything.

Atkins Diet Phase 1: Induction

During this phase, you have to limit the intake of carbohydrate to 20 grams a day. So yes, this means no pizzas, no rice, no processed foods, no waffles, no bagels and no bread. In short, avoid foods high in starch or sugar because they contain the highest carbs. Your meals will contain mainly vegetables, fish, meat and eggs.

Find out about foundation vegetables because you will obtain your 12 to 15 grams of carbohydrate from these veggies. Don’t fret, phase one is only for two weeks or longer depends on your situation, but it is not recommended to stay too long in the induction phase.

Atkins Diet Phase 2: Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL)

During this phase, you can increase your intake of carbohydrate starting from 25 grams a day up to 45 grams a day, but you will have to do this slowly by adding 5 grams of carbohydrates per week until weight loss stops. You still have to avoid foods high in starch or sugar but you can move beyond vegetables to other foods, such as nuts, seeds and berries. When to move to the next phase? Remain in OWL if your weight loss is slowing down, certain foods still trigger cravings or you’re eating inappropriate foods on occasion. If you’ve been losing steadily and are now close to your goal weight, don’t waste any time before transitioning to Pre-Maintenance.

Atkins Diet Phase 3: Pre-Maintenance

During this phase, you will learn how to slowly lose that last 10 pounds. You will test your tolerance for additional foods by adding certain foods into your daily meals and see how it affects your weight loss. Use this opportunity to reintroduce the foods higher in carbs which have been restricted during the previous phases. You can take carbs starting 50 to 70 grams per day, slowly adding 10 grams per week. However, if your weight loss stalls or you experience extreme hunger or craving, reduce your daily intake 10 grams.

Atkins Diet Phase 4: Lifetime Maintenance

As the name suggests, you will be in this phase for as long as you live. When you reach this phase, you should have already got your ideal weight. When you reach this phase, should have already known what carbs good or bad for your body.

There you go, all you have to know about Atkins Diet Basics. Jump start by limiting your carbs intake 20 grams per day, increase them to 25-45 grams per day and increase them again to 50-70 grams per day. Test which carbs make you gain weight and avoid them like crazy unless you have a super active lifestyle. Be creative, prepare varieties of low carb recipes. Motivate yourself.

Lose Weight Fast With Low Carb Diet

Gwen Bagiu — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 08:35:58 +0000

Low carb diet such as the Atkins Diet is without a doubt one of the well-liked diets out there. Why? Simply because it is a diet plan that allows you to lose weight fast as well as keep it off. Many people typically believe that performing a low carb diet is way too hard given that they will need to give up their favorite foods like pasta, breads and so on.

However, when low carb dieting is carried out the proper way, it is a powerful solution to permanent weight loss. For instance dieters lose 15 pounds throughout the first two weeks engaging in the induction phase in the Atkins Diet Plan. Nonetheless, before getting your answer to the question asked, how to do a low carb diet, you must understand the very idea of the low carb diet itself.

You need to get yourself well informed about the many diverse low carb diets, or focus on a particular one, maybe like the Atkins Diet. Grow acquainted with the concepts, if you have doubts or uncertainties, get all of them sort out. Be warned not to fall for the typical misconceptions pertaining to eating low carb. Believe me, there are many and quite assuring too. Just be reassured that science is without a doubt is on the same side of the low carb diet to lose weight fast. Probably not for everybody, but certainly works wonderfully for many of us.

How to do a low carb diet? Simple. Kick it off with small, easy changes. While you are mastering the low carb diet, you actually can begin to make a few alterations towards cutting down bad carbs in your eating habits. Decide on one or two stuff to alter at a time. You may end up being amazed that some results can easily be accomplished with less effort than you previously thought.

On the other hand, in case you find out that you’re not really the type to read through a book, try following someone else’s idea of a diet instead. The Atkins Low Carb Diet works for many people. You can read more on sites just like this one and get on with it. The most famous phase is, of course, the induction phase in the Atkins Diet Plan. Many people have written that following these simple guidelines allowed them to lose weight fast, some even lose up to 15 pounds during the first two weeks.

Quick Hints On How To Do A Low Carb Diet

Gwen Bagiu — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:04:03 +0000

Before moving forward with these quick hints on how to do a low carb diet, it is best to know how does Atkins Diet work considering the fact that Atkins was first in popularizing low carb diet. Subsequently, to do a low carb diet it is important to understand why are you doing what you are doing and why what you are doing works.

Take note that these tips are solely for the overall diet, for in depth help on each phase you can browse related articles for more details.

Begin fresh new by sorting out what you maintain inside your refrigerator. Get rid of that junk food. Put up a note stating Zero Junk Food or stick a photo of yourself to help remind yourself about the excess fat on your belly and sides. Or even put up a motivational note. It is definitely one of the many ways to encourage yourself.

How to lose 15 pounds with the Atkins Diet induction phase?

For people who go broke, put on weight, get divorced, it usually isn’t one big disaster – it’s a bit today and a bit tomorrow – and then one day “Kaboom!” – and they say: “What happened?” Life is accumulative. One thing adds to another – like the drops of water that wear away the rock. One thing leads to another.
~ Andrew Matthew in his book, Follow Your Heart

One thing leads to another. One thing ADDS to another. True enough and that is just exactly how we are going to melt that unwanted fat we gained little by little. We get rid of them little by little, persistently and consistently until all we need to do is just to maintain it when we achieve our desired weight goal. That is how to do a low carb diet.

Be warned, you may have carbs withdrawal symptoms such as throbbing headache as well as a feeling of sickness when you initially begin this low carb diet. This is totally normal, no worries. It will go away in time. Keep yourself preoccupied with physical activities. Go workout, read your favorite book or ones just like Follow Your Heart, tune in or even sing out to your favorite music, go running, frolic in the water. Do whatever it takes, it is that important.

Get your body into that fat burning machine mode or what we call as the ketosis mode by following the plan exactly. Start finding out how to cook delicious and healthy low carb meals or ask your mother or spouse to cook them for you – of course they get to it eat them too. Learn what foods are low in carbs. Make it a habit to read the label before buying. Stock up on vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, dairy products and eggs. Low carb diet permits fat. You can eat healthy fat such as nuts, olive oil, and natural peanut butter but avoid saturated fat as it will cause your weight loss to slow down or even stall.

How to do a low carb diet, you ask? It is how we eat for lifelong good health, not merely for losing weight for a year or so. It is how we eat real food, not processed foods. It is how we prepare our food and selecting from a narrower range of choices when eating out. Once we take hold of these three things, committing to this way of eating will be the obvious thing we just have to do.

How To Prepare Low Carb Recipes

Gwen Bagiu — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:04:24 +0000

When it comes to make a listing of your very own low carb recipes, it is not that hard to come up with one but there are a few important things you have to take into account. The two I am going to point out here (the do’s as well as the don’ts) apply to your low carb diet whether you decide to prepare your recipes on your own or (being not so good at experimenting) following other people’s recipes or even if you (being not so good at cooking) opt to dine outside. These points will determine whether your low carb meals really do help you to lose weight or the other way round.

Basic of A Low Carb Diet

The basic principle of all low carb plans exist out there is to cut on all carbs from the diet and to increase protein and fat intake. Low carb diets are based on the principle that a diet low in carbs results in reduced production of body’s insulin, causing utilization of fat stores as energy source. So, the next time you are tempted to eat just a LITTLE extra of carbs, remind yourself that low carb diet just doesn’t work that way.

That being said, there is a low carb diet such as the Atkins Diet Plan which does the diet by phases.

The good news with low carb diet like this is you will find yourself a wider selection of carbs when you move on to the next phase, thus you are able to make a few delicious alterations to your low carb recipes. Of course, having a more active lifestyle permits you to have more carbs in your meals.

Even though a low carb diet gives you the free rein to eat as much protein and fat as you like, overdoing either advisors will trigger weight gain as well as other health problems. The most dominant food items on your low carb recipes, needless to say, is going to be high protein foods including meat, poultry, fish and seafood, eggs, cheese, seeds, and nuts.

You’ll have fats like butter, olive and other vegetable oil, and cream but nutrition experts agree that monosaturated oils like olive oil are the best for us.

Seven Days Low Carb Recipes

An advice for any dieters not to ‘accidently’ overeat carbs during their weight loss program is obviously to prepare a seven days meals plan, extremely crucial particularly when you are just about to engage in the low carb diet like doing the induction phase (Atkins Diet). Start with low carb recipes variations of breakfast, lunch and dinner. It may sound difficult or troublesome for some but it is not, not when you start seeing the bump around your midsection disappearing.

Preparing your very own low carb recipes is not that hard, really. Keep these two points (and other) in mind when preparing your low carb recipes and you will be okay. As for to where to find the recipes, there are tons of them available (for free) on the internet. All you have to do is google.

Does the Atkins Diet work?

Gwen Bagiu — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:14:26 +0000

If you are reading this now, I can certainly say without a doubt that you are of the one of the countless people who are genuinely serious about losing not some, but tons and tons of undesired fat. Many who want to lose weight ask the question, does the Atkins Diet work? Fewer are looking into the much more critical issue, exactly what are the effects of low carb diet? The fact is, in my viewpoint anyone who is ready to embark on any kind of diet plans ought to make this one thing crystal clear prior to kicking off changing their eating habit.

The main concern when it comes to practising a low carb diet is the approach of eating lesser carbs. Carbohydrates as we know contain essential nutrition necessary for our body. Theoretically, if we decrease the consumption of carbs in our meals, our body is said to be inadequate of nutrition and there are probabilities of having health problems. Theoretically.

Already feeling discourage? Don’t stop yet, read on.

Effects of Low-Carb Diet on Appetite, Glucose, and Insulin Resistance

According to a trial reported in the March 15, 2005, issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, a low carb diet like the Atkins Diet can help improve glucose control,insulin sensitivity and glycated hemoglobin (A1C). I am no biology expert so I can only assume glycated hemoglobin is the thing in our red blood cells that contains/transports oxygen. So I am assuming that improved glycated hemoglobin is a good thing here since it relates to a positive/normal average blood glucose level test in our body. However, it is recommended to search more on this if you desire unquestionable proof. No harm done gaining some extra knowledge, right?

The study done was interesting enough, you can read it here and you most probably will be thankful for picking a low carb diet as your approach to a permanent weight loss. Research(s) had been done and more will be done in the future, I am sure of it.

Wait. Keep on reading. More good news.

Effects of low carb diet on the brain

A Joshua M. Yelon made a wonderful and most appreciated effort to do a listing of quotes from scientific and medical journals relating to the effects of low carb diet on the brain. You can read it here. And the results? Let me quote,

First, they found that while the blood glucose was low, the brains contained the normal amounts. This means the body was making sure that the brain had enough glucose, and was not having a problem doing it. Second, they found that the ketones were going straight to the brain. Now, ketones are a fuel source. So, very likely, this means that the brain was using ketone as a substitute fuel, to keep from running down the glucose supply.

Joshua M. Yelon

And I quote again (with delight)

Meanwhile, the group that ate the low-fat diet ended up with a protein deficiency. This deficiency made it difficult for their brains to use glucose. In short, the brains of the low-carb rats received adequate energy supplies, the brains of the low-fat dieters were damaged by energy shortages.

Joshua M. Yelon

Oh yes, and some people experienced faster hair growth as one of the effects of low carb diet, other than the weight loss of course. So does the Atkins Diet work? Hell, yeah.

How to lose 15 pounds with the Atkins Diet induction phase?

How To Prepare Low Carb Breakfast

Gwen Bagiu — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 00:03:05 +0000

It is a challenging task to come up with a low carb breakfast when you are just about to prepare your own low carb recipes. Just what should you have for a low carb breakfast when you are so accustomed to enjoying cereal or a bagel for everyday breakfast? Follow these tricks. A good low carb breakfast has to be effortless to make, quick to make and most importantly supply you with adequate nutrition for morning routines as well as evening workout.

Eggs, Eggs and Eggs

Eggs are generally the basis of a low carb breakfast. They are convenient, affordable as well as hassle-free to prepare. If you are always in a rush in the morning, prepare yourself boiled eggs the night before and keep them in your refrigerator. You can then have the boiled eggs plus a small bottle of veggie juice for a quick and healthy breakfast the next morning.

On some days when you have more time to prepare for a proper low carb breakfast (like the saturdays and sundays), you can easily opt for scrambled eggs or in anyways you desire them plus an additional sausage and bacon. Alternatively, use them in the different dishes including omelets and frittatas combine with healthy, low carb vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, spinach, asparagus, mushrooms, and onions.

Whenever you can’t stomach starting another day with eggs, switch to a different low carb breakfast. If you miss cereal, (only if you are on a later phase in the low carb diet) there are some low carb versions of cereal for example, Special K, All Bran and Fiber One. Or have pancakes that won’t mess up your low carb diet. Many recipes substitute the flour and sugar used in pancakes with other low carb options, such as protein powder or whole wheat flour. Sour cream or ricotta cheese can be added to ensure that the pancakes turn out moist, but nonetheless still low in carb.

Another quick option that incorporates low carb breakfast foods is to make a smoothie. Choose low carb fruits such as berries, kiwi, melons, papayas or peaches. Although bananas are a popular ingredient in smoothies, you should avoid them if you are on a low carb diet. Blend fruit with ice and unsweetened juices, soy milk, and/or plain yogurt. If you have a sweet tooth, add a packet of low carb sweetener to sweeten up your breakfast smoothie.

Low Carb Breakfast at Restaurants

When you are going out to restaurants, it can be tough to maintain your breakfast low carb. Follow these suggestions to keep to your diet. Study the menu beforehand if the restaurant happens to have information online. You are likely to make better choices up-front, instead of being tempted when you are put on the spot. When you are eating at a restaurant, request the server to take out the toast, home fries or hash browns. At a fast food restaurant, opt for an egg sandwich with ham or sausage and cheese, and then get rid of the bun. When ordering a smoothie, request them to use soy milk instead of regular milk, as it contains less carbs.

It may be challenging to make or to find low carb breakfast options while on a low carb diet, especially when you are so used to high carb options. But just follow these tricks and do google up recipes, you’ll definitely find meals that will keep you full and satisfied until lunchtime.

Lose 15 Pounds : Atkins Diet Induction Phase

Gwen Bagiu — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 12:59:11 +0000

The Atkins Diet induction phase is oftentimes confused to be the whole low carb diet plan itself. It is not. One of the objectives is to use the induction phase as a jump start in the Atkins Diet. Although not all, many lose 15 pounds throughout this phase for good reason.

It’s not necessary to begin Atkins Diet with induction phase. However doing so is the most effective not to mention quickest way to transform your cells into a group of efficient fat burning agents. It is the best approach to tackle that unwanted stubborn fat. Having said that, the other objective of the induction phase is to switch your body from burning mostly carbohydrates to burning primarily fat for your daily much needed energy.

So, how does the Atkins Diet induction phase work?

The induction phase limits the intake of carbs by 20gram daily. It is a two weeks period of feeding on meals which are very low in carb and high in pure protein and some fats. You will be largely feeding on meats, cheese as well as a few green, non-starchy vegetables. This part of the diet is specially designed to commence the process of ketosis in your body, a process where you burn off the fats stored in your own body instead of using carbohydrates for fuel. It also uses more energy to burn the fuel from your own body, speeding weight loss.

Relying on how much weight you want to lose, you’ll remain within this phase for a minimum of two weeks and a maximum of 12 months, unless of course you have very few pounds to get rid of and also they come off very fast. If that is the case, then you are able to move faster to the next phase. You will lose weight quickly during this phase, but it isn’t practical for long term use simply because it is so limited in term of carbs selection.

Rules of Atkins Diet induction phase must be followed exactly.

What to expect during the induction phase? Don’t expect a smooth ride. It’s best to be well-prepared by finding out exactly what to expect in the Atkins Diet induction phase. This way, you will be aware of what to do if you experience these complications plus you will understand the relevance of providing your own body some time to fine-tune to the diet.

Getting through the first week on a low carb diet is unquestionably the toughest part. For the first few days of induction, you will be withdrawing from sugar and caffeine. It will need several days for these substances to leave your system. During this time, you may find that withdrawal from these substances causes you to have headaches, diarrhoea, nausea, muscle cramps and even brain fog, so be careful driving. These symptoms are temporary. Before you know it, you will wake up with more energy than you’ve had in years, your moods will stabilize, and your hunger will disappear!

No effort is wasted if you are persistent. Being the toughest phase of all four phases in the Atkins Diet, you can generally expect to lose 10% of your extra pounds during the first fourteen days of the induction phase. Your body will transform into a fat burning machine and help burn fast the fat you are currently dressed in! That is how to lose 15 pounds with the Atkins Diet induction phase.