We have all seen many diets come and go but one that still holds strong with people is the Atkins diet. It is one of the few diets that works as well as the gastric bypass surgery.
People that have tried this diet have had the same results as those that have had that surgery. That is a great thing as many do not want to go under the knife just to get the excess weight off.
This is a simple plan to follow and it is one that can work as a way of life where your eating habits are concerned. Many people do not understand the diet and they think that people deprive themselves of carbohydrates all together but that is not true.
There are different phases to the diet and the first phase is the one with the least amount of carbs and is the strictest portion of the diet. This is generally a two week phase to jump start the weight loss process.
You are limited as to what foods you can eat but as the diet goes on the plan teaches you to introduce the restricted foods back into the diet but to be healthy with them. People on this plan all claim to show great increases in their energy in as little as the first few days.
They also show that the weight loss starts with in the first day or two. People get to see results fast and that gives them motivation. The increase in energy is also a great boost for the whole weight loss plan.
This plan allows you to have as much of certain foods as you want foods such as meats, fish, poultry, shellfish and cheese. You can also have vegetables but you need to stick with green veggies such as lettuce, cucumbers, radishes and celery.
You can have up to 3 cups a day of veggies such as these. There are other veggies that you can have but those are limited to 1 cup a day as their carb count is higher then the others.
The foods that need to be avoided while on this diet and in the initial phases is foods such as; breads, cereal, grains, pasta, rice, fruit, juice, potatoes, chips and alcohol. You need to learn how to read labels so you can keep track of your carb intake.
The best thing to do is carry a mini carb counter book with you as it can tell you the carbs in the most any food.
As with any diet plan you are considering, you need to check with your doctor to be sure that you are doing what is right for you.
You need to be sure that you incorporate an exercise plan as well as weight training for toning your skin and muscles as you loose the weight. The diet will work well for those looking for long term weight loss and a healthy life style.
