Truth About Atkins Meals

As years went by, more and more people would want to know the truth about Atkins meals. This is because they want to find out if the diet plan they are using might really work for their desire to lose weight or achieve long-term health benefits.

What you need to know about Atkins diet

Since 1960's, the Atkins diet has been used by many people because of its potential health benefits. Since Dr. Robert Atkins printed information on this diet plan that focuses on low carbohydrate food intake, many people have reported to reap benefits from it.

Many people are not aware of this but the truth about Atkins meals is that is proven to be effective when followed in its original four-phase stages. Including an "induction phase" that would lead the body into a forced stage of ketosis—the reaction of the body in response to starvation. Here, it is strictly required not to consume any food that has alcohol or caffeine in it.

After the two-week period of the first phase, here comes the "ongoing weight loss phase" that aims to find the critical level of carbohydrate to lose. Here, there will be an increase in the carbohydrates intake of the person—ideally 5 grams weekly—until after he or she reaches within 10 pounds of the actual weight that is targeted.

The next phase would be the "pre-maintenance". There is a brief resemblance with the second phase—the increase in carbohydrates intake—only, there is a big difference when it comes to the maintenance of the critical carbohydrate level of the person who is taking it.

"Lifetime maintenance" is the last phase of. Here, it highlights the reinforcement the habits that the person learned all throughout the diet plan. This is very important so there would be a long term benefit in the losing of weight. Remembering the underlying principles in each phase is very important so the person could start with it effortlessly once he or she starts to gain weight again.

Atkins diet under fire

Despite the reports on the effectivity of taking Atkins meals, many experts say that there are loopholes in this diet plan. The primary concern is that Atkins diet—when compared to other diet plans—has the highest potential for short-term weight loss. However, it ranks lowest when it comes to long-term weight loss because the phases in the diet only offer short-term results. It has also been criticized because people say that it can lead to other illnesses such as coronary heart diseases.

Before you get started

Experts say that before you get started with Atkins diet—or any diet plane for that matter—it is very important that you assess your overall health first to ensure that you won't be suffering in the long run. Make sure that you visit your attending physician first before trying out this diet plan so he/she could administer the proper examinations and access your general health status.

The truth about Atkins meals is that it will only help you achieve your long-term weight loss goal when it is accompanied by healthy intake of food such as replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat in meat, chicken, and whole milk products, refraining from eating refined carbohydrates contained by bakery products, pastas, and sugary or sugar-added foods, eating steamed or boiled food preparations when eating out, and picking lean meat, fish, or skinless chicken that is broiled, baked, grilled, steamed, or poached instead of being fried and ask for lots of vegetable side dishes and fresh fruit desserts.