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How to Do the Atkins Diet Right?
By Hristo Hristov
Let me tell you something - if you are
doing the Atkins Diet, you might be
doing it WRONG. I have been on diet
forums for years, have consulted
thousands of people on low carb diets,
and I am seeing it again and again.
People don't know how to implement a
low carb diet. Very often people fail
to lose weight or to adapt to the low
carb life style. Many people give it
up after a couple of days because they
don't know how to do it right. The
Atkins Diet is the most famous low
carb diet, but it is full of pitfalls
just waiting for you to walk into.
Rule 1:
Calories DO count. You must count
both carbs AND calories Some of you
may believe that losing weight is just
a matter of reducing carbohydrates. In
fact, many do. Hunting for hidden
carbs and totally neglecting the
calories you eat is setting you up for
failure. The only reason that low carb
diets work is that they reduce your
appetite. You end up eating fewer
CALORIES, and lose weight.
The problem is that not all people
start eating fewer calories after
switching to a low carb diet. The only
100% bulletproof method of losing
weight is by counting calories. Don't
rely on simply reducing carbohydrates.
Eat less carbs AND less calories.
Count calories! It is much easier to
restrict calories when you are on a
low carb diet, because you won't feel
as hungry as with high-carb diets.
Rule 2: Going straight to 20 grams
of carbs per day is a NO-NO
The Atkins Diet has you eating only
20 grams of carbs a day during the
first two weeks on the diet. After
that, you are advised to gradually
increase the number of carbs you eat.
I strongly urge you to reverse the
order of events. Start eating 80 or
more grams of carbs per day, count
calories and then reduce them more if
you want to.
My reasoning for doing so is very
simple. During the adaptation period
you will lack energy because you have
taken out the carbs, and you need time
to make the fat burning enzymes to use
more fat for fuel. If you suddenly
start eating a super low amount of
carbs, you will feel totally out of
energy, because your body cannot
manufacture quickly that many fat
burning enzymes. However, when you
reduce the carbohydrates GRADUALLY,
you give your body a chance to adapt
to the diet without the misery of
being lethargic.
You can even start by eating 150
grams of carbs a day for the first
week, and then reduce them to 100
grams for the second and so on. You
won't be so fatigued, and because you
count calories you are losing weight.
You should expect a period of about
one to two weeks when you won't have
much energy, but this will pass. Don't
give up just because you lack energy.
This is temporary. If you listen to me
and gradually reduce the carbs, you
will experience a much less-pronounced
drop of physical and mental
performance.
Rule 3: Calories control your
bodyweight, NOT carbohydrates.
If you eat less calories than you
burn, you are going to lose weight no
matter how many carbs you consume. You
don't need to go super low on the
carbohydrates to experience the
typical loss of appetite that is so
important to be successful at dieting.
I eat about 50-80 grams of carbs a day
year-round, and I have single digit
body fat %. That's because I control
both carbs and calories.
You won't be able to eat just 20
grams of carbs for a long time. It is
too impractical, hard-to-do and
unnecessary. You will do fine eating
80 grams of carbs a day, as long as
you count calories.
Rule 4: Don't give up your coffee
Atkins advises that you avoid
caffeine and only drink decaffeinated
coffee. This is totally unnecessary.
If you are used to drinking coffee,
just continue to do so. You will have
a much easier adaptation period.
Coffee makes your body burn more fat,
and helps you adapt to fat burning
faster. Coffee also suppresses your
appetite, and has a mild thermogenic
effect (you burn more calories). Last
but not least, coffee is very
addictive and hard to give up. I know
a couple of people who gave up the
Atkins Diet just because he says to
stop drinking coffee! I am telling you
- coffee will help your weight loss
efforts. It is totally unnecessary to
give it up.
Rule 5: Don't avoid milk and yogurt
products
Eating plain yogurt is associated
with weight loss for some mysterious
reason. Researchers speculate that it
is the Calcium in milk products that
helps with weight loss. Whatever the
reason, milk and yogurt are good for
your health and weight loss. They have
some carbs, but as I told you, there's
absolutely no need to go super low on
the carbs, if you control your
calories.
Here's a little known fact, most
low-carb dieters don't know. Plain
yogurt has 3 times less carbs than
labelled! The reason is simple. Yogurt
has billions of healthy bacteria
called probiotics, which thrive on
glucose. These probiotics eat up the
carbs in milk, and turn it into lactic
acid. Now, when manufacturers measure
carbs, they do so by the method of
"carbs by difference". They
measure everything else(protein, fats,
water..), and what's left is ASSUMED
to be carbs. But what's left is carbs
+ lactic acid. To know the real number
of carbs in yogurt, divide the number
of carbs on the label by 3. Do so only
for PLAIN yogurt. Avoid all
artificially processed and carb loaded
yogurts. Eat plain yogurt!
Rule 6: A low-carb diet is a
high-fat diet
By definition a low carb diet is a
high-fat diet. Some people turn the
low-carb diet into low-carb and
low-fat diet. What a mistake! First,
if you eat a high-protein low-carb
low-fat diet, you are going to get
hungry. Second, eating less fat will
slow down the adaptation to fat
burning and extend your misery. Third,
your body needs fat and the
fat-soluble vitamins to digest the
proteins you eat. Without the fat you
are going to get sick, upset your
stomach and become severely
constipated.
Women should be very careful to eat
enough fat. Many women don't like to
eat meat or eat only very lean meat.
They must find a way to get more fat
in the diet by ways of high-fat
cheeses.
Fat should represent more than 50%
of the calories you eat.
Rule 7: Don't be fooled by the
quick initial weight loss
Most of the weight that is lost
during the first two weeks on a
restrictive diet is WATER. On a low-carb
diet, you are going to lose even more
water. The rate of weight loss is
going to slow down after the first two
weeks. Be prepared, it is perfectly
natural to happen. Don't expect
miracles. Let's sum it up. Count
calories. Hunting for hidden carbs,
and neglecting the calories is a major
reason for plateaus. Restrict carbs
gradually. Eat more fat to control
your appetite. Don't go super low on
the carbs. Go as low as you feel
comfortable. As long as you control
calories you are on your way to
success.
Hristo Hristov owns X3MSoftware, a
company specializing in developing
diet and fitness tracking software.
Hristo has a degree in Computer
Science and passion for strength
training. Hristo has designed and
written Fitness Assistant,
X3MSoftware's leading software
product. Download your demo at http://www.x3msoftware.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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