The Atkins Diet is the grand daddy of the quick weight loss diets. It’s based on severely limiting carbohydrates. Carbs are processed by the body to become sugar or glucose. Glucose is used by the body for energy. If the carbs consumed for the day aren’t enough, the body transforms the fat it has stored back into glucose for energy.

Carbs also cause the blood sugar to spike which signals the body to produce insulin to remove the sugar from the bloodstream. This causes the blood sugar to drop which results in a craving for more carbs to raise it back up. That’s the basis of the Atkin’s Diet. Severely limit carbohydrates in the daily diet and the body has to fall back on its fat storage for energy.

The initial two week kick start program only allows 20 grams of carbs per day. The carbs from fiber are netted – subtracted from the total carb count. So for example, while ¼ cup of blueberries has a total carb count of 5.1 grams, only 4.1 grams are counted because 1 gram is from fiber.

Protein such as fish, chicken, beef, and pork contains 0 grams. The diet allows cheese and eggs. Seafood is tricky, some, like shrimp, have 0 grams and others like oysters, pack a walloping 12.5 grams per 6 oz.

You can have limited amounts of green vegetables such as spinach, kale, broccoli, asparagus, and cabbage. Fruit is not allowed. To give you examples of carb counts, an apple has a net 16 grams of carbs, a slice of wheat bread has 12 carbs. Alcohol in any form is not allowed during the kickoff stage. An exercise period of 30 minutes per day is mandatory.

After the initial two weeks, carbs are gradually and slowly added back to the diet, fruits and vegetables first. Some vegetables like sweet potatoes (19) and corn (14 per 1/3 cup) contain too many carbs to ever become a regular part of the diet. The maximum level of carbs at this stage should be between 30 to 35.

The objective is to continue losing weight but at a lesser rate than the initial two week period. If the weight loss stops the number of carbs being consumed has to decrease again.

The maintenance diet is at a level of carbs where you’ve stopped losing weight and don’t gain weight. It maxes out at about 40 grams of carbs per day. A turkey sandwich with mayo and sliced tomatoes is about 30 grams of carbs. A medium pear has 21 and one cup of 2% milk has 11.

Sugar, processed foods, flour and starches, such as potatoes and rice are pretty much off limits forever on the Atkins Diet. Most fruits have to be eaten in moderation if at all and certain vegetables as well.

American adults have a major problem in being overweight. Nearly two-thirds of the adult population is inclined towards obesity. Unfortunately much of the money spent on diet and weight loss programs is not producing positive results.

The various weight loss programs offered need to be compared and analyzed before making a choice. Most diets seem to tell you what you should and shouldn’t eat. As though one size fitted all. People, however, are all different and what suits one person is not sure to suit another.It is therefore important to examine carefully what you would need to do to meet the requirements of the diet; to make sure that it is something you will stick with once you have started. Then having compared various diets to find the most suitable, you can pick the best program for you.

Here are some hints to consider before deciding on any particular program.

Select a diet which would suit your life style. Your working pattern, meal times and any medical restrictions need to be taken into consideration. If you are not sure which type of diet would suit you best, try a metabolic type of diet.They use a questionnaire which helps you to identify the correct proportion of carbohydrates and protein most suitable for you.

A Macrobiotic Diet is basically a vegetarian diet which has lots of fiber and is very low fat. This diet by itself can be a cure for some conditions and can help prevent some illnesses from creeping in.

A Detox Diet is designed to rid your body of toxins consumed by way of junk food and unhealthy beverages.

If you need a low calorie diet, the best choice would probably be between the Zone or the South Beach Diet. The Atkins diet could also be taken into consideration. They’re all based on a low carbohydrate intake.

Some people react adversely to proteins. If this is the case, go for an alkaline diet. This will help balance the effects of caffeine, sugar and the proteins.

After selecting your diet, staying with it is the path to success. Only a very small percentage of people who lose weight on a diet actually stick with it for the long term. This is usually because they picked a diet that did not suit them in the first case.

Premenopausal women who were assigned to follow the Atkins diet for one year lost more weight when compared to women who were assigned to follow the Zone, Ornish and LEARN diets, according to a study in the March 7 issue of JAMA.

Overweight and obesity are well-documented problems in the United States. National dietary weight loss guidelines (a diet low in calories and fat, high in carbohydrates) have been challenged, particularly by supporters of low-carbohydrate diets. However, limited evidence has been available to effectively evaluate other diets, according to background information in the article.

Besides weight loss, the participants were also measured for lipid profile (low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels), percentage of body fat, waist-hip ratio, fasting insulin and glucose levels, and blood pressure. Outcomes were assessed at months 0, 2, 6, and 12.

The researchers found that weight loss was greater for women in the Atkins diet group compared with the other diet groups at one year. Average 12-month weight loss was 10.4 lbs for Atkins, 3.5 lbs. for Zone, 5.7 lbs. for LEARN, and 4.8 lbs. for Ornish. At 12 months, measurements for lipids and levels of insulin, glucose and blood pressure for the Atkins group were comparable with or more favorable than the other diet groups.

The researchers found that weight loss was greater for women in the Atkins diet group compared with the other diet groups at one year. Average 12-month weight loss was 10.4 lbs for Atkins, 3.5 lbs. for Zone, 5.7 lbs. for LEARN, and 4.8 lbs. for Ornish. At 12 months, measurements for lipids and levels of insulin, glucose and blood pressure for the Atkins group were comparable with or more favorable than the other diet groups.

“Concerns about adverse metabolic effects of the Atkins diet were not substantiated within the 12-month study period.

While questions remain about long-term effects and mechanisms, these findings have important implications for clinical practice and health care policy

Searching around forums and support groups it is noticeable that many people report benefits they have experienced when trying a low carbohydrate diet.

A large number of people report that they are experiencing an increase in energy and /or have stopped craving for sweets.

Other improvements reported are, better mental concentration, emotions more evenly balanced and less desire to “comfort” eat.

Although a low carbohydrate diet should not be considered a cure for any of the following conditions, enough people are claiming relief from their symptoms to suggest that there may be “no smoke without fire.”

Improvement in skin condition, improvement in joint pain, improvement in gastrointestinal conditions and reduction in the frequency of headaches are among the most frequently reported benefits in low carbohydrate forums, support groups, and informal surveys.

The really interesting thing is that, although the results vary from person to person, the benefits reported have usually been experienced by the end of the first week.

Low Carb Diet