You have a significant amount of weight to lose, perhaps 50, 60 or 70 pounds and you have heard about people successfully losing weight on the Atkins Diet, but you also concerned about the safety of eating a restrictive diet. Does this sound like you? If so, then read on for more details.
The Atkins Diet works simply because it is a very restrictive diet. Nearly ever diet that severely restricts what you can eat will work for you, but is it safe? There have been numerous studies on the Atkins Diet as well as others, and they all seem to conclude that the diet is safe if you use it as a short term type of eating plan. The Atkins Diet restricts your carbohydrate intake to 20 grams per day during the first phase (called induction). The reason is to get your body into a state where it will have to burn your fat reserves to give your body energy since the carbohydrates have essentially been eliminated. Eventually you will begin to slowly add back carbohydrates into your eating plan, but you can be on the restrictive phase for weeks and months depending upon your weight loss goals. You are allowed to eat high protein and high fat foods on the Atkins plan, so people worry about eating a diet that allows and encourages the consumption of high fat foods. Studies have shown that eating a high fat, high protein and low carbohydrate diet like the Atkins Diet is safe for short term dieting. Most people do not embark upon the Atkins program unless they are obese. If you are obese you are already at significant risk for health problems such as diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease. Any weight loss that an overweight person can achieve will reduce those risks and that is the main ground that the Atkins Diet is recommended. The plan can help jump start weight loss so the dieter can see immediate results and be encouraged to eat healthier. The Atkins Diet encourages participants to exercise in addition to following the eating plan. Adding an exercise program enhances weight loss results.
