Atkins Diet

The Atkins Diet is a low carbohydrate diet that encourages its followers to eat high protein foods.
It is based on the controversial idea that, without carbohydrates to burn for energy, the body burns more fat tissue.
The diet progresses in four phases: induction, ongoing weight loss, pre-maintenance, and lifetime maintenance.
In the first weeks, dieters are limited to foods such as eggs, meat, and seafood.
As the diet progresses, carbohydrates are slowly added back into dieters' meals.

By almost all accounts, the Atkins Diet works.
Dieters generally drop considerable amounts of weight, especially during the 2-week induction phase.
While the diet's premise is that people lose weight by limiting carbohydrates, many people believe that it actually works because dieters take in fewer calories than usual.
High protein food typically leaves dieters feeling full, which means that Atkins Dieters rarely feel deprived or hungry.
Also, many dieters appreciate being able to eat fattening foods like bacon that are often forbidden in the diet world.
The dropout rate among Atkins Dieters is high.
This may be because dieters find it difficult to give up carbohydrates for the long term.
No studies have measured the long-term health effects of the Atkins Diet.
Critics worry about the diet's potential effects on the kidneys, bones, liver, and heart.

High profile organizations such as the American Heart Association are highly critical of Atkins and other low carbohydrate diets because they are high in saturated fat.
Because Atkins discourages people from eating fruits and vegetables, dieters may not get enough fiber and other essential nutrients.
One way to help counter these effects is to take vitamins.
Since the body burns carbohydrates for energy, Atkins is not ideal for people who exercise heavily.
For the same reason, Atkins Dieters often complain of increasing fatigue as the diet progresses.

The Atkins Diet can be costly because protein-rich foods like meat tend to be more expensive than grains and vegetables.
Nutritional supplements, which are recommended, can be another added expense.