Diets can often be difficult to stick to. The Atkins Diet and the Abs Diet have simmilarities and differences. However, both can help you to lose weight if you follow the proper guidelines. The key to success while on a diet is choosing a program that works for you and your lifestyle. Please contact a physican before beginning any diet or exercise program.
Basics of Atkins
On the Atkins diet, you work through four separate phases from beginning to end. In the beginning, you eliminate almost all sugar and carbohydrates sources such as bread, pasta, crackers and rice from your diet. In fact, the only source of carbohydrates in your diet will be from vegetables. Beans and legumes are generally not included in the beginning phases of the diet. Most fruits are avoided in the beginning phase of the diet, but are added in as you make progress. You slowly add small amounts of carbs back into your diet as you become closer to your goal. This way, once you reach your goal and begin the maintenance phase, you shouldn't gain weight back from eating some healthy whole grains.
Basics of the Abs Diet
The Abs Diet follows more specific rules. On the Abs Diet, you eat five or six small meals each day. Your diet should consist of a group of foods known as the "superfoods." These foods include olive oil, oatmeal, whey protein powder, berries, low-fat dairy, spinach and other green vegetables, beans and legumes, nuts and sugar-free nut butters, eggs, whole grain cereals and breads and lean meats. This diet plan also includes exercise. The Abs Diet instructs you to exercise using weight training three days a week and cardio exercise two days a week. One of these cardio workouts should be an interval training workout, where you increase intensity for short periods throughout your workout. Spend two days each week doing the abdominal training routines that come with the program.
Carbohydrates
A huge difference between these diets is the carbohydrate sources and intake. The Atkins diet does not allow you to consume whole grains such as whole wheat bread and oatmeal. However, on the Abs Diet, these are essential foods to help to support your energy levels and weight loss efforts. Neither diet allows users to eat high sugar foods such as soda, cakes, cookies and ice cream. However, the Abs Diet allows you to cheat on your diet one day each week, and you can choose to eat these kinds of foods on your cheat day. The Atkins diet doesn't allow any sugar on its plan, but will allow you to use zero calorie artificial sweeteners.
High Fat Meats
Another major difference between the two diets is the consumption of high fat meats. The Atkins diet allows you to eat all meats, no matter the fat content. In fact, it suggests that eating meats and other foods that are high in fat help you remain full, so that you will eat fewer calories over the course of the day. The Abs Diet aims at reducing body fat, especially from the abdomen, so high fat foods, including high fat meats, are to be avoided.
Exercise
While the Atkins diet promotes a healthy lifestyle by adding activity, it is not required on the diet. On the Abs Diet, exercise is an integral part of the plan. The creators of the Abs Diet feels that exercise will help to burn fat and calories and help to speed up the body's metabolism. They suggest that while on their food plan that you exercise five to seven days each week by getting cardiovascular exercise and lifting weights.
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