Reason For Weight Loss On Atkins

The Atkins diet plan is a low carbohydrate diet that started in 1972 when Dr. Robert Akins wrote his book, "Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution." Later, Dr. Atkins revamped some of the aspects of the plan and came out with his second book, "Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution." Since its inception, the Atkins diet has many success stories. Atkins dieters often report losing weight quickly and easily. Many others report that the weight loss is permanent and relatively easy to maintain.

Ketosis

One of the reasons cited for the success of the Atkins diet is the concept of ketosis. Ketosis is a chemical state in which your body is burning its own fat as the primary source of fuel. According to Gary Taubes, author of "Good Calories, Bad Calories," ketosis occurs as a chemical reaction when the absence or severe limitation of dietary carbohydrates leads to stabilized blood sugar and reduced insulin levels. Without insulin present, your body is better able to use its own fat for its energy needs, which leads to weight loss.

Ketosis may also help with successful weight loss because of some of its positive side effects including increased energy and loss of appetite. The increased energy helps dieters to get up and move, leading to extra caloric burn; and the loss of appetite helps the dieter to consume fewer calories throughout the day. Both of these side effects are conducive to successful weight loss.

Easy to Follow and Maintain

According to Dr. Atkins in his book, "Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution," one of the reasons that people are so successful at losing weight on the Atkins diet is because the diet contains foods normally restricted in other diets. Dr. Atkins includes satiating and popular foods like bacon, full-fat steaks, poultry with skin, butter, full fat salad dressing, mayonnaise and heavy cream on the allowed list during all stages of the diet. Because of this, Atkins dieters don't walk around hungry. Cravings are reduced both due to the high satiation level of the food and the fact that many of the foods allowed on Atkins are those foods that dieters crave most on other diets. This can lead to long-term success because dieters are more likely to stay on the Atkins diet into the maintenance phase.

Calorie Restriction

Many nutritionists argue that the true reason that the Akins diet works for weight loss is caloric restriction. Whenever you eliminate a whole category of foods as the Atkins diet does with carbohydrates, the foods that you can choose from are more limited. Those who believe that the primary mechanism of success with the Atkins diet is calorie restriction argue that since most people's primary source of calories when they are on a balanced diet is carbohydrates, eliminating them from the diet becomes a means of calorie restriction.