The Atkins diet is a high-protein/low-carbohydrate eating plan that claims to help you lose weight without hunger, improve heart health and lower the risk of developing diabetes. Induction is the first and the most restricted of four phases, designed to jump start weight loss.
The Theory Behind the Atkins Diet
The Atkins diet claims to improve your metabolism and effectively burn fat by drastically reducing your intake of carbohydrates. This forces your body to burn its own stored fat for energy, putting you into a state of ketosis. Ketones created during fat metabolism are easily converted into usable energy, just as carbohydrates are converted to glucose, another form of energy.
Your body doesn't store glucose, so either it gets used right away or converted into fat. Eating too many carbohydrates leads to more fat being created and stored. Burning fat keeps blood sugar and energy levels steady, reduces sugar cravings and ultimately results in you eating fewer total calories, which is the key to weight loss.
The Function of Induction/Phase 1
Induction is your introduction to the Atkins diet. It's the shortest of the four phases, lasting only about two weeks.This is the most restricted food period, causing rapid weight loss as your body switches from carbohydrate/glucose energy to fat/ketone burning energy.
To help your body burn fat, eat no more than 20 net carbs per day. A net carb is the total grams of carbohydrates minus grams of fiber. For example, a serving of asparagus has 4 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, so it has a total of 2 net carbs. Even during the Induction phase, dieters are encouraged to continue to eat a variety of healthy vegetables and some fruits.
Eating During Induction
It's important to eat at least three meals a day and never go more than six hours during the day without eating. Meals should consist of five to seven ounces of protein, from sources such as poultry, pork, red meat, fish, eggs or cheese. Eat no more than 20 net carbs a day, with at least 15 of these net carbs coming from nutrient rich vegetables. Although the net carbs of vegetables vary, this translates into roughly 2 cups of cooked vegetables daily. Butter, olive oil and mayonnaise are allowed, as are all herbs and spices that don't contain added sugar. Limit your caffeine intake to no more than 2 cups of coffee per day and remember that Splenda counts as one net carb.
Other Phases
You're ready to move from the induction phase to the ongoing weight loss phase at the end of two weeks if you feel that you have successfully converted you body into a fat burning machine. You may choose to stay in Phase 1 if you still have a lot of weight to lose, your weight loss has been slow or if you're still struggling with cravings.
The second phase, ongoing weight loss, allows you to start adding more foods, such as nuts and berries, and an additional five net carbs into your daily diet. Weight loss will continue, but more slowly during this phase as you come closer to your ideal weight.
When you have less than 10 pounds left to lose, move into Phase 3, called pre-maintenance, and add 10 net carbs per day into your diet. The final phase is lifetime maintenance and is designed not as a diet, but as a lifestyle.
Benefits of the Atkins Diet
Benefits of the Atkins Diet include dramatic weight loss without hunger and cravings and being able to eat a variety of tasty and satisfying foods. There are usually many choices when dining out, while restaurant eating poses great challenges for other diet plans. And there's no need to count calories, which makes the Atkins diet a popular plan.
Warnings About the Atkins Diet
Some members of the medical community remain concerned about the amount of protein and saturated fat consumed, which have proven links to high cholesterol and kidney problems. Also, a by-product of burning ketones is acetone, responsible for the distinctive smell in urine and the bad breath associated with high-protein/low-carbohydrate diets.
There haven't been any long-term studies done about the effects of the Atkins diet on overall health, so arguments on both sides are hypothetical, based on other data.
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