Atkins Weight Loss Advice

Dr. Robert Atkins trained as a cardiologist, receiving his medical degree from Cornell University. Recognizing the struggles and frequent failure of his patients to lose weight for the sake of their health, he offered alternative advice to the low fat, high carbohydrate diets his patients followed. Dr. Atkins recommended that his patients stop eating foods high in carbohydrates and stop counting calories. Instead, Dr. Atkins' weight loss advice consisted of reducing carbohydrate consumption to 20 grams per day initially, and gradually increasing it to 50 grams per day.

History

Dr. Robert Atkins published his first book of weight loss advice, "Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution," in 1972. At the time, his recommendations to decrease severely carbohydrate intake while enjoying protein and full-fat foods was a radical contrast to traditional diet advice. Nonetheless, his book and the more than 15 books that followed placed consistently on bestseller lists. In addition to diet advice, low carbohydrate cookbooks and lifestyle recommendations, the company Dr. Atkins founded sells nutritional food bars and cuisine items through commercial vendors and on the Atkins' Diet website.

Features

The Atkins' Diet features three meals per day and a snack. Meals contain protein and fat with selected low carbohydrate vegetables. You may eat liberal amounts of eggs, meat and fish and use fats that do not contain hydrogenated oil. After the induction phase, the Atkins' Diet permits gradual addition of other vegetables and whole grains. Atkins discourages fruits because of their high sugar content, although the diet permits berries in later stages. Atkins recommends physical exercise as part of your life style changes.

Time Frame

The Atkins Diet progresses through four stages, beginning with induction. Induction lasts approximately two weeks and restricts carbohydrates the most. The weight loss phase, or Phase 2, advises you to gradually add carbohydrates as long as you continue to reduce body weight. Dr. Atkins recommends setting a weight loss goal or desired weight as a frame of reference to measure your progress. The pre-maintenance stage, or Stage 3, begins when you are withinin five to 10 lbs. of your goal. Dr. Atkins suggests using this time to increase gradually carbohydrate intake and practice dealing with temptation. For the final phase, lifetime maintenance, Dr. Atkins advises continuing to eat natural, unprocessed foods, exercise regularly, take nutritional supplements, and never let yourself gain more than five pounds above your goal weight.

Benefits

Dr. Rebecca Kirby, writing for the American Association of Family Practitioners, reported evidence of both weight loss and lower blood values for glucose, cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein on the Atkins' Diet. In a study conducted for the National Institutes of Health, individuals on the Atkins diet experienced the most weight loss at 12 months among four diets that the study compared.

Misconceptions

Three misconceptions about the Atkins' diet include the belief that you eat mostly red meat, you cannot eat whole grains and eating full-fat dairy raises your cholesterol. Not true. The new Atkins' Diet published in 2010 allows whole grains in limited quantities. Atkins' menus include a range of protein sources including eggs, fish and poultry. A study published by the National Institutes of Health found Atkins' dieters had reduced metabolic factors including insulin, cholesterol and triglycerides.