If you've decided to follow the Atkins diet in an effort to lose weight, you may be wondering how in the world you'll ever give up carbohydrates. However, many Atkins novices don't realize the diet also asks you to cut back on caffeine -- and in some cases, that can be more difficult than giving up bread and cookies.
Function
The Atkins diet attempts to turn your body into a fat-burning machine from a sugar-burning machine by providing it with primarily fat and protein for fuel, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This naturally lowers your blood sugar, which is the effect the diet is seeking. However, when you consume caffeinated beverages, the caffeine in them can affect your blood sugar levels, potentially altering the effectiveness of the diet. Therefore, the Atkins diet recommends you cut way back on caffeine or give it up entirely.
Significance
The Atkins diet formerly prohibited all caffeine due to the undesirable effects it can have on your blood sugar levels. However, the diet's official guidelines now state that you can consume up to two cups a day of coffee or other caffeinated beverage, such as diet soda, as long as you don't experience any cravings for carbohydrates afterward. In addition, the site warns you that caffeinated beverages consumed while you're following the Atkins diet can cause symptoms of hypoglycemia, which include disorientation, tiredness and extreme hunger, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Benefits
Ideally, you should give up all caffeine while following the Atkins diet, according to the diet's official site, which recommends breaking the caffeine habit in induction, the first stage of the diet. However, abruptly dropping caffeinated beverages from your diet can lead to withdrawal symptoms, including severe headaches, lethargy, mild depression and mild anxiety, according to Columbia University.
Options
The Atkins diet allows you to have all the decaffeinated coffee and tea you want to drink, so if you crave a cup of coffee to start your day, you might consider switching to decaf while you're following the diet. In addition, the diet allows you to drink unlimited diet soda as long as it doesn't contain caffeine. You may find that these satisfy you as you proceed through the Atkins diet stages.
Considerations
Although the Atkins diet advocates a cold-turkey approach to dropping carbohydrates from your diet as part of its program, that same cold-turkey approach on caffeine may lead to very unpleasant caffeine withdrawal symptoms, just as you're trying to adjust to other aspects of the Atkins diet. To make the transition easier, you might consider beginning the process of weaning yourself off of caffeine a week or two before you begin the Atkins diet. If you cut back slowly, reducing the caffeine you consume by a small amount each day, you may not experience any major withdrawal symptoms, according to Columbia University.
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