Atkins is a low carbohydrate high protein diet that was developed in 1972 by Dr. Robert Atkins. Among the great benefits of the diet are rapid weight gain and not having to count calories. Yet, you may experience some side-effects, such as headaches and constipation, especially in the beginning of the diet. Here are some guidelines that help you to get fast results and ease the side-effects of the diet.
Step 1
Ensure that you have headache medicine at home when you start the diet. The sudden drop in the amount of carbohydrates that you consume might cause headache for several days. These symptoms will pass in a few days but you may ease your symptoms with over-the-counter medication.
Step 2
Drink plenty of water when you are on Atkins. This will help in two ways. First, you may experience bad breath that is caused by ketones. This indicates that your body is burning fat and is a good sign. Drinking water can help in reducing the bad smell in your breath, however. You can also experience constipation when the amount of fiber in your diet is suddenly reduced. Consuming plenty of water will also help you with this symptom.
Step 3
Take a daily multivitamin. Especially in the beginning of the diet when you do not know how to count the amount of carbohydrates very well, it is common to eat too little. Multivitamins ensure that you are getting the nutrition you need.
Step 4
Consume proteins at least three times a day and make sure that you eat at least four to six ounces of protein every day. Suggested are lean proteins like chicken, freshwater fish and eggs but even fatty meat is not banned. Dr. Atkins highly recommends eggs and asks you to eat cream cheese instead of low-fat cheese.
Step 5
Limit the amount of carbohydrates that you consume daily to 20 grams in the beginning of the diet. Once you are past the first couple of weeks of the diet, you can increase your daily carbohydrate intake by five grams every week until you stop losing weight. At this point you can cut back five grams until you start losing weight again. At least 12 to 15 grams of your net carbs per day should come from vegetables.
Step 6
Dont't consume any fruits when you are on the first phase of the diet. On the second phase that you can enter after the first couple of weeks you can consume berries such as strawberries, blueberries. Also cantaloupe or honeydew are allowed. Fruits contain plenty of carbohydrates, however, and you should count the amount of carbohydrates in them carefully.
Step 7
Do not consume more than three packs of artificial sweeteners per day. Dr. Atkins recommends such sweeteners as Splenda.
Tips and Warnings
- Weigh yourself once a week to follow your progress. If you want to lose weight rapidly, you may want to stay in the first phase of Atkins longer than the first two weeks, but do not stay in the first phase for more than six months.
- Many people lose their appetite after being on Atkins for a while. Make sure that you eat enough while on Atkins.
Things You'll Need
- Multivitamins,
- water,
- scale
References
- Atkins: Program
- Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution; Dr. Robert Atkins; 2002
- The Atkins Essentials; Atkins Health & Medical Information Services; 2005
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