The Atkins Diet is a weight loss plan with low carb rules and high protein content. The plan's benefits have been challenged, but followers of the diet have lost large amounts of weight. The Atkins diet has an initiation phase, a main phase for weight loss and a maintenance plan phase.
Induction Phase
The induction phase of Atkins is the point when dieters are required to eat extremely low amounts of carbohydrates. The body uses approximately 150 g of carbohydrates each day. The Atkins diet restricts carbohydrate intake to 20 g or less.
Features
After the induction phase, dieters are focused on gradually increasing carbohydrates back into the diet. They can eat any amount of fat and proteins they wish, but they start off with a 25 g carbohydrate allowance. This amount is increased by 5 g each week until the 120 g limit is reached.
Considerations
Atkins allows high fat and protein content. One popular consideration for an Atkins dieter is that they can eat hamburgers, red meat and all the protein she wants as long as the bread and other carbohydrates are removed. Foods allowed during the Atkins diet are beef, pork, fish, poultry, seafood and eggs.
Effects
The severe reduction in carbohydrates leads to rapid weight loss. Dieters are able to lose several pounds a week if they follow the plan faithfully.
Warning
Atkins promotes high fat content in the nutritional allowances. Saturated fats found in some of the plan's food, like red meat, have been linked with heart disease and increased blood pressure.
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