How Atkins Works

One of the more controversial diets available, The Atkins diet works by drastically restricting carbohydrates. Dr. Robert Atkins, the diet's creator, believed that the key to losing body fat and maintaining overall health is to control insulin levels. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas that carries glucose into either muscle or fat cells. Under normal conditions, insulin production is an essential component of metabolism. Atkins believed however, for those with difficulty maintaining a healthy body weight, overproduction and poor sensitivity to insulin is the root cause. Chronically high insulin causes excessive body fat gain, and eventually, type 2 diabetes. Atkins believed that by eliminating most carbohydrates from the diet, insulin levels could be controlled, and the body could be forced to use stored body fat as fuel.

Food Choices

Unlike more mainstream diets, The Atkins diet allows very high-fat foods, previously off limits to most dieters. Foods such as cheese, bacon, whole eggs, fatty red meats and pork are not only allowed, but encouraged on the Atkins diet. In the event that carbohydrates are restricted, the body, before switching to fat as the primary energy source, will try to make glucose from other nutrients like protein. If fat is restricted along with carbohydrates, the dieter will not switch to a fat-burning state as quickly or as easily as she would with a diet rich in fat.

Burning Fat

The process responsible for the success of the Atkins diet is called ketosis. The human body has numerous survival mechanisms to survive various conditions. Ketosis is a process the body would normally use to survive starvation, but will also be triggered by carbohydrate restriction. Under normal circumstances, glucose is our preferred source of fuel, especially for the brain. When the body no longer supplies enough glucose to the brain, it must find a suitable replacement. Ketosis is the process of breaking down fat into a compound called ketones, which can be used in place of glucose. When carbohydrates are first eliminated from the diet, the dieter can experience confusion, lethargy and irritability. This a normal effect of low blood glucose. These feelings generally go away when the body switches to ketones as the primary source of fuel.

Atkins Long Term

The Atkins diet must be very strict in the beginning because of the likelihood of the body switching back to glucose as fuel. Once the dieter has been on the diet for a few weeks, however, certain carbohydrates such as vegetables and legumes can be slowly added back. Although still a low-carb diet as the body becomes more accustomed to ketosis, more carbohydrates can be consumed without slipping out of ketosis. Atkins considered his plan a lifestyle rather than just a diet.