The Atkins Diet is a low-carbohydrate nutrition plan aimed at turning the body into a fat-burning machine. It works by restricting calories from carbohydrates, replacing them with proteins and fats. In this way, the body learns to rely on fat reserves for energy rather than glucose (blood sugar) from carbohydrates, a process known as lipolysis. As the body burns more of its fat, ketones---by-products of fatty acids---are released into the urine and breath, signaling the conversion from carb-burning to fat-burning. The diet plan is intended to help you lose weight while mastering the amount of carbohydrates you can have each day without gaining weight.
Step 1
Restrict your intake of net carbohydrates to 20 grams a day. Net carbs are the number of grams of carbs in a food after adjusting for fiber which is considered indigestible and thus, not really counted as a carbohydrate. For example, if you have a medium-sized banana, which has 27 grams of carbs, 3 of which are fiber, then the net carbs of a banana would be 24 grams.
Step 2
Eat more lean protein and good fats. The original Atkins Diet let you have foods high in saturated fats and trans fatty acids, but revisions to the diet recommend you have chicken breast, fish, egg whites and olive oil---sources of good fat---instead, because studies have shown a diet high in saturated fats may raise LDL (low-density lipoprotein, or "bad") cholesterol levels. On average, dieters can expect to have 20 grams of carbs and 100 grams of fat daily for the first few weeks.
Step 3
Drink water. The diet prohibits the consumption of soft drinks, fruit juices, and other beverages that are high in carbs, refined sugars, and high fructose corn syrup. Dieters are allowed to have a small portion of caffeine, but alcohol is forbidden early in the diet.
Step 4
Take a multivitamin. Because you will most likely not be getting enough of your essential vitamins and minerals, you may need to take a multivitamin. The program is okay with this as long as it does not boost iron levels which already will be high from the one to two pounds of meat you will be having each day.
Step 5
Exercise. Most research on the Atkins Diet suggests people who engage in physical activity while on the diet show the greatest results.
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