The Atkins diet is a low-carbohydrate diet in which dieters get most of their calories from protein and fat. When the body does not get its energy from carbohydrates, insulin production slows, and your body starts burning stored fat for energy instead. Because blood sugar levels do not fluctuate as much, dieters tend to be hungry less often and consume fewer calories.
History
The Atkins diet was developed by Robert C. Atkins in the 1960s as a result of a series of articles he read in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" that suggested that avoiding carbs helps people lose weight. He then developed his diet plan and published his first book on it, "Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution," in 1972. It instantly became a success. His books have been bestsellers ever since.
Atkins Foods
Protein is the mainstay of the Atkins diet. Foods rich in protein are lean meats like fish, shellfish, poultry, beef, pork, venison and lamb. Low-carbohydrate vegetables are also a staple of the Atkins diet. These include cucumbers, lettuces, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower and artichokes. Legumes, nuts and seeds can be eaten in moderation. And as for beverages, broths, water, coffee and tea (with cream but not sugar) and diet sodas are OK to drink.
Foods to be avoided on the Atkins Diet include breads, pasta, grains, cookies, cakes, ice cream, candy, chips, potatoes, yams, milk, sugary drinks and fruit juices. Fruits can be eaten in the later stages of the diet, but only in moderation.
Diet Phases
The Atkins diet is comprised of four phases: induction, ongoing weight loss (OWL), pre-maintenance and maintenance. The induction phase lasts for two weeks and involves eating fewer than 20 grams of net carbohydrates per day. The second phase, OWL, follows the "Power of Five" plan. Each week, you add five additional grams of net carbs to your daily diet as you monitor weight loss. When you are no longer losing weight, you have found your Carbohydrate Level for Losing, or CLL. You should continue eating the maximum number of healthy carbs per week that you can while still losing weight. This phase ends when you are within 10 lbs. of your target weight.
During pre-maintenance, the third phase of the Atkins diet, you add 10 grams of net carbs to your diet each week according to the "Power of 10" rule, until you stop dropping pounds. Maintenance is just as it sounds: you have reached your target weight and simply eat the maximum number of healthy carbs you can to maintain your weight.
Risks
One side-effect of the Atkins diet is dehydration. When you stop eating carbs, your body depletes its stores of liver glycogen, which is water-rich. As a result, especially during the first few weeks of the diet, dehydration can occur.
There has been some worry that the dietary fats consumed by Atkins dieters may increase "bad" LDL cholesterol levels and put dieters at an increased risk for heart disease. However, a 2006 study published in the "New England Journal of Medicine" by Thomas Halton and colleagues found that such diets do not, in fact, increase the risk of heart disease in women.
Long-Term Efficacy
Although many studies have shown that the Atkins diet helps dieters lose weight in the short-term, few have shown the diet to be effective over the long-term, perhaps because it is difficult to maintain the strict no-carb requirements for long periods of time. However, a study published in 2008 in the "New England Journal of Medicine" by Iris Shai and colleagues found that a low-carbohydrate diet similar to Atkins helped people lose weight and maintain the weight loss over a two-year period. More studies, however, are necessary.
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