The Atkins diet is one of the most commonly followed diets to help aid weight loss and fat burn. The main selling point of this diet is that your weight loss journey can comprise as much fat and proteins that you would like, provided that your diet does not consist of foods that are high in carbs.
The Atkins diet plan primarily consists of four different stages:
- Stage 1 – Induction: Carb foods intake is restricted to lower than 20 grams a day for a period of two weeks. Followers are advised to consume foods that are high in fat and protein along with low-carb veggies like spinach and kale. This helps in preparing the body to lose weight.
- Stage 2 – Balancing: It is advised that you gradually supplement whole food sources like dried nuts, low-carb foods, veggies, and fresh fruit into the diet.
- Stage 3 – Fine Tuning: As you approach your target goal for weight loss, begin to slowly reintroduce into your diet until your body slows down its weight loss process.
- Stage 4 – Maintenance: Continue consuming healthy sources of carbohydrates in moderation.
Frequent followers of the Atkins weight loss diet suggest in their weight loss tips that a good way of doing this would be to skip stage one altogether and include as much fresh fruit and vegetables as you can from the start, while others say that it is better to remain in the first stage which also doubles as a low-carb keto diet plan.
Read on to find out more about the pros and cons of following the Atkins Diet.
Pros
Following the Atkin can have several health benefits for you, such as:
Consuming Healthy Carbs
It is a common misconception that carbohydrates are bad for you. In actuality, only refined carb foods such as bread or pizza are harmful to you as they are a rich source of simple sugars which break down your body at a fast pace. Following the Atkins diet can help you identify healthy sources of carbs that provide you with the good kind of fat and sugars.
No Calorie Counting
While most diets require you to constantly monitor your food intake and count the number of calories you consume every day, Atkins does not require you to do that at all. All you have to do is stay within the suggested parameters for consuming your food and you can eat to your heart’s fill.
Reduces Bad Cholesterol
Following this diet requires you to completely eliminate bad foods like processed sugar and carbohydrates from your daily nutritional intake. This helps in lowering the triglyceride levels of your body which in turn leads to the reduction of bad cholesterol levels.
Fast Results
The Atkins diet plan for weight loss is quite effective in showing the results. Followers of this diet have reported near-instant weight loss in the initial stages of this diet, which has been a great source of assurance and boosting motivation for them.
Has A Lot Of Options
The Atkins diet is a blessing in disguise if you are someone who loves to eat meat. The initial stages of the diet require you to fill yourself with proteins and fats which means that you get to binge on as many burgers and steaks as you want. This is also a great chance for foodies to explore the various types of meat options available.
Cons
Eating Out Can Be A Disaster
While the Atkins diet allows you to go bonkers on all the protein that you want, it is strictly against consuming carbs of any kind, and most restaurants only serve food that is high in carbs. This makes going out for dinner a huge problem.
Can Be Intimidating
While seasoned dieters will have no problem following this plan, the restrictive boundaries of the Atkins diet can be a tad bit intimidating to newbies. The sudden shift in consumption patterns could also have a negative impact on their digestive system.
Weight Loss May Not Be Permanent
Most people lose track of maintaining the low carb diets and consuming only healthy carbs. They begin to binge on refined sugars which can have a negative impact on their progress. For those who fail to stick to this diet plan for weight loss properly, the worst-case scenario would be that they would end up even heavier than when they started, making it a huge gamble.
