Balancing of nutrient intake has invented many diets including the Atkins Diet. It is one of the best low carb diet that focuses on low carb, high protein and fat intake and is suggested for weight loss.
How Low Carb intake helps in weight loss?
Carbs are the sugars we consume with food that are stored in the body as glucose and glycogen and provide energy to body cells. When in excess, these molecules are stored in the liver and underneath muscles and slowly convert to fat. Therefore, resulting in weight gain and other obesity related issues.
In a low-carb diet when the body is not receiving the carbs for energy. It uses the energy from the stored glucose and glycogen underneath muscles and around other body organs. Therefore, reducing fat accumulation and body weight.
The Low Carb – Atkins Diet
The diet is to reduce carbs intake to the minimum and increase protein and fat content for the body. Protein provides energy to the body for growth and reproduction. They increase muscle strength and fulfil the body’s basic needs.
Fat intake is to use the stored fat in the body instead of glucose. When we consume fat, it uses the ketones from accumulated fat instead of glucose to provide energy to the body. Therefore, the Atkins diet focuses on high-fat, moderate protein and low-carb intake to keep balance of the nutrients. It controls body functions, promotes weight loss and reduces fat accumulation.
Phases of the Best Low Carb Diet – Atkins diet
Induction
The phase initiates the weight loss journey. It lasts for about 2 weeks with low-carbs intake, an average of 20 grams per day with high fat and protein intake. A person should eat 3 proper meals with adequate amounts of protein and fats. Find a detailed list of food items you can eat in the Atkins Diet Phase 1.
Balancing
The next phase is to balance back the nutrients. This is done by slowly increasing the carbs content. For instance, consuming more fresh fruits and vegetables to get the nutrients. Meanwhile, nuts, berries and seeds are added to the diet, because carb content should be raised to almost 25g in the first week.
Tuning
This involves setting your lifestyle goals for consuming. It increases the carbs content to an extent that promotes a healthy living and can be used for prolonged use.
Maintaining
Healthy carbs can be added to a diet that don’t make you gain more. The weight loss reduces here and now it’s more maintaining yourself through the proper diet.
The main weight loss takes place in the Induction phase with a complete cut down and negligible intake of carbs. The body sheds most weight in this phase. Consequently, it moves to balancing and putting back the carb intake in the diet. The process starts slow and goes to an optimum level, carb intake above that may make you gain weight. A person can then continue the diet at the last phase as a healthy lifestyle.
The diet shows notable results for many, but depends on how well you do it and the extent to which it suits your body. People with irregular blood pressure and sugar levels and being on medications should avoid it, because it might disrupt their ongoing dietary body pattern.
To make the diet effective, care should be taken to abstain from certain foods that includes the following.
- Sugars – chocolates, cakes, soft drinks, etc.
- Wheat/Whole Wheat – bread, roti and barley
- Legumes – lentils and chickpeas
- Low-Fat items – as they are usually high in carbs (sugars)
- High carb and starchy vegetables – carrots, turnips and potatoes (during the induction phase only)
Foods preferred to consume in Atkins Diet:
- Eggs – rich source of protein
- Meat – chicken, lamb, beef
- Healthy Fats
- Full Fat Dairy – milk and yogurt
- Fatty Fish and Seafood – salmon, tuna, etc.
- Nuts – Almonds
- Seeds – Chia seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, etc.
- Low- carb vegetables – broccoli, spinach, etc.
Conclusion
To sum up, The diet follows a pattern of cutting down carbs and shedding body fat to the maximum within the first 2 weeks. The immense fat breakdown promotes weight loss as well as prevention from heart related problems, insulin resistance and diabetes. After the induction phase the balancing tuning and maintaining moves a person to adopt the healthier shift for the food they ingest.