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When you think of dieting, there are just certain foods that you know you will have to pass on if you are going to lose weight.  After all, we have been told over and over that low-fat is the only way to go.  But in the 1970’s, Dr. Robert Atkins wrote a diet book that turned the dieting world upside down.  He claimed that limiting the intake of carbohydrates would create a chemical breakdown in the body that would burn unwanted fat.  

 It is important to note that carbohydrates are used as a main source of energy for our bodies.  When the amount of carbohydrates is limited, then our bodies must look for another source of fuel to create energy.  The next source of fuel that the body chooses is body fat that is stored in our numerous fat cells.  In essence, the reduction of carbohydrate intake forces our body to burn fat instead.  This process is what is known as ketosis.  The second thing that carbohydrates do is promote the creation of insulin in our bodies.  It is the insulin that converts any of the excess carbohydrates in our body to fat.  Hence, when you have fewer carbohydrates in your body, you have less insulin that will create less fat that is new.   

In a nutshell, the Atkins plan will allow a dieter to eat foods that  low-fat diet won’t, while limiting foods that most low-fat diets promote. It is definitely a topsy turvy approach to what you have been told in the past.  Here is a brief glance at the diet: 

• There are few limits set on the amount of food you may eat, so hunger is not a problem on this diet.  However, it does restrict quite severely, the kinds of foods you are allowed to place on your plate.  There is not any room for refined sugar, white flour, white rice or milk.
• You are allowed to eat foods that are traditionally considered to be rich.  You may eat eggs, meat, and yes, even cheese.  You are allowed to cook with butter, drizzle olive oil on your salad, and have mayonnaise with your tuna. 

• The diet claims that your appetite will decrease through the process of ketosis. 

• Carbohydrates are restricted the first two weeks of the diet.  You are restricted to 20 grams of net carbs which means the total number of carbohydrates minus fiber.   This means that you can have roughly 3 cups of salad that is loosely packed or 2 cups of salad and 2/3 Cup of cooked vegetables on the approved list each day. 

 There are no exceptions to these rules for the first two weeks of the diet.  The limited amount of carbohydrate is purported to jumpstart the biochemical process of the diet.  You don’t need to count calories, but you will be counting carbohydrates instead. 

After the initial two week induction phase, the carb allowance is gradually increased to allow foods which are rich in fiber.  You will not be allowed to return to eating refined sugar, white flour, pasta made with white flour, white bread, white rice, white potatoes or milk.

 It is important to realize that the diet WILL allow you to add in whole foods after the 2 week induction period.  These foods include fruits, vegetables and foods that are whole grain.

 Over time, the transition from weight loss is made to weight maintenance.  This is done by gradually increasing the carbohydrate intake as long as the weight loss is maintained. Exercise is now emphasized in all phases of the Atkins diet as a part of a healthy lifestyle.