The Atkins Diet is perhaps one of the most talked-about and controversial diets in recent years. This diet allows the consumption of unsaturated and saturated fats and promises that you can still lose weight despite this. This way of dieting has received a lot of criticism from various quarters since consuming large amounts of fats and proteins may lead to weight loss, but it cannot really be healthy. To get a better understanding of the Atkins Diet, we have looked into it further and explored the advantages and disadvantages of this diet.
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History of the Atkins Diet
The Atkins Diet, or Atkins Nutritional Approach as it is officially known, was created by American Dr. Robert Coleman Atkins (1931-2003). Like the creator of the South Beach diet, the founder and inventor of the Atkins diet was a cardiologist by profession. Throughout his daily activities, he regularly encountered patients who suffered from obesity and thus fell prey to cardiovascular diseases. In the 1970s, Dr. Robert Atkins researched the effects of low-carbohydrate diet programs to combat the obesity of his patients. He successfully devised the diet and introduced it in 1972 through his book: Dr. Atkin’s Diet Revolution.
How the Atkins Diet Works
The Atkins Diet is based on the idea that too many simple carbohydrates are consumed in Western society, leading to lifestyle diseases such as obesity and diabetes. This high intake of carbohydrates causes the human body to respond less effectively to the insulin released by the pancreas, making it harder for body cells to absorb glucose from carbohydrates. This results in a high amount of glucose remaining in the blood. A high level of glucose in the blood can lead to fat storage, and if this persists over the long term, it can eventually lead to type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Atkins addresses these high levels of glucose in the blood by eliminating large amounts of carbohydrates. No carbohydrates mean no high glucose levels in the blood, forcing the body to look for other sources of energy. The energy that the body derives from a low-carb diet comes from fat reserves.
Phases of the Atkins Diet
Like many diets, the Atkins Diet is divided into different phases. Each phase signifies a different dietary pattern.
Phase 1 – Ketosis Phase
The first phase involves a very limited intake of carbohydrates. During the first phase, you are only allowed to eat 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. Additionally, in this phase, you cannot eat fruit, drink coffee, or consume alcohol. The advantage of this radical phase is that you will start to lose weight quickly and significantly. This is because the goal of the first phase is to get the body into ketosis. Ketosis refers to the state of the body where it starts using fats for energy provision. Your body enters ketosis in 2 weeks. So, summarizing the first phase of the Atkins Diet:
- Limited amount of carbohydrates per day: 20 grams maximum
- Unlimited amount of fats
- Unlimited amount of proteins
- No coffee
- No alcohol
- Lots of water
- Supplements for vitamins and minerals
- Duration of 2 weeks
Phase 2 – Critical Carbohydrate Limit
The second phase of the Atkins diet aims to continue weight loss but slowly increase the amount of carbohydrates. You lose weight and eat more carbohydrates until you no longer lose weight. You may eat more vegetables, and the daily carbohydrate intake can increase by 5 grams. Thus, phase 2 consists of:
- Limited carbohydrates per day: 25 grams
- 5 grams more carbohydrates daily than the week before
- Unlimited amount of fats
- Unlimited amount of proteins
- Eat more carbohydrates until weight loss stops
- Supplements to replenish vitamins
Phase 3 – Pre-maintenance Phase
After phase 2, you should know how many carbohydrates you can eat until you no longer lose weight. Phase 3 is a stepping stone to phase 4, the final maintenance phase. In this phase, you can eat more carbohydrates and the aim is to determine the amount that allows you to maintain your weight.
- More carbohydrates than phase 2
- Unlimited amount of fats
- Unlimited amount of proteins
- Eat more carbohydrates until weight loss stops
- Supplements to replenish vitamins
Phase 4 – Maintenance Phase
The final phase of the Atkins diet is phase 4. In this phase, the goal is to maintain your ideal weight now that you know how many carbohydrates you can eat daily without gaining weight. Eventually, you may eat more carbohydrates, but sugars remain prohibited.
- Same diet as phase 3
- Daily carbohydrate intake does not change
- Unlimited amount of fats
- Unlimited amount of proteins
- Sugar remains forbidden
- If weight increases, carbohydrates must be reduced again
- Supplements for vitamins
Advantages of the Atkins Diet
The Atkins Diet works for people who want to lose weight quickly and sustainably. Much of the weight lost in the initial weeks can be attributed not only to the ketosis phase, which also occurs with the Ketogenic diet, and fat burning. Initially, the glycogen stores in the muscles decrease, and this is accompanied by water loss. Additionally, a significant advantage is that you do not need to measure and fit regarding fats and proteins. You can eat as much of these as you want.
Disadvantages of the Atkins Diet
Unfortunately, there are also disadvantages to the Atkins Diet. Eating a lot of fats, unsaturated, saturated, and trans fats, is not healthy. This may have a favorable effect on your weight, but it can have adverse effects on your cholesterol. In addition, you limit the intake of vegetables and fruit, which provide vitamins and minerals. Although you get these from dietary supplements in this diet, they are the synthetic variants. We prefer the natural variant. Finally, the Atkins Diet can make you smell. The ketosis phase is characterized by the burning of fat, causing you to smell a bit like acetone.
