Krorsino.files.wordpress.com



Atkins DietPremise of “Fad Diet” or Plan: A well-known cardiologist named Robert Coleman Atkins, created the controversial low carbohydrate diet, the Atkins Diet in 1972. The diet emphasizes eating protein, fat and low-starch vegetables. Dr. Atkin believed that carbohydrates cause a spike in blood sugar and that spike in blood sugar lead to the storage of fat in the body. Reducing the spike of blood sugar by decreasing carbohydrates and increasing fat and protein consumption, the body will burn more fat and do a better job of regulating blood sugar. By restricting carbohydrates (carefully) dieters are told they can drop considerable amounts of weight and keep it off if they maintain this lifestyle. Another claim is they will still be able to enjoy the foods they enjoy. The Atkins website has evolved greatly by including pre-made meals for purchase, two different eating plans (Atkins 20 and Atkins 40), free tools and even a blog for support. -14885618536970Overview of Plans: Atkins 20 Plan: This is the original Atkins plan which claims that millions have lost weight on. It is set up in four phases that slowly re-introduce carbohydrates into your diet as the phases progress. It’s simple and there will be a drastic weight loss in the beginning phase due to the extreme restriction of carbohydrates. The phases are separated by the amount of carbohydrates that are allotted for the day. They roughly increase by 20-30 grams of carbohydrates for each phase. The sources of carbohydrates are also restricted. Stage one is only vegetables, protein, healthy fats, cheese, nuts and seeds. Phase two adds legumes, melon, berries, yogurt and tomato juice. By stage three and four, fruit, starchy vegetables and whole grains are added. Phase one’s duration is no longer than two weeks long, unless there is an excessive amount of weight that needs to be lost. It is Ideal to stay in this phase until the dieter in 15 pounds from goal weight. The purpose of this period is to shift your body from primarily burning carbs to burning fat. Dr. Atkins claims that at an average net carb intake of 20-25g a day will allow the body to start burning fat. Phase two is about keeping the weight loss momentum and finding your “carb balance.” This number will be impacted by the individual; age, gender, activity level and hormone balance. The increase in carbs are in increments of 5g. Phase three is for fine-tuning and maintenance of the lost weight. Usually dieters will start this phase when they are 10 pounds from their goal weight and gradually lose the rest by the slow increase of carbohydrates. The increase of carbs is in increments of 10g. Phase four is the permanent stage of the plan at which the dieter has found their “carb balance” that works for them and that they will use ongoing to maintain. At each of the four phases there is a list of acceptable foods that dieters can refer to.74428-251Atkins 40 Plan: This plan is relatively newer and seems to appeal to the skeptics. It incorporates all the food groups but focuses on serving sizes of allotted food groups. It starts off at 40g of carbohydrates a day compared to the 20g in the Atkins 20 plan. The plan encourages 10g of carbs for three meals and 10g for two snacks. Also, incorporating three 4-6oz servings of protein and 2-4 servings of fat each day. One the website it breaks down what food sources are the most beneficial for the dieter’s weight loss/health.00Allowed Food/Restricted Food/Food for Purchase: Allowed food:protein fatslow-starch vegetables Restricted food:simple carbohydrates Food for purchase:protein barprotein shakessports drinksportioned low-carb frozen mealsAtkins meal kitsfresh delivery service with recipe and ingredients 01905What’s missing from this picture? A food group!! A balanced diet it very important and is severely over-looked in the early years of the Atkins diet. Since then, they have begun to incorporate more carbohydrates into meals because of recent studies showing people consuming large amounts of dietary fat increase the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke. Even though Atkins made this slight change in their marketing to consume lean meats or low-fat protein, the carbohydrate amount is still too low per day. The USDA recommends that adults consume 45 to 65 percent of their daily calories from carbohydrates. -1905078105Cost of Plan: On the website, there is a calculator that the dieter enters in data specific to them and the calculator tells you if you would benefit more from the Atkins 20 or 40 plan. To follow either of these plans is free, but if you want access to the website you need to pay a membership fee. The website offers a free carb counting calculator and low-carb meal plans and shopping lists. The free information is quite impressive, although you have no idea where the information is coming from. None of the material is cited and the scientific research articles on the website were all done by Atkins. The frozen foods, shakes and snacks can be purchased on the website or various grocery stores. The prices of these items all vary depending what you get, but you are mostly paying for the convenience. The fresh recipe delivery is a service that you can pay for a la carte or pay for a monthly subscription. This is the service that provides a recipe along with fresh, low-carb, pre-portioned ingredients to go along with it. Atkins meal kits are available for purchase on the website and vary in cost depending on how many items are in the kit. The kits consist of frozen dinners, snacks, shakes and other drinks. Again, the main purpose of this is pre-portioned, easy meals for convenience.Lack of Medical/RD Involvement: Looking through the website, there was no evidence supporting the use of a medical professional or registered dietician in providing this information on the website. Although Dr. Atkins was a doctor, the website doesn’t confirm the input of a professional. I don’t think a professional would support the use of a keto-diet as a good idea for overall health and weight maintenance. Website Materials: Rate: On the Atkins website, there are hundreds of success stories that are shared with testimonials and pictures of the weight loss. There are no stories of failure which is not surprising. The Atkins diet is an effective way to lose drastic weight in the short term but the lack of balance in this diet is a cause of concern of many medical professionals. Carbohydrates are necessary for energy, vitamins, minerals and fiber. 442912517659351304290173736000The Atkins diet is supposed to be a lifetime approach to weight loss. By phase four in the program, the dieter is supposed to be at the “lifetime maintenance” stage with a target carbohydrate intake of 45 to 100 grams a day! While this may work for a short period, it does not seem ideal for a life time and would eventually catch up with a dieter. It will, however, teach the dieter that staying away from fast foods and simple sugars is a good idea. The frozen meals and snacks that Atkins offers doesn’t seem like they would be that appetizing. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download