Are you searching for an effective weight loss diet? If yes, the Atkins diet can be the right option for you. It has obtained enormous popularity all over the world. Also, it offers you a lot of advantages over many other diet plans. Today, we will go into the details of this diet to help you know more about it.
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What is the Atkins diet?
In simple terms, the Atkins diet is a low-carb diet. You need to limit the carbohydrates which you consume. You can consume almost as much protein and fat as you prefer. The Atkins diet was first introduced by Dr. Robert C Atkins, in his book in 1972. Ever since then, thousands of individuals all over the world have used this diet.
The Atkins
The Atkins diet phases:
• Phase 1:
Phase 1 is known as induction. It requires you to consume less than 20 g of carbs daily. It can last for up to 2 weeks. You can eat high-fat, and high protein foodstuffs like green leafy vegetables. It is the phase that can help you kickstart weight loss.
• Phase 2:
It is known as balancing. It requires you to add nuts, low-carb vegetables, and some fruit into your diet.
• Phase 3:
It is known as fine-tuning. When you’re progressing towards your weight loss goal and are almost there, you can add some more carbs to your diet. You can progressively add cards until the pace of your weight loss slows down.
• Phase 4:
It is known as the maintenance phase. In this phase, you can consume even more carbs and keep on increasing the quantity of the carbs in your diet. You have to do so until your weight starts to increase.
As you can see, it is a diet which not only helps your transition to the low carb diet but also back to the regular eating suitable for your body. That is why it is so effective.
Diet Plan:
Now that you know the basic principle of this diet plan; let us look at the foods to consume regularly, foods to have occasionally, and foods that you should downright avoid.
Foods to consume on Atkins diet:
- Your diet can include foodstuffs like:
- Ingredients consisting of healthy fats like avocados, extra virgin olive oil
- Eggs that can provide your body with omega-3 fatty acids
- Chicken, lamb and other such meat option
- Limited seeds and nuts like walnuts, sunflower seeds
- Low-carb green leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli
- Dairy products consisting of fat like cream, butter, and cheese
- Seafood options like salmon, sardines
These are the foodstuffs which you can include in your diet.
Foods suitable for occasional consumption:
There are some foodstuffs which you can consume occasionally. They should be limited in quantity. These include dark chocolate, heavy cream, and so on. Anything which consists of a very high amount of fat should be consumed only in moderate amounts.
Foods to avoid:
You should avoid the foodstuffs consisting of carbs. These include:
- Fruits like bananas, oranges, grapes (avoidable in the induction phase)
- Vegetables like carrots and turnips (avoidable in induction phase)
- Barley, wheat, rice, and other such grain options
- Potatoes, sweet potatoes and other foodstuffs consisting of starch (avoidable in induction phase)
- Foods and delicacies consisting of preservatives, high sugar like cakes, ice cream, soft drinks, and fruit juice
- Anything with hydrogenated or Trans-fats in its ingredient list
- Oils like soybean oil, corn oil
To clarify, you should not consume anything which consists of a high quantity of carbohydrates.
Beverages Allowed:
When it comes to liquids, there are only a few options which you can consume. These include:
- Water
- Green tea
- Coffee (low intensity)
Once you are familiar with the foodstuffs which you can and cannot consume, it is easy to follow this diet.
Advantages of the Atkins diet:
Before you make up your mind about this diet, it is essential to go through its benefits.
- You will not have to concern about calorie counting. You will be consuming more fat than before.
- The diet does not restrict the quantity of food that you can consume.
- The diet can also lower the cholesterol levels in your body and bring sugar levels back to normal.
- It is perfect for losing a significant quantum of fats in 6 months to one year.
The diet has a maintenance module as well, which means that you can be on a more liberal diet once you reach your weight loss goal.
Therefore, all these advantages of this diet make it a great choice.
Single Day Sample Menu:
Are you curious about what a single day on this diet looks like?
Worry not! We will share with you a single day sample menu.
- Breakfast: vegetables and eggs (cooked only in coconut oil)
- Lunch: chicken salad along with olive oil and some nuts
- Dinner: steak and vegetables
As you can see, the choices are pretty liberal. You will not have to survive on tasteless food when going with this diet.
How to stick to the Atkins diet when eating out?
All that is great, but how to follow this diet when eating out? This question might be plaguing many of you. I will share with you a guide to follow this diet even when eating out.
- You should prefer eating delicacies that consist of a high quantum of vegetables. Also, You have to avoid rice, potatoes, and bread.
- It is better to stick to seafood options like salmon or something that consists of fatty meat.
- You can always get some additional condiments for your food like olive oil, butter, and some sauce
So, if you’re serious about losing weight, this is a diet which you cannot ignore. It is a simple-to-follow diet which is highly effective as well. With our guide above, you can follow the Atkins diet not just at your home but while eating out as well. Also, in terms of effectiveness, it is one of the best diets which you can follow. Therefore, these features make it an excellent diet option to help you lose weight.
Louise
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