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Atkins Diet
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The Atkins Diet
The Atkins Diet is a ketogenic diet. The basic scientific principles are as follows. Normally, the human uses glucose as cell fuel. To produce glucose, the body metabolizes carbohydrates. The body maintains a two-day store of glucose in muscle tissue, transports needed glucose to body cells through the bloodstream, and stores any excess glucose as body fat.
What many people do not know, however, is that the body can actually use two other sources for cell fuel - alcohol and ketones. The body uses alcohol without need for further metabolism, and metabolizes ketones from fat through the process of ketosis-lypolysis.
The "pecking order" for which source the body will use for cell fuel is: alcohol, glucose, ketones. Thus, in the absense of alcohol, the body will use glucose, and in the absense of both alcohol and glucose, the body will use ketones. Therefore, the basic premise of the Atkins Diet is, restrict in intake of carbohydrates into the body, and the body will be forced to metabolize its only available fuel source - body fat - to provide the cells with ketone fuel.
The actual Atkins Diet program consists of four parts - Induction, Ongoing Weight Loss, Transition, and Maintenance. Induction is the rigorous first two weeks, during which the body is limited to no more than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. The purpose of this strict limitation is to ensure that the body enters the state of ketosis-lypolysis (or "ketosis"). The body must purge itself of its glucose stores before it will be forced into ketosis. This process is easier for some than others, and may be accompanied by some annoying, if minor, side-affects (headache, constipation, etc.). However, this process is entirely safe! The side-affects disappear after a few short days, and from then on, as long as the body is in ketosis, the body will experience an increased energy level. And unlike the metabolism of carbohydrates, which occurs periodically as a person eats, the metabolism of body fat occurs continuously.
After the initial Induction phase, the person moves into the Ongoing Weight-Loss phase, and may add in carbohydrates up to the individual's "ceiling" for keeping the body in ketosis, usually between 40 and 90 grams of carbs per day. The person will maintain this level of carbohydrate intake for the majority of his weight-loss experience. As the person nears his weight-loss goal, he will move into the Transition phase. During this phase, the person adds carbohydrates up to the individual's "ceiling" for maintaining his current body weight. This level varies widely according to the individual. Once the person has reached his weight-loss goal, he moves into the Maintenance phase, during which he keeps his carbohydrate at or below the maintenance ceiling found during the Transition phase.
Right now, I'm not going to address many of the bogus criticisms of this program, rather, I will move right into my personal experience with this program.
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Atkins Center
Atkins Magazine
