| How
to Do the Atkins Diet Right?
by Hristo Hristov
Let me tell you something
- if you are doing the Atkins Diet, you might
be doing it WRONG. I have been on diet forums
for years, have consulted thousands of people
on low carb diets, and I am seeing it again and
again. People don't know how to implement a low
carb diet. Very often people fail to lose weight
or to adapt to the low carb life style. Many people
give it up after a couple of days because they
don't know how to do it right. The Atkins Diet
is the most famous low carb diet, but it is full
of pitfalls just waiting for you to walk into.
Rule
1: Calories DO count.
You must count both carbs
AND calories Some of you may believe that losing
weight is just a matter of reducing carbohydrates.
In fact, many do. Hunting for hidden carbs and
totally neglecting the calories you eat is setting
you up for failure. The only reason that low carb
diets work is that they reduce your appetite.
You end up eating fewer CALORIES, and lose weight.
The problem is that not all
people start eating fewer calories after switching
to a low carb diet. The only 100% bulletproof
method of losing weight is by counting calories.
Don't rely on simply reducing carbohydrates. Eat
less carbs AND less calories. Count calories!
It is much easier to restrict calories when you
are on a low carb diet, because you won't feel
as hungry as with high-carb diets.
Rule
2: Going straight to 20 grams of carbs per day
is a NO-NO
The Atkins Diet has you eating
only 20 grams of carbs a day during the first
two weeks on the diet. After that, you are advised
to gradually increase the number of carbs you
eat. I strongly urge you to reverse the order
of events. Start eating 80 or more grams of carbs
per day, count calories and then reduce them more
if you want to.
My reasoning for doing so
is very simple. During the adaptation period you
will lack energy because you have taken out the
carbs, and you need time to make the fat burning
enzymes to use more fat for fuel. If you suddenly
start eating a super low amount of carbs, you
will feel totally out of energy, because your
body cannot manufacture quickly that many fat
burning enzymes. However, when you reduce the
carbohydrates GRADUALLY, you give your body a
chance to adapt to the diet without the misery
of being lethargic.
You can even start by eating
150 grams of carbs a day for the first week, and
then reduce them to 100 grams for the second and
so on. You won't be so fatigued, and because you
count calories you are losing weight. You should
expect a period of about one to two weeks when
you won't have much energy, but this will pass.
Don't give up just because you lack energy. This
is temporary. If you listen to me and gradually
reduce the carbs, you will experience a much less-pronounced
drop of physical and mental performance.
Rule
3: Calories control your bodyweight, NOT carbohydrates.
If you eat less calories than
you burn, you are going to lose weight no matter
how many carbs you consume. You don't need to
go super low on the carbohydrates to experience
the typical loss of appetite that is so important
to be successful at dieting. I eat about 50-80
grams of carbs a day year-round, and I have single
digit body fat %. That's because I control both
carbs and calories.
You won't be able to eat just
20 grams of carbs for a long time. It is too impractical,
hard-to-do and unnecessary. You will do fine eating
80 grams of carbs a day, as long as you count
calories.
Rule
4: Don't give up your coffee
Atkins advises that you avoid
caffeine and only drink decaffeinated coffee.
This is totally unnecessary. If you are used to
drinking coffee, just continue to do so. You will
have a much easier adaptation period. Coffee makes
your body burn more fat, and helps you adapt to
fat burning faster. Coffee also suppresses your
appetite, and has a mild thermogenic effect (you
burn more calories). Last but not least, coffee
is very addictive and hard to give up. I know
a couple of people who gave up the Atkins Diet
just because he says to stop drinking coffee!
I am telling you - coffee will help your weight
loss efforts. It is totally unnecessary to give
it up.
Rule
5: Don't avoid milk and yogurt products
Eating plain yogurt is associated
with weight loss for some mysterious reason. Researchers
speculate that it is the Calcium in milk products
that helps with weight loss. Whatever the reason,
milk and yogurt are good for your health and weight
loss. They have some carbs, but as I told you,
there's absolutely no need to go super low on
the carbs, if you control your calories.
Here's a little known fact,
most low-carb dieters don't know. Plain yogurt
has 3 times less carbs than labelled! The reason
is simple. Yogurt has billions of healthy bacteria
called probiotics, which thrive on glucose. These
probiotics eat up the carbs in milk, and turn
it into lactic acid. Now, when manufacturers measure
carbs, they do so by the method of "carbs
by difference". They measure everything else(protein,
fats, water..), and what's left is ASSUMED to
be carbs. But what's left is carbs + lactic acid.
To know the real number of carbs in yogurt, divide
the number of carbs on the label by 3. Do so only
for PLAIN yogurt. Avoid all artificially processed
and carb loaded yogurts. Eat plain yogurt!
Rule
6: A low-carb diet is a high-fat diet
By definition a low carb diet
is a high-fat diet. Some people turn the low-carb
diet into low-carb and low-fat diet. What a mistake!
First, if you eat a high-protein low-carb low-fat
diet, you are going to get hungry. Second, eating
less fat will slow down the adaptation to fat
burning and extend your misery. Third, your body
needs fat and the fat-soluble vitamins to digest
the proteins you eat. Without the fat you are
going to get sick, upset your stomach and become
severely constipated.
Women should be very careful
to eat enough fat. Many women don't like to eat
meat or eat only very lean meat. They must find
a way to get more fat in the diet by ways of high-fat
cheeses.
Fat should represent more
than 50% of the calories you eat.
Rule
7: Don't be fooled by the quick initial weight
loss
Most of the weight that is
lost during the first two weeks on a restrictive
diet is WATER. On a low-carb diet, you are going
to lose even more water. The rate of weight loss
is going to slow down after the first two weeks.
Be prepared, it is perfectly natural to happen.
Don't expect miracles.
Let's sum it up. Count calories.
Hunting for hidden carbs, and neglecting the calories
is a major reason for plateaus. Restrict carbs
gradually. Eat more fat to control your appetite.
Don't go super low on the carbs. Go as low as
you feel comfortable. As long as you control calories
you are on your way to success.
Hristo Hristov
owns X3MSoftware, a company specializing in developing
diet and fitness tracking software. Hristo has
a degree in Computer Science and passion for strength
training. Hristo has designed and written Fitness
Assistant, X3MSoftware's leading software product.
Download your demo at Download Diet
Software and Fitness Software by X3MSoftware
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