In 1972, Dr. Robert Atkins unleashed the low carb diet revolution, also known as the Atkins Diet. Over 20 million dieters have experienced the results of his weight loss system. His system is based on the idea that obesity is caused by increased levels of insulin due to increased carbohydrate intake.
The Atkins Diet is a lifetime dietary approach. This is where it differs from many other diet systems. The system wasn’t designed to loose weight, pack it back, and then repeat the diet again. It was designed to be fit and healthy for life.
So How Does The Atkins Diet Work
By consuming foods with low carbohydrates, are bodies release less insulin. With less insulin, are bodies go through the ketosis phase and become fat burning machines. This formula alone is the power behind this diet.
So How Much Carbohydrates Is Enough
Dr. Atkins recommends starting at 20 grams of carbohydrates. This amount is used as a benchmark. If you start off at a higher level of carbohydrates, you may not have right results. When you consume this level of carbs, your body will go through the ketosis phase. At this point in time, your body will utilize fat as energy.
By the second week, you would have gradually increased your intake to 30 grams. As the diet suggests, you should stay at this level until your weight loss starts to plateau. At that point, you can start dropping your carbs down by 5 grams a day so that you reach that level of fat burning. This will tell you what steps you need to take in order to loose weight. You will need to strictly monitor your weight loss.
Once you’ve found that sweet spot of weight loss in the previous phase, you could begin to increase your carb intake by 10 grams a week. This is the 3rd phase of the Atkins nutritional approach. The amount that you increase it by is up to you and how much weight you want to gain or loose. As you approach the weight level you’re comfortable with, you can increase the level of healthy carbohydrates.