Which Diet Is Effective To Lose Weight? The Atkins Diet

The Atkins diet has endured a lot of controversy over the past decade or two.  This diet shocked all the experts that recommend low fat diets, as this diet is very high in fat.  

Even though the Atkins diet has brought success to dieters as far as weight loss is concerned, it might have been to the expense of their health. So, if you only want to know which diet is effective to lose weight, the Atkins diet qualifies, maybe at the expense of your health.

For better ideas, safer ideas, have a look at How Can I Lose Fat.

The basics of the Atkins diet

1. No carbohydrates:

The Atkins diet is a low carbohydrate, high protein diet plan that was developed by Dr. Richard Atkins.  The first two weeks are the hardest as just about every carbohydrate is eliminated.  Some vegetables are permitted, but the carbohydrate count each day must remain low.  Meals can be cooked in oil, butter or fat though and this increases the high fat level of this diet.

2. Lots of proteins and fat:

During those first two weeks, dieters can eat eggs, bacon, and butter in huge quantities.  Fatty cuts of meat in whatever cream sauce you can find are encouraged and can be consumed in almost unlimited quantities.  Even though this sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen, it is viewed as harmless and a necessary step to rid the body of its craving for carbohydrates.

3. Your body is forced to burn the fat:

The principle and starting point of the diet is to eliminate all sugars, fast foods, carbohydrates and other undesirable foods from the dieter's diet.  The restrictive phase of the diet is supposed to train the body to burn stored fat instead of protein for fuel.  As there is no carbohydrates in the diet the body has to look to its own stores for energy, effectively burning the fat.

4. No fruit and very little vegetables:

It is important to keep in mind that not all of the foods on the restricted list are bad for you.  Fruits, for instance, provide natural sugars that give the body an energy boost.  Fruit also provide valuable vitamins and minerals that the body needs for proper functioning. The same can be said of green vegetables and other vegetables. Even though they are sources of carbohydrates they also supply the body with healthy nutrients vital for proper functioning. 

5. No carbohydrates jumpstarts your weight loss:

The idea is that dieters can jumpstart their weight loss by reducing the carbohydrates they eat.  For a person that likes a lot of meat, it may not be so difficult to eat a diet without any significant carbohydrate in it.  The Atkins diet is similar to quitting something cold turkey.  This method may work for some, but others may need a gradual approach to be successful.

6. Eat every few hours:

On the Atkins diet you eat every few hours to keep your metabolism high.  Drinking plenty of water is essential for flushing out the system to get rid of all the toxins from burning all that fat.  Exercise regularly, but wait until after the first two weeks since you will consume a lot of fat during this time.  All that fat in your system is not compatible with high intensity workouts.

7. No special grocery shopping:

On this diet you eat regular food so it is not necessary for any special grocery shopping. If you love bread and other carbohydrates it is best to remove it all from the home if it is possible. This will make it easier to stick to the diet as the temptation to sneak in a slice of bread will be eliminated. If you have children or other family members in the house that is not on the Atkins diet it may be a huge challenge of willpower.

The conclusion:

I have personally been on this diet and you definitely lose weight on it, and fast. It is very difficult to keep up though and after a while I started feeling very tired as a result of the lack of carbohydrates. I am not sure all those huge quantities of protein is good for you either.

In conclusion to your question "which diet is effective to lose weight?" The Atkins diet qualifies without any doubt. If you can keep it up you will lose weight, a lot of weight. There are better alternatives available though, and it may be worth looking into them, if only for your health's sake! One very good program is Strip That Fat and it may be well worth it to have a look at it.  Go to: http://www.stripthatfat.com and have a look.