Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Low Carb and Atkins Diets, Basic Facts

By Ricardo d Argence

You feel the tears rising up--even though you have just attended a party. Perhaps being obese means you don't leave a good impression while someone with less to offer but who happens to be thin wins every time. When you slowly crawl from your bed each day, nothing seems to be quite right and you should take action.

Most of the time, when a person has gained too much weight it is usually due to improper nutrition. Our metabolism automatically follows a pattern, and if we throw it out of whack it will fail and breakdown into fat.

Dr. Atkins elaborated on his groundbreaking low carb diet in his book which was written and published in the 1970's. There have been many round table discussions since its re-introduction to public awareness during the nineties, because people did not accept it when first introduced. Nutritionists and health experts have made the Adkins diet famous and it has been proven to work.

The Atkins diet is broken up into several different stages based on the portion of carbohydrates included into your food chart. In the archetypal introductory phase, it allows for consumption of 20 gm of carbohydrates per day. In these first two weeks, one subsists on bacon, poultry products, meat, cheese, butter, sausage, seafood and oils and he is barred from consuming food with a high glycemic index like cereals, fruits, milk, grains or breads.

During the maintenance section of the proram it is recommended that the dieter increase his carbs by 5 grams each day until he is averages around 40 to 90 grams each day. Adipose tissue will be exposed through extensive carbohydrate consumption.

A few of the down falls of the low carb diet are as follows. Things initially take place in a healthy manner when carb intake is reduced and the body begins to release energy by breaking down fat. Lipolysis occurs during starvation causing proteins to break down and take the place of the absense of body fat ultimately causing ketosis.

Leading to permanent brain tissue damage, death or coma, a lack of oxygen carrying capacity from your blood cells is created in the ketone bodies formed during ketosis. So one should stay on the lookout for signs of ketosis. The ketone body mixed with enzymes and bacteria ferment and it causes bad breath indicating ketosis. The breakdown of fat causes your energy levels to fall thereby causing listlessness and lethargy. 1 gm of carbohydrate release 7 Kcal of energy while 1 gm of fat releases only 4.9 Kcal of biochemical energy.

On the whole, the Atkins diet will prove beneficial if one does it in moderation and combines a regular fitness program with it. Regular exercise reduces stress levels and improves your mood apart from making you lose weight and look better. The better you feel physically, the more calm, relaxed and confident will you be mentally. - 15634

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