Atkins diet, is it good for losing weight?

Losing weight for health reasons or to improve our image is always fine, but beware of miracle diets that promise results in a few weeks. We can suffer from health problems such as a lack of nutrients that will result in anemia, or, in the case of the Atkins diet, we can suffer from complications in the liver, kidneys, or coronary heart disease.

The best thing is always to have a varied, balanced diet where vegetables, fruits, seeds and legumes prevail, instead of meat. Even so, we are going to know everything about the Atkins diet, to see if it can be adapted or not to each person.

What is it

The Atkins diet is a method to lose weight very similar to the keto diet , that is, a diet very rich in protein and fat and very low in carbohydrates. This will force the body to take energy from the fat that we have accumulated in the body instead of taking it from the carbohydrates that come with food. This diet emerged in the 70s and is still one of the favorites in the Hollywood area to lose weight quickly.

The diet is divided into 4 phases and, according to those who devised the plan, this diet can be maintained over time or until the goal is achieved. Diets must be temporary to avoid the rebound effect, but in addition, going for a long time without consuming carbohydrates can have serious consequences, and worse are the consequences of consuming so many proteins and so many fats.

This diet should be associated with a table of exercises to burn those calories, although if we combine both, the weight loss results would be pronounced and the body could feel weakened by lack of essential nutrients.

So far, and in theory, there is nothing wrong with this diet, the bad thing comes when the diet is based on foods high in fat, protein and low in vegetables, legumes, cereals, seeds, which are important carbohydrates. At the end of the text we will focus better on the drawbacks.

allowed foods

The Atkins diet is divided into 4 phases and has many prohibited foods. For example, fruits, especially those rich in carbohydrates, you can not eat cereals, legumes or foods rich in starch, vegetable oils except olive oil, nor sweets and sugary foods (including sugary drinks).

• The first phase is that of initiation, and the professional will indicate a series of foods that we have to eat yes or yes and are rich in fat and protein. In this phase, carbohydrate restriction begins below 20 grams per day. This phase must be fulfilled for a minimum of 2 weeks.
• In phase 2 , new foods are gradually added to the diet and 5 grams of carbohydrates are subtracted. Here we must stay at least 2 weeks, too.
• In phase 3 we are almost in maintenance and here we do add hydrates according to the progress we are having. By now we should have reached our weight loss goal.
• Phase 4 is the last one, and here the maintenance begins. The amount of carbohydrates that help us maintain our ideal weight is added. We can continue in this phase for the rest of our lives.

Among the permitted foods are all types of meat; fish and shellfish; as well as processed meats, that is, sausages, sausages, sausages, black pudding, etc.; eggs and some dairy products (fat cheeses, whole milks, creams and whole yogurts); Butter; olive oil, coconut oil and other vegetable oils that are high in fat; sauces of all kinds (low carb) and mayonnaise; aromatic herbs and spices; vinegar, except balsamic and flavored ones due to their high sugar content.

Yes we can eat vegetables, but very sporadically and in very small quantities. Among the suitable vegetables are: broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, arugula, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, olives, avocados, etc.

It is healthy?

In theory it should be, otherwise the authorities would have banned it, the only thing that is not healthy is doing it if our body starts to react badly or we are not in a position to face that shot of fat. In the next section we will see the drawbacks.

The most advisable thing, instead of turning our metabolism around and taking the body to a state of ketosis , is to create good lifestyle habits, such as having a healthy, varied and balanced diet rich in vegetables, fruits, seeds, legumes , cereals, etc apart, of course, from playing sports, not smoking or drinking alcohol, reducing the consumption of red meat, etc.

We do not recommend following the Atkins diet unless we are free of problems such as high blood pressure, cholesterol or high triglycerides, we have a sports routine, we have talked to a nutritionist and we have tried other healthy options without success. Lack of motivation is usually the main reason why many end up on this type of diet. Well, let’s see the negative side.

drawbacks

Benefits: lose weight in a month. Disadvantages: dizziness, fatigue, malnutrition, constipation, high cholesterol…

We see that the bad outweighs the good, and it is that this highly recommended diet is not, much less for children under 16, pregnant women, hypertensive, heart patients and a long etcetera. This is due to the fact that a very important food group such as fruits, vegetables and legumes or cereals is almost 100% suppressed. This is where important vitamins such as A, group B, C, D, E or K are obtained, as well as key minerals such as sodium, potassium, iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc, phosphorus and copper.

It is true that seafood and meat have these vitamins and minerals, but basing our diet on a diet that is so little varied and so loaded with fat can lead to high cholesterol, cardiovascular problems , strokes, increased cancer, loss of mass muscle, weakness, fatigue, constipation, fluid retention, nutritional deficiency, etc.