Friday, August 7, 2009

How Long Should You Take the Atkins Diet?

By Jesse Regan

The growing number of people who are obese propelled nutritionists worldwide to formulate diet plans which, if strictly followed, will result to reduction of weight. Good enough that there are famous people who publicized the good results of taking diet and being physically fit that ordinary people worldwide are encouraged to be on a diet as well by following any of the formulated diet plans. And so media outlets are bombarded frequently with news about the weight-loss effects of diet plans which glamorize the bodies of once obese individuals. However, no matter how great or efficient diet plans are in shedding off pounds of fats, there are concerns that should not be neglected so that these diet programs will not do more harm than good. In other words, following a diet has several considerations.

One of the most followed diets is Atkins diet which considerations should be known in order to achieve weight loss and physical fitness. One of the most frequently asked question regarding this diet is how long should a dieter stay on this diet. Hence, follow along and find out the answer.

According to the author of Atkins diet, permanent weight control is the ultimate aim of Atkins diet. The suggested meal plans are meant to control the amount of carbohydrates in the body so that fats can be used as source of energy. In the starting phase which is called induction phase, foods with almost no carbohydrate content are eaten by dieters to quickly reduce weight. After losing too much weight, healthy carbohydrates that come from vegetables are included in the meal plan of dieters.

But how long will dieters take the suggested foods in the diet? It is largely determined by the dieters goals in taking the diet. In other words, dieters should only stop following Atkins only if they have achieved their desired weight. However, there are factors that affect weight loss which explains why different dieters end at different times even though they started at the same time. These factors include metabolism rate or how fast body cells burn out energy, age, gender, and overall fitness of an individual. Based on studies, as people grow old, their metabolism rates also become slower. This also means that women who are on menopausal period have lower carbohydrate threshold that makes burning out carbohydrates a longer activity. Moreover, a dieter who started to follow the diet with a mass of hundred pounds really takes a longer time before he can slim down compared with a dieter whose body mass is lower.

Having the desired body weight is not the ultimate aim of Atkins diet. After losing weight, dieters should still be watched the foods they eat to ensure that they only eat the right foods needed by their bodies. Moreover, they should also work out regularly in order to increase their metabolism rates even if they are approaching old age already.

Despite the negative criticisms attributed by some nutritionists to Atkins diet, the benefit of this diet can hardly be ignored because it is its edge over other diet plans. Atkins diet does not only make dieters fit, but it also makes dieters to become accountable for their physical fitness. You should take note of these details about weight lifting diet .

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