The Atkins Diet Pros And Cons - What The Experts Don't Tell You About The Atkins Diet!

No one would participate in any dieting plan without seeing the potential pros and cons of it. The Atkins diet is no exception to this and one should carefully research the Atkins diet pros and cons before proceeding with it. Atkins diet pros include rapid weight loss, improved health, reduced risk of disease and methods to maintain weight. But the most popular in the list of Atkins diet benefits is that of rapid initial weight loss, which mainly depends on a high-fat and high-protein diet that may lead to cons and may compromise a good cardiac and other organ health.

Atkins Diet Pros

Atkins diet pros are realized through the cutting down of the intake of bad carbohydrates into your body. By significantly reducing the bad carbohydrates that you introduce into your body, it will start to burn the stored fat triggered by a processed named Ketosis. In fact, initially, practically all carbohydrates will be removed from the diet--not just those found in junk food. You are basically consuming mostly fats and oils during the first phase. For most of us, eating high levels of fat is satisfying for us and causes us to lose weight faster. Don't just eat any type of fatty food however. Limit the intake of trans-fats such as what is found in margarine and shortening. Stick to the good fats such as real butter, oils in nuts, canola oil, flax seed, and olive oil. Try to also stay away from the polyunsaturated fats other then those containing omega-3 fatty acids (like what is in fish).

Another of the Atkins diet benefits is the plan within its program to maintain the weight levels achieved. The idea behind weight maintenance is that each individual has a particular level of carbohydrate intake in which they will neither lose nor gain weight. So after the initial phase of rapid weight loss, some carbohydrates are gradually introduced back into the body in order to determine what that level of balance is.

Another of the Atkins diet pros is the prevention of diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes. In simple terms, a high-protein and high-fat diet does not convert into sugar resulting in a stabilization of the blood sugar and insulin levels within the bloodstream. Patients who are pre-diabetic can possibly avoid having to take insulin shots in the future by losing weight through the Atkins diet now.

One of the most pleasant Atkins diet benefits is the fact that you start to look better and feel better not only in your self-esteem but physically as well. Patients who had chronic acid reflux and bloating from gas report that these symptoms begin to disappear once going on the Atkins diet. This is just because you are eating healthier and you weight is going down resulting in less pressure on your gastrointestinal system.

Atkins Diet Cons

The Atkins Diet is a popular and fast way to lose a lot of weight fast - there're many who give positive testimonials as to how much they did lose and how much better they feel. However one should be aware of the Atkins diet pros and cons before pursuing this diet. This is why knowing the Atkins Diet pros and cons are so important! Of the Atkins diet cons, the often asked about is the danger of a high-fat and high-protein diet in relation to good cardiac and other organ health.

Affecting the proper functioning of kidneys is one of the Atkins diet cons not too often discussed. A measure of good kidney function is the level of creatinine in the bloodstream. A high creatinine level means that the kidneys are not functioning as well. It has been determined that creatinine levels increase as a person is on the Atkins diet. Recommendations indicate that creatinine levels should be below 3.0. Any creatinine levels higher than that should be managed by a physician.

There is also the risk of calcium loss that is one of the Atkins diet cons. Calcium loss can result in the weakening of the bones or what is known as Osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a loss of the healthy density in the bones and the bones become brittle and break easily. If the protein intake remains high as in the Atkins diet, the calcium intake will be low. Reductions in bone loss can also be attributed to the ratio of animal to vegetable protein intake.

Another of the Atkins diet cons is the effect it has on persons suffering from gout. Gout is a form of arthritis and it is triggered by elevated levels of uric acid in the blood. The condition in the Atkins diet known as ketosis is where the body starts burning stored fat. You want to go into ketosis or else the initial fast weight loss characteristic of the Atkins diet. As Ketones increase in your system, uric acid levels also increase and this is what complicates the gout.

Another common complaint from those on the Atkins diet is constipation. This is because there is a lack of fiber in this type of diet and fiber is what you need in order to give substance to a stool for passing. You might need to take some fiber supplements to help prevent this condition. There is also the increase of the risk of heart disease because of higher cholesterol and saturated fat intake.

The Atkins Diet pros and cons should be carefully considered before determining if this is the right diet for you. It can be a very effective diet but just make sure it will not put you at unnecessary risk.


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The Worst Foods That Make You Gain Weight

In your quest for responsible weight loss, knowing what to eat and what not to eat are essential. Aside from physical activity, diet is the second most important thing. In the previous post, I discussed the top foods for weight loss. I also promised that I would let you know the worst foods that make you gain weight.

The list of food below are terrible for two reasons, they have very little or no nutritional value and they are high calorie. Without further delay, here are the worst foods that make you gain weight with an explanation of why they are not good.

Worst Food #1- Avoid any processed foods. There are chemical and preservatives, which the body considers foreign. In many cases, the preservatives are not broken down in your digestive system and actually throws it out of whack.

Worst Food #2 - Refined sugar. This is not to say that you can't have a slice of pie or candy. But be aware that for the same amount of calories, you could eat a much larger quantity of "non- junk food" that actually gives your body more than just a short sugar rush.

Worst Food #3 - Stay away from foods with high sodium content. It doesn't matter if its pizza, pudding, or a steak dinner. Be watchful of any food with a lot of sodium because not only does it swell up the size of the fat cells and it makes you retain water. Not to mention, a high sodium diet also increases your chances of developing high blood pressure.

Worst Food #4 - These next few are certainly no surprise to most of you. High fructose corn syrup, trans-fat and hydrogenated oils. You also want to avoid saturated fats as well. The high fructose corn syrup, trans- fat and hydrogenated oils throw your metabolic system into chaos and can cause you to actually feel hungrier, making you eat more. Saturated fats clogs up your arteries and are total waist busters.

Worst Food #5 - Avoid full fat foods and drinks such as bacon and whole milk. They are loaded with saturated fat and needless calories. Find substitutes for these traditionally high fat foods like turkey bacon, low-fat cheeses or low-fat milk.

Worst Food #6 - Limit your intake of salad dressing and sauces. They are full of useless calories, not to mention that they are loaded with salt and sugars. If you have to have condiments, make sure they are served on the side and not plopped on your food.

Worst Food#7 - Stay away from white flour products because they are refined carbohydrates. They are just another form of sugar. So when you eat them, they will only serve to skyrocket your insulin levels, which leaves you craving for more sugar when you crash. Avoid this endless cycle like the plague.

Worst Food #8 - Anything fried is simply not good. There's tons of fat and breading. A potato, chicken or a zucchini can be just as bad as a red velvet cake if you throw it in the fryer. Enough said on that one.

Worst Food #9 - Alcohol and soft drinks. Aside from giving you a quick flavor thrill and maybe a buzz, it is best to limit these as well. Beer especially is full of calories, fat and carbs and soft drinks are high sugar and high on calories. A special note be careful with diet sodas and fruit juices. In regards to diet sodas, the artificial sweeteners have been known to spike hunger cravings. Fruit juices for the most part tend to be high in sugar and carbs. If you have time, get a juicer and make your own juice or just eat the piece of fruit.

Well, there you have it, the worst foods that make you gain weight. Perhaps, all of these you may have know these. But if you are actually serious about losing weight, it is important that you take this knowledge and apply it to your daily life.

Be healthy and have a fantastic day.





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Avoid Trans-Fats and Lose Pounds Fast

What are trans-fats and why is it important we avoid them if we want to lose pounds fast? In order to make trans-fats, normally healthy vegetable oils, such as corn oil or soybean oil are chemically changed into what is known as partially hydrogenated oils. These man-made oils are then used widely in the food industry as substitutes for saturated fats. There are some naturally occurring trans-fats found in meat and dairy produce but these are at such low levels compared to the levels of the man-made variety as to be insignificant.
These trans-fats, or artificial unsaturated fats are found in baked goods, fried foods, margarines and pastries and all manner of other food items. Their primary use is to extend shelf life; after all it makes a product more economic if it can sit on the shelf for a few weeks rather than a few days. They are also a cheap alternative to natural saturated fats. This does not mean we should all switch back to a diet full of natural saturated fats because the intake of all fats should be kept to a minimum. However there is evidence that artificially produced fats do more harm than naturally occurring saturated fats because our bodies are not designed to cope with them.

The reason these fats are bad for our bodies is that they increase the risks of developing coronary heart disease, they raise the bad LDL type of cholesterol in our blood while simultaneously lowering the HDL or good type of cholesterol.
The health risk from trans-fats was very low when we were only exposed to the natural varieties. Now that we have so many processed and pre-packaged foods this risk has risen substantially and is a significant health risk factor of which we should all be aware.
There have been links found between trans-fats and Cancer, Alzheimer's, infertility, diabetes, liver dysfunction and obesity. Regarding obesity, the harmful effects are quite conspicuous. If you eat a diet containing these harmful fats you are more likely to gain weight even if you eat the same number of calories as in a diet containing no trans-fats. This surely is a very concerning thought and should cause everyone to sit up and take note of what they are putting into their bodies.
It's good to hear that some countries are choosing to do something about this problem. Denmark and Switzerland have imposed bans on trans-fats with several others following. Congress in the USA has, since 2006, required products containing trans-fats to provide appropriate labelling and there are some further restrictions in some states.

If this is such an important issue how can we make sure we stop eating trans-fats? According to the American Heart Foundation, if we reduce our intake of trans-fats to between 5 and 8 teaspoons per day then it's unlikely we'll come to much harm. This is good news if you're trying to lose pounds fast because if you are following a healthy diet then getting down to these levels should be very easy, so long as you keep an eye on food labelling.

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