Atkins Diet Review, Part 2

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In the Atkins Diet Review Part 1, we looked at the 4 phases of the Atkins Diet and the foods you are allowed to eat at each stage. Now let’s concentrate on the overall benefits and drawbacks of the original low carb diet.

Comparing the Atkins Diet to other diets

People have drawn comparisons between the Atkins Diet and several others, most recently the Dukan Diet, which is very popular right now – although I personally don’t see much resemblance, other than the fact there are 4 phases to each. However, Protein Power and The Schwarzbein Principle both recognize the value of a high protein, low carb diet which has a fair amount of fat in it. In all of these, the type of fat is key: and the one to avoid is the trans fat (the man-made type).

Atkins Diet Pros and Cons

The Atkins Diet name has both its advantages and its drawbacks. On the one hand, a lot of people have heard of it, so if they consider trying low carb, Atkins may well be their first port of call. On the other hand, there are so many misconceptions about the Atkins Diet and even about Dr Atkins himself, that some people will dismiss this valuable resource, just through being misinformed.

So many people can attest to this as a method that really works, the Atkins Diet is truly its own phenomenon.

Pros:

• Eating unlimited quantities from allowed food lists – if you go to the Atkins Diet website, you can look in detail at what foods are allowed during each phase.
• Very liberal high-fat choices in many of the phases, subject only to carb restriction and careful monitoring
• A personalized experience which acknowledges that we all have different sizes, weight loss goals and metabolisms
• Like most low-carb diets, the focus is on real, natural food and aims to rid us of our carb addictions
• You will rarely feel hungry
• Is claimed to restore normal metabolic function

Cons:

• According to the core principle of the Atkins diet, by limiting carbohydrates your body is forced to burn its stored fat for fuel. For a few people, especially those who do not have much weight to lose, and perhaps with hormonal issues such as menopause, the amount of dietary fat allowed in Atkins will hinder this process, because the fat consumed in meals will be used first.  This will prevent the burning of stored fat, so calories will still need to be reduced in order for weight loss to occur.
• The high fat content is still hotly debated; advocates of Atkins will argue that saturated fat is only harmful in combination with carbohydrates. Many medical professionals are still concerned about its long-term effects, particularly in connection with heart disease.
• Ketosis (the state where your body is burning stored fat) can make your breath smell weird.
• You are advised to take supplements – an acknowledgement that nutrients are lacking in this diet.

My Atkins Diet review

I hope that you’ve learned something from my Atkins Diet review and if you’ve never tried a low carb diet before, this may be the one that has the most appeal. My aim is to show the different low carb diet types out there so that you can judge which one suits you best. The most important thing is to start! While nothing in life is guaranteed, switching to low carb is the best way to get your insulin resistance under control.