Atkins Diet

The Atkins Diet is probably the most popular and most advertised of all diets globally. Helping you to lose unwanted pounds by cutting down carbohydrates and consuming unlimited amount of protein and fat is not restricted. This actually goes against healthy practices that encourages us to eat vegetables, fruits and whole grains. So is it reliable and effective?

What this diet can offer

The question that comes in mind is does it really offer good results? The fact that it helps people lose a lot of pounds in a span of 6 months must be really effective. Reports have shown that others who have lost the weight in a short span of time usually put all the weight back on plus a few added pounds within a year. While it is quite effective for short-term weight loss, it doesn't seem to work for long-term.

Reasons why the diet may fail

The main problem is that our body needs different kinds of food especially carbohydrates, and removing them from our diet could lead to various health problems.

Many people fail to lose weight because they are allowed to eat anything that they want. By doing this, they are still allowing themselves to indulge in foods that are high in fat. As we all know, fat is one of the main things that need to be reduced if losing weight and keeping it off is your goal. So eating foods that are high in fat will not help you shake off that extra fat.

The Atkins Diet is quite effective for short term weight loss, but it does not work for long term. It may be the most popular but it is definitely not one of the best.

Upside:

• No restriction for eating unlimited amounts of protein and fat.
• Easy to follow meal plans

Downside:

• Risk of heart disease due to consumption of unlimited amount of high fat foods
• Depletes glycogen stored in liver and muscles, dehydrating your body and makes you lose muscle mass that could lead to muscle atrophy
• Bad breath
• Muscle and skin look saggy
• Slower metabolism due to muscle loss meaning slow burning of calories