How much can I lose weight with this diet form?
The Atkins diet theoretically allows you to lose as much weight as you want. You set yourself a goal, the desired weight, and follow the diet phases until you reach the desired weight. Afterwards, you should stick to phase 4 of the Atkins diet permanently in order to maintain your desired weight. For example, you can lose 5 kilos or 15 kilos. Depending on the goal, phases 2 and 3 are carried out for different lengths of time.
Side effects of the diet
A major side effect of the Atkins diet is the distinct bad breath. The ketogenic diet causes the ketone body acetone to be breathed out through the mouth. Especially at the beginning of the diet many people suffer from headaches, fatigue, dizziness, muscle cramps and constipation.
These symptoms can also occur during the course of the diet, then as symptoms of deficiency. Find out more about the topic: Ketogenic Diet – What’s really good for you? In the long term, the fatty, high-protein diet can damage the kidneys and bone metabolism.
Kidney stones can be a symptom of kidney damage. In addition, the high fat content of this type of diet significantly increases the cardiovascular risk of diseases such as heart attack, peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAD) and stroke. Diarrhoea can occur with any change in diet, but is rather rare with the Atkins diet.
Those affected often suffer from constipation. Carbohydrates cause water to enter the colon and the stool to become more fluid. With the Atkins diet, hardly any carbohydrates are absorbed with food, so the stool becomes more solid.
It is therefore very important to put as much of the permitted fibre as possible on the table. Dietary fibre effectively stimulates digestion. The Atkins diet is a ketogenic form of nutrition, in which the body produces so-called ketone bodies.
One of these ketone bodies is acetone, a smelly substance known from nail polish remover, for example. People on a ketogenic diet breathe ketone bodies like acetone. Acetone-induced bad breath is a common side effect of the Atkins diet and is caused by the ketogenic diet.
What are the risks?
The Atkins diet increases the cardiovascular risk due to its high fat content. This means that there is a greater chance of suffering a heart attack, stroke or peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAD). Diabetics who take the drug metformin are at risk of dangerous acidosis.
Both the ketogenic diet of the Atkins diet and the diabetes drug promote the development of an acidic metabolic state. The acidosis of the blood can be life-threatening. In addition, deficiency symptoms can also occur.
This means that in the case of a permanent change in diet, care must be taken to supply the body with the necessary vitamins, nutrients and trace elements. People who have already fallen ill or who are taking medication should always talk to their doctor before starting a diet to see if the diet is suitable for them. If you are on a diet for several months, you should, healthy or not, have a blood count taken from time to time to check your blood levels.