What successes can be expected?
The principle of the four phases of the Atkins diet is in principle promising in terms of weight loss. The first two weeks of the diet are excellent for boosting the metabolism, while the other, more specific dietary regime will let the pounds drop. The metabolism is tricked and the fat pads are burned off.
A yo-yo effect is prevented by the slow increase of carbohydrate quantities. One does not starve and can continue to lose weight. It is possible to reach your target weight if you strictly follow the dietary guidelines. The fourth phase of the Atkins diet is considered a permanent form of nutrition and is intended to help maintain the desired weight. If you follow the program in each phase, it is possible to achieve and even maintain your individual weight loss goal.
What are the alternatives to the Atkins diet?
There are several low-carb diets that are good alternatives to the low-carb Atkins diet. The Logi method basically allows you to eat everything. However, one orients oneself by the four-step Logi pyramid.
The emphasis is on a low-starch and low-sugar, but high-fibre food selection, for example vegetables, fruit and healthy oils. Protein suppliers such as meat, fish and dairy products, which are at the top of the Atkins diet, come second here. Wholemeal products, rice and noodles come in third place.
However, these foods may only be eaten in very small quantities. The Logi method is mainly based on the glycemic index of the food. The Montignac Method works similarly.
This diet distinguishes between good carbohydrates with a low glycemic index and bad carbohydrates with a high glycemic index. This diet provides for a protein-rich diet and consists of two phases, the second phase being understood as a permanent diet, as in the Atkins diet. Another alternative is the Glyx diet.
Here, too, the term “glycemic index” is used. Mainly foods with a low glycemic index should be consumed, so that sweets, soft drinks and ready meals are clearly taboo. With the Glyx diet, only three meals a day are allowed, snacks between meals are completely prohibited.
Criticism of the Atkins Diet
The German Society for Nutrition (DGE) rejects the Atkins diet because it is one-sided and potentially harmful to health. One reason for this is the enormously high fat content of more than 50% in the Atkins diet. The diet allows fatty foods to be eaten in bulk.
The Atkins diet leads to a special metabolic situation in the body. Since hardly any carbohydrates are supplied to the body through food, the body switches its metabolism. It begins with the burning of the body’s own fats to produce energy.
The Atkins diet uses this effect to reduce body weight. For the body, this metabolic state means that fatty acids from the fat pads reach the liver. The liver converts the fatty acids into ketone bodies to replace glucose.
The body gets into ketosis. One sign is bad breath, which is caused by breathing out the ketone body acetone. There are different opinions about the effects of permanent ketosis on our body. Some critics report cytotoxic effects from the Atkins diet. Ketosis is said to cause vascular and tissue damage, especially in diabetics.
