Atkins Diet: A Way Of Life

A low carb diet is one of the easiest and fastest ways to lose unwanted pounds. Best of all, it preserves lean muscle mass and accelerates fat loss. Unfortunately, as with any "diet", as soon as you go off it and resume your old eating habits, the weight and fat pile right back onto your body. Clearly, what is needed is a new way of life, a way to eat for the rest of your life, one that you can easily live with. Atkins is just that: a way of life.

The late Robert C. Atkins tells us about things like insulin resistance and explains the evolution of our modern diet and the problems caused by it. He tells us there is a definite link between diet and Type 2 Diabetes. From him, we learn that our weight problems may not be entirely our fault, that there may be a tiny spec in our systems that cause an inability to digest carbohydrates in the same way others do. And he gives us a solution in his first book "Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution". Count carbs, not calories he tells us. And for millions of people, it was like a magic wand that simply wiped away the pounds with a minimum of effort.

A low carbohydrate diet will help to reduce your cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure... and the list goes on. It won't cure the common cold but it will make you healthier and thus, we would assume, better able to fight off that cold.

So what exactly is involved in this way of eating for life? You have a choice. Do you want to spend the rest of your life watching every morsel that crosses your lips, always worrying about your weight and always feeling deprived? Or would you rather sit down to a hearty breakfast, nice lunch and delicious dinner every day, enjoying every bite because you can have a satisfying amount of a wide variety of foods?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to come up with the right answer. Of course we all want the second option, a chance to relax and enjoy our meals.

If you have a lot of weight to lose, you will want to start off by following the recommendations in "Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution" for a quick weight loss. Then, when you are near your goal, switch to his book "Atkins for Life". By this time, you will be feeling much better, your cholesterol should be pretty much normal and of course, your body will be looking substantially better than when you started. Remember that the real goal here is to change your eating habits and thus change your life... for the better.

What do you get when you eat the Atkins way? You get lots of good, nutrient-dense meals that are rich in fiber. You get lots of vitamins and minerals from their natural sources rather than from a bottle. You get an appropriate amount of protein and plenty of the healthy fats your body needs.

What you don't get are the empty calories in sugar, white flour and all its products, and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (trans fats).

Who can argue with that?

Remember that the Atkins way of eating is all about balance. It's about a balance of proteins from meats, fish, fowl and eggs and nutrients from fresh fruits and vegetables. You still eat carbohydrates... but they are loaded with beneficial minerals, vitamins, fiber and assorted plant nutrients.

In order to control your weight, you need a plan that you can live with. Atkins is just that, a way of life for the rest of your life.