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Posts Tagged ‘Atkins’

The Atkins Grapefruit diet is a diet plan, not supported by the firm of Dr. Atkins, that plays on the popularity of the grapefruit diet and the Atkins diet name. A closer look into this diet shows that it may not be all it claims to be.

First of all, it’s pretty difficult to find information on the Atkins grapefruit diet plan. Smart people know that when someone is perpetrating a deception, or a con, they will usually gloss over facts. This is what the Atkins grapefruit diet seems to do in an attempt to persuade people to associate it with two supposedly effective diets.

Is the Atkins Grapefruit Diet part of the Atkins Diet or supported by the company of the late Dr. Atkins? The answer is no, not only is there no mention of the Atkins Grapefruit Diet on the Atkins web site, but there is no fruit of any kind mentioned in the list of permitted foods in the Atkins diet Induction phase.

The induction phase recommends the following foodstuffs:

Fish of all species. All fowl such as turkey and chicken. All shellfish. All meat such as beef or pork. Eggs cooked in all styles, including fried. Cheese. Vegetables. Herbs and Spices. Fats and Oils. Low carbohydrate beverages, including diet soft drinks.

Did you notice anything? No fruit is mentioned on that list. Later phases of the Atkins diet, however, do recommend limited quantities of fruits such as cantaloupe, strawberries and even lemon juice, and the pre-maintenance and maintenance phases even specifically allow small amounts of grapefruit. But when compared to the quantity of Grapefruit recommended on the Atkins Grapefruit Diet, once more there is a disagreement.

The Atkins Grapefruit Diet advocates a cup of grapefruit juice or a cup of grapefruit sections, with 8 and 18 carbs respectively. Even the most generous phases of the Atkins diet recommends limiting grapefruit consumption to below 8 carbs per day. That’s a exact contradiction of one diet with the other.

Most reasonable people would inspect the Atkins website itself the moment they heard of the Atkins Grapefruit Diet. If they saw no mention of that diet on the website, then a red light would flash and an alarm would sound.

In general, you should remember this: any diet that recommend too heavily on one foodstuff, such as grapefruit on a grapefruit diet, is unhealthy for any but extremely short periods. The Atkins Grapefruit Diet is not associated with the Atkins diet, and may disrupt with the results of the Atkins diet in its early phases.

Some people have to try to make your life miserable, if you let them. It was obvious to everyone that I looked and felt better, but some people just have to try to spoil it. I was told: lots of people have died of kidney or liver failure after being on Atkins I read it in the newspaper; you will have a heart attack, it’s not natural; your cholesterol will climb sky high and you will need your toes amputated or you will have a stroke; it will affect your eyesight. All sorts of rubbish. So, I went to see my GP, who admitted that he did not know anything about the Atkins diet, but he also added that he had heard nothing bad about it either. He sent me for a series of tests at the hospital and the results were all satisfactory. He was happy that I’d lost 18 lbs and so was I. Six weeks later, I went for another cholesterol check-up, because of the high fat levels in the diet and, although my cholesterol level was up very slightly, the doctor said there was no cause for concern at all.

The book warns that you might suffer from bad breath (halitosis). I don’t know whether I did or not – no-one mentioned it, but I started brushing my teeth four or five times a day just in case. I guess that’s another benefit of Atkins: increased awareness of oral hygiene. It also warns of constipation. I didn’t get that either, although I didn’t give up black coffee, which has always had a laxative effect on me. But how can you become constipated if you’re allowed to eat well over 1lb of greens a day? I wasn’t eating that well before the diet! So my two main concerns were unfounded.

After a couple of weeks I was getting bored. Not with the diet, but because I’m single and am used to going to the pub (and drinking beer). So, I decided to treat this scientifically. One day, after work, I had three pints of Guinness and felt great. Before the diet, I would have drunk five or six to feel the same. To my delight, the next morning the ketone sticks told me that I was still ‘on the diet’. Over the following weeks, I thoroughly enjoyed checking out what would ‘work’ and what would not. I found that cider is a complete no-no. Some beers and some lagers are OK. Red and white wine are OK. Consuming alcohol does not knock you off the diet, but it slows your rate of progress. But even slow progress is progress, I say. Better than giving up the diet.

Don’t let people encourage you to ‘just have a little bit’. They don’t understand or don’t want to understand the trouble they’re causing you. One’s body can hold two days worth of carbohydrates: one square of chocolate, one slice of bread, a bowl of cornflakes or one sugar in your coffee will cost you TWO days to clear out of your system. Don’t let people do it to you. This is not a diet that you can stop and start when you like, in fact I think that it probably could be dangerous to keep allowing your ketone and other levels to fluctuate wildly. There are also the high fat levels in the content of the Atkins diet, which is not dangerous if you keep to it, because you body devours fat and cholesterol in the absence of carbohydrates.

That is the story so far, with me having got down to under 16 stone and keeping it there until very recently when I moved to the Far East to live. The food is so different here, but once I get used to the food and have my own house and own kitchen, I will get down to 15 stone, I’m sure I will ” without any real effort.

Well, there you have it … My grateful thanks to you, Mr. Blackwell, wherever you are these days, you changed my life and my understanding of food and drink with that book and thank you, Mr. Atkins too.

Special occasions make everyone nervous. You want to look your best for that special vacation with your honey, or that reunion with your crazy family, or even your own wedding! Staring at the calendar as the days and weeks tick by is NOT going to help you lose those 20 extra pounds! Get up off your butt and start now. It’s never too late.

There are several things you can do in order to lose weight quickly and safely. Even a fairly large amount of weight, like 20 pounds, is not impossible to lose in a relatively short amount of time. You just have to stay focused and be persistent.

Oatmeal for breakfast. It tastes good, and it’s good for you. The fiber in oatmeal absorbs the fat and cholesterol from your bloodstream and helps your body get rid of it. It’s a great way to start losing those 20 pounds.

Stay away from sodas and other sweetened drinks and just drink water. Preferably, COLD water. Your body actually burns more calories when you drink cold water, so go with it. Plus, water fills you up, helps curb your appetite and keeps your body hydrated. All of which will lead to a healthier, slimmer you!

Eat apples, bananas and citrus fruit every day. They all have fiber and vitamins necessary for good health. Bananas also have potassium (good for heart health), citrus fruits are LOADED with vitamin C, and apples are just plain GOOD for you. They will all fill you up and help flush out the fat in a healthy way.

A sluggish digestive system is the LAST thing you want when you’re trying to lose weight. Fiber in your diet will fill you up AND clean you out.

Want great taste AND quick weight loss? Eat spicy foods! The spice enhances your metabolism, which makes you burn more calories, more quickly. Spicy foods also help your immune system fight off infection. Don’t eat too much, though. A little goes a long way.

Two “must have” foods when you’re trying to lose weight are fish and calcium-rich foods, like milk, cheese, cottage cheese and yogurt. The protein in the fish satisfies you for a long time, making it less likely that you’ll eat too much, or get hungry too soon afterward. Plus, the omega-3s in fish may actually help curb your appetite!

Exercise shouldn’t be a chore. Find something you like doing (or THINK you might like doing) and try it for a week. Swimming, walking, jumping rope (Double-Dutch is optional!), bike-riding or even roller blading can be fun and will burn fat. Nobody is asking you to be a triathlete, just get moving. It will help you lose weight faster.

Following these simple, easy tips will help you shed those 20 extra pounds before you know it.