Popularity of the Atkins diet grows

Labeled the "new diet phenomenon" by the New York Times, the Atkins diet plan has changed the face of the growing health-conscious American population. Its simple layout and daily food scheduling has made it easy for just about anyone to follow. There are no fees and payments other than a change to your regular grocery list.

The only catch is that you have to stick to the plan, religiously. You learn very early on that carbohydrates are the first to go.

Before you begin the plan, you must understand that Atkins is strictly for people to want to lose weight. You should consult your physician before starting the plan to see if your body is fit for its rigor.

The Atkins diet consists of four phases: induction, ongoing weight loss, pre-maintenance, and lifetime maintenence. Induction consists of completely avoiding carbohydrates (breads, cereals, cookies) for 14 days. This way, the body can primarily burn lipid-fats, instead of first burning carbohydrates. Your blood sugar will consequently be stabilized, and can even break cravings for sugary and fatty foods.

The second phase of the plan is the continued weightloss, or "getting the hang of it." Allowing a minimal carbohydrate threshold but still primarily focusing on protein intake, this step of the plan allows you to broaden your range of healthy food and drinks. You must follow this step until you have only ten pounds of fat left to lose.

Once you hit your ten mark, the plan calls for a slowing down of the process, or a "pre-maintenance' of your future body weight. The crucial part of this phase is increasing your carbohydrate consumption until you're losing less than a pound a week. This way, personal regulation of body weight is much easier to accomplish in the future.

The last and final step of the process is mainly just watching your weight on a weekly basis. A five to ten pound gain is natural in most Atkins-goers, but the key is to act quickly. A small gain must quickly be countered by re-doing the first step of the diet plan, and starting all over again. Motivation is obviously a big factor here.

Atkins is a simple philosophy. The main idea lies in the order of which the body burns calories. Carbohydrate is the first fuel to be metabolized. When carb intake is sufficiently decreased, your body "converts from the metabolic pathway of burning carbohydrate to burning fat as the primary energy source", according to the Atkins Diet manual (http://atkins.com). This results in weight loss.

A important point that critics fail to acknowledge is the fact that following a personalized controlled carbohydrate diet plan both decreases carb consumption and insulin production. Therefore people who have weaker immune systems and/or chronic diseases can see improvement in overall body health.

Furthermore, Atkins has been tested by non-Atkins professionals. Laboratories across the nation have researched on the benefits and logic of the diet plan. The National Library of Medicine has published over 20 papers regarding the method, none of which crticize the plan and its technicalities.

The buzz is spreading, too. Now fast food restaurants are realizing that Atkins-friendly items are a must in order to ensure good business. Last week, the Kansas Star reported that "the craze has led to numerous chains jumping on the bandwagon. McDonald's, for example, is using brochures in some restaurants that help customers cut the carbs and reduce fats. Burger King just introduced a bunless cheeseburger, and On the Border is offering tortilla-free lettuce-wrap fajitas."

The answer is clear. For those people who are clinically diagnosed as overweight, the Atkins diet plan is one of the most excellent and efficient ways to shed the extra pounds.