The Atkins Diet Essay

by Dr. Robert C. Atkins. Dr. Atkins believed that diets high in sugar cause the pancreas to

It is important to manage the carbohydrate intake week-to-week (Atkins par. 7). The third and fourth phases of the Atkins diet are for maintenance phases. Dieters should avoid any foods that could possibly cause weight gain, and continue to watch the intake of carbohydrates. The intake of carbohydrates may be increased during this phase but still must be managed (Atkins par. 8). The Atkins diet has had some controversies and some successes as well. This diet is a high-fat diet and the government health agencies only recommend thirty percent of fat in our diets. The Atkins diet requires the dieter to consume much more fat than that, easily (Atkins par. 9). A success that the Atkins dieters have experienced is not only weight loss, but an improvement in health as well (Atkins par. 10). Although this diet has been very time consuming for dieters, it has had wondrous outcomes.

point. You may eat anything you desire, as long as you don’t go over your

In the United States today, obesity has become an enormous problem. In the last 3 decades, the number of people overweight has increased dramatically. A study done by the Centers of Disease Control showed that since 1980, one third of our adult population has become overweight. America is the richest but also the fattest nation in the world and our obese backsides are the butt of jokes in every other country (Klein 28). The 1980s were a time when Americans suddenly started going crazy over dieting, jumping onto the treadmills, and buying prepackaged non-fat foods. However, while all of that was going on, the number of obese Americans began to increase. According to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 58 million

3. What is “metabolism”? What does human metabolism have to do with energy balance and body weight? Answer: metabolism- the chemical processes that occur within a living organism in order to maintain life. Food is measured in calories which the body processes as energy. Additional calories must be burned through exercise or physical activity or it will be stored as fat.

Two friends of yours, Janine and Mitchell, join you at lunch. During your conversation, Janine comments on Mitchell’s choice of food: a small bowl of cottage cheese, a chicken salad with vinegar and oil dressing, and a glass of ice water.

The Zone and Atkins diets aim to achieve lower levels of insulin in the bloodstream. The Zone diet reduces carbohydrates by structuring calorie intake to a 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein, 30% fat ratio. The ratio decreases the amount of carbohydrates consumed, inturn lowering overall insulin levels. The Atkins diet also lowers insulin levels by lowering the quantity of carbohydrates ingested. This four phase diet begins with extreme limitation and gradually allows small amounts of carbohydrates. Though these diets implement different approaches they both reduce the insulin levels in the bloodstream.

Ketosis is a metabolic state where the liver produces organic molecules known as ketone bodies. Technically, the term ketone denotes an organic molecule where a carbon atom, sandwiched between two other carbon atoms, is double-bonded to an oxygen atom (Peter Attia, 2014). To reach this state the body must deplete all glucose stores including those in the liver. This can be accomplished through periods of fasting or through intake of high fat and minimal carbohydrates and sugars. Both sugars and carbohydrates are converted to glucose for the body to burn as energy or ATP. When the body is starved of glucose it must switch gears in order to continue its existence. This switch of gears is what followers of the ketogenic diet call fat assimilation. The human body under the realization that there are no stores of glucose for energy asks the liver to create ketone bodies. Those ketone bodies use lipids or fat for energy. This is the greatest benefit for dieters since the goal for most is to lose weight through fat loss.

Obesity has become increasingly more prominent in American society. The Unites States has even been termed an overweight nation. Some twenty to thirty percent of American adults are now considered obese (Hwang 1999 and Hirsch et al 1997). With this in mind, Americans constantly look around themselves determining their weight status as well as that of those around them. While some Americans do fit the healthy category, others enter the underweight, overweight, and even obese categories, all of which can be unhealthy.

When talking about obesity in a country like America, where the problem and issue is more critical we need to consider the most probable causes and the factors of obesity. According to statistics from the Center of Disease and Control in 2013 over 35.7% of Americans are obese. America is the most obese country in the world because we rely too much on technology and on other things. We also lack of physical activity and the main problem is that we have very bad eating habits. You may be asking yourself, what causes people to be obese? Well that's obvious because it's the huge amount of fast food places in America. There's literally a fast food place in every corner. As americans, we all have very bad eating habits since we would rather buy a 25 cent soup then some organic nutritious food. Also lacking on physical activity due to how busy we are at work and with family and yet still being lazy to cook something healthy or to eat anything healthy we would rather go buy something since it’s so much easier. All of this is because of what the American culture is becoming with technology and

How is it that a nation so obsessed with counting calories, cutting back carbs, and going on diets is so incredibly overweight? The United States is by far the heaviest country in the world. Almost two thirds of Americans are overweight and one third are obese (“Statistics…”). That’s a lot of fatties in a land of 281,421,906 people (“Question…”). On the surface, it’s simply bewildering as to why America is in such a state because this country is made of people from the rest of the world. However, eastern and western Europeans, Asians, Africans, South Americans, and Australians aren’t faced with even half the number of weight-related health issues that Americans encounter every day.

“The Atkins Diet,” a high protein, high fat, low-carbohydrate diet was introduced in 1972 by Dr. Robert C. Atkins, MD. Dr. Atkins believed that a diet high in sugar forced the pancreas to produce the hormone insulin, causing the body to store calories as fat. He believed that if we consumed fewer carbohydrates, then our bodies would produce less insulin. By doing so, our bodies would use stored fat for energy, resulting in weight loss. (1)

First, let’s look at some of the background information of low-carb diets. Also, we will look at a couple different diets and what their different phases are. A low-carb diet is one that restricts the intake of carbohydrates for the purpose of losing weight. Foods high in carbs, like sugar, bread, and pasta, are often replaced with foods containing a higher percentage of fats and protein, such as meat, fish, and eggs. Other foods low in carbs, which include some vegetables and fruits, are also acceptable. It is also important to

Presently you will find over 2 million people dieting known as atkins Plan. This can be a low carb diet which includes foods and weight reduction classes. Throughout a few days each patient or client has meal cards. They will use prepaid credit cards and do not review them. Prepaid credit cards count the carbohydrates someone is getting to their system. This will be relevant in atkins plan in since the more carbohydrates you bring to your system, the best you’re. Meal cards as well as exercises are utilized to assist in atkins plan.

The philosophy is that by restricting carb intake, the cravings for carbs will subside, resulting in a decline in overall food consumption and weight loss.