Wednesday, March 12, 2014

The Journey of an Atkins Dieter

Spring is creeping up on us as winter seems to fade away. One thing that folks are going to be worrying about now is:  “How will I look in my swimsuit on spring break? I need to lose these 10 pounds that I have gained in winter now!!! How I wish I stuck with my new year’s resolution!”
Now people will tend to fall in the fad diet trap by trying to hurriedly lose the extra pounds. Some will inevitably blame the extra bulge on the darn polar vortex! As they could not make it to the gym after being snowed in or splurged on extra calories because there was nothing else to do but sit at home and watch television.   What is the easiest and quickest solution? Let us go on the Atkins diet to lose the unwanted pounds and look skinny in that swim suit.
The Atkins diet is the most horrible, hardest, and unhealthy diet to follow. I mean not being able to have fruit strips our body of essential vitamins and minerals!  The diet is high in protein and fat. It can leave you feeling hungry, deprived, and irritable for days to come.
So let us begin the first 2 weeks where we cut out all sugar, caffeine, carbohydrates (healthy and unhealthy), and introduce into our bodies access protein and fat from meats, nuts, and cheese.  Two weeks of absolute torture and if you passed these two weeks kudos to you! I am an advocate for healthy eating and not quick weight loss. During this time sure enough you have lost a good 10 to 13 pounds! How awesome is that! NOT! You feel like you have accomplished so much so you feel you can treat yourself to something so yummy and delicious, but beware what you lost will slowly creep back on! You have lost only water weight and no fat!
What do people most likely do after they have cheated? Tend to fall back into all old habits and basically give up. This is why we want to concentrate on healthy diets and not fad diets that promise quick weight loss. We have to avoid this yo-yo effect on our weight as it puts stress on our all our organs and can lead to chronic diseases.
Want to fit into that bikini? Follow a diet full of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Carbohydrates are your friend and not your enemy. Our brain depends on these carbohydrates for energy. You just need to choose the right ones! Stay away from white breads, white pastas, white rice, and sugary cereals. Include 100% whole wheat breads, brown rice, quinoa, brown rice pastas, and whole wheat pastas in your diet.  Practice moderation and remember to keep moving to burn those calories!!!
Drink plenty of water to lose that belly fat and you will fit in your bikini in no time! 

If you have any diet stories to share I would love to hear them!

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