There are a number of different ways that you can lose weight, some of which work very well and others that are better left on the shelf. One thing that you may want to try in order to punch up your weight loss efforts a little bit is a low carbohydrate diet. There are a number of these diets that are available, but each of them is going to have the same basic principle. By restricting your carbohydrates, you force your body to burn fat for fuel.

One of the most popular of these diets is the Atkins diet. Perhaps you have tried this yourself but at the very least, you probably know somebody that has seen some amount of success by restricting their carbohydrates on Atkins. This is one of the more restrictive diets, however, as it makes you keep your carbohydrate levels at under 20 grams per day. The weight loss that you achieve, however, is nothing short of phenomenal. Some people lose five pounds every week consistently while they are on this level of the diet.

You might also consider changing the type of carbohydrates that you are eating. Instead of cutting your carbohydrate intake back to nothing, eat things that are low on the glycemic index. When you do this, your body is going to release the sugar from the carbohydrates slowly so that your body will be able to assimilate it. If you eat things that are high on the glycemic index, the sugar will be released quickly and whenever your body cannot assimilate it, it is stored as fat.

Many people have tried the Atkins diet (aka, the low carb diet), but have not been able to stick with it and over time, gain their weight back. There are several reasons for this. Personally, I have probably started and stopped this diet at least two dozen times. About one-fourth of those were serious starts that lasted at least one month. About three or four of those lasted at least 3 months, and at least twice have lasted more than 6 months. First, let’s look at why this diet failed me two dozen times.

The first reason for failure is not having a plan beyond the induction phase. The induction phase is the first 2 weeks of the diet where you control your carbohydrate intake to about 20 grams of carbs or less per day. You find yourself eating a lot of eggs, meat, and cheese. Most people get bored with this and bail on the diet. Most people don’t know what to do after the induction, so they bail.

The second reason is contained with the first reason. There is little to no variety in their diet. There is a reason why some people have called this the “meat and cheese” diet. It’s because they don’t know how to get beyond this and add real variety to their diet. They see all the options and things they are missing, and quit.

The third reason is they are not exercising. Without exercise, you will hit a wall where you just can’t lose weight. You will also find yourself fatigued and feeling weak. This weak feeling makes you not want to continue, so you go back to the old way of doing things.

The fourth reason for people quitting the Atkins diet is that they are not drinking enough water. Water helps flush things out and cleanse your body. You’ll need this as your body burns off the fat. Rather than water, they are still drinking a lot of caffeine in soda, coffee, and tea. You can have these things, but it’s best to use less and drink more water.

One final reason is that most people never visit their doctor. This is especially important to do before you diet. Many doctors, in my opinion, are not well informed about the Atkins diet because they only see it as it is during the induction phase, and not throughout the whole diet. Tell your doctor you want lab work before you begin a low carbohydrate diet. Then, get more lab work down approximately one month later to see how far you’ve come. Then, you might want to try it again three months later, and then six months later.

By visiting your doctor, he or she will be there to give you advice and will know what you are doing. Getting your lab work done will also give you an inside look at the progress you are making. You will need more than a scale to measure your progress. When you go 5-7 days without losing a pound, you need to know there are other factors at stake, and just because your weight didn’t go down, many other important numbers may be going down too.

Is it worth it to stick with the Atkins diet? If you’re going to do it, consider the reasons above, and do the opposite. You may find that it is easier to stick with than you think and that it’s not just a diet, but that low carbohydrate living is a fantastic way of life.

Although Medifast promises up to 20 lbs of weight loss per month, some customers may experience smaller or slower weight loss than others. Due to the differences in body profiles, it is understandable that not all may reach maximum results with their 5&1 food programs. If you’re one of those who are dissatisfied with the results they’re getting, you may try some Medifast weight loss tips to supplement your 5&1 Food Plan.

Many diet experts recommend introducing regular exercise in your daily activities. As you exercise, you increase your body’s metabolic rate thus enabling it to burn calories and fat at a faster rate. While counting calories or carbohydrates is an unusual practice among many dieters, it may be best that you monitor your carbohydrate intake if you’re experiencing a slower rate of weight loss. Doctors recommend a limit of 80-85 grams of carbs per day to lose weight faster. The wrong combination of Medifast food choices may also adversely affect your program’s efficiency. Educate yourself with the nutritional content of each food choice. For instance, Medifast Maintenance Bars (in green wrapper) and Snacks are high-carb food options. Eating them on the same day may lead to an overdrive of your daily carbohydrate intake. Planning small things like this could spell the difference between the success and failure of your diet program. To keep track of your food intake, use your online MyMedifast account to log your meals. Moreover, be sure to eat 1 Lean & Green Meal and drink 8 glasses of water per day.

If your problems still persist after trying these Medifast weight loss tips, you can re-customize your food plan by working with the Nutrition Support Team. This team of doctors and health experts would help you fine-tune your diet to further suit your body’s needs, thus allowing you to enjoy better and faster results.

The Atkins diet or the Atkins Nutritional Approach is a low carbohydrate diet that was popularized by Dr. Robert Atkins in his book back in 1972. It was something he created from reading the Journal of the American Medical Association in order to solve his own weight issues. Although the this diet was highly successful during its earlier years - and brought on the founding of the Atkins franchise, which included the Atkins Nutritional - the diet lost its popularity later on and the company had to file for bankruptcy.

What the Atkins diet is about

As mentioned, the Atkins diet is focused on a low carbohydrate eating. When this happens, the body will not anymore burn glucose for energy conversion and will instead burn the stored body fat. With this diet, more protein and fats are taken into the body, which by the way take a longer time to be digested, thus the dieter does not feel hungry as easily compared to those in a low fat diet.

There are four phases into the Atkins diet:

The first phase of the Atkins diet is called Induction. In this phase, the person faces a restricted diet where only 20 net grams of carbohydrates is taken per day. The person should take 12 to 15 net grams of this from green and leafy vegetables but they can take in huge amounts of meat, fish, eggs and other poultry products. It is recommended that the dieter take in eight glasses of water for day and avoid drinking any alcoholic beverages. The induction phase of the diet should take about two weeks to complete.

By then, the dieter will go to the next phase in the diet called the Ongoing Weight Loss Diet or OWL. The carbohydrate intake may increase a little but only up to a point where weight loss can still be allowed. During this phase of the diet, the person would need to increase his or her intake of vegetables that are acceptable in the earlier stage. Other types of food that are allowed are fresh cheese, nuts and seeds, berries, alcohol, legumes, fruits and vegetables and whole grains.

The next phase of the Atkins diet is the pre-maintenance stage. In this stage, the person may increase his or her carbohydrate intake at around 10 net grams per week. This phase is also very critical because the person has to find the maximum carbohydrate level that they can take without gaining weight.

By this time, you will enter the last phase of the diet, which is the lifetime maintenance. The habits that have been acquired in the previous stages should be maintained and those that would make one gain weight should be avoided.

Is the Atkins diet truly effective?

Many may attest to the effectiveness of the Atkins diet but many others may also say something against it. The Atkins diet has faced many controversies in the past saying that it has many disadvantages. If you want to try the Atkins diet out, a thorough research and a doctor’s opinion should help you decide.