Ways To Take Off Weight With The Atkins High Protein Diet

A feature article by Alan B Densky, Mar 20, 2008         

Summary: The Atkins Diet is a very popular "low carb" weight loss program, but it is often greatly misunderstood! There are 4 phases in the Atkins diet. This article will help you decide if you would make a good candidate for this proven diet plan.

 
The Atkins Diet is a very popular "low carb" weight loss system, but it is often greatly misunderstood! Popular, yet slightly exaggerated depictions of the diet portray dieters wolfing down nothing but huge portions of meat and fat. Although the diet itself may not be quite this simple, many dieters have used it to lose weight and improve their health.

On this program, dieters follow a very specific regimen based on cutting carbohydrate intake. The nutritional aspects of the diet are emphasized over exercise and other factors, although exercise is also a key to weight loss. There are 4 phases in the Atkins diet:

Induction: For the duration of this two-week stage at the start of the diet program, dieters can only consume up to 20 grams of carbs each day. Dieters can eat high protein foods such as meat and eggs, fats such as butter and oils, and other food with little to no carbohydrates. Many foods with carbs are not allowed at all, including alcoholic drinks.

This initial phase is intended to help the body go from burning carbs for energy, as it normally does, into burning fat stored in the body (the state known as ketosis). Most dieters start to shed pounds during this stage.

Ongoing Weight Loss: During the Ongoing Weight Loss period, dieters gradually increase their carbohydrate consumption by adding 5 grams of carbs into their diet every week. Dieters adjust their diet, continuing their weight loss to put themselves within 5-10 pounds of their goal weight, before transitioning into the Pre-maintenance phase.

Pre-maintenance: Dieters use the Pre-maintenance stage to find out the maximum amount of carbs they can consume without experiencing weight gain. During this stage, dieters increase carb intake by 10 grams a week. Once dieters reach their target weight and can maintain it for one month, they move into the Lifetime Maintenance stage.

Lifetime Maintenance: For lasting results, the Atkins program is designed to be maintained throughout the dieter's lifetime. Using the strategies that helped the dieter reach their goal weight, the dieter maintains an eating and exercise program to stay at their goal weight. Individuals can revert to previous stages if their weight starts to rise again.

Dieters who can commit to the Atkins diet are typically successful in losing weight; however, many people are unable to follow through with the program and end up quitting early on in the difficult induction stage. In general, most diets fail because dieters cannot stay on the plan.

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Many people struggle to stay on diets because they experience strong food cravings, have problems with compulsive overeating, can't control their appetites, or simply are not motivated to lose weight. Overcoming these mental obstacles is the most challenging aspect of losing weight.

One reason why many people struggle to manage their eating is because they are emotional eaters. Such people eat in response to their emotions, such as when they are bored or upset. However, this habit programs a "conditioned response" into the unconscious mind. This means that when individuals experience the same emotion that made them initially overeat, they will feel compelled to overeat once again.

Hypnotherapy works by helping our unconscious minds disassociate our emotions from our eating habits. To extinguish the conditioned response to overeat, a hypnotherapy weight loss program is used to break the association developed in the unconscious mind between overeating and specific "trigger" behaviors.

For instance, if you tend to binge eat when you feel bored, hypnosis can disassociate boredom from eating in your unconscious mind. Hypnotherapy techniques can then be used to replace the urge to overeat with another activity, such as exercising. This way, the next time you get bored, instead of overeating, you will feel motivated to engage in physical activity.

Hypnosis is an effective tool for stress relief as well, helping us deal with our stressful emotions and relieve tension without eating. As a relaxation tool, it calms the mind, helps you use new strategies to manage stress, and boosts your confidence to motivate you to lose weight.

Hypnotherapy can also be used to end the emotional anxieties that keep you from losing weight. Many overweight people use their weight for emotional protection. For instance, after a painful end to a relationship, people often find themselves becoming overweight so they can avoid relationships and avoid experiencing emotional pain again. Through hypnosis, we can think more positively and focus on improving our health instead of becoming overwhelmed by our worries.

Not only is hypnotherapy an ideal motivation tool, it relieves tension, eliminates conditioned responses that trigger overeating, and can help you overcome the mental obstacles that prevent weight loss. Hypnosis is exceptionally effective at helping people stay on a diet program, such as the Atkins plan, and lose weight.



Alan B. Densky, CH is certified by the NGH. Visit his hypnotism website for Free hypnotherapy downloads, videos, and newsletters. He offers several ways to lose weight, including NLP to lose weight DVDs and weight loss hypnosis CDs.

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