Posts tagged Carbohydrates Diet

Are Atkins Diet And Low Carb Diets Safe?

Are low carb diets safe? How safe is Atkins diet? Are low carb and Atkins diets dangerous to your health? These are burning questions for dieters all over the world.

I have personally tried low carb diets and Atkins diet and these diets made me lose weight very quickly. However not only did I lose body fat weight, I also lost muscle weight. I had very obvious muscle and fat loss because I can visually see my reduced muscle mass in the mirror.

This certainly isn’t healthy. Furthermore, the more muscle mass that you lose, the less toned your body shape is. The end result is that you will end up thin and yet looked flabby with lose skin.

The frustrating part will be that after you are off the low carb or Atkins diet, you will very probably gain back all the weight that you have loss and even more. This is because your muscles are active and they continuously burn calories. Since you have less fewer muscle mass now, your body’s metabolism or capacity to burn calories slows down tremendously.

In other words, when you put on weight again, you are putting on body fat instead of muscles if you do not exercise. You will be fatter and less healthy than before you went on the low carb or Atkins diet. To compound matters, because of lesser muscle tissues resulting in lower metabolism and thus lesser calories being burnt, you are going to get fatter.

Since then I have stayed off both low carb and Atkins diet. Both types of diets are almost similar as they require you to cut down drastically on your consumption of carbohydrates. Atkins diet went a step further by advocating almost no carbohydrate consumption for 2 weeks before adding some carbs to your meals gradually thereafter.

Besides losing muscles, how safe are low carb diets? This is what Dr Lyn Steffen and Dr Jennifer Nettleton from the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health commentated in a Lancet report, “Low carbohydrate diets for weight management are far from healthy, given their association with ketosis, constipation or diarrhea, halitosis, headache and general fatigue to name a few.”

The doctors warned that the diet increases protein load on the kidneys and alters the balance of acid in the body. This also results in loss of minerals from the bone stores and affect bone strength. The doctors went on to say that, “Our most important criterion should be indisputable safety and low carbohydrate diets currently fall short of this benchmark.”

Dr Atkins, the creator of the Atkins diet died in 2003 after he was alleged to have slipped on an icy road and hurt his head fatally. However his medical report stated that he had a history of heart attack, hypertension and congestive heart failure.

Were Dr Atkins medical conditions related to his low carbohydrates diet is anybody’s guess. Do you want to take the risk by going on a low carb diet? I don’t think I will. If I ever want to lose weight again, I will rather go on the proven method of healthy eating and regular exercises instead of jumping on any fad diets.

By: Chris Chew

About the Author:

Chris Chew is a fitness personal trainer of actors, fashion models, pageant contestants and celebs at Lose weight tone muscles naturally and Be a personal trainer career

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Cabbage Soup Diet – The 5 Realities Of This Fad Diet

The Cabbage Soup Diet is a fad diet that has caught on for years now. Often called the “Sacred Heart Diet” and the “Military Cabbage Diet”, the Cabbage Soup Diet’s real origin has yet to be determined. No one has verified where the diet came from and if it is designed for any group of people in particular but the fact that the diet is sill around after so many years have shown its potential applicability.

The Cabbage Soup Diet has a detoxifying effect on the dieter as the diet is similar to a fast. However, because of the dangerously low levels of protein and carbohydrates in the soup, this diet is not recommended for everyone. Sandy, who has undergone the diet in the past finds it very effective and she has in fact lost eight pounds in just one week. She said she desperately needed to find a diet that can help her lose the pounds in time for her wedding. Although the diet is effective, it is not easy and the dieter should be aware of the implications before undertaking the diet.

1. It Limits Your Food Intake to Cabbage

You don’t necessarily have to love cabbage but you must have at least tolerance for this green leafy vegetable. It can be very bland and the diet often asks for other ingredients like crushed tomatoes and a celery stalk. On some days, other fruits and vegetables are added to the diet and the dieter is encouraged to eat as much fruits and vegetables available. Some try to add spices to make it more palatable but all in all, cabbage soup can be very boring and tasteless.

2. It Can Cause Other Symptoms During the Diet

The diet can cause irritability and headaches. Some people reported of lack of concentration often associated with hunger. Often, the dieter thinks nothing but of eating and since the cabbage soup is mostly liquid, it cannot fill you up. The diet recommends eating as much of the soup as you can especially if you’re hungry but the monotony of the diet can be trying.

3. The Aftereffects

The Cabbage Soup Diet, being a fad diet can lead to a regain of weight the week after. The diet can leave the dieter feeling very deprived and he or she has the tendency to eat more in the following week. This will lead to a yoyo diet, with the person often resorting to the diet when the need arises.

4. Realistic Weight Loss

The dieter has to be realistic about the amount of weight that is lost. Although there is a considerable amount of weight loss that the dieter will experience, it will most likely be water weight and lean muscle tissue. There is no discernable loss in body fat and the dieter will most likely regain the weight back if he or she doesn’t add an exercise regime to the program.

5. Diet Not for Everyone

The Cabbage Soup Diet is not ideal for anyone. There are some people who can take the diet and follow through but there are also those who need constant affirmation that the diet is worth it. Most importantly, people who are experiencing medical and health problems prior to the diet should ask the advice of their physicians first before undertaking the diet.

By: W. Darren -

About the Author:

Author is an online medical researcher and webmaster of Cabbage Soup Diet Recipe. You might be interested in “Some Cabbage Facts and Stories” and “The Advantages and Disadvantages of Cabbage Soup Diet“.

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