Atkins and Ketosis
The basic principle of the Atkins diet is that a state of ketosis will help you burn your fat stores as energy. Many people, even those who are on low carbohydrate diets, don’t quite understand ketosis and why it works.
Most diets are calorie-reduction diets. They help you lose weight, but some of the weight is from fat and some of it is from lean muscle tissue. While you may look smaller on the scale, your metabolism is actually slowing down. The more muscle you lose the slower your metabolism will be. This makes losing weight more difficult and gaining weight back even simpler.
The Atkins diet, on the other hand, is carbohydrate restrictive. It creates a state of ketosis in your body that burns only fat, and not muscle. The primary source of your energy for your body will be fat in the form of ketones. Your liver will convert fat into ketones and it cannot be converted back. It will be excreted naturally.
Ketones are actual a normally and efficient source of fuel for the human body. They are created in the liver from the fatty acids that result from the breakdown of body fat. These only appear when there is an absence of glucose and sugar. In the Atkins diet, you reduce the amount of glucose and sugar that is in the bloodstream. As a result, your body produces ketones for fuel. When your body is creating ketones it is called ketosis.
There is a common misconception that following a ketogenic diet like Atkins is dangerous. The truth is that being in ketosis is a completely naturally state. The human body creates ketones to use as fuel in the absence of glucose.
In the Atkins diet book, Dr. Atkins suggests using ketone-testing strips to determine your state of ketosis during dieting. These small plastic strips are held in the urine stream and contain a special chemically treated absorptive pad. This pad will change color if ketones are present in the urine. With the presence of ketones, the strip will change varying shades of pink to purple. There is a color scale on the label of the bottle that will help you determine your ketone levels.
Ketone strips are available in any pharmacy and can be found among the diabetic supplies. In some stores, they are kept behind the counter so you may have to ask for them. You won’t need a prescription to buy them though. Once you open a package of ketosis strips they have a shelf life of 6 months. It may be helpful to mark the opening date on the box.
Ketone strips will let you know if you are progressing correctly on the Atkins diet. If you are following the Induction plan to the letter and aren’t seeing purple, don’t worry. Some people never show trace amounts of ketones or they may show just above the minimum line. As long as you are losing weight and inches then you are successfully using ketones. Also, if you’ve just exercised a few hours before using the strips, you may not see purple.
Some dieters may mistakenly believe that a dark purple result on the testing strips means that they are losing weight faster. Actually, the darkest purple color is a sign of dehydration. It means that your urine is too concentrated and you need to drink water.
Ketones come from fat in the bloodstream, whether it is fat that you eat or fat that you burn. So if you eat a meal heavy in fat and then immediately use a testing strip, then you’ll see a dark purple result. Use the strips as a guide, but don’t get hung up on the color.
Reaching a state of ketosis is key to success on the Atkins diet and it as simple as eliminating carbohydrates from the diet. Make sure to follow the eating plan correctly and use the ketone testing strips as needed.
PPPPP
(word count 657)
|
|
|
|
Atkins and Appetite Suppression One of the most common, and surprising, effects of following the Atkins diet is appetite suppression. ...
read more
Atkins and Diabetes The Atkins diet principles lay the foundation for a healthy, more balanced way of eating than the ...
read more
Atkins and Exercise There is a lot of attention paid in the Atkins diet plan towards food and cooking. It’s ...
read more
Atkins and Intestinal Problems The major complaint of those who use the Atkins diet is the intestinal problems that are ...
read more
Atkins and Ketosis The basic principle of the Atkins diet is that a state of ketosis will help you burn ...
read more
Atkins and Sugar Cravings Sugar is everywhere you look and it might pop up in some surprising places. Did you ...
read more
Atkins and Unprocessed Foods When you first start on the Atkins program, you may be tempted to take advantage of ...
read more
Atkins cost saving tips The Atkins diet has a lot of health benefits, but it is not exactly easy on ...
read more
Atkins Criticism The Atkins diet is very popular, but it also comes with a lot of criticism. Health experts, doctors ...
read more
Atkins Diet Basics The Atkins diet is not a new phenomenon. The diet first appeared in the late 1970s and ...
read more
Atkins Diet Foods Atkins diet foods are easy to find and available everywhere. There are many varieties to choose from, ...
read more
Atkins Induction Atkins diet foods are easy to find and available everywhere. There are many varieties to choose from, whether ...
read more
Atkins Induction Rules The Induction phase of the Atkins diet is one of the most important stepping-stones to successful weight ...
read more
Atkins Maintenance The final phase of the Atkins diet plan is lifetime maintenance. This is the time to continue your ...
read more
Atkins OWL Phase The second phase of the Atkins diet is called Ongoing Weight Loss or OWL. After the rapid ...
read more
Atkins Pre Maintenance Phase After experiencing the Induction and OWL phases of the Atkins diet, your next step is to ...
read more
Atkins Shopping Tips When you start the Atkins diet, you are entering a new world of eating. And nowhere is ...
read more
Atkins Snack Choices We live in a society of nibblers. Long gone are the traditional three square meals per day. ...
read more
Carbohydrate Cravings and the Atkins diet Carbohydrate cravings are difficult to deal with, especially when you are trying to maintain ...
read more
Carbohydrate Substitutes for the Atkins diet Cutting down on carbohydrates with the Atkins diet is easy when you see the ...
read more
Common mistakes of Atkins dieters The Atkins diet is one of the simplest weight loss plans to follow. Although the ...
read more
Is Atkins right for you The Atkins diet is very popular, but is it right for you? Before you start ...
read more
Overcoming plateaus on the Atkins diet If you are experiencing a stall or plateau in your Atkins weight loss efforts, ...
read more
Planning for Atkins When it comes to the Atkins diet, your success will lie in your planning. Making sure you ...
read more
Pros and cons of the Atkins diet The Atkins diet is one of the most popular low carbohydrate diets on ...
read more
|
|
Disclaimer
The Publisher has strived to be as accurate and complete as possible in the creation of this website, notwithstanding the fact that he does not warrant or represent at any time that the contents within are accurate due to the rapidly changing nature of the Internet.
This site is a common sense guide to Atkins and Ketosis. In practical advice websites, like anything else in life, there are no guarantees of income made. Readers are cautioned to reply on their own judgment about their individual circumstances to act accordingly.
This site is not intended for use as a source of legal, business, accounting or financial advice. All readers are advised to seek services of competent professionals in legal, business, accounting, and finance field.
Any perceived slights of specific people or organizations are unintentional.
|
|
Atkins and Appetite Suppression
Atkins and Diabetes
Atkins and Exercise
Atkins and Intestinal Problems
Atkins and Ketosis
Atkins and Sugar Cravings
Atkins and Unprocessed Foods
Atkins cost saving tips
Atkins Criticism
Atkins Diet Basics
Atkins Diet Foods
Atkins Induction
Atkins Induction Rules
Atkins Maintenance
Atkins OWL Phase
Atkins Pre Maintenance Phase
Atkins Shopping Tips
Atkins Snack Choices
Carbohydrate Cravings and the Atkins diet
Carbohydrate Substitutes for the Atkins diet
Common mistakes of Atkins dieters
Is Atkins right for you
Overcoming plateaus on the Atkins diet
Planning for Atkins
Pros and cons of the Atkins diet
| 