WILL A FAT HEAVY DIET HELP YOU LOSE BODY-FAT SAFELY?

Is there anything to the Fat Heavy Diet?

Is their any truth behind the hype? Are these programs any better than fad diets?

Lets take a closer look.

Many times when I tell someone that I make my living as a Lifestyle and Wellness Consultant, I am greeted with an “I am on the Atkins” or “I am on the South-Beach”. In a matter of fact, more people will proudly inform me of partaking of these two weight-loss endeavors than any other nutritional program available, including Weight Watchers, the Zone or even Jenny Craig. This isn’t all that surprising as these two approaches guarantee results much quicker and much easier than the carbohydrate heavy or the balanced nutritional programs that are available.

But is there really anything behind all of the hype? These programs initially help people lose weight through an approach called, an “induction” phase. It is true that the results are quick, and maybe even easy, but is there much more to this approach than meets the eye?

Lets take a closer look and see what you think.

Lets review two books that discuss nutritional programs that encourage the intake of dietary fat but discourage the intake of carbohydrates, specifically refined (including high fructose corn syrup) and high Glycemic carbohydrates.

FAT HEAVY DIET BOOKS

Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution by Robert C. Atkins, MD, 2003 (Original Book was printed in 1972) and The South Beach Diet by Arthur Agatson, MD, 2003.

To better help you understand this approach I want to define the fat heavy diet concepts the late Dr. Atkins popularized during the height of the Atkins Diet: The Induction Phase and Ketosis.

THE INDUCTION PHASE

The Induction phase is the first, and most restrictive, phase of the Atkins Nutritional Approach. It is intended to cause the body to quickly enter a state of ketosis. Carbohydrate intake is limited to 20 net grams per day (grams of carbohydrates minus grams of fiber, sugar alcohols, or glycerin), 12 to 15 net grams of which must come in the form of salad greens and other vegetables. The allowed all foods include a liberal amount of all meats, fish, shellfish, fowl, and eggs; up to 4 ounces of soft or semi-soft cheese; salad vegetables; other low carbohydrate vegetables; and butter and vegetable oils (Atkins Nutritional Approach at Wikipedia.com).

My take: One gram of water bonds with over four grams of carbohydrate.

If you deplete your glycogen stores by consuming less sugar OF COURSE YOU ARE GOING TO LOSE 5-10 POUNDS IN A WEEK OR TWO. But don’t be fooled, water weight is not fat weight and this weight can, and will, come back faster than it left.

KETOSIS

Ketosis is a stage in metabolism occurring when the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies which can be used by the body for energy (Ketosis at Wikipedia.com). My take: Personally, I believe there are numerous groups of people that can function very well on a high-fat/low-carbohydrate nutritional regimen. I am just not one of them. I have one word for my experience of being on a diet where you enter and maintain ketosis: NIGHTMARE! I have practiced a ketosis diet twice while losing fat for a natural bodybuilding contest and I have entered ketosis once while experimenting with the Atkins. All three times I was just miserable as the ketones just did not provide enough energy to keep my brain, let’s say, “Happy”; let alone the proper energy to really keep me functioning properly to work and train.

Let’s now break these nutritional regimens down within the Food First Wellness Five Concepts To Healthy Eating!

Grading out two Fat Heavy Diet Books: The Atkins and The South Beach Diet!