Atkins diet: what’s phase 1?

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The Atkins diet’s Phase 1 is the strictest, limiting carbohydrate intake to 20g or less per day, resulting in significant weight loss. Allowed foods include meat, fish, and poultry, while fruits, vegetables, and breads are prohibited. Dieters should avoid alcohol, caffeine, grains, and sugar. Ketosis can be verified through urine testing or smelling the breath.

Phase 1 of the Atkins diet is also known as the introduction phase and is the strictest phase of the diet. By limiting total carbohydrate intake to 20 grams or less per day, Phase 1 of the Atkins diet is the phase that generally results in the greatest weight loss. Dieters are recommended to spend no less than two weeks on Phase 1 of the Atkins diet, and longer if possible or necessary to lose an excessive amount of weight. There are recommended foods to eat during the introductory phase, but there are generally no limits on how much of each food can be eaten.

The Atkins diet is a low-carb diet that was invented by Dr. Robert C. Atkins for people who need to lose large amounts of weight. The dieter can eat almost all the meat, fish, and poultry he or she desires, as well as real butter, cream, and eggs. The diet prohibits most fruits, vegetables, and breads. When beginning Phase 1 of the Atkins diet, the dieter is asked to consume no more than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. By doing so, the body enters benign dietary ketosis, a condition in which the body begins to burn stored body fat.

To verify that the body is in ketosis during Phase 1 of the Atkins diet, the person’s urine can be tested using ketone test strips. By placing a test strip in the urine stream, the resulting color of the bar can be combined with a graph to verify ketosis. This can also be verified by smelling the breath of a Phase 1 Atkins dieter, because breath is very bad during ketosis. This is caused by the loss of ketones through the lungs.

Other items that should be avoided during the first phase of the diet are alcoholic beverages, caffeine, and any food that is made with grains or sugar. The foods that are allowed are cheeses, fats and butter. The restrictions become slightly less restrictive after Phase 1 of the Atkins diet, but the low-carb approach still holds true. Water is a recommended drink, and the dieter is advised to drink at least eight glasses of water per day. The dieter is also urged to drink a large glass of water before meals and when craving snacks. The Atkins diet states that many times the body simply needs water when a dieter thinks they are hungry.




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