The Atkins diet has indeed proven effective at shedding pounds and keeping them off. But like anything, the Atkins diet has its benefits as well as its trade-offs. The Atkins diet should not be undertaken by women on menopause unless expressly given permission by their physician. Anyone thinking of starting any new diet should first consult with their physician to discuss possible side effects.
At one time or another, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) affects some 20 million people in the United States each year. Some are bothered by sporadic flare-ups while others may suffer from the chronic form of the condition. The specific symptoms vary with some having only mild problems and others very severe and acute pain. Are the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome made worse or better by the Atkins diet? Before this question can be answered, you first need to understand how food normally progresses through your digestive system.
Doesn’t it seem like diet fads come and go with the changing of the seasons? Every other year some new craze starts up promising to slash pounds in weeks or your money back—guaranteed! And in truth, most of these products can indeed deliver upon the promise of shedding pounds in a few weeks—pounds of water weight!! Many appetite suppressants literally cause dehydration and have stimulants in them that cause people to sweat the pounds off. The true fat weight that is loss is only due to the fact that the person was so hopped up on stimulants that they ran around doing twice as much work with half the efficiency.
No matter what, we just seem to need that cup of jo in the morning. Without it, we can feel completely disconnected from the world and more like a zombie than a human. Deep down, we know that coffee is not good for us. Really strong coffees will make the heart race, our skin sweaty, and sometimes when we get ahold of the really good stuff—make our hands jittery. But coffee is especially bad for people who are also on the Atkins diet because it causes dehydration.
On some diet plans, pills are recommended that have stimulants as the active ingredients. Stimulants do indeed suppress appetite but they also tend to, well, stimulate the entire body. This may result in spectacular highs where you seem to have boundless energy for a few hours—and then just as suddenly—you find yourself too tired to even think, let alone move! Other diet plans may not advise special pills made from stimulants, but they will ask that you limit caloric intake to the point of exhaustion. But is fatigue an issue on the Atkins diet?
Heart disease remains the number one killer in the United States and its numbers are expected to grow in the coming years due to the dramatic rise in obesity in recent years. One of the primary causes of coronary heart disease is high cholesterol levels which lead to the formation of fatty plaques that will cling to one another and form blockages in the arteries. When these blockages become severe enough, a heart attack occurs…death is probable unless treatment is received immediately. To avoid this scenario, millions of Americans take high cholesterol medication and eat highly restrictive diets. But for people on the Atkins diet, cholesterol medication may not be necessary.
Ahhh the holiday season is nearing ,people bringing out their thick jackets, dads taking out the large shovels out of the shed. But what holiday season will be complete with out the usual holiday treats like candy, fruit cake, turkey, etc. Then there is the holiday eggnog, problem is with all the stuff we eat at holiday seasons do you think we should drink egg nog with whipped cream? Imagine the calories on that, but now thanks to Atkins we can enjoy this holiday drink with out putting in the pounds and the sugar.
Diabetes is caused by the body’s inability to properly regulate blood sugar levels. This essential energy is literally the lifeblood of your body. In a normal functioning body, blood sugar levels are stabilized by periodic injections of insulin. Produced by the pancreas, insulin plays a number of roles in the body, including reducing blood sugar levels to acceptable levels. However, with the Atkins diet, insulin shots may not be necessary as the diet help keeps those levels low anyway.
The number one medical problem that remains under diagnosed year after year is constipation. Nobody wants to go to the trouble of scheduling a doctor’s appointment when they have constipation. In the majority of cases, the condition goes away within a day or two anyway—long before most of us could ever get in to actually see our doctor! However, when constipation becomes chronic or lasts for more than a few days, serious medical problems can arise. Are chronic constipation problems a concern for those on the Atkins diet?
Joint pain is a condition that we all experience occasionally due to physical activity, injuries, etc. However, as we age, joint pain may become a chronic condition due to arthritis. There are two main varieties of arthritis: Osteoarthritis is the more common and affects some 20 million people in the United States alone. The condition is caused by a gradual loss of cartilage and the resulting overgrowth of bone in the joints. This causes joint pain (especially in the knees, hips, elbows, and even fingertips) because bone grinds against bone instead of having a cushion of cartilage.