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Atkins Diet: The Basics

Get an introduction to the Atkins Diet, plus menu suggestions.

When your diet is full of carbohydrates (coming from starchy foods like breads and potatoes), your body uses them as fuel. The key foundation of the Atkins Diet is that by limiting your intake of carbs, you force your body to begin burning stored fat. Carbohydrates are restricted in a phased approach, while fats and proteins are generously eaten during the entire program.




How to Eat to Lose:


You can indulge in many foods blacklisted from other diets, such as cheese and sour cream. Meat will be the cornerstone of most of your meals while you're on Atkins, so this won't be the time to covert to vegetarianism! Carbs are greatly reduced, especially in the first week or two, so salads, fruits, vegetables and breads will take a backseat. On the upside: when you can have carrots, you'll be able to flavor them with real butter.

For More Information:

Comments
John 
Feb. 4, 2010 6:31 pm
It's sad and pathetic that the only article on this site is this limited information. Go to Atkins and look at the healthy eating that is possible with low carb diet. It's not all fat. I have been very succesfull with my diet. Lost 50+ pounds and my type 2 diabetes is gone. I thought this site would be more thorough, too bad.
 
Feb. 7, 2010 8:50 am
Dear John, The reason this article is so small is because this isn't Atkins official website. It gives a summary of the diet and tells you to go to the Atkins website. This website is called Allrecipes.com in case you didn't know that.
 
Feb. 28, 2010 6:54 pm
I agree, John. This website should have a low carb category, since MANY low carb diets are out there and are being followed by millions of people, never mind the millions of diabetics who are trying to turn things around like you did. And Tina D ... no need to add not-so-smart remarks. That type of attitude helps no one.
 
Mar. 9, 2010 7:01 pm
I agree Tina, these people are thinking way too much about this artical. She is right, this is only a recipe site, trying to give you the BASICS. No one is calling this site ' the know it all ' or ' let's get the all ' This is a recipe site that has healthy recipes, and thought it might be a good idea for a small reference, basics, or general idea. It DOES give you the link to an Atkins Diet website, which obviously has more information than two paragraphs. I honestly don't think AllRecipes.com should have to take even more time to get all of this information on one subject, that is why they gave us a reference to a site that DOES have more information. I don't believe that was any attitude, but maybe a little bit of edge... Anyways, why are we all arguing ( and I know I am too, so you don't have to comeback at my for that ) instead of finding more of what we want to know?... I have to do this too =)
 
Apr. 6, 2010 8:00 pm
this site does have a low carb categor.. just look and you will find it.
 
Jun. 15, 2010 4:26 pm
I would agree with John. Yes, it's clear this is not the Atkins website. However, they did write an Atkins article and even as an "article" the content is pitifully thin. This should not be under "articles". It should be placed under "links" since that is all it really is.
 
Jun. 15, 2010 4:28 pm
I would agree with John. Yes, it's clear this is not the Atkins website. However, they did write an Atkins article and even as an "article" the content is pitifully thin. This should not be under "articles". It should be placed under "links" since that is all it really is.
 
Aug. 11, 2010 2:07 pm
This is really a link to get you to the Atkins website, but the comment in the article about salads taking a backseat is WRONG. Most of your carbs during induction should come from foundation vegetables, which are mostly salad greens. There are actually quite a few recipes on allrecipes that I found, simply by typing "low carb" into the search, and there is a low carb section, as well as many "regular" recipes that are easy to modify.
 
Jan. 1, 2011 8:04 pm
really...ALL the comments are about "The Atkins" diet website vs. the lack-there-off info in the article..."Get over it!"..we're here to talk and SHARE about helpful tips, not OUR opinions about this VERY helpful site
 
Jan. 16, 2011 9:53 am
Oh my gosh! We are all here to recieve ideas, recipes and to share, not to rehash Adkins or any other "diet" on the market. If we all work together with helpful ideas our days will be more pleasant. Our focus should not be centered around what we put in our mouths 24-7; we are already doing that three times a day. We can't be consumed, and with a "buddy" system we can venture out. Sorry if this sounds a bit weird, but I'm a grandmother and been around a long time. Getting so weiry of arguments. Let's "kick it up a notch" and make this web really helpful and happy. And yes, I've got about 80 pounds to lose that crept up over the years. I wish you all luck, whether it's weight, or just getting healthy.
 
Kobemom 
Feb. 28, 2012 6:07 am
I did Atkins using the healthy options on their long list of foods (lots of veggies) and lost 35 lbs...thanks Allrecipe.com for the low carb recipies. Love this site!
 
CrysRN 
May 7, 2012 3:03 pm
Dear John, I just wanted to commend you on your weight loss and your effort to be healthy. I am an ICU/ Cardiac ICU nurse. I wish my patients had the drive to take care of themselves as you do. I also use another website food.com if you type in low carb you get a lot of results. Cheers to your health!
 
 

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