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How The Adkins Diet Can Work For You

Written by Alan B. Densky, CH

Wednesday, 19 March 2008

The Atkins Diet is a very popular "low-carbohydrate" weight loss plan, but it is often greatly misunderstood! Common, but slightly exaggerated depictions of the plan portray dieters devouring nothing but huge portions of meat and fat. Although the diet itself may not be quite that simple, many dieters following the plan have successfully lost weight and improved their health.

On this plan, dieters follow a very specific program based on cutting carbohydrate intake. Emphasis is placed on the nutritional aspects of the diet over exercise and other factors, although exercise is recommended. There are 4 phases in the Atkins program:

Induction: During this two-week phase at the beginning of the diet program, dieters can only consume up to 20 grams of carbs per day. Dieters can ingest high protein foods such as meat and fish, fats such as oils and butter, and other food with little to no carbs. Many foods with carbs are not permitted at all during this phase, including alcoholic drinks.

This initial phase is intended to help the body go from burning carbs for energy, as it normally does, into burning stored fat (a process known as ketosis). Most dieters begin to lose weight during this phase.

Ongoing Weight Loss: During the Ongoing Weight Loss stage, dieters gradually increase their intake of carbs by adding 5 grams of carbs into their diet every week. Dieters adjust their diet, continuing their weight loss to put themselves within 5-10 pounds of their target weight, before transitioning into the Pre-maintenance period.

Pre-maintenance: Dieters use this stage to find out the maximum amount of carbs they can ingest without experiencing weight gain. During this stage, dieters add 10 grams of carbohydrates to their diet each week. Once dieters reach their target weight and can maintain it for a month, they move into the Lifetime Maintenance phase.

Lifetime Maintenance: For lasting results, the Atkins program is supposed to be maintained throughout the dieter's life. Using the strategies that helped the dieter reach their target weight, the dieter develops an eating and exercise plan to stay at their goal weight. Individuals can revert to previous stages if they ever begin to regain weight.

Dieters who can stick to the Atkins diet are typically successful in losing weight; however, many people cannot follow the program and end up quitting early on in the initial induction phase. In general, most diet plans fail because dieters cannot stay on the plan.

Many people are unable to lose weight because they experience strong food cravings, have problems with compulsive overeating, can't regulate their appetites, or simply do not feel motivated to lose weight. Getting over these mental obstacles is the hardest part of losing weight.

One reason why many people struggle to control their eating is because they are emotional eaters. Such individuals eat in response to their feelings, such as when they are sad or angry. However, this eating style programs a "conditioned response" into the unconscious mind. This means that when people experience the same emotion that made them overeat initially, they will feel compelled to overeat again.

Hypnosis works by helping our unconscious minds disassociate our emotions from our eating habits. To eliminate the conditioned response to overeat, a hypnosis weight loss program is used to break the bond in the unconscious mind between overeating and certain "trigger" behaviors.

For example, if you tend to overeat when you feel bored, hypnosis can disassociate boredom from eating in your unconscious mind. Hypnosis techniques can then be used to replace the overeating response with another activity, such as exercising. That way, the next time you experience boredom, instead of overeating, you will feel motivated to exercise, resulting in natural weight loss.

Hypnosis is an effective tool for stress relief as well, helping us deal with our stressful feelings and relieve tension without eating. As a relaxation tool, it calms the mind, helps you develop strategies to manage stress, and boosts your self confidence to motivate you to lose weight.

Hypnotherapy can also be used to eliminate the emotional stressors that keep you from losing weight. Many overweight people hide behind their weight for emotional protection. For example, after ending a relationship, people might find themselves becoming overweight so they can avoid relationships and avoid experiencing emotional pain again. Through hypnosis, we can think more positively and focus on improving our health instead of becoming overwhelmed by our worries.

Not only is hypnosis a powerful motivation tool, it relieves tension, extinguishes the conditioned responses that trigger overeating, and can help you overcome the mental obstacles that prevent weight loss. Hypnosis is tremendously effective at helping people stay on a diet plan, such as the Atkins program, and lose weight.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com

About The Author:

Alan B. Densky, CH has spent over 30 years specializing in weight loss. He offers several ways to lose weight, including diet CD and hypnosis to lose weight DVD. Visit his CD for self-help website for Free hypnosis newsletters, videos, and downloads.

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