Atkins Diet to keep slim
By admin on 2015-01-05

One of the biggest criticisms of the popular Atkins diet was the way it abandoned dieters once they'd lost all the weight they wanted to lose.

Many devotees fell foul of 'carb creep' - succumbing to the lure of banned carbohydrates slowly infiltrating their high-protein lives.

If you were prepared to never let another piece of pasta or slice of bread pass your lips, you might stay slim for ever.

But, as so many found, Atkins is mercilessly tough in the real world, where carbohydrate temptation lies at every turn.

Now, a trio of U.S. doctors have devised a healthier, easier version of Atkins which provides a palatable and effective solution for living the low-carb life long-term.

In last week's Life & Style, we explained the many ways their new version of the Atkins diet improves on the old Atkins.

One of the most exciting developments is the fact that the draconian carbohydrate restrictions have eased. If you reach your target weight, under the new Atkins, potatoes, pasta, rice and even bread can be put back on the menu.

In fact, new Atkins has a diet plan specifically designed for long-term maintenance, aimed at dieters who want to keep their new slender weight for ever.

The key to the theory is finding your own personal carb balance point - the amount (and type) of carbohydrates you can eat without gaining weight.

For any individual, your carb limit may be influenced by age; as our metabolism slows and we lose muscle we are all prone to gaining weight.

Other factors include gender (men can usually tolerate more than women), level of physical activity, hormonal issues (menopause is certainly a factor) and any medication you might be on.

But the idea is that once you find your own personal carb limit, you should be able to control weight fluctuations very simply by either eating fewer carbs, upping your activity level (which works for some people) or even doing both.