Health, Diet Reviews, Dieting Tips & Coupons

The Atkins Diet Plan has practically been a household name the last few decades, and with good reason.  While all diet plans center around calorie restriction, Atkins is different because it restricts an entire macronutrient — carbohydrates.  Why is this important?  Doctors have known for years that the body is able to enter a state called ketosis by restricting carbohydrates and increasing protein intake.  Ketosis is a very comfortable state for the body to be in because it mobilizes the fat stores and uses them for fuel.  If you think of body fat as simply stored excess carbohydrates, it makes sense to use ketosis to your advantage.  When food is overeaten, the first thing the body does is send insulin, a fat-storage hormone, into the blood stream to take care of excess sugars in the blood.  By restricting the foods that cause insulin to spike, the body can finally tap into all the excess calories it is storing.  What’s interesting about ketosis is that the dieter doesn’t feel extreme hunger like he may feel on other reduced calorie plans.