What are the pros and cons of the atkins diet?
Pros: You can talk about how much weight you lost. Cons: It is a starvation diet and here is why: Carbohydrates are the primary source of fuel for the brain, red blood cells, and the kidneys. When the body does not get enough, it starts to break down muscle tissue to make carbs to perform these vital functions. Doing so creates toxic byproducts such as uric acid (can cause gout) which the kidneys have to flush out in the urine. The loss in muscle and water account for much of the weight loss on low carb diets. Any real fat loss is because by cutting carbs, the person is simply cutting calories. This is why you will hear many people talk about how much weight they lost on the Atkins diet but will have a harder time finding one with a sculpted physique. On of the biggest risks (among others) is hypoglycemia for which early symptoms include dizziness. I have personally had to administer first aid to strangers on 5 separate occasions because they became hypoglycemic while working out on th
The pros are: you loose weight, blood pressure can come down for those who are hypertensive and glucose levels come down for those who are diabetic. I also hear that cholesterol will drop (I haven’t seen this personally). The cons are: initially you become very fatigued, lightheaded and loose concentration (carb withdrawal). Once you go off the diet you gain the weight back rapidly. The thing about Aktkins is it’s supposed to be a life change not a fad.
