Obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Obesity - Essay Example The carbohydrate limitations in the diet programme stimulate early loss of weight through reductions in the amount of body fluid and micronutrients. The loss of micronutrients (e.g. calcium), as well as essential antioxidants, is possibly the most risky aspect of the New Atkins Diet. Dr. Atkins himself identified this risk and prescribed mega-supplements, particularly those he produced (Westman et al. 2010, 66). This essay analyses the various aspects of the New Atkins Diet, specifically, (1) the plan, (2) calorific intake, (3) reasons why this plan may be successful or unsuccessful, and (4) whether the plan is safe, nutritionally balanced suitable for steady long-term weight loss. The Plan The New Atkins Diet has four stages, namely, (1) induction, (2) ongoing weight loss, (3) pre-maintenance, and (4) lifetime maintenance (Murray, Pizzorno, & Pizzorno 2006, 10). The first stage is the initial, and most prohibitive. Intake of carbohydrate is restricted to 20 net grams daily, and a hi gh portion of it should be obtained from vegetables (Westman, Phinney, & Volek 2010, 82). The prescribed foods are vegetable oils and butter, low-carb vegetables, hard cheese, eggs, poultry, seafood (e.g. shellfish), and meats. Alcoholic drinks are prohibited throughout this stage. It is advised to take daily multivitamin minerals (Murray et al. 2006, 10-11). Nevertheless, merely monitoring a dieter’s weight is effective. Loss of weight will differ by individual. The second stage, the Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL), involves additional intake of carbohydrate, but only at quantities where loss of weight takes place. The target in OWL is to hit upon the ‘critical carbohydrate level for losing’ (Bowden 2004, 70) and to accurately identify in a regulated manner how high-carb foods influence a dieter’s control over craving. At the early phase of OWL, one should increase daily consumption of induction recommended vegetables. At the later phase of OWL, one should stic k to the carbohydrate structure Dr. Atkins formulated for this stage and include fresh dairy. The structure has nine levels and must be followed sequentially. The levels are like this (MobileReference 2007, 6): Induction acceptable vegetables. Fresh dairy Nuts Berries Alcohol Legumes Other fruits Starchy vegetables Grains In the pre-maintenance stage the intake of carbohydrate is raised once more, and the primary objective in this stage is to uncover the ‘critical carbohydrate level for maintenance, (Atkins 2002, 170)’ which is the highest amount of carbohydrates a dieter can consume daily without adding pounds. The lifetime maintenance stage, which is the last one, is designed to continue the routines attained in the earlier stages, and put off the usual habit of going back to earlier routines and earlier weight (Atkins 2002, 170). Organic, unrefined food consumptions are stressed, with the opportunity to return to a previous stage if one starts to gain weight. Calorif ic Intake Dissimilar from the conventional food pyramid, the New Atkins Diet focuses on foods rich in protein rather than unprocessed grain foods (Insel, Turner, & Ross 2009, 298). Furthermore, this new diet programme does not restrict the quantity of food a dieter consumes. It merely restricts the kind of food a dieter consumes. Moreover, this diet plan is distinct from many other diets in the sense that a dieter does not have to monitor his/her calorific intake. Actually, numerous individuals on Atkins get much