The Atkins Diet, referred to as the “Father of Modern Low-Carb Diets,” is one of the most popular diet methods in the market today. The program, which was designed by Robert Atkins, M.D., is all about losing weight by lessening the intake of carbohydrates in the body. The diet stresses that carbohydrates is the main cause of overweight.

The diet prohibits an individual from eating foods with too much carbohydrate. Some foods can be eaten in limited amounts, such as rice, although this is strictly monitored since the total carbohydrate intake of an individual is counted. The food items that should be avoided at all times are sugar and refined grains.

Going through the Atkins Diet requires lots of patience and willpower, since it deprives an individual of foods that are usually encountered and eaten everyday. One has to go through the four phases of the program:

• Induction
• Ongoing Weight Loss
• Pre-maintenance
• Maintenance

The Induction is the hardest part of the program, where lots of restrictions are placed on a person’s food intake. A lot of people have been known to quit in this stage of the diet program, because they couldn’t take the huge impact of not being able to eat the foods that you regularly enjoy everyday. They also find it hard to monitor their carb intake for each and every food that they put in their mouths.

It should be noted that the amount of restrictions are different for each individual, especially after the induction phase. The level of restriction will be tailor-made to the person concerned, which will depend in his reaction to the initial phase of the diet.

The Atkins Diet works because it helps people determine their own carbohydrate tolerance levels. The diet can be quite tedious to maintain because it requires one to learn the amount of grams of carbohydrate in the food that they eat, but this is essential for the program to work and lose the unwanted pounds.

Of course, just like all diet programs, the Atkins program has its own set of pros and cons.

Pros – Being able to eat the so-called “forbidden foods” such as steak, cream and butter even on a diet, although it is advised to eat different kinds of fats, and to always include Omega-3’s and olive oil in their food intake.

The diet’s popularity is also a big advantage. Information about the program can be easily found in books, TV and online, and there are lots of websites dedicated solely to providing information about the diet.

Cons – Counting the carbs in every food item can turn off some people. Also, some of those who went through the diet responded negatively to the induction phase; their bodies reacted in a not-so-good way 3-5 days into the diet. Also, some find it hard to get all the nutrients that they need on a low-carb diet such as the Atkins. Vitamin supplements do help, but they fear the long-term impact of depriving the body of vitamins that one gets naturally from food loaded with carbohydrates.