by Joanna Canning

Created on: January 11, 2007   Last Updated: May 18, 2007

I did the Atkins diet about two years ago. Frankly speaking, I was attracted to it because of the celebrities stories covered in every glossy magazine, describing the rapid weight loss of Jennifer Aniston, Robbie Williams or Renee Zellweger thanks to this diet which became a hit very soon. I was so surious about the secret that especially Renee Zellweger possesses that enables her to transform herself from chubby Bridget Jones into the red carpet beauty in such a short time. Everybody knows that the difference between the character Renee created and the real Renee was incredible.

So I started to surf on Internet in order to find some information about Mr. Atkins and his invention. Having read plenty of reviews on it I had mixed feelings. Plenty were saying that the diet does miracles and the weight loss is really quick. Doctors and health specialists, on the other hand, warned everybody of this particular way of slimming, saying that it caused a complete destruction of our health and welfare.

I decided to give it a try. I read the diet rules on Internet and bought some books with the Atkins diet recipes. My jaw dropped a bit when it turned out that from that moment on I was forbidden to eat my favourite food, that is bread, potatoes, pasta, mayonnaise. I had to get rid of delicious Chardonnay and chocolates. I don't like sweets, to be honest, but sometimes they improve my mood like nothing else. Basically, what contained carbohydrates went straight to the bin. I couldn't eat fruits, salads were allowed only in small amounts. I was permitted to consume 12-14g of carbohydrates a day which was approximatey an equivalent of one big orange.
My menu consisted of eggs, meat, cheese, a little bit of vegetables, fish, water and black tea. I could eat those without any limitations as they were not rich in sugar.

Basing on my experience, I can say that this diet definitely works but has some major side effects. After a week of living on cheese and meat dripping with fat I was 2 kilograms lighter and left with flatter belly. I was very happy with what I saw in the mirror but the other thing is that I was literally dying to eat some sugar. Dr Atkins, thought, says that even a glass of wine can spoil the whole process of weight losing that's why the determination and self-control are so important in this case as well as the unguarded moments - totally unacceptable. Undeniably, our body needs sugar and vitamins at the end of the day and their deficiencies are perceptible for the organism. I could feel this balance disturbance by common headache, bad mood and state of mind fluctuations.

For those who are extremely determined to continue the diet there is good news. After two weeks your meals can consist of the higher number of carobohydrates and their amount increases later on. It is very, though, to endure the first stage of the diet because. Although you can eat the allowed food in almost unlimited quantities, lack of the nutrients is noticeable. But reffering to the question, YES, the Atkins diet really works.

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