Atkins Diet VS Ketogenic Diet
Mostly whenever we want to start off a diet we just either start doing it very strictly or we just do not follow a certain regime regularly at all. The initial problem lies within the level of motivation and mental strength because with dieting comes a lot of sacrifice of all those mouth-watering delicious food that you previously used to take without giving it a second thought and now have to think 100 times before looking at it even.
Besides lack of motivation, the second major dilemma of going on to a diet that most of the times we do not do proper research and just start cutting off meals directly which does more harm than good to our body. Before starting off a particular diet you need to identify a few things like your body type whether you are obese or chubby, which factors that you are taking in excess that are making you gain weight, whether your diet is more carb containing or more fats oriented. Identifying multiple similar kinds of factors is important because there are many types of diet plans which are different for different kinds of people. This is the purpose of this blog post, we would be discussing the difference between ketogenic and Atkin’s diet by comparing them via pros and cons;
Atkin’s Diet:
This diet is generally believed to be the induction phase of the ketogenic diet. It is usually perceived as low carb, high energy and high fat diet. This diet is usually adapted once sufficient amount of weight has been lost via keto diet plan. This diet plan is believed to not bring back the lost weight and keep the body in an equilibrium. However there are always two sides of a coin similarly, this diet plan has some pros and cons. Some of these are as follow;
Pros:
Better blood lipid levels:
Following this diet has showed improved lipid and cholesterol levels in the body which not only helps in losing the weight but also keep cholesterol related diseases like heart attacks away.
Meat is what it is about:
For every diet you have to lose something but this diet is highly suitable for meat lovers because meat is low in fat but high in energy and carbs and precisely Atkin’s is all about this.
Flexible:
One of the hallmarks of this diet plan is that it is flexible and allows the dieter to add carbohydrates once a certain carbohydrate tolerance level has been achieved. But make sure that you do not cross a threshold after which the weight starts gaining again. So don’t let that motivation down, there are always diets like Atkin’s available for you.
No more hunger pangs:
This diet puts the body in to ketosis that, it allows body to gain energy by burning body’s fat and provide high energy which does not let you feel starved. It basically controls the blood insulin levels which breaks down glucose.
Cons:
High Protein:
The diet is high in protein which could lead to kidney stones and other kidney diseases.
The Buzz experience:
Since the body is on low carbs and low calories so the body can go in to carbohydrate depletion which mess up with the sleeping cycle so initially the dieter might feel the buzz while sleeping which makes it difficult to have a sound sleep.
Less Fiber:
Since the diet is low on fiber so it may can cause often constipation mainly during the early stages of the die
The weight gain relapse:
There is a high chance of gaining back of the weight as the diet is carbohydrate controlling and most of such diet plans cause relapse of weight gain if not strictly followed so this kind of diet has to become a life style.
Ketogenic Diet:
This diet plan is all about losing the fat which is the main reason of all the weight gain. This diet is high in fats and is like an intermediate fasting diet plan. This fasting triggers the ketosis process in the body which is burning of the fats in to energy giving fats. It has the following pros and cons:
Pros:
Healthy impacts:
This diet is believed to control epileptic seizures which nobody has yet known why similarly this diet also plays a vital role in cancer treatment as the cancer cells have been observed to die in a ketosis state body and prevention as less toxins are produced in the body and more fats are burned in the healthy way.
Healthy weight loss:
One of the striking feature of this diet is that it makes you lose weight which can be seen apparently which further boosts the motivation to keep clinging to this diet. And the important thing is that it helps you lose the weight in a healthy way.
Energy without calories:
Since this diet is low on carbs but high on fat generated energy, it helps you to actually feel the thrill and activity in your body without getting any much caloric intake.
Clarity inside out:
Since ketosis allows maximum absorption of vit C in our bodies which is an amazing anti-oxidant and help removing all the toxins and harmful diseases from our body and bring inside health and a fresh glowing skin outside.
Diabetes Control:
Since the carbohydrate intake is strictly monitored in this diet so it is perfect for people who have a genetic disposition to diabetes, this diet helps in preventing the disease.
Cons:
Dehydration:
Low intake of carbs requires a lot of intake of water as carbohydrates help in retaining water in our bodies. So previously if the standard was 8 glass of water per day, this diet requires minimum 30 glass of water intake. And if you fell loss of the compensation there are a lot of chances of dehydration. So you got to watch out that!
Nutritional Deficiency:
As different fruits and natural food products that though contain high carb content but also contain minerals like potassium, zinc, iron, calcium etc. which are critical for body’s homeostasis, there is a fair chance of body lacking these minerals and vitamins, so make sure to take supplements.
Unnecessary cravings:
One of the common hindrances of this diet is the cravings for carbohydrates which mess up with the brain but you got to stay motivated and get pass through it because it hardly lasts for about a week, but if you fall prey to it you would regain all the lost weight within no time.
Not a perfect diet for athletes:
This diet makes it hard for the muscles to grow, build and get stronger so if you are a body builder or an athlete this won’t be a smart choice to make because muscle building is associated with glucose generation by lactic acid breakdown and this diet is deficit in glucose, glucose is very tightly regulated.
This is a very helpful analysis of both diets. However, the website is based out of Pakistan, and so the English has a lot of mistakes which can throw the reader off at first glance.