Staceys1's Full Review: Robert C. Atkins M.D. - Atkins for Life: The Compl...
It seems like everybody I know is on one diet or another, with the "Low Carbohydrate" diets being one of the more popular types. Both my husband and I followed the Low-Carb lifestyle for a while, and while doing so, lost weight and felt better. We strayed from that lifestyle and put on some weight, so recently we decided to go back, and purchased Dr. Robert Atkins' new book Atkins for Life to help get us on the right track.
This book is broken down into two parts. Part one is entitled "A Lifetime Plan" and part two is entitled "Eating for Life." The first section contains eight chapters, and gives background information on the Atkins diet plan and explains how it works and how to make it a part of your life.
Chapter 1 ~ The Atkins Advantage. By following the Atkins Nutritional Approach™ you can control, rather than eliminate, carbohydrates from your diet and learn your ACE™ (Atkins Carbohydrate Equilibrium), which is the amount of carbohydrates your body can have each day in order to lose or maintain weight. Also discussed are the four phases of the Atkins lifestyle: Induction, Ongoing Weight Loss, Pre-Maintenance, and Lifetime Maintenance.
Chapter 2 ~ A Lifetime of Health. The "low-carb lifestyle" is considered by many to be healthy since you are eliminating many high sugar foods from your diet. One of the best parts about this eating style is that you will not be hungry since you are not bound by measured amounts of foods, although you are limited to reasonable amounts of allowed foods. As with most diets, exercise is encouraged to help with weight loss and overall health.
Chapter 3 ~ Yes, You Can Eat Carbs! One of the reasons that I abandoned the Atkins way of eating the first time around was that I was bored with the food. I was not hungry since I could eat all the high protein food I wanted (meats, cheeses, etc.), but that got old fast. Now Dr. Atkins has introduced the idea of "Net Carbs" which allows a greater variety of foods, including some with carbohydrate counts, because it takes the type of sugar as well as the amount of fiber in a food into account. This chapter lists foods which you can eat regularly, those which you can eat in moderation, and those which you should eat sparingly. Remember, this is a completely new way of looking at "diets" and according to these lists, you should choose to eat strawberries or cherries (both on the "eat regularly list") over a rice cake (on the "eat sparingly list"). I don't know about you, but the fruit sounds better to me!
Chapter 4 ~ The Skinny on Fat and Protein. A gram of fat has 9 calories, while a gram of carbohydrates has only 4, which is why most diets tend to be low-fat. However, when you eat less carbohydrates, your body burns its fat, so you lose weight. Many high-fat foods, such as meats and cheeses, are also high in protein which is a necessity for a healthy body.
Chapter 5 ~ Putting It All into Practice. Dr. Atkins states that the most difficult part of this lifestyle is changing your mindset, and I would agree. Do not automatically eat the "low fat" or "low sugar" foods, as they might have more net carbohydrates than the regular version. Page 72 lists the daily General Guidelines for carbohydrates as: 4-5 servings of vegetables, 1-2 servings of fruit, 3 servings of dairy and 2 to 4 ounces of nuts or seeds. A list of serving sizes of foods is listed in this chapter as well. Other things to note is that coffee and tea should not be consumed regularly (although choose decaffeinated when you do), and only after you have eight glasses of water should you drink other beverages. Sugar substitutes such as Splenda and Sweet 'n Low are allowed.
Chapter 6 ~ Get Moving! I did not know that you should wait two hours after eating before exercising so that you are at your peak performance level. This chapter did not offer much else to me that I did not already know, or could have found through other sources. It basically says that we should all be exercising, but make sure the type you choose is best suited for you.
Chapter 7 ~ Everyday Challenges. Any diet, plan or lifestyle can look good on paper, but can it be easily implemented in real life? Here it is suggested that you space your carbs out throughout the day, eat regularly (every 4 to 6 hours) to avoid hunger pains and the desire to choose an improper food, snack on low carb foods and drink water throughout the day. If you have a favorite high carbohydrate food that you just have to have once in a while, work that into that day's diet plan. Have only a small portion, but also plan the rest of the day's food to be extremely low in carbohydrates so as not to go over your daily limit. In my local supermarket, I have found low carbohydrate/high fiber breads and pastas so that I have been able to incorporate foods that are normally "high carb" products. This chapter also gives information about dining out, and which foods would be best to choose at various types of restaurants.
Chapter 8 ~ Looking Forward. As with any diet or lifestyle change, you should check with your doctor before following what Dr. Atkins sets forth. Keep in mind that many factors affect weight loss/weight gain such as aging, hormonal changes and other medical conditions. This chapters also deals with some of the "Myths" of following Atkins such as whether it will raise your cholesterol or that it is dangerous. Of course, all of the "Myths" are dispelled.
Many of the chapters have sections that are very technical and deal with blood sugar and cholesterol amounts. Diabetics, or others with health issues, (or at least somebody with a medical background) could probably benefit more from those areas than I could, since they did leave me a bit confused. Between Dr. Atkins information in each chapter are stories from people who have followed this lifestyle with a bit of information about why and how they did it. Some may find this inspiring, although I did not, feeling that they are advertising the program.
While the first section of the book was informative, the second section is the one I refer to most often. It contains information about how to cook low-carb meals and what foods you should have on hand (Dr. Atkins has a growing line of foods to purchase). Meal plans are included which give menus for various carbohydrate levels, and there are over 150 pages of recipes from appetizers to main dishes to desserts.
The recipes are easy to follow, and include prep times, cooking times, and the number of servings, although there are no pictures of what the final products should look like. The total carbohydrates, net carbohydrates, fiber, protein, fat and calories are listed at the end of each recipe. Difficult to find ingredients often list an easy to find alternative, such as in the "Savory Cornbread Muffins" on page 322, you can use either 2 slices of "thick-cut applewood smoked bacon" or 3 slices of your standard bacon.
Dr. Robert C. Atkins' Atkins for Life is a hardcover book with a list price of $24.95 (ISBN: 0312315228). This is a wonderful book if you are considering following the low-carb style of eating, and want to have easy access to which foods are allowed and which are not, as well as great menu ideas and recipes.
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