Metabolism and Atkins’ Diet: Atkins’ diet impacts on human metabolism, influencing not only the eating routine but also the physical activity of a dieter. The Atkins’ diet effects on metabolism are explained here.

What Is Metabolism

Simply defined,  metabolism is the rate at which our body creates energy.

According to Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, the series of chemical changes which take place in an organism, by means of which food is manufactured and utilized and waste materials are eliminated is called metabolism.

During a metabolic process, ingested fats are broken down into fatty acids and glycerol and then into simpler compounds that can be used by the cells of the body. This is the key to understanding how the human body converts what it takes in as nutrition.

Is there such a thing as a normal metabolism?  It can be faster than normal or it can be slower. Can it be changed? Atkins’ diet will affect your metabolism as will other diets. In order to measure and compare metabolism, scientists created the scale called BMR (the rate at which a human body use energy when at rest) and they found that:

1. The more a person weighs, the highest the BMR
2. Childhood BMR is higher than adult BMR
3. The higher the muscular ratio to fat, the higher the BMR
4. The higher the BMR is, the easier it is to lose weight.

People whose weight tends to increase for no apparent reason often have a metabolic problem. They either have an improper eating regimen, a sedentary lifestyle or sometimes a glandular disorder.

The Correlation Between Metabolism and Overweight

The human body uses food as soon as it gets it. As a rule, when the metabolism is somehow altered, the body begins to store what can’t be fueled, converted or properly used. A balanced way of life and a balanced daily eating routine are crucial for keeping metabolism function normal. Unfortunately, this is a difficult goal for many people. Acumulative risks come from:

1. Non-observance of the three large meals daily rule (or 4-5 small meals). The human body is smart enough and it learns that it gets food once a day so it begins to store (to have fuel for the next 12 hours of “starvation”). This is the first factor to contribute to gaining weight.
2. Eating too much and too often junk-food , sugar, white flour, sugary juices and what they call refined and processed unhealthy foods. This is the second factor which adds pounds to a figure.

No Proteins and Fats Is Bad. Why?

Standard low-fat diets (high-carbohydrate, too) have been largely recommended for years. Weight-loss is satisfactory and many health professionals support them. Diets are usually accompanied by an active lifestyle, including aerobic exercise and weight training programs. Well, the truth is that convenional diets revealed some risks for many active people. The most important finding is that low-fat dieting (restricted calories) combined with an active life style leds to a risky muscle-loss.

Muscles are metabolically active tissues that constantly need calories (from proteins) to maintain their proper functioning. Muscles are bigger calories consumers than the adipose tissue. As conventional diets allow very few calories, muscles are deprived of proper calories intake. The lack of proteins means releasing nitrogen from the muscle tissue. The human body doesn’t need it and it “cleans” it by taking water from muscle tissue. So, mass muscle is drastically reduced. Moreover, the body begins to conserve fat, as a “starvation response” to the shortage of calories.

Atkins’ Metabolic Advantage

The Atkins’ road map to success precisely refers to this metabolic process, claiming that the diet delivers what they called “metabolic advantage”. The Atkins’ diet effects are:

• losing weight by eating as many calories (proteins and fats) as possible
• maintaining or gaining lean muscle to increase metabolism (that is why Dr. Atkins has strongly recommended regular exercise).

Why It Works

It is already known that carbohydrates are a very efficient form of energy. When it has this form of fuel at hand, the body uses it as often as needed, leaving aside other sources, such as proteins and fats, considered inefficient forms of energy. According to Dr. Atkins, “metabolic advantage” occurs when the body has to make efforts to get energy from somewhere else when its favourite fuel is missing. Therefore fat decreases, alongside with the pounds.

You achieved your weight goal. How about maintaining it? Studies reveal that most dieters didn’t gain more than 30 percent of what they had lost during the Atkins’ diet. Regaining lost weight after following a diet and exercise program is almost certain unless new eating habits are formed and exercise and physical activity is continued.

Metabolism and Atkins Diet