One diet plan that many people quickly sit up and start thinking about is the Atkins diet.
There's no denying the fact that low carb diets definitely are catching on quickly and many people are seeing fantastic results from them.
Low carbs diets are recommended by many coaches including Charles Poliquin and Jason Ferruggia and I myself have started slowly eliminating carbs from my diet.
I don't even miss bread anymore! The Atkins diet itself has had many changes take place over the years.
What once started out to be a classic 'steak and eggs' diet that essentially prescribed you eat nothing but high fat meat and cheese has now been transformed to take overall health and wellness into account as well.
While you'd still definitely describe the diet as being low carb in nature, in today's version you move throughout phases, slowly adding more healthy carbs back in as you go and finally reach weight maintenance where you stay at your end goal weight.
Before you make the decision to dive onto the Atkins diet however, it's important to take a few things into account to determine if it's going to be the best choice for you.
Let's have a quick peak at some of these points so you can make an informed decision and see the success you deserve.
What The Atkins Diet Is All About On the Atkins diet, you're going to start out with a rather strict low carb meal plan where you're choosing lean sources of protein such as chicken, fish, lean red meat, fish and seafood and low fat dairy, along with healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, and oils, while adding in plenty of fresh vegetables.
After the initial strict phase is finished, then slowly you'll add some fruit back into your day and finally you'll progress to add a few servings of whole grains such as oatmeal or brown rice.
These foods are saved for times when you are active however and are served up when you are either very close to your goal weight or are at your goal weight.
Once you reach the final phase of the Atkins diet you are encouraged to maintain this style of eating for life as it's supposed to help you easily control your body weight while having steady energy levels and enough nutrients to fulfill all your needs.
Pros:

• Is a relatively simple diet to plan and understand
• Doesn't require extensive, intricate calorie counting
• Is great for helping to control hunger levels
• Will keep your blood sugar stabilized so you don't experience highs and lows throughout the day
• Will produce a fast weight loss rate at the start and become more moderate as time goes on

Cons:

• May not be best for intense athletes as so few carbs could sap energy levels
• Won't be ideal for those who really crave carbohydrate rich foods as they may just cheat on the plan
• Could cause a decrease in your metabolic rate if you stay on the intense phase for too long - carbs are necessary for proper thyroid functioning
• Isn't ideal for vegetarians as such a large portion of the plan is protein from animal sources

The Verdict So overall, if you're someone who wants to control hunger and lose weight quickly, the Atkins is a great choice to check out.
It's come a long way from its first creation and is now a much healthier and more flexible approach so almost anyone - male or female, young or old can use it and see success with weight loss.
From a muscle building standpoint this diet could be utilized however you should note that you will want to increase the carbohydrates significantly post-workout.
At this time the muscles simply need the carbs for fuel and muscle rebuilding so you cannot cut them out or you won't see progress.
All in all, the Atkins diet is one of the sounder plans on the market and will produce great weight loss results when used properly.