One of the most popular and successful diets on the market today is the Atkins Diet. Atkins Bars make the diet portable, offering "fast food" that fits the nutritional demands of the Atkins diet. The Atkins Bar helps people deal with lunch at work, and with mid-morning or mid-afternoon "snacks attacks". Some people, however, find themselves making simple mistakes that interfere with their weight loss efforts. Even when they stay on the diet, and think they're eating all the right foods, they stop losing weight. What could cause this?
YOU NEED WATER
Probably the most overlooked aid to dieting is not at all what you eat. It's what you drink. Or, rather, what you don't drink. You may not be drinking enough water. Every time you eat an Atkins bar, you should drink a glass of water. Drink a glass of water with every meal, too, and with each snack. You need 64 ounces of water every day. That's a half gallon of water! Your body needs this much fluid to maintain proper digestive function and absorb nutrients into the bloodstream. It needs water to build blood cells. The fact is, your body may be dehydrated, and the brain registers that as hunger. So, if you're dehydrated, you will not only be able to process and flush foods through your system, you'll be tempted to yield to cravings that defeat your diet.
EAT!
Yes, you must eat. So many dieters don't eat regularly. There are many reasons for this: decision to cut back, don't enjoy eating on a diet, or just not hungry. But whatever the reason, it interferes with your diet success. Don't go more than 5 waking hours without eating. When you skip a meal, your body reads that as a starvation mode, and immediately shuts down the metabolism. By doing this, your body is saving all the fat cells you're trying so hard to get rid of. Your body thinks that, since you did not put food in it, there must be a shortage of food. So, eat small, regular meals. It will keep your blood sugar levels steady, as well, reducing cravings. The Atkins bars help with the need for small regular meals.
AVOID...
Actually, on the Atkins diet, the things you need to avoid are very quiet, subtle items. They are caffeine and aspartame. They are also sneaky, because you don't know how many places these two ingredients hide. They are in many drinks and foods that you would never drink or eat in order to get these ingredients. But, they can affect your blood sugar.
With aspartame, your body reads the chemical as a dose of sugar, and reacts accordingly. So, insulin levels are affected, therefore, affecting your metabolism. Caffeine has similar effects, and should be avoided.
You can follow the Atkins books and diet plans closely. But, if you don't drink enough water, eat regularly, and avoid caffeine and aspartame, you'll find your efforts thwarted. Remember, the Atkins bar and a glass of water may be your best friends in your dieting efforts.
