The Atkins diet is one of the simplest weight loss plans to follow. Although the principles are clearly set out in the books, there are some common misconceptions that occur for dieters. These mistakes can make a big difference in the amount of weight you lose and effectiveness of the diet overall. If Atkins isnt working for you, or you find yourself suddenly gaining weight after weeks of effective dieting, make sure you arent making any of these common mistakes.

First, make sure to be patient with your weight loss. If you lose 8 lbs per week on the Induction phase and then slow down once you enter ongoing weight loss phase, this is perfectly normal. The level of carbohydrate grams that are acceptable on the Induction portion of the diet are not meant to carry you through the rest of your dieting experience. Induction is meant to break you of carbohydrate cravings and detoxify your body from sugar. Starting with the ongoing weight loss phase, you will begin introducing small levels of carbohydrate grams each week. This may slow down weight loss a bit from the level it was at during Induction, but this is completely normal.

Also, people are different and react differently to the diet. Some people lose weight in spurts, and other lose weight more steadily. A plateau can last for a few weeks and then voila, youve lost five pounds in a matter of a few days.

Make sure you are avoiding caffeine in all of its forms as well as aspartame, a common artificial sweetener. Both of these chemicals can impact blood sugar levels negatively. Look out for caffeine in coffee and diet sodas. Watch out for aspartame in diet sodas and sugar-free gelatin. These can cause cravings for sugar and take your body out of ketosis after just one serving.

Watch your daily intake of cheese. Although cheese is on the acceptable foods list, it does have small amount of carbohydrates. Your best bet is to limit your cheese intake to 4 oz per day. You can have more on special occasions, but it should not be used as your mainstay for protein. Meats, eggs and tofu are much better choices and dont contain carbohydrate grams.

Remember to emphasize vegetables during Induction and beyond. Your carbohydrate grams should be primarily derived from leafy, green vegetables and other acceptable vegetable choices. Vegetables fill you up without spiking your blood sugar. They provide essential fiber and nutrients that help your weight loss efforts and overall health. After induction, you should have 3-4 cups of salad and 1 cup of cooked vegetables each day. Make sure the vegetables you are using are on the acceptable foods list. Eliminating vegetables from your diet can shut down your metabolism and cause your weight loss to stall.

It is also very important that you eat regularly while you are on the Atkins plan. Never go more than five waking hours without eating a combined snack of protein and fats. Two things happen when you skip meals. First, you cause a blood sugar drop that will have you craving carbohydrates like bread and sugar. Secondly, continued periods of not eating will slow down your metabolism and make it even harder to lose weight.
Finally, make sure you are drinking enough water each day. Water has a myriad of benefits for every human being, not just those on the Atkins diet. Thirst can sometimes be masked as hunger, so staying well hydrated will keep you from craving foods you shouldnt be eating. Water also helps you avoid constipation, which is an occasional side effect of the Atkins diet. Drinking 8 eight ounce glasses of water per day will also help you flush out the toxins from your system that are produced when you burn fat.

These common mistakes can make people frustrated with the Atkins diet when there is no need to be. If you are just starting out on the diet, make sure to prepare yourself for these mistakes. If youve been on the diet for some time, evaluate your eating habits and make sure you are following the program correctly.

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I just had a conversation with my son a little while ago. We were talking about how drinking plenty of water can help with weight loss. Since he wants to lose a few pounds and I know he has been drinking more water lately, I asked him if the water help for weight loss has actually worked or not.

Apparently, the jury is still out. He said he hasn’t noticed but he did want to know what drinking water had to do with weight loss. He actually thought that water help for weight loss was impossible, he thought that drinking as much water as he was drinking would actually make him gain weight since he felt so full all the time.

That, I told him, is just one of the benefits of drinking plenty of water everyday. You will actually feel full longer and that may make you eat less which, of course, can lead to weight loss.

I told him it can be helpful to have a big glass of water right before you sit down to eat a meal. That water will fill you up so you won’t want to eat as much.

Another benefit of drinking enough water is that you can flush toxins out of your system which will help with your overall health.

There are chemicals in pretty much everything we eat and drink (and a lot of the things we put on our skin or in our hair are also loaded with chemicals too).

Over time these chemicals can add up and have a negative impact on your body and your overall health. Getting these toxins out of your body is a good thing and drinking plenty of water is one of the best and easiest ways to do it.

Another great benefit to drinking plenty of water is that you keep your body functioning properly. Most people don’t realize it but they may already be dehydrated.

It is sad that much of the world doesn’t have a large supply of clean drinking water, we in the U.S. do but many of us are still dehydrated, that just makes no sense.

How do you know if you are dehydrated? There are two very easy ways to figure it out: if you feel thirsty you are dehydrated and if your urine is a deep yellow color you are dehydrated.

If you are getting enough water daily your urine will the a light yellow color, think lemonade. If not you need to drink more water throughout your day.

It is recommended that you drink half of your body weight in ounces of water every day. Failing that, you should drink at least eight 8 oz. glasses of water daily. You may need more if you are doing strenuous activities.

There are so many ways that water help for weight loss. Not only can drinking enough water help you lose weight, it will also help your body continue to function in a healthy way. And ultimately, that is what you need to have weight loss and a healthy life in general.

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There always seems to be a new diet coming out, and it can get downright confusing. The sheer number of diets makes it difficult to figure out which ones work, and that keeps some people from trying to lose weight. The following 3 day diet reviews will help you decide which diets are best for you.

Before we get to the actual reviews, let’s take a moment to explain what 3 day diets are. As the label suggests, these are diets that are meant to be done for three days, and three days only. Almost all of them require you to follow them precisely, and to complete the entire diet; otherwise you may not lose any weight at all.

While you can lose a lot of weight on these diets, they are not meant to be long-term weight loss solutions. However, they can be a great way to shed some weight quickly and that can come in handy if you have an upcoming event that requires you to be a bit thinner. They can also be a great way to get a jumpstart on your diet and give you the motivation you need to continue a longer term weight loss program.

And now on to the 3 day diet reviews:

Mayo Clinic 3 Day Diet – This is the most popular diet of the ones we’ll be reviewing; perhaps you have also heard it referred to as the Grapefruit Diet. The main focus of this diet is eating meat and vegetables, and then having grapefruit with just about every meal. It is believed that some of the chemicals in the grapefruit help to suppress the appetite, causing people to feel full while eating less. Contrary to popular belief, the grapefruit does not actually burn fat. Though it can be difficult to stick to, the diet has worked for many people so you may want to consider trying it.

Cleveland Clinic 3 Day Diet – Of the 3 day diet reviews we’re covering, this one has the fewest calories. At the same time it has the most variety, so that makes it a strong contender for people who do not like to eat the same thing on a regular basis. If you do this diet you will be able to eat things like ice cream, cheese, bread and peanut butter; though the serving sizes are on the small side. If you are able to sacrifice some calories as long as you can eat many foods, then this 3 day diet may be for you.

Tuna and Water Diet – No surprises here, you eat as much tuna (packed in spring water) and drink as much water as you like for three days. You will probably lose the most weight on this diet, but it is the hardest one to stick to. Also, it should never be done for more than three days as it can be a bit hard on your body.

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