The Atkins Diet and Ketosis

The Atkins diet works on the main principle of getting your body into the state of ketosis where your body is burning your fat storage for energy.

Other calorie reduction diets are also based on burning calories but some come from fat and some come from lean muscle tissue. As you know, the more muscle you have the more calories you burn so if you are on a diet that is burning up muscle tissue this is going to eventually slow down your metabolism and in turn will make losing weight harder in gaining a back easier.

By creating a state of ketosis in your body, the Atkins diet burns only the fat not the muscle. These ketones create a primary source of energy for your body and your liver turns that into key tones which cannot be turned back into fat or will be excreted naturally.

Contrary to what many people may say ketones are an efficient source of fuel for the human body and our natural in a normal occurrence. Ketones are a product of the fatty acids from your fat being broken down in the liver but they will only happen when there is no glucose to be used for this purpose. The Atkins diet restricts the amount of glucose or sugar that you consume so that your body can get into this state of ketosis.

One misconception is that this type of diet, called a ketogenic diet is dangerous. This is actually not true, as this is a natural state for the body however in some severe illnesses being in a state of ketosis can be dangerous.

But how do you know if you’re in ketosis?

You can actually buy test strips that you use to test your urine which are chemically treated and will turn a certain color if ketones are present, thus indicating that you are in ketosis. You can order them online or you may be able to find them in the pharmacy near the diabetic supplies. They might be behind the counter and you might have to ask for them but you don’t need a prescription. These as strips are a good way to tell If you are progressing as you want on the Atkins diet.

Getting your body into a state of ketosis is as simple as eliminating carbohydrates. You can use this test strips to see where you are and if you’re don’t show that key tones are present, eliminate more carbs until you do see them. This is the key to success to the Atkins diet, and if you follow the eating plan properly you should be burning fat and not muscle in no time at all!