Women's health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Women's health - Essay Example This paper discusses some diets that are being increasingly recommended for weight loss by the dieticians and nutritionists: The founder of Atkins diet – Dr. Robert C. Atkins says that he has proposed â€Å"the amazing no-hunger weight-loss plan that has helped millions lose weight and keep it off.† (Kennedy, n.d.). Atkins diet has been designed in such a manner that it follows the â€Å"ketosis principle† in that it burns excess body fat. This is achieved by taking-in food that has a highly suppressed amount of carbohydrate while that of protein is enlarged. Human body develops excess fat as a result of high insulin levels that are produced by the excessive in-take of carbohydrates. The high amount of insulin in the blood raises sugar levels considerably and the unused energy is stored as fat, ultimately contributing to the development of obesity. With reduced carbohydrate intake, the body relies on secondary source of energy i.e. stored fat. Within a couple of days, results show up in the form of weight loss and improved body figure. Atkins diet comprises four stages, namely the â€Å"Induction stage, Ongoing weight loss stage, Pre-maintenance stage, and Maintenance stage.† (Kennedy, n.d.). The Induction stage lasts for 2 weeks and foods to be taken are defined at the start of the stage. The person can take absolutely none of a food that was not included in the plan in the start. However, once the Induction stage is over, a little leniency is offered in terms of leverage of food. In-take of carbohydrate increases in successive stages. The metabolism ultimately gets attuned to function in a way that regulates the weight despite normal in-take of carbohydrates and fat. South Beach diet was introduced by Dr. Agatston in the 1990s, who wanted a change in the conventional low-fat diet plans so as to make them more satisfying to the food cravings. (Real Women’s Fitness, 2010). South Beach Diet focuses upon