Wanting to Eat Less on the Atkins Diet
A very common, but nevertheless surprising effects of following the Atkins diet is appetite suppression. A lot of the advocates of the plan state that the between meal hunger pangs they used to have just fade away and very quickly too. This factor makes it easier to remain on the diet and keep losing weight. While other diets have their followers hungry between meals, the Atkins diet offers relief from continuous hunger. The Atkins diet, with its specific recommendation of foods and ingredients, has powerful appetite suppressing effects.
The first key component is the quantity of protein in the Atkins diet. Protein, much more so than carbohydrates, has the capability to assuage hunger pangs. If you have ever eaten a carbohydrate heavy meal and then felt hungry again shortly afterwards, you already know that carbohydrates do not have much lasting effect as a hunger satisfier. Protein, on the other hand, when it is combined with a small amount of healthy fats, can keep you feeling full for much longer periods of time.
One of the most powerful appetite suppressing foods on the Atkins diet are eggs. Eggs are a marvellous form of quick and easy protein. A recent report revealed that having eggs for breakfast would actually keep hunger pangs at bay throughout the rest of the day. The study concerned two groups of women. One group ate eggs for breakfast and the other had a breakfast of buns and cream cheese.
The calorie count for both types of breakfasts was precisely the same. The participants noted down what they ate for the remainder of the day and answered questions about their hunger and satisfaction levels throughout the day. The results of the study showed that the women who ate the eggs for breakfast felt more satisfied throughout the entire day and they ate less at each meal than those women who were in the bagels group.
Eggs contain about 6 grams of protein each, which helps to regulate blood sugar levels and produces a feeling of well-being. Both of these factors help to control cravings. Egg yolks also contain lutein and xenazanthin. These nutrients have been shown to have amazing effects on eye health. Therefore, it is important to consume the whole egg, and not just the white. Eggs contain choline which is important for maintaining brain function and memory. These nutrients are just an additional benefit to the appetite suppressing qualities.
Broccoli and cauliflower, two of the most recommended vegetables on the Atkins programme, also have appetite-suppressing effects. These vegetables are very bulky and they help make your stomach feel full. When your stomach feels full, it will actually create a chemical response in your body. Your body will reduce its appetite because it assumes that your stomach is full of high calorie foods. This happens regardless of what is actually in your stomach. You can achieve the same results with water and psyllium husk fiber. Both broccoli and cauliflower provide bulk in your diet and are essential vegetables on the Atkins diet.
The Atkins diet focuses on eating small, protein balanced meals a few times a day. This will help maintain your blood sugar level in a stabilized state and avoid carbohydrate-induced cravings. With high carbohydrate diets, you are riding a wave of carbohydrate highs. After you have eaten, you feel fantastic and full. Then after a few hours, you come crashing down and are hungrier than you were prior to eating the carbohydrates. This cycle continues ad infinitum and, over time, you will eat more and put on weight.
The protein, fat and vegetable recipes provided by the Atkins diet put your blood sugar back in equilibrium. They give you just enough of each sort of food, with a proper amount of carbohydrates (from the vegetables). The vegetables provide quick carbohydrate energy, and the protein gives the meal its sustainability. This combination suppresses your appetite effectively throughout the day.
The Atkins diet is really a craving control plan that helps suppress your appetite – your desire for food or calories. If you’ve had a problem with carbohydrate cravings before, this new way of eating ie dieting will help control those desires. The more you eat on the plan, the better your cravings will be controlled and the easier it will be to follow the diet – the more you practice the diet the easier it gets, because you won’t want to eat carbohydrates all the time.
If you want to read our personal experience of the Atkins diet, just go along to Appetite Suppression of if you want to read loads more about the The Atkins Diet click the blue link.
