Keto Diet vs Atkins for Weight Loss October 31, 2024

Keto Diet vs Atkins for Weight Loss

BY Usman July 6, 2022

Keto Diet vs Atkins, The terms “keto” and “Atkins” will invariably appear in the search results if you’re looking for an efficient diet plan for weight loss. The two have a well-deserved reputation for being beneficial to general health and weight loss. Both diets focus on eating fewer carbohydrates, which lowers insulin levels as a result. Despite how similar they seem, there is more to it. Find out your position on the “ketogenic diet versus Atkins” debate by reading on.

What is Atkins?

No weight loss objective justifies starving our bodies of essential vitamins and nutrients to the point of hunger. Losing weight without sacrificing fullness or satisfaction is possible. The first thing you should know about the Atkins diet is this.

It comes in two varieties: Atkins 20 and Atkins 40. The former is the original and useful if your goal is to lose more than 40 pounds, whilst the latter is less stringent and effective if your goal is to lose less than 40 pounds.

History behind it

Every single item has a history. So here it is: a physician invented the Atkins Diet. Dr. Robert Coleman Atkins wrote a book in the 1960s that detailed how a low-carb diet can be more successful than any low-fat one. The book received high praise and was studied for many years.

How does it work?

Both Atkins diet plans allow you to gradually increase your daily carbohydrate intake, which starts off at a moderate level (20 grams for the Atkins 20 plan and 40 grams for Atkins 40).

When you start consuming fewer carbohydrates, your insulin levels drop, and your body begins to use fat for energy instead of sugar. As a result, you lose weight much more quickly because there is less capacity for fat storage.

The original “20” diet is broken into 4 phases in terms of carbs:

Phase 1

20–25 grams of carbohydrates (nuts and seeds, green veggies like broccoli, celery, cucumbers, and green beans).

The first one to two weeks.

Phase 2

carbohydrates ranging from 25 to 50 grams (nuts, seeds, green veggies, tomatoes, legumes, berries, melon, milk and yogurt, cottage cheese).

Time period: Up till you are 10 pounds over your desired weight.

Phase 3

Carbohydrates between 50 and 80 grams (nuts, seeds, green veggies, tomatoes, legumes, berries, milk and yogurt, cottage cheese, fruit, starchy vegetables, whole grains).

As long as it takes you to reach your desired weight.

Phase 4

80–100g of carbohydrates (same as during the third Phase).

Time frame: You can stay in this phase as long as you like, preferably forever, to keep your weight where you left it after Phase 3.

You may also eat healthy fats and protein at each meal (including fish, poultry, meat, eggs, and dairy products).

Sugars (including honey and sweeteners), refined oils, trans fats, all forms of processed food, and alcohol should all be avoided at all costs.

Atkins 40

It resembles the “20” plan considerably. The original diet was more adaptable since you progressively added more diverse carbs to it. And in the modified version, you can start with all of the beneficial carbs and increase your carb serving size. You begin by consuming 40 grams of net carbohydrates each day. You may increase by 10 grams each week until you are only 10 pounds away from your target weight. But keep in mind that the daily limit for carbohydrates should never be exceeded.

What is keto?

In contrast to Atkins, the keto (or ketogenic) diet allows very few carbs as long as you follow it. It is basically a high-fat, low-carb diet with appropriate protein in between.

The keto diet includes increasing metabolism as one of its objectives. This facilitates your body’s transition from burning sugar to burning fat. You lose weight more quickly as a result.

How does it work?

Here, you get 5-10% of your energy from carbohydrates, 20-30% from proteins, and the remaining 65-80% from fats.

Your body can’t obtain enough sugar when you follow a low-carb diet. When our body doesn’t have enough sugar to convert to energy, it turns to fat. After that, your liver turns fat into ketones, an acid that your body uses water as fuel. Compared to carbohydrates, ketones are thought to be a more sustainable energy source. Ketosis also benefits your brain function and lowers your risk of heart disease.

Your ketogenic diet needs to consist of:

Broccoli, spinach, kale, cauliflower, and asparagus are low-carb vegetables.

Herring, hamburger, salmon, caviar, sardines, and mackerel are examples of fatty fish and meat.

Whole milk, Greek yogurt, and cheeses are full-fat dairy products.

Blueberries, raspberries, and melons are among the berries and fruit.

Olive and sesame oil, avocado and coconut oil, and butter are examples of healthy fats.

What keto and Atkins have in common

Both reduce blood sugar levels and burn fat for energy.

Consume relatively few carbohydrates.

Both diets’ major objective is to assist you in losing weight and keeping it off.

You continue to consume enough protein and fat to satisfy your body.

The two forbid you from consuming refined and processed foods.

What is the difference between keto and Atkins?

It can look that the keto diet is the same as the Atkins diet. But look more closely:

Although weight loss is the main goal of both diets, keto is a little more aggressive than Atkins and yields quicker results. All because eating a ketogenic diet involves eating the same number of carbs each day. Atkins keeps more of those for later in the meanwhile.

Protein and fat are not restricted in any diet. But in the keto diet, fat makes up the majority of your calories. Protein and fat are added in equal proportions when following the Atkins diet.

If we talk about the keto diet, eventually your body will run on ketones and fat. Your body can enter nutritional ketosis when following the Atkins diet, but only in the beginning. Simply consume more protein if you don’t want this to happen.