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Despite the popularity of the Atkins Diet, it is often greatly misrepresented! Popular, yet slightly exaggerated depictions of the plan portray dieters devouring nothing but vast quantities of meat and fat. Although the diet is not quite this simple, many dieters following the program have successfully lost weight and improved their health. On this plan, dieters follow a very specific regimen based on restricted carbohydrate intake. Emphasis is placed on the nutritional aspects of the diet over exercise and other factors, although exercise is encouraged. There are four stages to the Atkins program: Induction: For the duration of this two-week phase at the beginning of the diet program, dieters can only consume up to 20 grams of carbs each day. Dieters can ingest high protein foods such as meat and eggs, fats such as oils and butter, and other foods with little to no carbs. Many foods with carbs are not permitted at all during this phase, including alcoholic drinks. This initial phase is intended to help the body go from burning carbs for energy, as it usually does, into burning fat stored in the body (a process called ketosis). Most dieters begin to see natural weight loss during this phase. Ongoing Weight Loss: During the Ongoing Weight Loss period, dieters gradually increase their carbohydrate intake by adding 5 grams of carbs into their diet every week. Dieters fine-tune their diet, continuing their weight loss to put themselves within 5-10 pounds of their target weight, before transitioning into the Pre-maintenance stage. Pre-maintenance: Dieters use the Pre-maintenance phase to find out the maximum amount of carbs they can consume without experiencing weight gain. During this stage, dieters increase carbohydrate intake by 10 grams a week. Once dieters reach their target weight and can keep it stable for a month, they move into the Lifetime Maintenance phase. Lifetime Maintenance: For lasting results, the Atkins program is designed to be maintained throughout the dieter's life. Using the techniques that helped the dieter reach their target weight, the dieter maintains an eating and exercise program to stay at their goal weight. Individuals can revert to previous stages if they ever begin to regain weight. Dieters who can stick to the Atkins diet are typically successful in losing weight; however, many people are unable to follow the program and end up quitting early on in the initial induction phase. In general, most diets fail because dieters cannot stay committed to the plan. Many people are unable to lose weight because they experience strong food cravings, have problems with compulsive overeating, cannot regulate their appetites, or simply do not feel motivated to lose weight. Getting over these mental obstacles is the hardest part of losing weight. One reason why many people struggle to control their eating is because they are emotional eaters. Such people eat in response to their emotions, such as when they are bored or upset. However, this eating style programs a "conditioned response" into the unconscious mind. This means that when people experience the same feelings that made them initially overeat, they will feel compelled to overeat once again. Hypnosis works by helping our unconscious minds disassociate our emotions from our eating habits. To eliminate the conditioned response to overeat, a hypnosis weight loss program is used to break the bond in the unconscious mind between overeating and certain "trigger" behaviors. For instance, if you tend to overeat when you get bored, hypnosis can disassociate boredom from eating in your unconscious mind. Hypnotherapy techniques can then be used to replace the compulsion to overeat with another activity, such as exercising. This way, the next time you experience boredom, instead of having an urge to overeat, you will feel motivated to engage in physical activity. Hypnosis is an effective tool for stress relief as well, helping us cope with our stressful emotions and relieve tension without eating. As a relaxation tool, it calms the mind, helps you develop positive strategies to cope with stress, and boosts your confidence to motivate you to lose weight. Self hypnosis can also be used to remove the emotional stresses that keep you from losing weight. Many overweight people hide behind their weight for emotional protection. For instance, after ending a relationship, people often find themselves becoming overweight so they can avoid new relationships and avoid experiencing emotional pain again. Through hypnosis, we can think more positively and focus on having better health instead of becoming overwhelmed by our worries. Not only is hypnosis a powerful motivation tool, it relieves stress, eliminates the conditioned responses that cause overeating, and can be used to overcome many mental obstacles that prevent weight loss. Hypnosis is tremendously effective at helping people stay on a diet plan, such as the Atkins plan, and lose weight.
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Alan B. Densky, CH has invested over 30 years specializing in weight loss. He offers several ways to lose weight, including lose weight CD and hypnosis for weight loss DVD. Visit his NLP CD website for Free hypnosis videos, newsletters, and downloads.
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