Day 27 -
I am still focusing on meeting my water goals for today. I have to really think about drinking water, so it is an effort, but I want to hit 64 ounces every single day this week.
I started my day with my usual coffee and then I made myself some scrambled eggs & cheese with a piece of bacon crumbled in. Even with just two eggs I feel satisfied, but I will admit I still do miss toast.
Now that we have been on this diet for several weeks, I am learning quite a bit more about Keto. For instance, I have been having an occasional Atkins candy snack in the evenings, but there is a big question for folks doing Keto diet whether or not they can have Atkins bars.
There is a big difference between Atkins and Keto. I did some research and here is what I found out:
They’re both low-carb diets, one key difference between the Keto diet and Atkins is the amount of protein you’re allowed to take in. There’s no cap on Atkins, while Keto limits protein to about 20 percent of your daily calories. The other big difference is that Atkins has phases, which I will explain more about below.
The Atkins approach to carbs changes over time. As the diet progresses, the carb amount allowed goes up. In Keto you counts all carbs—not just the net—and the amount tends to be much lower long-term than that of Atkins
In the Keto diet you severely limit carbs to 50 grams or less, this diet forces your body to burn fat for energy, a process known as ketosis. Though you might feel restricted from bread and fruit, the plans emphasis on fat and protein make you feel more satisfied.
The Atkins diet has four phases. In phase one, you cut out almost all carbs, dropping your intake down to 20 grams of net carbs (carbs minus fiber = net carbs) per day, primarily from veggies. You're also required to eat protein at every meal and three servings of added fat per day. During phase two, called balancing, the daily carb allowance goes up to 50 grams of net carbs and more sources of nutrition are added. You stay in this phase until you're roughly 10 pounds away from your goal weight.Phases three and four of Atkins are all about learning to maintain your goal weight once you've reached it. Atkins sells its own line of food products, such as bars, protein drinks, and meals, that aren't entirely healthful.
Another big difference between the two is how and when both diets started.
Dr. Russell Wilder at the famous Mayo Clinic founded the ketogenic diet back in 1924. The diet was initially used for treating epilepsy. It was later realized that the Ketogenic diet was extremely effective for weight loss.
The Atkins Diet began by Dr. Robert Atkins, an American physician and cardiologist. In 1963, he discovered that reducing carbohydrate intake triggered weight loss without significant hunger, and he went on to publish his findings and diet advice in the now famous book Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution.
The good news is that a study published in American Family
Physician found that low-carb diets are more effective than low-fat diets at lowering levels of triglycerides and A1C and raising levels of “good” HDL cholesterol.
Okay so back to the original question about having Atkins treats, basically here is the consensus of my research – Low carb junk food is STILL junk food, so while those treats may help with cravings, they are not a good idea. They have very little nutritional value and they are not a good choice while on the Keto diet. I knew there were too good to be true.
Back to my boring day; I had some leftover Chicken salad for lunch. It had chicken, cheese, pecans and some raw cauliflower rice for crunch and I used avocado oil mayonnaise I found at the store. It is rich and creamy and tastes just like regular mayo but with healthy fats and no carbs.
I spent the evening hanging out with my Dad, and since I wasn't home I didn't get the chance to be more creative with my dinner so I had some tuna fish and a cucumber. I did snack on some pecans after I got home.
I am pleased to say I did meet my water goal, just barely. I really am trying to focus on taking a big drink of water a few minutes before eating anything.
For more info about the differences between Keto & Atkins you can check out these sources that I looked at.
It's great to read about your Progress with the keto diet. The comparison to the atkins diet is very interesting. Until now I didn't know much about the atkins diet, I always thought it was just a commercial thing to sell expensive low carb products. I'm eating keto since two months and this nutrition style feels really good for my body.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I remember hearing about Atkins awhile ago so it was interesting to do the comparison. We are almost one month in and doing really well so far.
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