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Millions of people around the world have already discovered the Atkins Nutritional Approach™ and the remarkable benefits of controlling carbohydrates. Now it's even easier to join the revolution, lose weight, and get healthy the proven Atkins way!

With less of the underlying science and more practical information, The Atkins Essentials gets to the meat of the most popular and effective weight control program ever, providing the basic skills necessary to enable you to lose and keep losing unwanted body fat -- and to keep it off forever!

Providing clear, concise answers to your questions and concerns, The Atkins Essentials is ideal for anyone seeking a healthier lifestyle. For those new to Atkins, it is a quick and effective way to get started -- and for those already on the program, it offers indispensable tips on eating out, stocking your pantry, and more.

Simply put, it is Atkins made easy:

• The ABCs of doing Atkins
• An effective two-week launch into weight-losing mode
• Personal modifications to slow or speed weight loss
• Helpful listings of acceptable and unacceptable foodsand
• Fourteen days' worth of delicious, controlled-carb eating ...

And much more!

So get ready to look great and feel great the Atkins way -- it's easier than ever before!

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The Atkins Essentials

Perennial

Chapter One

What You'll Gain from Doing Atkins

You already know what you'll lose on Atkins -- weight.But do you have any idea how much you have to gain?You are in for a wonderful ride. While the pounds dropoff, you'll reap dozens of other fringe benefits as a resultof making the switch to a controlled carbohydratelifestyle. Some of these benefits come right away, duringyour first two weeks of the first phase, called Induction.Others come later and will truly change yourlife. So let's first take a look at the benefits you'll beginenjoying during the first two weeks on the Atkins NutritionalApproach™ (ANA).

Immediate Return on Investment

1. Lose weight without counting calories. Althoughyou do need to count grams of carbohydrate onAtkins -- at least until you get close to your goalweight -- this is nowhere nearly as painful as countingcalories. Of course, you can lose weight by limitingthe calories you eat, but the problem is that mostof us end up hungry all the time -- and feel weak andmiserable as well -- on a low calorie diet. And afteryou've lost weight this way, it almost inevitablycreeps back on, because very, very few people canbear to be hungry -- and grumpy -- forever. In contrast,when you do Atkins, you can eat all the caloriesyou need to feel satisfied -- and the fat on yourabdomen, hips, thighs and wherever else it is lurkingwill melt away. And since you're not hungry, weakand miserable eating this way -- on the contrary, you'll feel satisfied and full of energy -- you'll beable to stay with the program and keep the weightoff. That's why we regard Atkins as a lifestyle, not adiet that you go off once you've shed some weight.

WHAT ARE CARBS?

Most people think of carbohydrates only as sugarsand starches such as in rice and potatoes; however,all fruits, vegetables, and grains contain carbohydrates.Other foods, such as cheese orlegumes (kidney beans and their kin) contain carbohydratesalong with fat and/or protein.

2. Control your cravings; curb your appetite. As youwill learn in this book, carbohydrates turn into glucose,or sugar, when they're absorbed into yourblood. When you eat something like a jelly doughnut,which contains a high dose of carbohydrates, it resultsin a sudden rise in the amount of sugar enteringyour bloodstream. This rise is followed by a big dip,as your body chemistry tries to adjust. When thosedips occur, your body sends an urgent message toyour brain: Get me more sugar! When you do Atkinsand stay away from nutrient-deficient, carb-ladenfoods, however, your blood sugar remains relativelystable throughout the day. This means no more of thefood cravings or false hunger pangs that result fromthose sudden blood sugar dips.

WHAT ARE "BAD" CARBS?

The carbohydrate foods you want to eliminatefrom your diet forever are breads and pasta madefrom bleached flour, foods full of sugar in all itsforms (including honey and high fructose cornsyrup) and convenience foods and snacks (junkfoods). Highly processed and low in nutrients,these "bad" carb foods put you on the bloodsugar roller coaster.

WHAT ARE "GOOD" CARBS?

During the Induction phase of Atkins, your carbswill come mostly from salad greens, plus dozensof other vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli,green beans and cauliflower. Atkins Nutritionals,Inc. has developed many low carb foods that arealso suitable for this phase. These carbohydratefoods are full of nutrients, as are the carb foodsyou will eventually add back into your regimen inlater phases of the program: seeds and nuts,berries, whole grains, legumes, other fruits andeven small portions of starchy vegetables such assweet potatoes.

3. Enjoy wholesome, nutrient-dense foods. Anotherreason you won't be plagued by hunger when youdo Atkins is the quality of the food you'll be eating. That means, bite for bite, you're consuming more ofthe nutrients your body needs than you do when youeat the high carb, processed foods that make up somuch of the typical American diet. If you stop feedingyour body empty calories, or "fillers" -- such ascrackers, cookies, bagels, pasta and sugary drinks --and instead provide it with highly nutritious foods,you'll feel satisfied sooner, and that satisfaction willlast longer. The bonus? At the end of the day, youmay end up eating less food without even trying.

Excerpted from The Atkins Essentialsby Atkins, Health &. Medical Information Excerpted by permission.
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