Atkins vs. Keto: What’s the Difference?

The Atkins and keto diets are separate diets that both take a low carb, high fat approach to dieting. But you may be wondering what makes the two different from each other.

Atkins and keto are two of the best-known low carb diets.

Both require a drastic reduction in high carb foods, including sweets, sugary drinks, breads, grains, fruits, legumes, and potatoes.

Though these diets are similar, they have differences as well.

This article compares the Atkins and keto diets to help you decide which may be a better fit.

The Atkins diet is one of the best-known diets worldwide. It’s a low carb, moderate protein, high fat diet.

Though Atkins has evolved to offer a variety of plans, the original version (now called Atkins 20) is still the most popular. It’s broken down into four phases, which are based on your daily allowance of net carbs (total carbs minus fiber and sugar alcohols):

• Phase 1 (Induction): This phase allows for 20–25 grams (g) of net carbs per day until you are 15 pounds (lb), or 7 kilograms (kg), from your goal weight.
• Phase 2: During this phase, you consume 25–50 g of net carbs per day until you are 10 lb (5 kg) from your goal weight.
• Phase 3: Your net carb allowance is raised to 50–80 g per day until you have met your goal weight and maintained it for 1 month.
• Phase 4: During the final phase, you consume 80–100 g of net carbs per day for ongoing weight maintenance.

As you approach your goal weight and advance through these phases, your daily net carb allowance increases, allowing you to incorporate a greater variety of foods.

However, even during Phase 4, which allows for up to 100 g of net carbs per day, you consume significantly fewer carbs than most people usually eat.

Most Americans get about 50% of their daily calories from carbs, which equates to about 250 g of carbs if you eat 2,000 calories per day (1).

Summary

Atkins is one of the most popular low carb diets worldwide. It works in phases that allow you to gradually increase your carb intake as you progress toward your goal weight.

The keto, or ketogenic, diet is a very low carb, moderate protein, high fat diet plan.

It was first used to treat children who experienced seizures, but researchers discovered that it may benefit other people as well (2, 3).

The goal of the keto diet is to get your body into the metabolic state of ketosis, during which it uses fat rather than sugar from carbs as its main energy source (4).

In ketosis, your body runs on ketones, compounds that form during the breakdown of the fat from your food or the fat stored in your body (5).

To reach and maintain ketosis, most people need to limit their total carb intake to 20–50 g per day. Following the keto diet typically involves consuming less than 5% of calories from carbs, 10–30% from protein, and 65–90% from fat (6).

Some people monitor their ketone production using blood, urine, or breath tests.

Summary

On the keto diet, you restrict your total carb intake to less than 50 g per day. This causes your body to enter ketosis and burn fat for energy.

Keto and Atkins have certain similarities but also differ greatly in some respects.

Similarities

Because they are both low carb diets, Atkins and keto are alike in some ways.

In fact, Phase 1 (Induction) of the Atkins diet is similar to the keto diet, as it restricts net carbs to 25 g per day. This will likely cause your body to enter ketosis and start burning fat as its main fuel source.

Phase 2 of the Atkins diet prescribes a carbohydrate intake of 25–50 g per day, which may also be low enough for many individuals to enter ketosis.

What’s more, both diets may result in weight loss by decreasing the number of calories you eat. Many high carb foods — particularly those containing refined carbs, such as sweets, chips, and sugary drinks — are high in calories and may contribute to weight gain (7).

Both Atkins and keto require you to eliminate these high calorie, carb-rich foods, which makes it easier to cut calories and lose weight.

Differences

Atkins and keto have certain differences as well.

While keto is a moderate protein approach, with about 20% of calories coming from protein, the Atkins diet allows for up to 30% of calories from protein, depending on the phase.

Additionally, on the keto diet, the goal is to keep your body in ketosis by extremely limiting your carb intake.

On the other hand, the Atkins diet involves gradually increasing your carb intake, which will eventually kick your body out of ketosis.

Because of this flexible carb limit, Atkins allows for a wider variety of foods, such as more fruits and vegetables and even some grains.

Overall, Atkins is a less restrictive approach, as you do not have to monitor ketones or stick to certain macronutrient targets to stay in ketosis.

Summary

Keto and Atkins are both low carb diets that may aid weight loss by burning fat and reducing your calorie intake. However, on Atkins, you gradually increase your carb intake, while it remains very low on the keto diet.

Though once considered unhealthy, low carb diets have now been shown to offer various health benefits.

Weight loss

Low carb diets may result in more weight loss than other diet plans.

A review of six popular diets, including Atkins, the Zone Diet, the Ornish diet, and Jenny Craig, found that Atkins resulted in the most weight loss after 6 months (8).

A similar study found that Atkins was the most likely of 7 popular diets to result in meaningful weight loss 6–12 months after starting the plan (9).

Though it is more restrictive than Atkins, the keto diet may aid weight loss as well. Research indicates that being in ketosis decreases appetite, thereby removing one of the biggest barriers to weight loss — constant hunger (4, 10, 11).

Ketogenic diets may also preserve your muscle mass, meaning that most of the weight loss you may experience is more likely to be a result of fat loss (12, 13).

In one 12-month study, participants on a low calorie keto diet lost about 44 lb (20 kg) with few losses in muscle mass, while those on a standard low calorie diet lost only 15 lb (7 kg) (12).

Additionally, ketogenic diets maintain your resting metabolic rate (RMR), the number of calories you burn at rest, whereas other low calorie diets may cause your RMR to decrease (13).

Blood sugar regulation

Research indicates that low carb diets can benefit blood sugar regulation.

In fact, the American Diabetes Association recently revised the Standards of Medical Care — a document outlining how healthcare professionals should manage and treat diabetes — to include low carb diets as a safe and effective option for people with type 2 diabetes (14).

Low carb diets have been shown to decrease the need for diabetes medications and improve levels of hemoglobin A1c (HgbA1c), a marker of long-term blood sugar regulation (15, 16, 17, 18).

One 24-week study in 14 adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes who were on the Atkins diet found that in addition to weight loss, participants experienced a decrease in HgbA1c levels and a decreased need for diabetes medications (18).

Another 12-month study in 34 overweight adults noted that participants on a keto diet had lower HgbA1c levels, experienced more weight loss, and were more likely to discontinue diabetes medications than those on a moderate carb, low fat diet (17).

Other benefits

Research suggests that low carb, higher fat diets may improve certain heart disease risk factors (19, 20, 21).

Low carb diets may reduce triglyceride levels and increase HDL (good) cholesterol, thereby decreasing the ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol (22, 23).

A high triglyceride-to-HDL ratio is an indicator of poor heart health and has been linked to increased heart disease risk (24, 25, 26, 27).

A review including more than 1,300 people found that those on the Atkins diet had greater decreases in triglycerides and more significant increases in HDL cholesterol than individuals following a low fat diet (22).

Low carb diets have also been associated with other benefits, including improved mental health and digestion. Still, more research is needed (3, 28).

Summary

Low carb diets like keto and Atkins may result in more weight loss than other diet plans. They may also help improve your blood sugar regulation and decrease your risk of heart disease.

Both Atkins and keto have benefits and downsides.

The ketogenic diet is extremely restrictive and may be difficult to stick to. Limiting your protein intake to 20% of calories while maintaining a very low carb and a very high fat intake can be challenging, especially in the long term.

Some people may also feel the need to monitor their ketone levels, which can be challenging and costly.

Following a restrictive diet like the keto diet may lead to nutrient deficiencies if you do not pay careful attention to your diet quality.

Additionally, evidence on the long-term safety or effectiveness of the keto diet is limited, so its long-term health risks are unknown.

Most people can reap several of the benefits of low carb diets without being in ketosis. Therefore, moderate carb restriction on a low carb diet like the Atkins diet — as opposed to a strict keto approach — is usually sufficient.

Overall, it’s most important to focus on choosing healthy foods, regardless of the ratio of protein, fats, and carbs you eat. For example, higher carb diets rich in plant foods, such as vegetables and fruits, are known to benefit health in countless ways.

Though low carb diets are healthy and safe for most people, higher carb diets that focus on whole foods are just as beneficial for health as low carb, high fat diets (29, 30, 31, 32, 33).

It’s important to consider your weight loss goals, overall health, and dietary preferences when choosing the best eating pattern for yourself.

Summary

Atkins is less restrictive than keto. Additionally, the long-term effects of the keto diet are not well known. Choosing healthy foods and limiting refined carbs is a great way to improve health, regardless of your carb intake.

Low carb diets, particularly those focusing on high quality, nutritious foods, can be beneficial. However, be sure to consult a healthcare professional before making any drastic changes to your diet.

Atkins and keto are both low carb diets that may benefit weight loss, diabetes management, and heart health.

Their main difference is that you gradually increase your carb intake on Atkins, while it remains very low on the keto diet, allowing your body to stay in ketosis and burn ketones for energy.

Though some people may benefit from the more restrictive keto diet, moderate carb restriction — such as in the later phases of the Atkins diet — is sufficient for most people to experience the benefits of a low carb diet.

Atkins vs. Keto: What’s the Difference?

The Atkins and keto diets are separate diets that both take a low carb, high fat approach to dieting. But you may be wondering what makes the two different from each other.

Atkins and keto are two of the best-known low carb diets.

Both require a drastic reduction in high carb foods, including sweets, sugary drinks, breads, grains, fruits, legumes, and potatoes.

Though these diets are similar, they have differences as well.

This article compares the Atkins and keto diets to help you decide which may be a better fit.

The Atkins diet is one of the best-known diets worldwide. It’s a low carb, moderate protein, high fat diet.

Though Atkins has evolved to offer a variety of plans, the original version (now called Atkins 20) is still the most popular. It’s broken down into four phases, which are based on your daily allowance of net carbs (total carbs minus fiber and sugar alcohols):

• Phase 1 (Induction): This phase allows for 20–25 grams (g) of net carbs per day until you are 15 pounds (lb), or 7 kilograms (kg), from your goal weight.
• Phase 2: During this phase, you consume 25–50 g of net carbs per day until you are 10 lb (5 kg) from your goal weight.
• Phase 3: Your net carb allowance is raised to 50–80 g per day until you have met your goal weight and maintained it for 1 month.
• Phase 4: During the final phase, you consume 80–100 g of net carbs per day for ongoing weight maintenance.

As you approach your goal weight and advance through these phases, your daily net carb allowance increases, allowing you to incorporate a greater variety of foods.

However, even during Phase 4, which allows for up to 100 g of net carbs per day, you consume significantly fewer carbs than most people usually eat.

Most Americans get about 50% of their daily calories from carbs, which equates to about 250 g of carbs if you eat 2,000 calories per day (1).

Summary

Atkins is one of the most popular low carb diets worldwide. It works in phases that allow you to gradually increase your carb intake as you progress toward your goal weight.

The keto, or ketogenic, diet is a very low carb, moderate protein, high fat diet plan.

It was first used to treat children who experienced seizures, but researchers discovered that it may benefit other people as well (2, 3).

The goal of the keto diet is to get your body into the metabolic state of ketosis, during which it uses fat rather than sugar from carbs as its main energy source (4).

In ketosis, your body runs on ketones, compounds that form during the breakdown of the fat from your food or the fat stored in your body (5).

To reach and maintain ketosis, most people need to limit their total carb intake to 20–50 g per day. Following the keto diet typically involves consuming less than 5% of calories from carbs, 10–30% from protein, and 65–90% from fat (6).

Some people monitor their ketone production using blood, urine, or breath tests.

Summary

On the keto diet, you restrict your total carb intake to less than 50 g per day. This causes your body to enter ketosis and burn fat for energy.

Keto and Atkins have certain similarities but also differ greatly in some respects.

Similarities

Because they are both low carb diets, Atkins and keto are alike in some ways.

In fact, Phase 1 (Induction) of the Atkins diet is similar to the keto diet, as it restricts net carbs to 25 g per day. This will likely cause your body to enter ketosis and start burning fat as its main fuel source.

Phase 2 of the Atkins diet prescribes a carbohydrate intake of 25–50 g per day, which may also be low enough for many individuals to enter ketosis.

What’s more, both diets may result in weight loss by decreasing the number of calories you eat. Many high carb foods — particularly those containing refined carbs, such as sweets, chips, and sugary drinks — are high in calories and may contribute to weight gain (7).

Both Atkins and keto require you to eliminate these high calorie, carb-rich foods, which makes it easier to cut calories and lose weight.

Differences

Atkins and keto have certain differences as well.

While keto is a moderate protein approach, with about 20% of calories coming from protein, the Atkins diet allows for up to 30% of calories from protein, depending on the phase.

Additionally, on the keto diet, the goal is to keep your body in ketosis by extremely limiting your carb intake.

On the other hand, the Atkins diet involves gradually increasing your carb intake, which will eventually kick your body out of ketosis.

Because of this flexible carb limit, Atkins allows for a wider variety of foods, such as more fruits and vegetables and even some grains.

Overall, Atkins is a less restrictive approach, as you do not have to monitor ketones or stick to certain macronutrient targets to stay in ketosis.

Summary

Keto and Atkins are both low carb diets that may aid weight loss by burning fat and reducing your calorie intake. However, on Atkins, you gradually increase your carb intake, while it remains very low on the keto diet.

Though once considered unhealthy, low carb diets have now been shown to offer various health benefits.

Weight loss

Low carb diets may result in more weight loss than other diet plans.

A review of six popular diets, including Atkins, the Zone Diet, the Ornish diet, and Jenny Craig, found that Atkins resulted in the most weight loss after 6 months (8).

A similar study found that Atkins was the most likely of 7 popular diets to result in meaningful weight loss 6–12 months after starting the plan (9).

Though it is more restrictive than Atkins, the keto diet may aid weight loss as well. Research indicates that being in ketosis decreases appetite, thereby removing one of the biggest barriers to weight loss — constant hunger (4, 10, 11).

Ketogenic diets may also preserve your muscle mass, meaning that most of the weight loss you may experience is more likely to be a result of fat loss (12, 13).

In one 12-month study, participants on a low calorie keto diet lost about 44 lb (20 kg) with few losses in muscle mass, while those on a standard low calorie diet lost only 15 lb (7 kg) (12).

Additionally, ketogenic diets maintain your resting metabolic rate (RMR), the number of calories you burn at rest, whereas other low calorie diets may cause your RMR to decrease (13).

Blood sugar regulation

Research indicates that low carb diets can benefit blood sugar regulation.

In fact, the American Diabetes Association recently revised the Standards of Medical Care — a document outlining how healthcare professionals should manage and treat diabetes — to include low carb diets as a safe and effective option for people with type 2 diabetes (14).

Low carb diets have been shown to decrease the need for diabetes medications and improve levels of hemoglobin A1c (HgbA1c), a marker of long-term blood sugar regulation (15, 16, 17, 18).

One 24-week study in 14 adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes who were on the Atkins diet found that in addition to weight loss, participants experienced a decrease in HgbA1c levels and a decreased need for diabetes medications (18).

Another 12-month study in 34 overweight adults noted that participants on a keto diet had lower HgbA1c levels, experienced more weight loss, and were more likely to discontinue diabetes medications than those on a moderate carb, low fat diet (17).

Other benefits

Research suggests that low carb, higher fat diets may improve certain heart disease risk factors (19, 20, 21).

Low carb diets may reduce triglyceride levels and increase HDL (good) cholesterol, thereby decreasing the ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol (22, 23).

A high triglyceride-to-HDL ratio is an indicator of poor heart health and has been linked to increased heart disease risk (24, 25, 26, 27).

A review including more than 1,300 people found that those on the Atkins diet had greater decreases in triglycerides and more significant increases in HDL cholesterol than individuals following a low fat diet (22).

Low carb diets have also been associated with other benefits, including improved mental health and digestion. Still, more research is needed (3, 28).

Summary

Low carb diets like keto and Atkins may result in more weight loss than other diet plans. They may also help improve your blood sugar regulation and decrease your risk of heart disease.

Both Atkins and keto have benefits and downsides.

The ketogenic diet is extremely restrictive and may be difficult to stick to. Limiting your protein intake to 20% of calories while maintaining a very low carb and a very high fat intake can be challenging, especially in the long term.

Some people may also feel the need to monitor their ketone levels, which can be challenging and costly.

Following a restrictive diet like the keto diet may lead to nutrient deficiencies if you do not pay careful attention to your diet quality.

Additionally, evidence on the long-term safety or effectiveness of the keto diet is limited, so its long-term health risks are unknown.

Most people can reap several of the benefits of low carb diets without being in ketosis. Therefore, moderate carb restriction on a low carb diet like the Atkins diet — as opposed to a strict keto approach — is usually sufficient.

Overall, it’s most important to focus on choosing healthy foods, regardless of the ratio of protein, fats, and carbs you eat. For example, higher carb diets rich in plant foods, such as vegetables and fruits, are known to benefit health in countless ways.

Though low carb diets are healthy and safe for most people, higher carb diets that focus on whole foods are just as beneficial for health as low carb, high fat diets (29, 30, 31, 32, 33).

It’s important to consider your weight loss goals, overall health, and dietary preferences when choosing the best eating pattern for yourself.

Summary

Atkins is less restrictive than keto. Additionally, the long-term effects of the keto diet are not well known. Choosing healthy foods and limiting refined carbs is a great way to improve health, regardless of your carb intake.

Low carb diets, particularly those focusing on high quality, nutritious foods, can be beneficial. However, be sure to consult a healthcare professional before making any drastic changes to your diet.

Atkins and keto are both low carb diets that may benefit weight loss, diabetes management, and heart health.

Their main difference is that you gradually increase your carb intake on Atkins, while it remains very low on the keto diet, allowing your body to stay in ketosis and burn ketones for energy.

Though some people may benefit from the more restrictive keto diet, moderate carb restriction — such as in the later phases of the Atkins diet — is sufficient for most people to experience the benefits of a low carb diet.

Keto Diet VS Atkins Diet: Nutritionists Compare Benefits for Weight Loss

Here’s what you need to know about the differences between keto diets and the Atkins diet. / Photo pixabay.com

When people talk about low-carb diets, most likely they mean either the keto diet or the Atkins diet.

As the two most widely known low-carb diets, they are very similar: they both drastically cut carbohydrates – like cookies and donuts, of course, but also those found in the grains of certain fruits and vegetables. But that’s where the similarity ends.

To help you decide which plan might be best for you, here’s what you need to know about the differences between the keto diet and the Atkins diet.

What is the keto diet?

The keto diet (or, more formally, the ketogenic diet) is a low-carb, high-fat diet.

It was first created in the 1920s to treat epilepsy, but more recently it has been popularized as a diet that helps people lose weight, burn more calories, reduce hunger, and help prevent or improve obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes.

A “typical” keto plan consists of calories consumed that are 75% fat, 20% protein, and 5% carbs.

The main goal of the keto diet is to get your body to stop relying on carbohydrates as its main source of energy, which sends your body into a state of ketosis. Ketosis is a metabolic change in which your body burns fat rather than glucose as its main source of energy.

To achieve and maintain this state, people limit their net carbohydrate intake (measured as total carbohydrates minus fiber) to 20-50 grams per day – the lower the better.

What does this mean for each day? First, a strictly restrictive diet. For example, one banana contains 27 grams of carbs, a cup of boiled quinoa adds 39 grams, and a cup of milk adds 12 grams.

But with the right mindset, keto dieters find ways to feel less hungry and full by eating lots of fatty fish, eggs, dairy, meats, oils, oils, and low-carb vegetables like broccoli and spinach.

What is the Atkins diet?

Like the keto diet, the Atkins diet promotes weight loss through a low-carbohydrate diet. The Atkins diet was first conceptualized in the 1960s but was a commercial success in the US in the early 2000s.

The Atkins Diet has since expanded to include a variety of meal plans. The “classic” and most popular version of the diet, now known as the Atkins 20, launches a plan that allows you to get 20 grams of net carbohydrates per day.

Regardless of the version, the plan is divided into four separate phases with the idea of ​​gradually returning carbohydrates to your diet. Here’s what those phases look like for Atkins 20:

Phase 1 (Induction): The plan begins with a drastic reduction in carb intake, allowing only 20 grams of net carbs per day. You will stay in this phase until you reach 6 kg of your target weight.

Phase 2 (Permanent Weight Loss): In this phase, you can begin to slowly reintroduce more carbohydrates into your diet. Your daily carbohydrate intake can be increased by 5 grams per week (up to an additional 40 grams per week) until you reach your goal of about 4.5 kg.

Phase 3 (Pre-Maintenance): During this fine-tuning phase, you can increase your carbohydrate intake by 10 grams per week (up to a maximum of an additional 100 grams per week) to establish long-term eating habits and what works for you.

Phase 4 (Maintenance): The final phase has relatively few dietary restrictions with a target of 80 to 100 grams per day. If you start to gain weight, the company recommends cutting your carb intake by 10 grams at a time.

Key differences between the keto and Atkins diets

Both the ketogenic diet and the Atkins diet reduce carbohydrate intake and promote weight loss, but that’s pretty much all they have in common. If you’re wondering which plan is best for you, here are the main differences.

1. The keto diet completely restricts carbohydrates, while the Atkins diet increases them in stages.

As already mentioned, the composition of a typical keto diet, plus or minus depending on the person, is about 75% fat, 20% protein and only 5% carbohydrates.

For a person consuming 2,000 calories per day, this means eating no more than 50 grams of carbohydrate per day, and sometimes as little as 20 grams. This allows the body to reach ketosis, and the ketogenic diet requires you to stay in this fat-burning stage for a long time.

On the other hand, the Atkins diet induces ketosis, but only in the first phase, and sometimes in the second. If you reintroduce carbs back into your diet, you will eventually come out of ketosis. This difference points to the idea that the Atkins diet is not as strict as the keto diet.

2. The keto diet is high in fat, while the Atkins diet is high in protein.

According to Amy Miskimon Goss, assistant professor of nutrition at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the Atkins diet has traditionally recommended protein to satisfy hunger, while the well-formulated ketogenic diet limits protein intake and instead uses fat to soothe rumbling stomachs.

Because the Atkins diet is more holistic, especially in its “maintenance” phase, there are no exact percentages of protein intake.

The keto diet, on the other hand, is strict about high fat intake. To maintain ketosis, the keto diet requires dieters to consume mostly fats. In fact, you should be consuming 60 to 75 percent of your daily calories from healthy fats found in foods like avocados, cheese, nuts, and full-fat yogurt.

3. Keto encourages whole foods, but Atkins doesn’t.

Goss explains that a ketogenic diet should also be based on whole foods. This means eating whole grains instead of refined, unprocessed foods rather than canned or packaged foods, and avoiding preservatives.

However, the Atkins diet does not have these restrictions. The Atkins Diet Company encourages people to eat bars, shakes, and other prepackaged foods specifically designed to support the Atkins lifestyle.

Essence

Both Atkins and keto require you to watch your diet and focus on nutritious food, eliminating anything high in calories and carbohydrates.

Although both diets may be too restrictive for some, the main conclusion is that reducing carbohydrate intake is beneficial, even if done in moderation. Both diets can promote weight loss and improve cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels.

But if you are seriously considering trying one of these diets, it is highly recommended that you consult your doctor or nutritionist.

phases, menus and other differences from LCHF and keto diet

The Atkins diet is similar to keto. Rahila IMANZADE tells how Dr. Atkins was ahead of his time, but why today we are not ready to lose weight according to Atkins.

1959 The anti-fat campaign is gaining momentum. Ansel Keyes has just launched the Seven Countries study. His goal is to prove that saturated fat is to blame for the epidemic of cardiovascular disease. Young cardiologist Robert Atkins starts a private practice in New York.

Atkins: before and after

Atkins before the Atkins diet weighs 100 kg, sluggish and stunted. He decides to take on himself, studies scientific literature. Chooses not the trendy low-fat diet option, but Dr. Alfred Pennington’s “to lose weight, you need to eat fat” method. Robert excludes sugar and starch from the diet. He expects to lose 1-2 kg, but in the first month it takes nine.

After that, a company invites him to the position of consultant nutritionist for staff. Of the 65 clients on the Atkins diet, 64 were able to lose weight. From a fat, dull cardiologist, Robert suddenly turns into a popular nutritionist. His methodology is published by American Vogue. At 19Atkins’ Diet Revolution comes out in 1972. The book becomes a bestseller – the total circulation has exceeded 10 million.

And then a whole low-carb corporation appears: Atkins’ company produces substitutes for high-carb pasta, baked goods and sweets. The Atkins empire is funding research into low-carbohydrate diets. People are losing weight, and Atkins is getting richer. And makes the enemy.

Atkins Nutritionals Inc. produces a huge line of low-carb products. Most of them raise questions

Fall of the Atkins Empire

Spring 2003. It’s snowing in New York. Atkins, 72, slips on his way to work, hits his head on the ice and loses consciousness. The doctor spends 9 days in a coma and dies.

His opponents did not fail to take advantage of the situation. The press gets confidential information about the autopsy, from which it follows: at the time of his death, the doctor weighed 120 kg and suffered from heart disease. “Atkins died because of the Atkins diet!” the newspapers trumpeted.

Atkins’ widow releases statement. The husband suffered from cardiomyopathy, which means that the heart problem was caused by a viral disease, not diet. And shortly before his death, Robert Atkins visited a therapist – 88.5 kg. Not skinny, but quite a normal person 72 years old. The weight given in the autopsy papers is the result of extensive edema. Newspapers and magazines publish denials, but it’s too late. The Atkins system goes from “Hollywood diet” to “dangerous protein diet”. There were no alternatives to low-fat and fractional nutrition.

Today, more and more research confirms the doctor’s point. The diet advocated by Atkins is effective for weight loss, improves health, including cardiovascular health. Helps to feel better. (Here’s a large clinical study comparing a low-fat, Mediterranean, and high-fat diet based on the Atkins method.)

Atkins vs Keto Diet: Similarities

Both diets are classified as high-fat, low-carbohydrate diets. You can enter keto abruptly, leaving behind the whole past life. And you can gradually reduce carbohydrates and increase the amount of fat (and thus avoid the keto flu). The Atkins diet suggests entering ketosis in a couple of weeks. Tough but effective.

Both keto and Atkins do not eat sugar, wheat flour or starch. The task of diets is to control the jumps in sugar and, as a result, insulin. Sources of carbohydrates – greens, vegetables, nuts, fatty dairy products (if there are no tolerance problems).

Atkins diet and keto: differences

Atkins diet helps to lose weight. When the extra weight is gone, and you manage to keep what you want, you can occasionally eat bread (about the danger of one croissant – follow the link), and also return the legumes. Atkins adherents are not against cola zero: yes, zero calories, but there are many questions about the sweetener.

In addition, on the LCHF diet, the majority comes to two meals a day, and some even eat once a day. This also reduces the number of times insulin rises during the day. On the Atkins child, five meals a day is quite acceptable.

The keto diet is first and foremost a way of life. Keto people think not how to lose weight, but how to become energetic, vigorous, think quickly, remember a lot and maintain these abilities until old age. Many at the LCHF have plans to increase the statistics of centenarians. Therefore, great importance is given to the quality of products, the ratio of fatty acids in the diet. On keto, we think about the benefits of food for both the human body and the colony of intestinal bacteria (more details 1 and 2). In the keto community, some even suggest ditching the supposedly safe stevia and erythritol and addressing sugar cravings not with keto desserts but with the right combination of fatty foods. While the Atkins Corporation produces a huge amount of sweets with maltitol, dyes, toxic oils, such as corn, although they are designated as prohibited in Atkins official recommendations.

Maltitol and sucralose, soy lecithin – no, a keto diet adherent will not eat such a bar.

Atkins Diet: How to Lose Weight

Dr. Atkins’ weight loss system suggests cutting carbohydrates to a minimum and achieving ketosis.

• Phase 1 – Induction. The strictest part of the diet. The first phase of the Atkins diet lasts 14 days. Restriction of carbohydrates to 20 g per day. The body enters a state of ketosis (energy by breaking down fats into ketones).
• Phase 2 – Balancing. Continuing to lose weight and finding the carbohydrate rate at which weight loss occurs.
• Phase 3 – Transition to weight maintenance. Developing the habit of eating a moderate amount of carbohydrates.
• Phase 4 – Maintain Weight. At this stage, you can stay all your life: play sports, constantly monitor nutrition and not exceed the norm of carbohydrates. With a slight increase in weight, return to the Induction stage.

Conclusions

The keto diet and the Atkins diet are very similar. Keto requires more individual and thoughtful approach.