One of the most popular weight loss diets of the last few decades is the Atkins diet.
A worldwide phenomenon, the diet is based on the book written "The Atkins Diet" by doctor Robert Atkins.
He proposed a concept which at the time was revolutionary.
His theory was that in order to lose weight, we do not need to be concerned about dietary fat, but with the amount and type of carbohydrates that we eat.
The diet has found millions of fans around the world as it allows you to eat many foods that were forbidden on other weight loss regimes.
The difficult thing for most people on this diet is that you have to give up all "bad" carbs.
This includes a number of foods that we eat everyday including bread, pasta, rice, grains, refined sugar and even beer! The theory is based on a biological process know as ketosis.
During ketosis, your body burns the fat stored in your body for fuel.
This has the effect of stopping insulin production which, the theory goes, prevents more fat from being stored in the body, hence weight loss.
There's very little calorie counting on the Atkins diet, but this doesn't mean you can eat junk or processed foods.
You 'll also be eating lots more protein instead of carbohydrates.
There are four main stages to the diet.
Induction: this takes place during the first forth night.
This can often produce dramatic results, with some people reporting weight loss of over 15 pounds.
This is all due to limiting your carbohydrate intake to less than 20 grams a day.
Ongoing Weight Loss: In this period you are allowed to have 25 grams of carbohydrates a day.
Pre-Maintenance: in this stage you are allowed to try out other foods to see what other carbs you can add to your diet.
Maintenance: This is the final stage when you can eat all the good carbs you like, but the premise is that you won't actually want to eat them.
Although the Atkins diet has received some bad press in recent years, there are countless people around the world who can testify to it's success in achieving effective weight loss.
The program is not suited for everyone, and some people have reported side effects such as raised cholesterol levels.
So it's always important to consult your doctor before embarking on such a program.
As with any diet regime, you'll have to take regular exercise.
You shouldn't expect a miracle cure and you need to be focused and dedicated to you goals.