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Many of us have tried one or two, if not more, diet plans in the past, often with little to mediocre success.
Low carb diets seem to be very popular these days because weight-loss results can be jaw-dropping.
Many, though, will find it difficult to follow or stick with it since carbohydrate-rich food has long been a staple in our meal.
Some cookbooks and guides, though, such as Keto Breads, promise that following a low carb diet has never been easier.
With that said, if you’re considering switching to a low carb diet, you have plenty of options.
In fact, you may be wondering, “Is the keto diet the same as Atkins?” While both diets are fairly similar, they have different names for a reason.
Table of Contents
Is the Keto Diet the Same as Atkins?
The keto and Atkins diets are quite similar because you are required to reduce the number of carbohydrates you consume each day drastically.
Still, there are some major differences between the two diets. As such, before choosing which one is right for you, you must learn how to go about the diet and how they work.
About the Keto Diet
Although this diet was first developed for children suffering from seizures, it has been found to benefit many other people.
It is hugely popular these days, mainly with people who want to lose weight and manage their blood sugar levels.
The ketogenic diet is entirely built around switching your body into a state of ketosis.
Being in a state of ketosis means your body is burning fat instead of sugar or carbs as a source of energy.
This diet involves drastically reducing your carb intake to deplete the glycogen stores in your liver.
With no other energy source coming in, your body is forced to start burning fat and fat stores.
As your body breaks down the fat stores in your body, compounds called ketones are formed, which your body uses for energy.
To achieve and remain in ketosis, most people need to restrict their daily carb intake to just 20 to 50 grams.
To give you a point of reference, the average American consumes around 250 grams of carbohydrates per day.
So, a low-carb diet such as the keto diet really does require a considerable change in what you eat.
Most keto diet experts recommend that you get 5% of your daily calories from carbs, 20% from protein, and 75% from fat.
You can monitor the levels of ketones in your body by testing your breath, urine, or blood to check that you’re still in ketosis.
About the Atkins Diet
The Atkins diet must be one of the most popular diets in the world for years, and you may have even tried it yourself in the past.
It was developed for weight loss and people who follow it almost exclusively do so to lose weight.
This diet also involves drastically reducing your carb intake at the beginning of the diet and with moderate protein and high fat intake.
Depending on where you are with your weight goal, though, you gradually reintroduce carbs back into your diet via a series of phases.
As you progress through the different stages and your net carb allowance increases, you can also enjoy more freedom when it comes to the foods that you’re allowed to eat.
Essentially, the Atkins diet utilizes the same principles as the keto diet to encourage weight loss.
The gradual reintroduction of carbs then ensures that you don’t put all of that weight back on, straight away.
The four phases of the Atkins diet are as follows:
Phase One
In phase one, you reduce your net carb intake to just 20 to 25 grams per day.
Reducing your carbs by this amount will force your body into a state of ketosis, putting you into a fat-burning mode.
You are asked to stay in phase one until you are 15 pounds away from your target weight.
Phase Two
In phase two, you increase your net carb amounts slightly by consuming 25 to 50 grams of net carbs per day.
You remain in phase two until you are 10 pounds away from your goal weight.
Phase Three
In phase three, you increase your net carbs again to between 50 and 80 grams per day.
You stay in phase three until you have reached your goal weight and maintained it for one month.
Phase Four
The fourth and final phase of the diet is all about maintaining your goal weight.
It involves raising your daily net carbs between 80 and 100 grams, which is still a lot less than most people consume.
As previously mentioned, most Americans eat around 250 grams of net carbs per day, based on a 2,000 calorie (per day) diet.
A Rundown of Keto Diet and Atkins Diet
So, as you can see, both diets appear to be fairly similar, but there are also several major differences.
The Notable Differences
The main differences between the two diets are, how strict you have to be with carbs on a long-term basis and the amount of protein you consume.
Carb Amounts
When you’re following the ketogenic diet, your body should stay in a ketosis state the entire time.
With the Atkins diet, as you graduate through the various phases of the plan, your body will eventually kick you out of ketosis.
Atkin’s more flexible carb limits in the later stages allow you to reintroduce some foods that you may have missed while maintaining ketosis.
Protein
When you’re following the Atkins diet, you’re allowed up to 30% of your calories to come from protein, depending on what phase you’re in.
The keto diet is stricter, allowing for just 20% of your calories to come from protein sources.
The reason for this is a process called gluconeogenesis. When you eat more protein, sometimes your metabolism will convert non-carbohydrate substances into glucose.
Since the keto diet requires that you stay in a state of ketosis and overeating protein can accidentally kick you out of it.
The Similarities
The main similarities between the two diets are more obvious and linked to the low-carb nature of the diets and the weight loss you can achieve.
Low Carb
Both the keto and Atkins diets are based around a low carb intake, so many people mistake them as being the same.
The first phase of the Atkins diet, in particular, is designed to switch your body over into a state of ketosis so that it starts burning fat stores.
Thus, essentially the first phase of the Atkins diet is the same as the keto diet.
Weight Loss
Both diets will naturally result in weight loss. Not only are the majority of calories we consume usually obtained from carbs and sugars.
Chips, sugary drinks, and sweets are all refined carbs that are bad news for your body and the leading cause of weight gain.
Since both diets restrict these calories, your calorie intake will naturally be reduced, causing you to lose weight.
Also, while in ketosis, your body burns fat stores more effectively, so the weight loss can be so dramatic.
Which Is Better?
Now you know how the keto and Atkins diets differ, perhaps you’ve already decided for yourself, which one would be better for you.
Many people see the keto diet as too restrictive, especially as a long-term diet plan.
Monitoring your ketone levels to ensure that you’re still in ketosis can be costly, although it’s unnecessary since there are other signs you can look out for.
Also, there haven’t been any long-term studies on the safety of the ketogenic diet, so long-term health effects are unknown.
On the other hand, many people report that when their body is burning fat instead of glucose for energy, it feels like they have more energy throughout the day.
Energy levels are also more steady and reliable than spiking and crashing with sugar and carb intake.
Keto Breads: Bringing Bread Back
Whether you choose to follow the keto or Atkins diet, you need not miss out on one of the most popular and delicious carb-loaded foods, bread.
Bagels, muffins, sandwiches, and pizza are all back on the menu thanks to Kelly Herring and her awesome Keto Breads book.
Healthier Bread
Did you know that supermarket-bought white bread can spike your blood sugar more than a can of soda?
A regular white-bread sandwich could be more dangerous to a person with diabetes than a candy bar.
It will also be the worst item of food to eat if you’re trying to stay in ketosis for weight loss.
So, no matter what your reason for following a low-carb diet, Keto Breads will help you stay in ketosis, plus the bread you make with the help of the recipes will be healthier for you.
Within the book are keto-friendly recipes for almost every type of bread you can think of.
That includes hearty sandwich bread, crusty dinner rolls, burger buns, flatbreads, pizza crusts, bagels, focaccia, pita pockets, and corn, banana, and zucchini bread.
The recipes are also simplified, so many of them take just 15 to 20 minutes to prepare.
Check out our full review of the Keto Breads cookbook here.
Risk-Free Purchase
Kelly even offers a 60-day money-back guarantee with every purchase.
You can try some of her delicious recipes at home, risk-free, and if you’re not happy with the results, you’re entitled to a full refund, no questions asked.
It’s available in a handy eBook format, which is great if you like following recipes on your phone or tablet.
There is also a luxury hardback version for more of a traditional kitchen setting.
Ditching the Diet and Living the Lifestyle
So, is the keto diet the same as Atkins? Essentially, phase one of the Atkins diet is the same as keto, but following that phase, they become very different.
While Atkins is popularly used for weight loss, keto is more of a lifestyle choice.
Many people prefer to stay in ketosis, long-term, for the health benefits offered.
Ketosis can also offer an abundance of energy and consistency of energy levels that is difficult to achieve when eating carbs.
However, some people feel that they miss their carby foods too much and end up falling back into bad habits, or prefer the Atkins diet due to its leniency.
But with Keto Breads, you can enjoy many more of your old favorites, while staying in ketosis.
With keto-friendly bread, burger buns, pizzas, bagels, and cornbread, barbecue season just got more amazing, and you’ll never feel like you’re missing out again.
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