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The Atkins Diet is a very popular "low-carb" weight loss program, but it is often greatly misunderstood! Common, if slightly exaggerated depictions of the plan portray dieters wolfing down nothing but vast quantities of meat and fat. Although the diet is not quite that simple, many people following the plan have successfully lost weight and improved their health.

On this program, dieters follow a highly specific program based on restricted carbohydrate intake. The nutritional aspects of the plan are emphasized over exercise and other factors, although getting physical activity is recommended. There are 4 phases in the Atkins diet:

Induction: For the duration of this two-week phase at the beginning of the diet program, dieters can only consume up to 20 grams of carbohydrates each day. Dieters can consume high protein foods such as meat and fish, fats such as butter and oils, and other foods with little to no carbohydrate content. Many foods with carbohydrates are not allowed at all, including alcoholic drinks.

This early phase is supposed to help the body switch from burning carbohydrates for energy, as it normally does, into burning stored fat (a process known as ketosis). Most dieters start to see natural weight loss during this phase.

Ongoing Weight Loss: During the Ongoing Weight Loss period, dieters gradually increase their carbohydrate consumption by adding 5 grams of carbohydrates into their diet each week. Dieters adjust their diet, losing weight to put themselves within 5-10 pounds of their goal weight, before moving into the Pre-maintenance stage.

Pre-maintenance: Dieters use this stage to find out the maximum amount of carbohydrates they can ingest without experiencing weight gain. During this stage, dieters increase carb intake by 10 grams a week. Once dieters reach their target weight and can keep it stable for a month, they move into the Lifetime Maintenance phase.

Lifetime Maintenance: For lasting results, the Atkins program is supposed to be maintained throughout the dieter's lifetime. Using the strategies that helped the dieter reach their goal weight, the dieter maintains an eating and exercise plan to stay at their target weight. Individuals can revert to previous stages if they ever start to regain weight.

Dieters who can stick to the Atkins diet are typically successful in losing weight; unfortunately, many people cannot maintain the program and end up quitting early on in the difficult induction phase. In general, most diet plans fail because dieters cannot stay on the plan.

Many people struggle to stay on diets because they experience strong food cravings, have problems with compulsive overeating, can't control their appetites, or simply are not motivated to lose weight. Overcoming these mental obstacles is the hardest part of losing weight.

One reason why many people cannot seem to manage their eating is because they are emotional eaters. Such individuals eat in response to their feelings, such as when they are sad or angry. However, this habit programs a "conditioned response" into the unconscious mind. This means that when individuals experience the same emotion that made them initially overeat, they will feel compelled to overeat once again.

Hypnotherapy works by helping our unconscious minds disassociate our eating habits from our emotions. To extinguish the conditioned response to overeat, a hypnotherapy weight loss program is used to break the association developed in the unconscious mind between overeating and certain "trigger" situations.

For instance, if you tend to binge eat when you feel bored, hypnosis can disassociate boredom from eating in your unconscious mind. Hypnosis techniques can then be used to replace the urge to overeat with another activity, such as exercising. This way, the next time you become bored, instead of having an urge to overeat, you will feel motivated to exercise.

Hypnosis is an excellent tool for stress relief as well, helping us cope with our stressful feelings and relieve tension without eating. As a relaxation tool, it calms the mind, helps you use new strategies to manage stress, and boosts your self confidence to motivate you to lose weight.

Hypnotherapy can also be used to end the emotional anxieties that keep you from losing weight. Many overweight people use their weight for emotional protection. For instance, after a painful end to a relationship, people might find themselves becoming overweight so they can avoid new relationships and avoid experiencing emotional pain again. Through hypnosis, we can turn our negative thoughts into positive ones and focus on having better health instead of becoming overwhelmed by our worries.

Not only is hypnotherapy a powerful motivation tool, it relieves stress, eliminates conditioned responses that trigger overeating, and can help you overcome many mental obstacles that prevent weight loss. Hypnotherapy techniques are extremely effective at helping people stick to a diet program, such as the Atkins plan, and naturally lose weight.

Alan B. Densky, CH has spent over 30 years specializing in weight loss. He offers several ways to lose weight, including diet CD and hypnosis to lose weight DVD. Visit his CD for self-help website for Free hypnosis downloads, videos, and newsletters.