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I keep mentioning lipolysis in my weight loss blog, but few people understand what this is. Lipolysis is the key to losing fat, and not just losing weight. The Atkin's approach is really designed to encourage the body to enter a state of lipolysis, which means that rather than use carbohydrates (sugars) as its primary fuel source, it uses fat, both dietary fat and body fat. To get to this stage, you need to deprive your body of carbs, so that your metabolism switches from sugar burning to fat burning.

I think that this is where people misunderstand Atkin's. People say that all the weight is put back on after "going on an Atkins diet". but of course it is. If you just do induction, which is aimed at starting lipolysis by restricting carb intake, and then revert after to the diet that made you fat in the first place, you will get fat again. But you cannot blame Atkins. It is your fault for going back to your previous eating habits.

I was having a conversation with my brother today over lunch, and this is exactly what he thought about Atkins. "Atkins does not work, once you stop it, you put all the weight back on". Obvious really. Then he said, "what, you are supposed to stay on the diet forever then?". YES. Of course. This is the whole idea of staying fit and healthy. Change from an eating habit that made you fat, to one that keeps you slim.

Not many people like the idea of changing the way that they eat forever. Most people are in denial about why they are overweight, that is they blame a few large meals, the odd binge etc. and do not accept that the are overweight due to the fact that they are eating the wrong foods for their metabolism.

The Atkins Induction Phase does not last forever. But eating fewer carbs, and more protein, to ensure that your metabolism continues to burn fat as well as sugar, is essential to maintain your weight. As soon as you go back to your old eating habits, the weight will return, without fail.

Some science: What is Lipolysis?
Lipolysis is the breakdown of fat stored in fat cells. During this process, free fatty acids are released into the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body. Ketones are produced, and are found in large quantities in ketosis (an adaptive metabolic state that occurs when insufficient carbohydrates are present in the diet). Lipolysis testing strips such as Ketostix are used to recognize ketosis.

The following hormones induce lipolysis: epinephrine, norepinephrine, glucagon and adrenocorticotropic hormone. These trigger 7TM receptors, which activate adenylate cyclase. This results in increased production of cAMP, which activates protein kinase A, which subsequently activate lipases found in adipose tissue.

Triglycerides undergo lipolysis (hydrolysis by lipases) and are broken down into glycerol and fatty acids. Once released into the blood, the relatively hydrophobic free fatty acids bind to serum albumin for transport to tissues that require energy. The glycerol also enters the bloodstream and is absorbed by the liver or kidney where it is converted to glycerol 3-phosphate by the enzyme glycerol kinase. Hepatic glycerol 3-phosphate is mostly converted into dihydroxyacetonephosphate (DHAP) and then glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (G3P) to rejoin the glycolysis and gluconeogenesis pathway.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia