What Are Atkins Foods?

Atkins foods are essentially ones that are low in carbohydrates, but high in protein. It is the restriction of the carbohydrates that you eat that helps you to lose weight. Your body converts the carbohydrates in the food you eat energy, and when this source of fuel is absent, the body starts to burn the fat enabling you to lose weight. Eating foods that are high in protein also helps to raise your metabolism by helping you to build more muscle, which in itself is a calorie burning mechanism in the body.

The list of Atkins foods that you can eat when you are on this diet is available in the Dr. Atkins diet books and through the sites on the Internet. The main thing to realize is that you should limit the carbohydrates you eat to about 20 per day until you get used to the diet. Then you can start to gradually increase this amount. Some of the foods which people love to eat, and can’t believe that they are included in the list, are bacon and eggs. Fish, meat and poultry are included in the food pyramid as important elements of a well-balanced diet, but people sometimes find it hard to believe that fried foods are acceptable.

Included in the list of Atkins foods that surprisingly enough will help you to lose weight is cream. You can add whipped cream to any dull food to spice it up. There are many specialized foods developed specifically for those on the Atkins diet, such as multi-grain breads, chocolate bars and candy. You don’t have to feel that you are missing out on anything when these foods are available. Because they are expensive, you will not usually find them in all supermarkets. The larger supermarket chains in major cities do carry them, though, because they have a larger base of customers looking for these foods. You have to be prepared to pay the price in order to keep eating foods that you love and still lose weight. For example, a package of 6 Atkins bagels may cost you about $6.00.

You can purchase Atkins foods that you never thought possible, such as the Atkins pancake mix and even the Atkins syrup. There are also a variety of sauces and salad dressings to add so much flavor to your food.

For lots of helpful information on low carb diets and related topics, visit A1 Weight Loss Info at http://www.a1-weight-loss-info.com/

Best Weight Loss Program - burn the fat , feed the muscles

The Atkins Diet - The Origin Of Low Carb Diets

The Atkins Nutritional approach has been used nationally since the 1960’s. Long before Dr. Robert Atkins published his popular low-carbohydrate diet plan, his patients were reaping the benefits of the Atkins diet.

Dr. Atkins divided his meal plan into four phases. “Induction,” phase one, is designed to force the body into ketosis, a physical condition which occurs in response to starvation. The “ketogenic” diet is widely used in medicine not only to treat obesity, but also to treat conditions such as epilepsy and diabetes. During this particular two-week period, no alcohol or caffeine can be consumed.

The second phase, “Ongoing Weight Loss,” is geared toward finding the “Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing.” This process involves increasing the carb intake by five grams per week until the subject a person is within 10 pounds of their target weight.

“Pre-maintenance” is the next step. Like phase two, this phase calls for an increase in carb intake, the difference between the two phases being that this phase is designed to find the “Critical Carbohydrate Level for Maintenance.”

Step four is “Lifetime Maintenance,” a phase intended to reinforce the habits learned through the diet plan so as not to regain the weight lost during the diet. Dr. Atkins also emphasizes making use of the option to jump back to any of the other phases if weight begins to return.

While many testimonials of success have been recorded, the Atkins diet has been under fire in recent years as more and more analysis is conducted. Recent studies have compared Atkins to other diet plans and found that it scores among the highest for short-term weight loss but ranks as the lowest for long-term weight loss. And after Atkins Nutrionals released their line of Atkins diet bars and meals, Forbes Magazine analyzed several diets and found that the average consumer would pay up to 80% more in food costs than people not on the diet. Even when faced with these facts, many still sing praises of the Atkins diet.

Both the New England Journal of Medicine and the American Journal of Medicine confirmed that Atkins is still the most effective published diet plan for short-term weight loss. They do, however, acknowledge that it does come at greater risk for coronary heart disease. As for weighing out the pros and cons to determine exactly how much more at risk those who participate in the Atkins diet are, all reports found that no evidence documented has yet to prove that the risks are greater than the benefits.

Nearly forty years later, the late Dr. Atkins is still recognized for his approach to weight loss. Thanks to the innovation of the internet, Atkins meal plans, Atkins diet bars, Atkins recipes, magazine articles and research regarding Atkins and virtually anything else associated with the Atkins diet has never been easier to access.

Charles Amith is a successful Webmaster and publisher of http://LowCarbDietSolutions.com.
Charles provides informative content on weight loss, as well as more information on the Atkins Diet.

Fat Smash Diet

The Staying Power of the Atkins Diet

I have always wanted to get fitter and lose weight and I have tried lots of different weight loss programs. No matter what I did or what kind of products I bought, nothing seemed to be effective. Actually I have spent a small fortune on a large variety of weight loss products. Unfortunately, most of them were ineffective, while others worked only for few months. Let me be completely honest with you, there is nothing worse than giving my hopes up when I hear about the latest diet and a couple of months later see no change when I step on a scale.
I had almost given up any hope when the Atkins diet came out several years ago. I didn't really expect it to help me lose weight as I was afraid of experiencing another disappointment. I was considering not trying it because I thought it was just one of the many diet fads that would blow over in a few months. I wanted to save myself the heartache and some money, too. So, I decided to wait it out.

I was really surprised a couple of months later when the Atkins diet didn't go away. On the contrary, it got bigger and bigger. Every time I turned on my TV or radio I was hearing about people who had lost weight keeping the Atkins diet. I waited for some time before I changed my mind and decided to give the Atkins diet a try.

To be honest, it was very difficult at the beginning. The Atkins diet requires that people who keep it should limit their carbohydrate intake which meant not eating foods as bread, pasta, potatoes. I loved all these kinds of food, so it was quite tough on me. However, I wanted to give my best try, so I didn't hesitate to keep the diet plan precisely. With time I started to lose some weight. Of course, I expected to see it coming back on in a couple of months but it did not. I spent a year following the Atkins diet and I finally managed to achieve my weight loss goal for the first time in my life.

I should admit that what really helped me keep the Atkins diet was my decision to look for outside assistance. I chose to register with a meal service that catered to participants on the Atkins diet. What was really great about it was that I could pick different meals from a large menu and have them delivered to my office or home. This was it was much easier for me to keep ye weight loss plan as I didn't have to prepare my own meals.

In case you are considering giving the Atkins diet a shot it would be best if you learn everything about it and consult your doctor to make sure this diet is good for you. If you have already made up your mind to start the Atkins diet, then I would recommend you to sign up with a food delivery service. It is best if you have a few meals delivered to you at least several times a week if not every day. The Atkins diet really makes a difference and you can fully rely on the weight loss plan to finally stop struggling with obesity.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning weight loss. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting Atkins Diet

Fat Smash Diet

Atkins Fans Claim False Victory

Last week the New England Journal of Medicine published a study that caused low-carb diet fans to raise their arms in victory. However, a closer look at the study should put a damper on their festivities.

The study followed about 82,000 nurses over a 20-year period and looked at rates of heart disease amongst those that ate either a low-carb/high protein or a high-carb diet. The conclusions were that the rates of heart disease did not differ between the two groups. This led to all kinds of media claims that high protein, Atkins-like diets were good for the heart.
The Real Conclusions

Well, there are several problems here. The first and most blatant one is that a finding of ‘equal risk' for the high protein diet is certainly not the same as the claim that it is ‘heart healthy'. This is just over-hyping the findings.

The second major problem is that the study did not separate out good carbs from bad carbs in the group comparisons. So, nurses that ate a lot of white breads and cakes would be put in the same group as those that ate high fiber, whole grain carbohydrate sources. This is a major confound that cannot be overlooked. I have talked about the glycemic index in previous articles and putting low and high glycemic carbohydrates into the same category is sure to have a dramatic impact on the study's conclusions.

The Glycemic Index links to risk for Heart Disease

To revisit the glycemic index briefly, it is essentially a measure at how fast a food burns and increases your blood sugar. High glycemic foods that contain a lot of simple sugars or highly refined flours (white breads, white potatoes, sugary cereals, etc.) spike your blood sugar very fast. Atkins dieters are doing the right thing to avoid these. However, low glycemic foods that lack simple sugars and contain complex carbohydrates and high fiber (whole grain breads, fruits and vegetables, etc.) increase blood sugar very slowly. These should not be lumped into the same category as their high glycemic counterparts.

Another problem with many of the media reports is that they ignored a couple other findings within the study. First, although the study did not separate out high and low glycemic carbs for the point of the group analysis, it did associate overall glycemic index with heart disease risk for subjects overall. They found a strong correlation between the glycemic index of a subject's diet and their risk for heart disease. This supports the notion that low glycemic, fiber-rich carbohydrates are good for your heart. Second, the authors also found that people on a high protein diet who ate mostly vegetable sources of protein also had a reduced risk of heart disease. Vegetable protein is not accompanied by the saturated fats found in animal sources of protein. Again – points conveniently ignored by Atkins fans, given their advice of minimizing fiber-rich carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables.

The Good, the Bad and the Unwilling

The bottom line is that Dr. Atkins did a great thing by waking up the world to the dangers of high glycemic carbohydrates. However, we now understand that a carbohydrate is not a carbohydrate – there are good ones and bad ones. We also now know that fat is not fat - there are good fats and bad fats. And the source of protein you choose largely dictates which type of fat you are mostly getting. Atkins supporters would do well to acknowledge these recent understandings and moderate their high animal protein intake.

It all comes back to listening to your common sense. Don't buy into fad diets that go against a millennia of common sense. I had a problem with the Atkins diet from day 1 because it just didn't make sense to me to limit fiber, fruits and vegetables. Yes, people have lost weight on this diet but it is not a long-term healthy solution. It's unfortunate that this recent scientific report was over-interpreted and exploited to re-push the Atkins agenda.

Copyright (c) 2006 The Brain Code LLC

Are you feeding your kids dreams or disaster? Learn how to guarantee your child achieves their mental and physical potential. Dr. Simon Evans is a Brain Research Scientist and a Youth Sports Coach. Visit his Website at http://www.thebraincode.com/

Fat Smash Diet

The Staying Power of the Atkins Diet

I have always wanted to get fitter and lose weight and I have tried lots of different weight loss programs. No matter what I did or what kind of products I bought, nothing seemed to be effective. Actually I have spent a small fortune on a large variety of weight loss products. Unfortunately, most of them were ineffective, while others worked only for few months. Let me be completely honest with you, there is nothing worse than giving my hopes up when I hear about the latest diet and a couple of months later see no change when I step on a scale.
I had almost given up any hope when the Atkins diet came out several years ago. I didn't really expect it to help me lose weight as I was afraid of experiencing another disappointment. I was considering not trying it because I thought it was just one of the many diet fads that would blow over in a few months. I wanted to save myself the heartache and some money, too. So, I decided to wait it out.

I was really surprised a couple of months later when the Atkins diet didn't go away. On the contrary, it got bigger and bigger. Every time I turned on my TV or radio I was hearing about people who had lost weight keeping the Atkins diet. I waited for some time before I changed my mind and decided to give the Atkins diet a try.

To be honest, it was very difficult at the beginning. The Atkins diet requires that people who keep it should limit their carbohydrate intake which meant not eating foods as bread, pasta, potatoes. I loved all these kinds of food, so it was quite tough on me. However, I wanted to give my best try, so I didn't hesitate to keep the diet plan precisely. With time I started to lose some weight. Of course, I expected to see it coming back on in a couple of months but it did not. I spent a year following the Atkins diet and I finally managed to achieve my weight loss goal for the first time in my life.

I should admit that what really helped me keep the Atkins diet was my decision to look for outside assistance. I chose to register with a meal service that catered to participants on the Atkins diet. What was really great about it was that I could pick different meals from a large menu and have them delivered to my office or home. This was it was much easier for me to keep ye weight loss plan as I didn't have to prepare my own meals.

In case you are considering giving the Atkins diet a shot it would be best if you learn everything about it and consult your doctor to make sure this diet is good for you. If you have already made up your mind to start the Atkins diet, then I would recommend you to sign up with a food delivery service. It is best if you have a few meals delivered to you at least several times a week if not every day. The Atkins diet really makes a difference and you can fully rely on the weight loss plan to finally stop struggling with obesity.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning weight loss. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting Atkins Diet

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Atkins Diet - Does It Work

We have all heard about the Atkins Diet. The plan basically calls for you to reduce your intake of carbohydrates. What this means is your intake is basically protein. The workings of the plan is - your body first burns carbohydrates, when it can not find any then it burns fat using stored fat to provide the protein energy.

In the Atkins Diet you have to be sure to drink a lot of water because your kidneys have a difficult time flushing all the burned fat out of your system. It uses a lot of water in this process. So if you do not drink water you can become dehydrated.

So what happens is that when you eliminate carbohydrates in your system your body looks to protein to burn to provide energy. And in the process use lots of fat. This causes you to lose weight and lose it fast.

I have seen many people that have tried the Atkins Diet and lose weight fast. But they also have to be careful not to completely eliminate carbohydrates. So it calls for balancing your diet as you proceed. The Atkins Diet plan actually has a menu suggestions and if you follow the plan it will work for you. After all the basic plan to lose weight is burn more calories then you take in. Can you imagine what this would do with just a little exercise?

The biggest problem, as with any diet plan, is that of discipline. Most people have a problem making a long term lifestyle change. The urge for sweets and breads soon drives people back to their old eating habits and when they go back to eating carbohydrates they gain the weight back.

Unfortunately, I have seen many people very excited about the weight they lost with the Atkins Diet. They look trim and healthy and you can tell they feel good about themselves. But soon you see them start gaining weight again. They could not resist the urge for sweets and breads and other foods rich in carbohydrates. So if you do not have that strong will to stick with this program what do you do?

Well there are other programs out there that are not as drastic as the Atkins Diet and where you lose weight at a slower pace. Many of this programs have different plans. Some require you measure calories, but to do this you have to look at portions and eat less, and only eat certain kinds of foods. But let's face it they too require a change in lifestyle.

It is difficult with all those hunger urgings to stay on the Atkins Diet or any other diet. We love to eat and have been condition, and in some cases addicted to certain foods. Maybe the best solution is some of the diet supplements that reduce those cravings. But here to you have to be careful because of all the scams out there in the diet supplement arena.

Al Villa is a retired Judge and internet entrepreneur. He loves to write articles and you can use them as free content provded you include the whole article and this resource box with this hot link: Lose Weight Fast

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Atkins Diet - A Straight-up Review

My husband and I went on the atkins diet several years ago. This is the first time my husband has done any dieting. I on the other hand have tried every diet know to mankind. Of course he dropped 10 pounds the first week, and could not understand why I am always saying that weight loss is difficult. I did lose 6 pounds the first week so I had to agree that the diet was working.

The first two weeks were difficult to get used to eating only low carbohydrate foods. Once we got past that two week mark we found that it was an easy diet for us to follow. On the atkins diet you eat mostly protein. My husband has always been a big meat eater so that part was easy. It was more difficult for him to give up the potatoes and bread that he ate along with his meat. We needed to find alternative foods that were allowed on the atkins diet.

I bought the atkins diet book which not only outlines the diet but also has recipes. It is amazing how you can eat a lot of food on the atkins diet and still lose weight. The main challenge is getting some variety into your meals. When we first started the atkins diet the dinner meal was very easy to prepare. We would have some type of protein, fish, animal protein, chicken or beef and a large leafy salad with bleu cheese dressing. This was not that different than what we ate before it was just minus the potato and bread.

After a few weeks the lack of variety started to bore us. We were both losing weight, so that helped keep us motivated, but we were getting tired of the same meal each night. Then I discovered some of the recipes in the back of the atkins diet book. Our favorite is mashed cauliflower. It is the same texture as mashed potatoes. The atkins diet book also had a recipe for a salad that has all the same ingredients as potato salad, minus the potatoes. You substitute cooked cauliflower. I was doubtful at first, but it tastes wonderful.

Over the years we have added carbohydrates back into out diet. Initially we both gained some of the weight back, but now we have found the right balance for each of us. Long term with very low carbohydrates did not fit our life style, or taste buds, but the atkins diet was an effective way for us to take off pounds.

John Wellington provides readers with up-to-date commentaries, articles on fitness, health and other related information.

Fat Smash Diet

Vitamin Supplement for the Atkins Diet

Do you believe that an effective diet would purposefully keep us from eating foods rich in the nutrients and vitamins? NO!!! Although Dr.Atkins promoted his diet, he promoted vitamin supplement for the Atkins diet also.

At present we are in a position to brand vitamin supplement for the Atkins diet to replace those very nutrients. Chemical analysis of Atkins diet confirms that daily values for some of the vitamins and minerals are not up to the mark. But some of the daily values are even 400% in the Atkins diet. For example, Atkins diets analysis during induction period provides 37% of calcium but with 86% of the iron during the same period.

Once you include vitamin supplement for the Atkins diet, the lacunae have been filled up correctly. You ought to consume one of those delicious Atkins bars to fulfill your daily requirements of calcium, as the calcium is not present in the tablets also.

It is really amazing to note that you would be getting over 400% of the daily values for vitaminC during maintanence stage of the diet, but only 33% during the induction period. To whom we would blame for this deficit? Hence vitamin supplement for Atkins diet satisfies this needs.
It is really difficult to prepare a list of normal foods to be included in our diet to get enough RDA of minerals and vitamins for public use. Do you think eating a balanced diet is eyewash? You may ask -Why do we have to go to such ill-advised extremes? It is really doubtful about a diet which bears that it includes necessary vitamin and mineral supplements. More over it is not advisable to ask our people not to take the diet that holds the minerals and vitamins they need and also ask them to procure vitamin supplements for the Atkins diet separately.

If you have chosen these diets for your life style, then you need to include a vitamin supplement for the Akins diet. Still, I am willing to bet that you aren’t receiving all the minerals and vitamins you need on a daily basis. For example, protein and cholesterol are far too much to present in the Atkins diet. Balanced diet is the real key for any diet. As bottom line, we can conclude that unless your medical condition forces to prevent the absorption of certain vitamins and minerals, you’re not likely to need supplements. Hence please consult your physicians before taking a vitamin supplement for the Atkins Diet or any other diet.

If you'd like more information on dieting, supplements and nutrition visit our website at Nutrition Tips.

Vitamin Supplement for the Atkins Diet

Atkins Supplements And Low Carb Vitamins

Vitamins and supplements are recommended as an integral part of the Atkins diet due to the severe restriction of nutrients found in regular carbohydrates like fruit and vegetables. Atkins recommends about 30 different supplements, and even has a chapter dedicated to why they are so important in his diet.

This is a cause for concern, and the reality is that without these supplements, malnutrition would be a big problem. Fruit and vegetables are an important source of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, as well as crucial phytonutrients and antioxidants, including lycopene, carotenoids, phytic acid, bioflavanoids, and others. Fiber is important in preventing heart disease, diabetes, and constipation. Phytonutrients have a range of benefits that include a cancer-protective effect, an anti-aging effect, and other specific health benefits.

Whilst it is possible to get vitamins and minerals in a bottle, the enzymes (that help with digestion), and these other phytochemicals, are not so easily represented. Supplements are also a poor source of fiber. To get any significant amount of these from supplements is going to be an expensive option, and there is always the risk that the broad spectrum is not well represented.
There are some negative consequences of the Atkins diet that can affect the level of certain vitamins and minerals in the body - even if we are still losing weight. So, whilst it may seem like the short term goal (weight loss) is being met, there may be a health cost that becomes more apparent over time.

For example, a diet with high amounts of calcium and cheese, such as is encouraged by the Atkins diet, will result in a loss of calcium in the urine. This calcium is taken from our store of it in our bones. The acidity in meat and cheese upsets our internal pH balance, which then causes our body to remove calcium from the deposits in our bones in an effort to rebalance it.

This is borne out in the Harvard Nurse's study, where those nurses that ate more animal protein had significantly increased risks of fracturing their forearms. Other studies have shown a link between meat consumption and hip fracture. And a rather interesting study from 2002 by researchers at the University of Chicago and Texas found that after two weeks on the Atkins diet, people were losing 258 mg of calcium a day, in their urine. This loss of calcium in the urine in such quantities can lead to kidney stones forming. To make matters worse, the Atkins diet is deficient in calcium anyway - even with most of the recommended supplements.
This makes it particularly dangerous for long term usage, especially if you are in a risk group for osteoporosis.

There are other risks of the Atkins diet, but it is definitely not something to be undertaken without all of the supplements. Whether the increased cost of these supplements makes it worthwhile - or sufficiently mitigates the risks - is another question.

References: Atkins Exposed (website)
To learn about some low carb food vitamin sources, click here. Other information on the Atkins diet, low carb, and vitamins, can be found here.

Atkins Supplements And Low Carb Vitamins


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Drama Over Atkins Weight Loss Plan

It all started when a doctor sparked on a topic within earshot of an ardent low-carb blogger. The doctor, an associate professor, Dr David Katz of Yale University was reported by Forbes to have claimed that the Atkins diet had resulted to the hospitalization of one of his patients. The blogger and also purveyor of low-carb diets Jimmy Moore of Livin La Vida Low-Carb Blog felt his feathers ruffled by this claim.
Moore, author of the weight loss book with a similar title to his blog, and the subtitle 'My Journey from Flabby Fat to Sensationally Skinny in One Year' claims to be living proof that low-carbs work. He says he has lost over 180 pound on a low-card diet in a year. In his blog on he posted an article titled 'Health experts gang up on Atkins Diet' where he criticized, first the media for a seemingly regular "orchestrated negative splash against low-carb diets". The article in contention was one appearing in Forbes titled "Atkins diet not safe for everyone" where Dr. Katz was reported to have had a patient that developed serious ketoacidosis which he linked to the Atkins diet the unnamed patient was on.
Secondly, Moore turned on the doctors cited in the article starting with Kartz. Moore went to the extent of calling the co-authored diet book by Dr Katz Flavor Point Diet "one of the biggest fad diet books you'll ever read". Disdainfully, but seemingly aggrieved, the good doctor responded to the posting by email. Moore went on to dissect the email in his blog.
Dr. David L. Katz is a clinical professor, division of Health Policy and Administration, Epidemiology and Public Health of Yale University. Even Moore, though sarcastically, thinks of him as a nutritional genius with his string of titles.
Katz asserted that Moore has no academic ground to differ with him. And on the doctor's bashing of the Atkins diet, Katz says he wasn't starting on bashing the diet rather he's "been beating up on Atkins for years, never wavered never will". He further criticized the diet as lacking in fundamentals of healthful eating and sustainable weight loss. Moore on the other hand defended it on grounds that he's 180 pounds lighter.
Atkins diet is a low-carb ketogenic diet designed for weight loss using significant changes in your dietary macro-nutrients. It recommends you eat fat and more proteins to replace the highly restricted carbohydrates. This is unconventional as carbohydrates are considered to be the primary source of calories for the body. Often this drastic change of dietary requirement is viewed with great suspicion. But the underlying question and continued basis of feuds such as this is how do we explain outstanding results by people like Jimmy Moore?
Lyn Steffan of the University of Minnesota school of Public Health was reported in the contentious Forbes article as saying that low-carb diets are not diets for life. She went on to recommend a healthy diet that results to weight loss and that can be used for life. But the question still remains unanswered. How do Moore and others who swear by low-carbs mange to shed off pound of body fat, improve their cholesterol and claim to be healthy.
Steffan seems to think it's not sustainable long-term. Then one wonders what she thinks of the massai diet that is low-carb, high fat and high protein like Atkins. Yet the East African massai, who are extremely lean, have lived with the diet for centuries.
So would this comparison vindicate Atkins diet?
It is best to view weight loss in the environment in which it occurs. A particular lifestyle is associated with obesity. Naturally, to deal conclusively with the menace one has to deal with the environment in which it occurs. Permanent weight loss is possible; it is also possible that it can be achieved relatively fast, safely as well as healthy. But this requires a holistic and long-term approach. Such a weight loss plan should deal with most of the reasons that result to weight gain.
© Mark Kimathi writes about Weight Loss at Health-eMark.com and related topics like weight loss surgery

Drama Over Atkins Weight Loss Plan

How The Dr. Atkins Diet Plan Works

How The Dr. Atkins Diet Plan Works

The Dr. Atkins diet plan is one of the most popular weight loss methods in use today. Its approach to weight loss is different from so many other weight loss programs because it involves a change in lifestyle, not just a change in eating. Unlike other lifestyle changes, though, the Dr. Atkins diet plan is full of the foods you love so that making the changes necessary is easier than you might think.
What is the Dr. Atkins Diet Plan?
The plan works by reducing the amount of carbohydrates in your diet, which in turn prompts your body to start burning fat as its primary fuel. It is an approach to eating that emphasizes foods which are tasty, flavorful, and wide in variety. No starving yourself required, just eating the right foods as allowed within the low carb plan.
Phase 1 - Induction
The Induction phase is designed to “jump start” your weight loss by curtailing carbohydrates substantially for 14 days. The idea is to get your body’s metabolism switched over to burning fat. During the induction phase of Dr. Atkins’ diet plan you are allowed up to 20 grams of net carbs per day (defined as total carb grams minus fiber grams), mainly from leafy green salad and other vegetables that are low in starch.
The rules of induction are very specific and must be followed closely for the process to work. They may seem strict and for the first few days it can be hard to stick with them, but once your body starts to adapt it becomes much easier. It also helps to remember that Induction only lasts for 14 days, after which you are allowed to gradually increase your carbs.
Induction Rules Include:
• Eat three regular meals or four to five smaller meals each day• Do not go more than six hours (waking) without eating• No fruit, bread, grain, pasta, or starchy vegetables• No dairy products EXCEPT for cheese, cream or butter• No nuts, seeds• No chickpeas, kidney beans, or other legumes• Do not eat anything that is not on the allowed foods list – not even a single bite!• Cut down on or avoid caffeine as much as possible• Drink at least eight 8 oz. glasses of water each day
The results of induction are usually quite dramatic, as long as you follow the rules exactly. It’s a great way to get yourself going on a low carb lifestyle and enjoy immediate, visible success.
Remember – DO NOT eat any foods during the Induction phase that are not on the allowed foods list. Doing so will only slow down or stop your progress through the Induction process, and may even sabotage your efforts to the point where weight loss stops altogether. If you need help sticking with Induction, look for sources of support by connecting with other followers of the Dr. Atkins diet plan via web sites, online forums, or local community support groups.
Phase 2 – Ongoing Weight Loss
The second phase of the Dr. Atkins diet plan is known as Ongoing Weight Loss. In this phase your food choices increase somewhat and you are allowed to increase your net carbs intake each week in increments of five grams per day.
This means that after Induction is over you can add more variety to your diet, as long as you do so gradually and pay careful attention to how your body reacts. Your weight loss will gradually slow as you increase your net carbohydrate increase; how much it slows will depend on your body’s natural metabolism and resistance to carbohydrates.
Each person has a different level of carbohydrates that they can eat and maintain their weight. Above that level weight starts to rise, while below that level weight starts to drop again. During Ongoing Weight Loss as you gradually raise your carbohydrate intake you need to track the number of net carbs you are consuming and note at what level your weight loss levels off. You then know to stay below that level for the remainder of ongoing weight loss.
Phase 3 – Pre-Maintenance
Once you are within five to ten pounds of your goal weight you can move into the Pre-Maintenance phase of Dr. Atkins’ diet plan, where you increase your net carb intake in larger increments each week until you reach the level at which weight loss stops.
Pre-Maintenance is sort of like practice for the rest of your low carb life. By continuing to add carbs in increments and noting at what point your weight loss stops you can establish your Lifetime Maintenance intake of carbs. As tempting as it may be to skip right to the next phase, it is important to follow through on the Pre-Maintenance activities so that you are fully prepared for moving forward with a low carb lifestyle.
Phase 4 – Lifetime Maintenance
This phase of the Dr. Atkins diet plan is just what the name implies – a program of eating that maintains your desired weight for a lifetime. If you have been successful in establishing your maintenance level of carb intake and eating low carb has become and automatic habit, you are in great shape, both literally and figuratively.
Living low carb by now has become just a natural part of your everyday life, but that doesn’t mean you won’t occasionally indulge in an extra cookie, a slice of birthday cake, or some other high carb food. It does mean that when you take in a higher level of carbs than normal, you simply cut back for the next few days so that your body remains in balance.
Choosing Foods During Each Phase
Choosing the right foods is critical to the success of each phase of Dr. Atkins’ diet plan, especially during induction. It helps to keep a small notebook with a list of allowed foods during each phase, and also to write down the number of net carbs you consume each day. A good carb counter is a great help, too, so you can know at a glance the levels of net carbs in various foods.
There is a wide variety of Atkins foods available in pre-packaged form to help you with ongoing choice of foods. Atkins breakfast bars, snack bars, candy, ice cream and liquid shakes are good options to help add variety to your low carb lifestyle while making it easy to control your carb intake with the Dr. Atkins diet plan.
About the Author:
Kevin Urban is the editor at Atkins-Diet-Advisor.com, an easy-to-use guide on the Atkins Diet Plan. The site features all the information on Dr. Atkins' Diet Plan, including where to find recipes and Atkins diet snacks.