Sunday, February 04, 2007

How Does The Atkins Diet Plan Work?

The Atkins diet plan consists of three main phases. The first phase is called the Induction phase and is the introductory two-week period of the diet. During these two weeks, you must limit your intake of carbohydrates to 20 per day. This helps your body to readjust the way it produces energy and forces it to switch to the stores of fat instead of depending on the carbohydrates in your diet. You must consume liberal amounts of protein through eating meat, fish and poultry as well as fat.


The next phase of the Atkins diet plan is called the Ongoing Weight loss phase, often called the OWL phase. In this phase you continue to eat high amounts of protein, but you can gradually increase the number of carbohydrates by 5 per week, until you notice that you have reached a plateau in your weight loss. When this happens you can decrease the number of carbohydrates until you start losing weight again.


One thing you have to remember in the ongoing phase of the Atkins diet plan is not to undo all the weight loss you have experienced. You will obtain most of your carbs during this stage through vegetables that contain low amounts of carbohydrates so you are gradually increasing more foods into your diet. You will slowly be changing the ratio of carbs to that of fat and protein. This stage sets the parameters of the lifetime of change you want to bring to your diet and your weight. While it is not as strict as the Induction phase, you still have to watch what you eat.


Once you have reached your ideal weight using the Atkins diet plan, you can resume eating your normal foods. If you notice that the weight is starting to creep back on, you can simply go on the diet for a day or two until your shed those unwanted pounds. You also have to remember to drink lots of water because this contributes to the weight loss in a big way.


For lots of helpful information on the Dr. Phil Diet and related topics, visit A1 Weight Loss Info at http://www.a1-weight-loss-info.com/


Fat Smash Diet

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