If you're following the Atkins diet or even if you're considering following it, you probably know that it limits carbohydrates in your diet in favor of proteins and fats. However, you may not realize that different stages of the diet call for different levels of carbohydrates, and that certain foods not allowed in the early stages of the diet may be okay for later stages.
Atkins Theory
According to the theory behind the Atkins diet, carbohydrate-based foods turn into sugar, or glucose, in your body, increasing your blood sugar level and causing you to produce the hormone insulin. Your body immediately burns any carbohydrates you consume, which prevents it from burning fat, according to the theory, as explained by Vanderbilt University. Therefore, restricting your carbohydrate consumption trains your body to burn fat, which makes you lose weight.
Initial Diet Stages
The initial stages of the Atkins diet program restrict carbohydrates significantly; so significantly, in fact, that those following the diet sometimes complain of feeling weak and fatigued. The "induction" phase of the diet restricts carbohydrates to no more than 20 grams per day, which basically rules out all carbohydrate-based foods except for non-starchy vegetables, such as sprouts, lettuce, celery and peppers. In the next stage of the diet, you gradually increase your consumption of carbohydrates by adding in small amounts of fruit.
Later Diet Stage
In the last weight-loss stage of the Atkins diet, Phase 3, also known as pre-maintenance, you can broaden your carbohydrate horizons a bit more. In Phase 3, the diet program allows you to slowly add grams of carbohydrates to your daily diet until you reach a point where you stop losing weight, at which point you reduce your carbohydrate consumption so that you begin losing again. Phase 3 allows you to eat more fruits and vegetables, and also adds in limited amounts of legumes and grains, both of which can contain high amounts of carbohydrates.
Maintenance Stage
In the maintenance stage of Atkins, which represents the last stage of the diet, you're supposed to have reached your goal weight. At that point, the diet states that you should eat only as many grams of carbohydrates per day as it takes to maintain that goal weight. If you start to gain weight, the diet program recommends that you cut back on the carbohydrates you consume. Phase 4 food choices include all types of carbohydrates, including fruit, vegetables, legumes and grains.
Considerations
The Atkins diet's recommendations on carbohydrates, fats and proteins run counter to recommendations for a low-fat diet high in healthy carbohydrates from the American Heart Association. However, research published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2003 has shown that the Atkins diet may work to control weight and improve cholesterol, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Those following the Atkins diet appear to lose weight faster initially than those following other diets, although the differences may even out after a longer period of time.
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