The Atkins diet promotes a low-carbohydrate way of eating. For most Americans, low-carb is a radical diet change, since carbohydrates normally compose about 50 percent of the average daily food intake, according to the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. Starting the Atkins diet without understanding what the diet entails and without planning ahead can sabotage your efforts from day one. The first two weeks of the Atkins diet, called Induction, require the most stringent food restrictions.
Cold Turkey Carbs
You can't ease your way into the Atkins diet; it's a cold turkey, all-or-nothing proposition when it comes to carbohydrate intake. Weight loss on Atkins relies on ketosis, a state of fat-burning your body enters when it doesn't have enough carbohydrates to use for energy. Even a little "cheating" will throw you out of ketosis. The Induction phase of the diet allows for just 20 g of carbohydrate per day. The average carbohydrate intake is 1,000 calories, about half the average 2,000 per day calories intake. A gram of carbohydrate equals four calories, so 1,000 calories equals 250 g of carbohydrate per day. Atkins reduces your carbohydrate intake to 10 percent of normal and also restricts the type of carbohydrates you eat. No sugars or fruits are allowed in the Induction phase, which lasts about two weeks.
Stock Up
If you wake up one morning and decide to start the Atkins diet, it may become quite clear to you that your cupboards contain few of the foods central to Atkins dieting. Atkins includes meats, eggs, oils, cheese and vegetables--but not all vegetables. Only vegetables low in carbohydrates -- such as lettuce, celery, cucumber, radishes and peppers -- are allowed, and 12 to 15 g of carbohydrates per day must come from this group of vegetables. Stock up before you start Atkins, so you actually have something to eat.
Don't Skimp
Most dieters have become used to near-starvation levels of food while on a diet. Atkins allows you -- and even encourages you -- to eat. You can eat as much as you want on Atkins, as long as you don't exceed 20 g of carbohydrates per day. Remember that cheese does contain some carbohydrates, usually 1 g or less per 1-oz. serving. The good news is, you won't want to eat that much, because being in ketosis acts as an appetite suppressant. Atkins dieters average about 1,500 calories per day, The Diet Channel states.
Drink Water
The Atkins website suggests drinking at least eight 8-oz. glasses of water a day. Because high protein diets and ketosis often have a diuretic effect, according to Northwestern University, you need to replace lost fluids to prevent dehydration.
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