The Atkins diet is a popular diet plan in which carbohydrates are restricted from the diet. The theory is that reducing your daily intake of carbohydrates causes your body to utilize stored body fat for energy, which leads to weight loss. The Atkins diet is composed of four phases.
Phase 1
During phase 1 induction, your body is learning to use stored fat instead of ingested carbohydrates for weight loss. The main goal of this phase is to consume only 20 g of net carbs per day. To calculate net carbs, you must subtract the amount of fiber in grams from the amount of total carbohydrates. This phase lasts for approximately two weeks, although some dieters like to remain in this phase for a longer period of time to achieve rapid weight loss.
Phase 2
The next phase of the Atkins Diet, phase 2, is also known as ongoing weight loss, or OWL. According to Atkins, your objective in OWL is to find how many carbs you can consume while continuing to lose weight, keep your appetite under control and feel energized. Each week you add more grams of carbohydrates to your diet, starting with 25 g per day and increasing by a few grams each week while you monitor your weekly weight loss. During this phase you will come to learn how many grams of carbohydrates your body can tolerate. You remain in this phase until you are about 10 pounds from your goal weight.
Phase 3
Phase 3 is known as premaintenance. During this phase you begin to increase your daily net carb intake by 10 g per week. If weight loss stalls and/or extreme hunger or cravings return, you step back 10 g. During this phase you may add fruits that are higher in carbohydrates and whole grains in moderation.
Phase 4
In phase 4, lifetime maintenace, you commit to maintaining your goal weight. By now, you have come to learn how many grams of carbohydrates your body requires to maintain your weight without additional weight gain. This number is different for everybody. If you begin to gain weight again, you may return to the beginning phases of the diet and decrease your daily carbohydrate intake until you notice weight loss.
Member Comments