The Atkins Diet is a strict low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet developed by Dr. Robert Atkins in the 1960s and 1970s. The diet is known for its ability to help people shed weight rapidly. According to the Mayo Clinic, the plan is based on the premise that, because a person consumes fewer carbohydrates for the body to use for energy, the body then begins to burn fat instead. The Atkins Diet has four phases: induction, ongoing weight loss, pre-maintenance and maintenance.
Induction
The first phase of the Atkins Diet is induction. During this two-week phase, dieters are supposed to limit their total carbohydrate intake to under 20 grams. This means that carbs make up only about 4 to 5 percent of your daily calories.
Foods that are OK to eat during this phase include chicken, turkey, beef, fish, shellfish, pork, veal and eggs. Consuming natural fats such as olive oil, canola oil and butter is allowed. In this stage, people should eat leafy greens and other low-carbohydrate vegetables, including celery, lettuces, cucumber, broccoli and asparagus.
During induction, you will need to avoid eating added sugars, starchy vegetables (such as potatoes, corn and winter squash), breads, pastas, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, trans fats, milk and fruit (except avocados, tomatoes and olives). All of these foods cause a spike in blood sugar levels and insulin, which cause carbs to be stored as fat. Make sure you're getting all your net carbs from nutrient-rich foods such as vegetables.
Beverages during induction are also restricted. You can drink water (eight glasses a day), club soda, clear broth with no added sugar, cream, coffee, tea and diet soda, if it has no carbs. Alcohol is strictly forbidden; even though spirits have no carbs, your body will burn the calories from alcohol before it burns fat.
Ongoing Weight Loss
The second phase of the Atkins Diet is ongoing weight loss, or OWL. This phase lasts until you are within 10 pounds of your target weight. Based on the Atkins Power of Five idea, you add five additional net carbohydrates to your diet--starting with 25 total grams--while monitoring your weight loss. According to the Power of Five, a number of food portions provide five net carbs, including cheeses, nuts, seeds and some fruits; a list is available on the Atkins website (see references).
The maximum number of carbs you can eat before you stop losing weight is called your critical carbohydrate level for losing, or CCLL--once you find it, that's the number of carbs you want to continue consuming each day until you are within 10 pounds of your target weight.
Pre-Maintenance
The third phase of the Atkins Diet is pre-maintenance. It begins when you are within 10 pounds of your target weight. During this phase, which follows an idea called Power of 10, you start adding 10 net carbs to your diet every week and continue until you find the point at which you neither lose nor gain weight. Once you have found this magic carb number--referred to as ACE, or Atkins carbohydrate equilibrium--you proceed to the final stage, which is maintenance.
There are many food portions you can eat that add up to 10 net carbs, according to the Power of 10 ( (see references). These include portions of legumes, starchy vegetables such as potatoes and carrots, and additional fruits.
Maintenance
The maintenance phase of the Atkins Diet is just what it sounds like: You are simply maintaining your weight by eating the number of carbs your body can sustain without gaining or losing weight.
Member Comments