The Atkins diet is a popular one because its extremely low carb content means you will lose a significant amount of weight over the first few weeks in the program. Unfortunately, Atkins is also likely to lead to plateaus, as your body will eventually stabilize and weight loss might stall. Breaking out of a plateau is never easy, but Atkins himself has a series of recommendations for ensuring that you start getting results again.
Step 1
Review your daily food intake and make sure your carb content hasn't increased. Especially if you're in the maintenance phase, you might have introduced carb-rich foods without even realizing it. Many items, including sauces, salad dressings, frozen foods and even vitamin tablets have added sugar as part of their ingredients. Read the labels of everything you're eating and replace with a sugar-free option if necessary.
Step 2
Talk to your doctor if you're taking prescription medicine. Some drugs, including anti-inflammatories, analgesics, antibiotics and hormones, can affect your blood sugar, leading to peaks and falls and causing your body to act the way it would if you were consuming sugar. If you can't switch to a different drug, ask your doctor about taking your pills with food, so you can moderate the impact they have on your blood sugar.
Step 3
Increase your exercise. If you already do cardio and weight training, increase the time or the amount of weight. Or try a new sport or environment, such as going for a hike instead of walking on the treadmill indoors. Changes challenge your body in new ways and can help break a plateau.
Step 4
Change your carb-intake level. If you've been eating 40 grams a day, for example, cut down to 30 grams and see if that makes a difference. You can also go back to the induction phase for a few days to jump-start your weight loss. If you've been eating too little or have been doing the introductory phase for more than two weeks, add a few carbs and see what happens. Sometimes your body needs a switch to start burning again.
Step 5
Keep a food diary for a couple of days and evaluate your eating habits. Eating small meals throughout the day will help you keep your blood sugar stable and lose more weight than if you eat only two or three times a day. Eating too little can also stall weight loss. The Skip the Low Fat website points out that eating too little will slow down your metabolism and cause your body to save calories instead of burning them.
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