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Developed by Dr. David Atkins, the Atkins diet, or Atkins Nutritional Approach, is an eating plan that emphasizes eating more protein and fat while eating fewer carbohydrates. This guide on how to go the Atkins diet will introduce you to this unique nutritional system.
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Introduction
- Unlike many other diets, the Atkins Nutritional Approach encourages you to consume foods that are high in protein and fat, and eat very little sugar and carbohydrates. Some Atkins dieters have reportedly lost up to fifteen pounds in the first two weeks of following the program. By reducing your intake of carbohydrates, which usually act as your body's primary fuel source, the body is then forced to burn excess fat, resulting in weight loss.
The Four Phases
- The Atkins Nutritional Approach is separated into four phases. The first phase is the most restrictive in terms of what you can and cannot eat. As you progress through the stages, you gradually reintroduce previously restricted foods to your diet, although foods that are high in refined sugars and/or bleached flour continue to be discouraged.
Phase 1: Induction
- Carbohydrate intake is limited to 20 grams per day. Starchy vegetables, bread products, pasta, rice, fruit, nuts, sweets and dairy products other than cheese are forbidden. Carbohydrates should be consumed in the form of leafy, green vegetables. During this phase, you will be consuming mostly lean protein in the form of chicken, fish, eggs and lean beef. The induction period lasts two weeks.
Phase 2: Ongoing Weight Loss
- Following the two-week induction period, you move into the second phase, Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL). During this phase, you will gradually reintroduce carbohydrates into your diet. Each week, you increase your daily carbohydrate intake by five grams and can go back to eating nuts, seeds, fruits, and small amounts of bread and pasta products made with whole-wheat flour. As you increase your carbohydrate intake, you should closely monitor your weight loss. When you find that you are no longer losing weight, return to the previous week's carbohydrate intake and continue ingesting that amount of carbohydrates per day until you are ten pounds away from reaching your weight-loss goal.
Phase 3: Pre-Maintenance
- Phase three is designed to help you determine the amount of carbohydrates you can eat per day without gaining weight. During this phase, you should increase the amount of carbohydrates you ingest daily by 10 grams, until you find that you are gaining weight. You should then experiment with your daily carbohydrate intake, adjusting it by five or ten gram increments until you have found the amount of carbohydrates you can safely ingest each day without gaining weight. Once you have reached and remained at your desired weight for one month, you can move on to phase four.
Phase 4: Lifetime Maintenance
- Once you have reached your desired weight, the "diet" is officially over. However, you are encouraged to continue with the eating strategies that you have developed and refined during the previous three stages. If you return to your previous eating habits, you will likely gain back all the weight you lost. Continue eating a diet that is high in protein and avoid foods that are high in starch, refined sugars and bleached flour.
Conclusion
- Like any fad diet, the Atkins Nutritional Approach has has its share of success stories and criticism. Also like other diets or nutritional programs, the Atkins approach may work better for some people than others. For more information on the Atkins program, consult your doctor, the official Atkins website or Dr. David Atkins' book, New Diet Revolution.
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