Atkins diet

The Atkins diet is one of the most popular diet plans today. There are so many kinds of food that you can purchase for the Atkins diet plan; and in addition, there are meals that you can make yourself. More and more people prefer the Atkins diet to any other weight loss program. To succeed with Atkins, you will need to remember the Atkins food pyramid. This is the pyramid that you must keep in mind while choosing what to eat. The Atkins pyramid does not coincide with the USDA Food Guide Pyramid. According to the Atkins food pyramid, your daily rations should be based on products rich in protein, such as fish, beef, eggs, chicken and tofu. The second tier of the pyramid contains glycemic veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, salad greens, asparagus and spinach.

The next layer, the third one, has berries and avocado. According to the pyramid, you should eat fruits from time to time following the initial stages of the Atkins diet, as well as seed oils and vegetables, dairy products such as cheese and milk, nuts and legumes. At the top layer of the Atkins pyramid are grain foods – as opposed to the FDA pyramid, where the top tier consists of oils and fats. While being on the Atkins diet, you need to limit your intake of whole grain foods, rather than make it a central component of your diet.

There are different stages to the Atkins diet. You need to focus on different kinds of foods according to the recommended stages. The Induction stage imposes the greatest restrictions; however, it lasts just a couple of weeks. In order to reach you weight loss goals and to succeed, you need to stick to your acceptable foods list. The Atkins menu plans printed in the New Diet Revolution book and different Atkins cookbooks can help you in this endeavor. Atkins food is not as difficult to find as you may believe. Cookbooks, the Atkins pyramid, and online programs can all help you to make better food choices and shop quickly and easily.

The Induction stage of the Atkins diet is the most important step on your way to losing weight. It is also the most restrictive one. The most important aspect of this stage is to stick to the acceptable foods as closely as you can. However, there are some other rules that you need to adhere to in order to succeed as well.

You need to have three regular-sized meals a day, or four to five smaller meals during this period of the Atkins diet. You can start with three meals, however, if you find yourself on the edge and hungry, split your meals into smaller portions and eat more frequently. To curb your longings, you will need to eat all the vegetables and proteins in the Atkins plan, not skipping a single meal or being awake for more than six hours without eating.

You can eat anything on the list of acceptable foods, including any amount of fats and proteins. You need to keep in mind that Atkins is not the kind of diet that restricts calorie intake. The only thing you should be concerned with is the level of carbohydrate grams. You need to count your carbohydrate grams, and consider that every 12 to 15 grams of allowed carbohydrates should come from your vegetable list. You may have an inclination to eat them all in dairy products, but vegetables are very important to create a healthy diet that is good for your body.

During the induction phase you should avoid any pastas, fruits, breads, starchy vegetables, grains and beans. You will begin to eat these foods gradually during the next phases of your diet. If you feel a strong craving for some grain products, you can eat some high fiber low-carb foods, although that may slow down the process of losing weight.

All the foods that are not acceptable are forbidden during this stage of your diet. You will need to restrain yourself even from even a single bite, because that can turn into another one, after which you may eventually lose control and have your diet ruined.

In addition, you should adapt the quantity of acceptable foods to fit the needs of your appetite. At the very beginning of the Atkins diet, you will find yourself eating a lot of food, but then your body will adjust to fewer portions of sugar and carbohydrates. At that point, you will eat less. However, until this happens you need to eat as much as you want (without over-eating).

You should be aware of the fact that some food manufacturers write on their products that they are carb free, even if they contain fewer than 0.5 grams of carbs. That is why it is always necessary to read the labels of packaged foods carefully to find those hidden carbohydrates. Do not let them fool you and ruin your diet. All gravies, sauces and salad dressings contain small amounts of carbohydrates. Therefore, it will be much better if you eat your meal without sauce, but instead with olive oil and vinegar dressing.

Make sure that you drink no less than 8 eight-ounce glasses of water per day. This will help to keep your body hydrated, prevent constipation, and flush out any toxins or by-products. If you remember these simple rules during the initial period of your Atkins diet, you will succeed in accomplishing your goals.

The second stage of the Atkins diet is named Ongoing Weight Loss stage, or OWL. During the induction phase, you are losing weight rapidly, but during the next phase this process will slow down a little. Some foods that contain carbohydrates will be added to your list of acceptable foods, and that will decrease the speed of weight loss. During the OWL stage, you will be losing weight more slowly, but at a steady, even pace and much more easily that during the previous two weeks.

The OWL stage maximizes the ability of your body to burn fats. Even though you will begin to eat carbohydrates, you body will stay in a condition characterized by raised levels of ketone bodies, associated with abnormal fat metabolism. Your excess fat will be used by your body as a fuel.

In addition, you will start eating new kinds of foods that were not allowed during the induction stage. You will also learn new recipes and find out how to make better carbohydrate choices.

During the OWL phase, you will become conversant in the number of carbohydrates you will be able to consume while still continuing to lose weight. You will start eating carbs gradually, in order to determine the level your body requires. This is done by adding 5 carbohydrate grams each day, taking notice of what is happening with your physique. If you see that the process of losing weight is drastically slowed, you will know that you have exceeded your personal limit of carbohydrates.

This phase will also make you ready for another step in your Atkins diet: the permanent management program. The habits and practices that you develop during the OWL stage will go a long way toward your long-term weight loss. The OWL phase serves as a test of how your future life without dieting would be.

During this stage, you will be getting most of your carbs from vegetables, just as you do during the induction phase. It is very important to eat a lot of vegetables because they are extremely beneficial to your digestive system and to your body overall. Gradually, you will be able to add more vegetables, then seeds, berries and nuts. However, you need to bear in mind that the main focus of your diet is protein.

Many people feel that even though the Induction phase is very restrictive, it is the easiest of all. During the Induction phase, you eat almost no carbs and you lose weight consistently. Then, during the OWL phase, the process of losing weight slows down, so you need to have strong will power to stick to the diet, in spite of the slower results. That is why during the OWL you should always keep track of what you eat, trying to avoid temptation and curb your cravings in order to avoid re-gaining your lost weight. There are a variety of different tools that can help you when counting carbohydrates, including some handy books. You should keep counting carbohydrate grams during the OWL phase until finally you determine the optimum level of carbs that is effective for you. During this phase, you will move from 20 grams to 25. It is recommended, that you add these grams by eating vegetables — for example, asparagus and cauliflower. Then, you can add another 5 grams the next week.

During the process of adding to your carbohydrate gram level, monitor your weight constantly. If the process of losing weight has almost stopped, then you know that you have exceeded the proper level of carbohydrates and should cut back in order to lose weight again. At the moment you stop losing weight, you will see that you have reached the maximum level of carbs for your body.

At the present time, the Atkins diet is one of the most popular diets in the world. Because of this, many food manufacturers try to take advantage by producing a huge variety of different kinds of low-carb selections to satisfy and collect more money from those who are on this diet. Of course, the array of low-carb snack items, low-carb baking goods and low-carb substitutes such as bread or pasta may seem very appealing, but do not be fooled. These products are not the best solution for your health and diet.

You would do better to focus on raw, unprocessed foods that compose the base of the Atkins diet and the ground tier of the Atkins food pyramid. Fresh vegetables and meats are what you should eat to succeed. Later, you can add some natural cheeses, certain fruits and, finally, whole unprocessed grains to that. Forget about packaged meats, canned vegetables and other instant items that can ruin your health and are totally worthless to your diet.

The reason that unprocessed foods are the basis of the Atkins diet is very simple: these foods are very healthy, they contain a number of vitamins, minerals and nutrients and fewer chemical additives than processed foods. These foods have many health benefits and are very important constituents of a well-balanced diet.

Healthy dieting is very important. Many dieters focus their thinking on the weight loss and forget about the fact that any diet should be healthy because in the end, health is what matters. That is why it is very important to make better and healthier food choices. For instance, some dieters prefer bacon as their main source of protein. They begin to eat a lot of bacon. However, they forget that bacon contains a great deal of sodium nitrite, which is an ingredient known to cause cancer. The more bacon they eat, the greater is the risk that they may develop cancer.

That is why the Atkins pyramid, as well as the Atkins diet and cookbooks, advise you to eat more unprocessed, unrefined and non-manufactured foods. The developers of the Atkins diet do not want dieters to be exposed to health problems. You should lose weight normally, and all the transformations should be healthy. Fresh and natural foods should be your main source of protein and other important elements.

If you experience a major slowdown in your weight loss while on the Atkins diet, then you need to reconsider your food choices, start eating more unprocessed and unrefined foods, and learn to say “no” to those processed low-carb products.

Try to refocus your diet and eat more fresh and unprocessed food. That will help you to curb your cravings for packaged foods. However, at times there may be no other option but to eat some packaged meat or canned soup. We all live in this hectic world and do not always have much free time. If this happens occasionally, just try to stay within the lines and eat more fresh food the following day.

Once you have gone through the induction and the “OWL” phases of the Atkins diet, you will now progress to the pre-maintenance phase. This is the stage where you will change your lifestyle towards a healthier one. It is recommended to start this phase as soon as you are within 5 to 10 pounds of your ideal weight. In truth, your weight loss process will slow down, but for a good reason. This is because you need to adopt a lifestyle that will guarantee long-term success.

In the OWL phase, carbohydrates consumed daily will be increased in the increment of 5 grams per week. At the pre-maintenance phase, the count will be increased at 10 grams per week. You should add grams to your carbohydrate count as long as you are losing weight (do not worry if it is at a slow pace). The ideal point will be that at the end of the pre-maintenance phase you will be losing less than one pound per week.

This stage should be continued until you reach your targeted weight and are able to maintain it for a month. Normally, this process may take from one to three months. In fact, your objective is to reach a state of “carbohydrate equilibrium.” This is your optimal carbohydrate intake point, and it will allow you to maintain an ideal weight.

At this stage, you will be allowed to try a large variety of foods. It is important that you introduce new foods slowly and that you keep an eye on your carbohydrate intake. You should only increase it at a moderate pace. Do not add 20 or 30 grams of carbohydrates in a single week. When you increase carbs in increments of 10 you will be better able to determine your ideal carbohydrate count. This can help you to keep your ideal weight for a longer time.

It is always a good idea to check all new foods that you add to your diet with a carbohydrate counter or other similar tool. For instance, examples of 10 carbohydrate gram foods would be 1/3 cup of legumes, half an apple, one quarter cup of potatoes, or a half cup of plain oatmeal. You can include these foods daily, and then increase the count in the following week.

However pre-maintenance is not a perfect stage. You will need to find the proper balance between carbohydrate count and exercise to continue losing weight. You will also need to be careful to make sure that your increase in carbohydrates is not causing an increase in body weight. In fact, the line between gaining and maintaining weight is so fine that you will need to exercise extreme care.

There are some people that cannot add carbohydrates to their diets without halting the weight loss process. This is because of the manner in which their bodies metabolize food. In this case, it is most effective to increase the exercise program to get the body to burn more calories. In a situation such as this, the pre-maintenance phase will be similar to the OWL stage.

Some people adapt a variation of the pre-maintenance phase in order to allow them to have a treat once in a while. For example, they can consume a 20 to 30 carbohydrate gram treat a few times a week instead of incrementing carbs by 10 grams each day. This could be in the form of a fruit, a glass of white wine, a glass of beer or some sweet potatoes. This can be a great way to reward yourself that still allows you to respect the plan.

Another interesting way to implement the pre-maintenance stage is to average the carbohydrate intake for a week. This can help to bring some flexibility in the plan. If your carbohydrate level is at 60 grams, you can limit your intake to 40 grams on one day. This will allow you to have 80 grams on the next day as a special treat. It is important, however, that you do not become vulnerable to carbohydrate cravings. Some extra carbohydrates on one day can make you crave for some extra carbs the following day.

It is in the pre-maintenance phase that you equip yourself for long-term success. By increasing your carbohydrate intake gradually, you will have a better idea of the proper amount of carbohydrates necessary to maintain a reasonable weight.

The Atkins diet is very simple to follow as long as you stick to the book. But as with any diet there are lots of misconceptions that occur. If you make some of these mistakes you might find yourself gaining weight. Make sure you avoid all the common mistakes, as adherence to the diet plan is what will determine the amount of weight you lose and the overall effectiveness of the diet itself.

It’s normal to lose 8lbs per week in the induction phase. But not everyone is the same, so you must be patient. If you are losing a lot of weight at first, don’t be surprised to discover that your weight loss progress may slow down. The level of carbs that are taken in at the induction phase is not going to carry you through the rest of your diet. The induction phase is supposed to help you stop carb cravings and get rid of all the excess sugar in your body. After this you will be able to introduce a small amount of carbs each week. This will probably slow down your weight loss rate, but that is normal.

People’s bodies react differently to the diet. Some people may experience sudden weight loss at first and then that process slows down and then may speed back up, while others may lose weight at a steady pace.

Make sure that you avoid caffeine and artificial sweeteners. These chemicals can slow down the weight loss process and have a negative effect on blood sugar levels. Some chemicals such as aspartame, found in diet sodas and sugar-free gelatin, can cause your body to have sugar cravings and take out ketosis in just one serving. Make sure to avoid those as well.

Although cheese is on the list of acceptable foods, you’ll want to watch how much you consume because it does have carbs in it. You want to have no more than four ounces per day, but it is okay to have a little more on special occasions. Also make sure that you are not having cheese as your main source of protein. Good substitutes for cheese are meats, eggs and tofu. These are better choices that do not contain any carbs.

Vegetables are important in any diet. You’ll want to consume as many vegetables as possible during any phase of the diet, with out going over your personal level of carbs each day. Some great veggies you’ll want to choose are ones that are leafy and green and others from the list of acceptable veggies. Vegetables can fill you up with out increasing your blood sugar. They also have key nutrients such as fiber that help you lose weight more easily. After induction you should have 3-4 cups of raw vegetables and 1 cup of cooked vegetables each day, as long as they are on the list of acceptable veggies. Not eating vegetables can actually slow down your metabolism and cause your weight loss to stop.

An important part of the Atkins diet is to eat regularly. You should always eat every 5 hours that you are active and awake. If you don’t feel like eating, you should try a snack that is full of proteins and fats. When you go without eating, two things will happen. First, your blood sugar level rises making you crave carbs. Second, it will slow down your metabolism causing your weight loss to be much more difficult. You also want to make sure you are getting enough water in your diet. Water benefits everyone, not just those on diets. Remember your body is made up of 70% of water and it is important to stay hydrated. Becoming thirsty can be mistaken for hunger. Water can also help you not become constipated. It is important to be regular. Constipation can cause you to gain weight because your digestive track is where all your calories are absorbed. Make sure you drink at lease 8 ounces of water each day. This helps flush out toxins in the body that are being produced when it burns fat.

People become frustrated with the Atkins diet because of common mistakes that are made in the food choices they make. If you’re just starting the Atkins diet make sure to prepare your self for these possible errors. If you have been on the diet for awhile, make sure you watch your eating habits and document your progress to make sure you are following the diet correctly.

Last updated on Jul 12th, 2010 and filed under Weight Loss. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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