How To Follow Dr. Atkins Diet With Pictures

Set a healthy weight goal and acquire the right equipment. Use tools like a food journal and a carbohydrate counting guide. Talk to your doctor before starting the Atkins diet.

Induction. Elimination of carbs and the start of the diet. Realize that this will be the hardest part of the diet. This is where carbohydrate withdrawals can and will happen. Pay attention to your body and remember that these symptoms will pass. Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL). Slow introduction of carbs while still losing weight. Pre-Maintenance. Weight loss is slowed and you prepare to sustain the diet. Maintenance. After you have met your final goal, keep the weight off.

Benefits Weight loss Improved cardiovascular health Improved cholesterol Risks Headache Dizziness Weakness Fatigue Constipation Pains or weakness in the calves and legs, especially when you lay down to sleep at night Elevated uric acid Gout Heart arrhythmia if you have low glucose and go into ketosis These look serious but they’re mainly due to carbohydrate depletion and lack of fiber. The body will maintain balance shortly. In the interim, try a fiber supplement to alleviate constipation and a B12 vitamin supplement for fatigue.

Vegetables low in carbohydrates - these are the foundation of the Atkins diet All fish. All fowl. Meat and Eggs Fats and Oils, but avoid saturated fats or processed meats since they increase your risk of cardiovascular disease

Ketosis occurs when your body has no sugar-based energy and uses fat instead. Ketosis has some side effects such as nausea, headache, mental fatigue, and bad breath. Not everyone enters Ketosis. It is not uncommon to get sick during any dietary changes, especially if you have been eating unhealthy foods for some time. Remember to hydrate your body, take your vitamins, and get adequate sleep.

You can eat chicken, red meat, fish, and eggs, including egg yolks. Aim for at least 4 ounces (113 g) of protein at each meal. You may enjoy fats including olive oil and mayonnaise during this phase. Consume more mono and polyunsaturated fats instead of saturated fats and trans fats. Avoid processed meats, as they may be cured with sugar and count as carbs.

Consume 20 grams of carbohydrates or fewer during this phase. 12-15 grams should come from healthy vegetables. Remember, Atkins is a VEGETABLE-based diet. No other diet puts such an important emphasis on healthy veggies! Avoid fruits and grains such as bread and pasta during Induction. Make sure that 12 to 15 grams of your daily carbohydrates come from foundation vegetables. [8] X Research source Foundation vegetables are vegetables with next to no carbohydrates. Examples include pickles, spinach, broccoli, sauerkraut, avocado, Daikon radish, red or white onion, and zucchini.

When you do eat, make sure to only eat until you feel full. Do not overindulge.

Choose snacks that are high in fat and protein. Fat and protein help to maintain blood sugar and extend satiety. This is critical during any weight loss program, but especially in one where carbohydrates are limited. Make sure your snacks have minimal carbohydrates. Don’t be afraid to make changes to how you were snacking before. Try snacks such as vegetables with hummus, a deviled egg, or even beef jerky.

Watch your food budget to accommodate for more vegetables, protein, and other whole foods. Keep your meals interesting by trying new foods that fit with the Atkins diet.

Avoid staying on Induction for more than 2-4 weeks. Some people try to stay on Induction for months or even a year or more, and this is VERY unhealthy for your body. In fact, it is NOT recommended by Atkins nor anyone at Atkins. If you are on Induction for longer than a month, you are no longer doing Atkins. Atkins insists on moving forward and adding more healthy carbs back to your diet. Drink plenty of water. Take supplements such as vitamins and minerals. Get plenty of rest. Eat plenty of fiber

There is NO minimum weight loss to reach before moving on to step 2. Stay in Phase 1 for NO MORE than 4 weeks. You should NEVER stay on Inductions for 6 months or more. That is NOT Atkins. Anyone who states that you “should” lose a certain amount of weight like 15 pounds or that you should stay on Induction for 6 months or a year is NOT doing Atkins. They are advocating a dangerous and unhealthy diet. Please consult Colette Heimowitz, the nutritional expert at Atkins for more information.

Nuts Fruits Soft cheeses

Adjust your carbohydrate intake according to weight loss or gain. If weight gain occurs, lower the level of carbohydrate intake.

Drinking plenty of water. Eating foods containing healthy carbs and fiber, like vegetables. Take a fiber supplement or a probiotic. While Atkins does not require you to exercise, it does encourage it as you will not only have more regular bowel movements if you do engage in regular exercise, but there are tons of other health benefits of exercising. Exercising and lifting weights will also help you avoid baggy skin or other issues that can occur if you have a lot of weight to lose.

You can focus on the other benefits of the diet, such as lost inches and added energy. Compare your blood tests from now to before you started Atkins. You should notice a positive change in your good cholesterol and a drop in your triglycerides. It is important to note that plateaus are not always a bad thing. Plateaus can sometimes be the body’s way of adjusting to the new body weight and creating a new ’normal. ’ Embrace plateaus!

Watch for hidden sugars by reading labels on your food. Be careful with labels such as “No sugar added”. This does not mean “No Sugar” Try using sugar replacements such as Stevia or Splenda (in small amounts).

Pay attention to your body’s signals to see if you are actually experiencing hunger. Plan your meals ahead of time if possible and eat every 2-3 hours. This should stave off severe hunger. As your metabolism speeds up and you become used to eating throughout the day, you may find yourself beginning to get hungry every 2-3 hours. This is natural. Just eat your healthy snack or meal and enjoy!

Always order a salad or extra portions of vegetables at your meal. Restaurants will often replace the side carbohydrate (baked potato or rice) with a double portion of veggies. Skip the bread basket. If the waiter brings one, just ask that it be removed from the table. Be aware of what you are ordering, avoid any items high in carbohydrates. If you aren’t sure about an item, ask for more information.

Eat a large variety of foods and take supplements. Taking sodium in the form of broth, soy sauce or salt can help maintain your sodium levels, but you usually only need 2 grams of salt each day.

Weight gain indicates too many carbohydrates are being consumed. Weight loss should slow greatly during this stage, but still be at a loss.

During diets such as these, you’ve unintentionally created an elimination diet-type environment for your body. This is a good thing! This means that your body has been rid of the foods/substances that had been plaguing it before. So, when adding foods back in, do them one at a time so you know how each food impacts your body.

If you notice weight gain, scale back the amount of carbohydrates you are consuming.

Overindulging will undo all of your hard work.

Pay careful attention to your weight and the connection to the foods you are eating. Over time you will have a clear understanding of how different foods affect you and you will no longer have to measure or weigh food or monitor it as often.

People say boredom causes more people to rebound from diets than anything else, but in the case of Atkins, it is actually a lack of following the diet appropriately. They feel so deprived during a diet that they binge when they get off of it. This has to be a lifestyle with small splurges in moderation. Staying on Induction for too long and not adding more foods and carbs back to your diet as prescribed in Atkins is NOT Atkins. It is a very unhealthy version of dieting and should be avoided. Following Atkins is very healthy and safe and will ward off boredom.

The vast majority of dieters should simply start with Induction.

Choosing good vegetable proteins and fat sources will enable you to follow Atkins even if you don’t consume animal protein. Many plant proteins contain carbs. This may cause you to skip the induction phase. You can start with OWL or Pre-Maintenance and still meet your weight loss goals. A restricted diet could lead to deficiencies in B12, vitamin D, and folic acid. Make sure you find enriched foods or take a multivitamin.

Eat 25 percent of your calories from carb-rich foods. Eat 30 percent of calories from proteins. Eat 45 percent of calories from vegetable fats.

For small weight loss goals, you may start with Pre-Maintenance or OWL. For large weight loss goals start with Induction and move on to Phase 2 after 2-4 weeks.

The new Atkins Advantage also includes exercise tips and journaling ideas to help your mental and emotional outlook.