Atkins Diet Introduction
Posted on November 17th, 2005 by garyPosted in Diet
The Atkins plan encompasses a multi-staged program where you not only lose weight but you are able to maintain long term weight loss. The program teaches you how to change your lifestyle over four stages to allow you to progress at your own pace. The time frame for the stages is based upon your individual goals and progress. The Atkins diet plan is easy to start and is ideal for it’s participants of all ages and weight levels. It’s an effective program for people looking for any level of weight loss from 10 to 100lbs. It’s not a fad diet and can be used as a lifetime eating plan. The program is based on eating a healthy low carbohydrate diet while establishing a regular exercise program that you can continue to follow throughout your life.
The Atkins program follows four stages – induction, ongoing weight loss, pre management, and lifetime maintenance. The first stage, the induction helps you make significant changes to your present way of life by focusing on the reduction of carbohydrates. By reducing the amount of carbohydrates eaten you will be giving your body signals to switch to burning fat when it needs energy. During this phase you will be able to eat up to 20 grams of net carbohydrates on a daily basis. The minimum amount of time you will spend in the induction stage is 2 weeks. However the actual amount of time that you will be in this phase will be different for every person and vary based on the total amount of weight you want to lose.
Ongoing weight loss or OWL is the second phase of the Atkins program. At this stage you will be able to allow a small amount of carbohydrates back into your diet. You will be closely monitoring your weight loss during this stage. As long as you are continuing to steadily lose weight you are allowed to continue to increase the amount of carbohydrates in your diet. When your weight loss has stopped you will know that you have raised your carbohydrate level too much. You will then need to make a minor adjustment revising your carbohydrate level down until you start losing weight again. You will then maintain this level of daily carbohydrates until you are within 10% of your desired weight.
The third phase of Atkins is the pre-maintenance phase. During this stage you will again raise your daily carbohydrate intake by very small amounts. Your goal is reach a point where you are losing no more than 1-2 pounds a week. You will continue on this phase until you reach your goal weight.
The final phase is lifetime maintenance. At this stage you are aiming to have a personal daily carbohydrate level that allows you to maintain a consistent weight level. Knowing this level will help you introduce carbohydrates you had previously eliminated from your diet back in as long as you eat them in moderation and know where the limit is. By adding a regular exercise routine you will be able to increase your daily net carbohydrate level as well.
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