Basic Overview
Even though in the past the Atkins Diet may have received bad reviews it is still accepted as a good low carb eating plan. Yes they do recommend that you can eat higher fat choices such as bacon. But if you buy turkey bacon or bacon with less salt you will not be overloading your body with high fatty foods.
The basic aim of the Atkins Diet is to show you how to eat low carb foods and enjoy rapid weight loss. Plus they will show you how to structure their eating plan to suit your needs.
The Atkins Diet as a two week Induction phase which allows you to lose weight rapidly. Some people have reported losing as much as 1lb per day on this diet over the 14 day period.
Each phase in the Atkins diet is structured and easy to follow. Plus you will learn how many carbs you can actually eat each day without regaining weight. This is a very important aspect as each person will respond differently. Some dieters will find that the pounds simply fall off while others have a harder time.
The four phases of the Atkins diet are:
- Induction phase
- Ongoing Weight Loss – OWL
- Pre-Maintenance
- Maintenance
While it is recommended that you begin with the Induction phase for the first two weeks it is not compulsory. If you find this too restrictive you can begin with the Ongoing Weight Loss phase. The Induction phase will literally help you jump start your efforts and could result in a high amount of weight loss.
As you progress through each phase you will add more carbs to your diet. Once you reach the Maintenance phase you will know exactly how many carbs you can have per day without worrying about piling the pounds back on.
Getting Started with Atkins
One of the most important aspects of getting started with Atkins is to plan your food choices. At first this may feel like it is time consuming but it will be a blessing when you don’t have to worry about what to make for lunch and dinner! All you have to do is look at your menu plan. I would suggest you keep it on your fridge.
First you will need to learn how to count carbs in all your food choices. Sometimes the amounts of the labels aren’t correct but it is easy to figure out. The only good amount listed under Carbohydrates on the food label is the fibre amount. Simply deduct this from the total carb value and you have the number of carbs to count each day.
If you decide to follow the Induction phase for two weeks then totally commit yourself to it. After all two weeks isn’t really that long and it would be great to come away with a 10 pound or more weight loss!
The Atkins diet is followed by thousands of people around the world and they even have their own forum where you can get support and advice. You may want to check out the original Atkins books as well. In addition Atkins has come out with a carbohydrate counter and cookbooks. Using these tools is a great way to stay on track and get the most out of your diet attempts.