Atkins Diet Plan Recipes Weight Loss Diet Nutrition Tips Guide

Atkins Diet Plan With Four Phases Of Carbohydrate Management

By Hazel Hawkins

Dr. Robert Atkins developed the Atkins diet plan in 1963 and it reached popularity in the last millennium. The establishment of the Atkins diet was created after Dr Atkins read several medical studies, and learnt that the body can change itself from burning carbohydrates to burning fat.

Dr Atkins was the first person to successfully use this method of depriving the body of carbohydrates. The Atkins diet plan has four phases. These are Induction, On-going Weight Loss, Pre-Maintenance and Lifetime Maintenance.

The Induction Phase Usually Lasts Two Weeks

During the induction phase, a person is limited to 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. This phase usually lasts two weeks, but may be continued for a long period of time depending on how much weight a person has to lose. When entering the second phase, the amount of carbohydrate intake is increased by 5g a week.

A person will remain in the On-going Weight Loss phase for a minimum nine weeks, or until they are within 10 pounds of their target weight. The next phase is the pre-maintenance phase and increasing carbohydrates by another 10 grams.

Reaching Your Critical Carbohydrate Level For Maintenance

A person will continue to increase their weekly carbohydrates, until their "critical carbohydrate level for maintenance," is reached. At this point they enter the Lifetime Maintenance stage.

Looking for a simple meal on Atkins would consist of a meat product (beef, poultry, fish, etc.), with several servings of salad greens or vegetables.

Fruit Contains High Levels Of Sugars And Starches

Fruit are banned during most of the stages as they are higher in sugars and starches, which in turn will result in slower weight loss. This does not mean that a person does not eat fruit.

There are several types of fruit, rich in energy, that the body can burn more quickly allowing the body to continue losing weight.

Entry Of Low Carb Products Into Shops

During the early years of the popular Atkins diet, many companies created low carb products. For example, Pepsi and Coca-Cola created a line of products with low carbs. Nevertheless, many companies found themselves losing business with the declining popularity of the Atkins diet. Low carb pasta, low carb specialty chocolate bars and other low carb snack bars were created to cater for low carb diets.

There have been several controversies on the Atkins diet. Many scientific studies have shown a higher risk of heart attacks as one of the more serious health risks. There are also a variety of minor health risks such as diarrhea, weakness and muscle cramps are common for those on the Atkins diet.

Meeting Nutritional Requirements

Beyond health issues, it is strongly recommended that a person take multivitamins to ensure they meet nutritional requirements. Once again, however, Dr. Atkins suggested that while a multi-vitamin is good, iron intake should be limited because of the amounts of iron found in meat.

Although the lure of quick weight loss causes many people to go to Atkins for the results, there are several rules, limitations and risks involved. When someone joins the Atkins program, they need to review their options and have a strong will, a good support system, and a reasonably healthy body to survive any adverse health risks while on the Atkins diet plan.

This Article was about Atkins Diet Plan.

About the Author:
Hazel Hawkins is an author of dieting, weight loss and nutrition articles including Raw Vegan Diets, Intuitive Eating, Raw Food Books, Raw Food Detox.
Keep a lookout for more of her articles coming soon.

Did You Know?

If you stop and think about it raw food diets make sense to those individuals who are wanting more flavor and vitamins in their foods. After all, cooking does drain vegetables and meats of their essential vitamins and nutrients through the cooking process.

Of course you cannot eat all meats raw or undercooked but there are plenty of books and websites that can direct you to the foods that are great for this diet.