Table of Contents
There are four phases to the Atkins diet.
Induction
The first phase is called Induction. It lasts for at least two weeks, although this phase can be continued for much longer if a person can bear it. During this phase, the person should limit the intake of carbohydrates to a 20g a day. Foods that should be avoided include: biscuits, cakes, chocolate, crisps, fizzy drinks, croissants and pastry, bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, milk, fruit.. The food that’s allowed is red meat, chicken, fish, cheese, eggs, mayo, cream and butter. It’s during the Induction phase that your body switches from burning carbs to burning fat and blood sugar levels stabilize.
Ongoing Weight Loss
The second phase is known as Ongoing Weight Loss. It allows a person to slightly increase carb intake by 5g each day for a week at a time until a person finds Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing Weight, which is very important. This is the maximum amount of carbohydrates that person can eat each day and still lose between 1 and 3lb a week.
Pre-maintenance
The phase three is called Pre-maintenance. There should be only 5-10lb left to lose. During this phase, the person increases carb intake by 10g each day for a week at a time. The idea is to slow down the weight loss to no more than 1lb a week in an effort to prepare the body for the final phase, weight maintenance.
Lifetime Maintenance
The fourth and final phase, Lifetime Maintenance, aims to help you maintain your weight for longer periods of time. It is a fact that most people need to limit carbs to less than 90g a day.