Atkins diet phases
The Atkins Diet is divided into four consecutive phases which are induction, balancing, pre-maintenance, and lifetime maintenance consecutively.
Phase 1: Induction Phase
This phase is the most restricted phase in terms of carbohydrates as it is does not allow any carbohydrate intake. The purpose of the induction phase is to shift the body from relying on glucose and carbohydrates for energy to using the body fat stores to achieve this. This phase results in the fastest ...
Atkins diet phases
The Atkins Diet is divided into four consecutive phases which are induction, balancing, pre-maintenance, and lifetime maintenance consecutively.
Phase 1: Induction Phase
This phase is the most restricted phase in terms of carbohydrates as it is does not allow any carbohydrate intake. The purpose of the induction phase is to shift the body from relying on glucose and carbohydrates for energy to using the body fat stores to achieve this. This phase results in the fastest weight loss because the body is using fat as its primary energy source because carbohydrate sources are no longer available.
The duration of this phase is at least two weeks and could stretch to more, but the time is usually individualized depending on personal improvements.
Depending on the type of diet used, the individual should receive either 20 g or 40 g of carbohydrates per day in this phase. Carbohydrates here are mainly from vegetables comprising 12-15 g of the total carbohydrate intake, but not from fruits as they are not allowed at this stage due to their sugar content. The focus is on proteins in each meal, and there is no restriction on fats and oils.
Phase 2: Balancing Phase
In this phase, the carbohydrate intake is increased gradually over time by adding 5 g of carbohydrates to the diet each week.
The purpose of this phase is to monitor the maximum amount of carbohydrates that the body can tolerate while still losing 1-2 pounds per week. Once this is achieved, you should no longer add carbohydrates weekly.
Similar to the induction phase, 12-15 g of carbohydrates should be coming from non-starchy vegetables. However, unlike phase 1, the balancing phase allows some low carbohydrate fruits and starchy vegetables. Thus, this phase allows intake of some nutrients that are rich in carbohydrates such as nuts and seeds, in addition to the proteins and fats recommended in phase 1.
Phase 3: Pre-maintenance Phase
By this phase, you might have become closer to your targeted weight. Accordingly, this phase allows for adding more foods items to your diet to maintain your weight, or adjust your carbs intake to find your balance if you still need to lose more weight.
The duration of this phase depends on every individual, however it stops whenever the weight loss goal is achieved. Addition of carbohydrate containing food such as whole grains, starchy vegetables, and fruits is recommended in this phase. However, it is important to monitor weight regain in this phase and change the carbohydrate intake accordingly.
Phase 4: Maintenance Phase
The maintenance phase starts once the goal of the individual is achieved and can continue as a long term life style.
The amount of carbohydrates in this stage depends on how much an individual’s body can tolerate carbs without gaining weight, based on trials from the previous phases.
For example, if the intake of more than 150 g of carbohydrates a day during the pre-maintenance phase, showed that the person is gaining back the weight, then less than 150 g of carbohydrate from various sources should be eaten.
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