The Atkins diet consists of four distinct phases that
participants should go through to achieve and maintain
weight loss.
Induction
The induction phase is not required, but that
doing so jump starts weight loss as dieters cut back
significantly on carbohydrate consumption.
According
to Atkins Advantage notes, the induction phase
can make people feel revitalized, since carbohydrates
cause blood sugar spikes that lead to fatigue and other
symptoms.
The diet also claims that the induction
phase will help dieters see the benefits of fat-burning
and strengthen their immune systems.
Ongoing weight loss
The second phase of the Atkins diet moves into
ongoing weight loss. It involves slow introduction of
foods with carbohydrates that also are considered
nutrient dense.
Most of the carbohydrate calories
come from vegetables. Atkins dieters still eat a higher
proportion of proteins and fat, but they gradually add
more carbohydrates into the diet.
According to
Atkins, the purpose of the phase is to continue to
burn and dissolve fat while maintaining appetite and
craving control.
This phase also introduces the dieter
to a broader range of foods and helps to determine the
dieter’s threshold level of carbohydrate consumption.
It is the intention of this phase to deliberately slow
weight loss.
Pre-maintenance
The Atkins diet considers the third phase a practice
for lifetime maintenance of goal weight and
‘‘healthy eating habits’’. When the goal weight is
within five to 10 pounds, the dieter gradually begins
to increase carbohydrate intake by 10 grams per week
until weight is gained, then drops back to the previous
carbohydrate gram level.
The purpose is to level
weight loss to less than one pound per week. The dieter
should continue at this rate until the goal weight is
reached, then for one month past that time. The goal is
to achieve a level at which weight is neither gained nor
lost and to internalize the habits that become part of a
permanent lifestyle.
Lifetime maintenance
This final phase of the Atkins diet occurs when a
dieter reaches goal weight. Although an adult may be
able to consume from 90 to 120 grams of carbohydrates
a day, depending on age, gender, and activity
level, maintaining goal weight is more likely if carbohydrate
intake remains at the level discovered in premaintenance.
The key, according to Atkins, is never
letting weight vary by more than three to five pounds
before making corrections.
