What is the Atkins diet? Officially called the Atkins Nutritional approach, it is a low carbohydrate diet created by Robert Atkins. The Atkins diet involves restricting carbs to aid the body's metabolism from burning glucose as fuel to burning stored body fat. This process, called ketosis, begins when insulin levels are low; in normal humans, insulin is lowest when blood glucose levels are low (mostly before eating).
There are 4 phases in the Atkins diet. Phase 1 Induction phase – Here carbs are cut back to 20 gms a day. This phase has the most rapid weight loss and allows foods that are quite filling, while restricting many others.
What do you eat? Your carbs come only from vegetables in this phase. Your menu will look like this: 2 eggs in the morning, a bowl of vegetables and grilled chicken for lunch, snack - cheese or nuts, and dinner will comprise of just the meat cooked in your favourite style and a bowl of yogurt. Oil and fats are encouraged in this diet.
What do you eat? Your carbs come only from vegetables in this phase. Your menu will look like this: 2 eggs in the morning, a bowl of vegetables and grilled chicken for lunch, snack - cheese or nuts, and dinner will comprise of just the meat cooked in your favourite style and a bowl of yogurt. Oil and fats are encouraged in this diet.
Phase 2 Ongoing weight Loss – Here Carbs are slowly and carefully added to the diet.
What do you eat? One rule of thumb - First add the veggies and then whole grains later to increase carbs. Sample menu: 2 eggs for breakfast with either orange juice, or a fruit. A huge bowl of vegetables for lunch with one chapatti and a bowl of dahi. For snacks again nuts and cheese. Dinner is a small bowl of salad with fish or chicken curry, or grilled meat. This phase continues until you are 5 to 10 pounds (3 to 5 kgs) from your desired weight loss goal.
What do you eat? One rule of thumb - First add the veggies and then whole grains later to increase carbs. Sample menu: 2 eggs for breakfast with either orange juice, or a fruit. A huge bowl of vegetables for lunch with one chapatti and a bowl of dahi. For snacks again nuts and cheese. Dinner is a small bowl of salad with fish or chicken curry, or grilled meat. This phase continues until you are 5 to 10 pounds (3 to 5 kgs) from your desired weight loss goal.
Phase 3 Pre Maintenance - As dieters near their goals, weight loss slows down, with more carbs added to the diet. Individuals figure out how much carbohydrate each can safely eat without gaining weight.
What do you eat? The goal here is to figure out what is that state of equilibrium that you can maintain without gaining any weight. Sample menu – breakfast – oats with milk or 2 eggs with a slice of bread, and fruits. Lunch – 2 chapatis, a bowl of vegetables and some chicken. Snacks – an occasional treat of dosa or 2 idlis, or a bowl of moong everyday. Dinner – rice or one roti with salad/ veggies/ meat.
What do you eat? The goal here is to figure out what is that state of equilibrium that you can maintain without gaining any weight. Sample menu – breakfast – oats with milk or 2 eggs with a slice of bread, and fruits. Lunch – 2 chapatis, a bowl of vegetables and some chicken. Snacks – an occasional treat of dosa or 2 idlis, or a bowl of moong everyday. Dinner – rice or one roti with salad/ veggies/ meat.
Phase 4 Maintenance - Atkins Maintenance brings together all that is learned in the first three phases to the diet regarding the individual body's response to carbs. Armed with that knowledge, weight loss can be maintained permanently, according to Atkins.
What do you eat? This is a continuation of the end of Pre-Maintenance, where the carbohydrate level "balance" is found - as you can now eat many carbs without gaining weight. Sample menu - Similar to the one in phase 3, but if you think that you are able to maintain your weight by eating rice everyday, you may. If after 2-3 months you feel a slight weight increase you can cut back on the carbs.
What do you eat? This is a continuation of the end of Pre-Maintenance, where the carbohydrate level "balance" is found - as you can now eat many carbs without gaining weight. Sample menu - Similar to the one in phase 3, but if you think that you are able to maintain your weight by eating rice everyday, you may. If after 2-3 months you feel a slight weight increase you can cut back on the carbs.
The Atkins diet is great for someone who is keen on losing weight quickly, because after the initial 1 or 2 months the long term plan of weight maintenance is quite achievable. But, as with the Mediterranean diet, and the South Beach diet, the Atkins diet also has a lot to do with perseverence and portion control. We say, try it only if you understand that you must eat well-balanced meals, and exercise as well.
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