If you are interested in losing weight the Atkins Diet plan may be just what you are looking for. The theory behind this plan is to significantly lower your carb intake.
When you lower your carb intake the body does not have that immediate energy to burn or store. What happens then is the body will naturally go to its next available source to get that energy, which is your stored fat.
The first step in the Atkins diet plan is called the induction phase. For the first two weeks, your daily carb intake should be less than 20 grams daily. And no bad carbs at all. In addition, you get to eat all the protein you can handle. Lean meat, fish, shrimp, milk, cheese, and yogurt, just to name a few.
The only carbs you can eat will come from vegetables like sprouts, celery, cabbage, cucumbers, and mushrooms. You get the idea, fresh vegetables taste the best. You can cook them, steam them, or eat them raw, it is all the same. This is the phase of the diet in that you will see the most significant weight loss.
The second step in the diet plan is called the OWL, or the ongoing weight loss, phase. Your weight loss will slow down somewhat with this step because you will be slowly starting to increase your carb intake. Continue to stick with the good carbs, though, you do not want to mess things up now.
Adding 5 grams of carbs back in per week while you monitor your weight closely. When you reach the point when you are no longer losing 1-2 pounds per week back off the carbs a bit. This step should bring you within 10-15 pounds of your goal weight, so naturally, it will take the longest.
The next step is the pre-maintenance phase. This is the time you begin to increase your carb intake by 10 grams each week. When you hit the plateau, continue eating the same number of carbs for one month. Hopefully, you have decided to add some daily exercise to this diet, too.
When the month is up add 10 more grams of carbs, if you begin to gain weight then decrease the carbs again by 10 grams per week until you begin to lose weight again. You should still be losing 1 pound per week during this phase. Make sure you are staying hydrated throughout this plan, as well. Stay away from pop, and drink water or green tea.
When you reach your goal weight and enter into the maintenance phase you should be pretty well schooled on how many grams of carbs you can safely take in in one day.
This is the amount you should stick with and not go over if you want to maintain your current weight. By the time you get to this point, you should be at your goal weight and you can call yourself a success at using the Atkins diet plan.
