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Atkins Diet Meal Plan - What You Need to Know

Many individuals think the Atkins diet is about tasteless bars and unexciting meals twice a day, just like many other diets. Contrary to widespread belief, the Atkins diet includes five meals per day, and each dish can be very healthy and very appealing to individuals no matter what their food preferences.

atkins diet
An Atkins diet meal plan consists of five meals including:

  • Breakfast
  • Morning tea
  • Lunch
  • Afternoon tea
  • Dinner

The Atkins diet consists of 4 phases including:

  • Induction
  • Ongoing weight loss (OWL)
  • Pre-Maintenance
  • Lifetime Maintenance

Phase One - Induction: Carbohydrate intake is reduced to 2/3oz or 20g per day. This is the phase where you lose the most weight (usually up to 15lbs in the initial two weeks... sometimes more). Phase one lasts for a minimum of two weeks but you may choose to continue it for longer (particularly if you have a large amount of weight to lose). It should be noted that in this phase dizziness and fainting can be an issue. This is because when your body runs out of carbohydrates and has to switch to burning fat, the energy is not as instant so you may experience these symptoms while the switch over occurs.

Phase two - ongoing weight loss: You may increase your DAILY carbohydrate intake by 1/6oz or 5g and stay at that level for one to two weeks before increasing again. Weight loss slows slightly at this stage and the side effects of dizziness and weakness reduce in frequency. During this stage you may begin to find your 'carbohydrate level for losing' or CLL. This is the quantity of carbohydrates you can consume and still lose weight. In phase two carbohydrates are increased until you're losing one pound per week. Phase two continues until you're 10lbs from your goal weight at which point you progress to phase three.

Phase three - Pre-maintenance: Daily carbohydrate intake increased by 2/3oz or 10g and remain at that level for up to two weeks before increasing daily carbohydrates again by the same amount. This continues until goal weight is achieved.

Phase four - lifetime maintenance: Begins after goal weight is achieved. By now you will have discovered how much carbohydrates you can consume on a daily basis without gaining OR losing weight. This is known as your Atkins carbohydrate equilibrium or A.C.E. Imagine how powerful this is, if you ever need to lose more weight you can simply cut back your daily net carbohydrates and begin losing weight again. This puts you in a good position to maintain a healthy weight.

If you follow the diet as recommended above you're more likely to receive the nutrients required for your day and to have enough energy to last the entire day rather than experiencing spurts of energy till you are hungry again. This also helps you limit yourself as a result of eating in smaller amounts more frequently. This means you tend to be less likely to gorge in one sitting and simply ensure that you receive the nutrition you need while feeling full and able to function and engage in your normal activities.

Many individuals feel they need caffeine to wake them up in the morning before work or beginning their daily activities. With this diet you should not feel these cravings for sugar or caffeine and can have plenty of energy on a regular basis as long as you follow the diet correctly and maintain the correct eating schedule. When a person craves caffeine it is sometimes because they feel a need for energy that they are lacking as a result of not having a healthy diet that provides the nutrients they require.

The Atkins diet was originally created by Dr. Robert Atkins to fight obesity and help individuals stay healthy in order to live longer, healthier lives. People do not have to be obese to go on this diet, you may simply want to improve your health, fitness and energy levels.

In many ways the Atkins diet is easily compared to many traditional diets where you attempt to eat more nutritious, low fat foods to become healthier. Many individuals assume the Atkins diet is totally different to these other diets when the main distinction is that it encourages you to reduce carbohydrate intake while still maintaining healthy eating habits. The Atkins diet attempts to help people achieve their ideal weight and be as active as possible to stay healthy.

One issue to remember is that it is crucial to follow the Atkins diet to the letter. If you do not follow the Atkins diet correctly then you risk damaging yourself. One thing is certain, if you follow the Atkins diet meal plan consistently then you will quickly achieve your weight loss goals.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julia_Bell

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