The Atkins diet is a low carb diet, which claims that you can lose weight while eating as much protein and fat as you like. This diet was promoted by Dr Robert C. Atkins. This diet has become very popular all over the world and many books has been written on it. The Atkins diet has raised many questions, but later on 20 studies showed that low carb diets are effective for weight loss. This diet is also known to improve your blood sugar. The reason why this diet is effective for weight loss is that a reduction in carbs and consuming lots of protein can reduce your appetite. The Atkin diet is a 4 phase plan.
PHASE 1– eat high-fat and high-protein meals with low carbs vegetables to kick-start your weight loss.
PHASE 2-then add more nuts, low carb vegetables and very little amount of fruits to your meal for balancing your diet.
PHASE 3-add more carbs to your diet when you are very close to your goal weight and slow down your weight loss.
PHASE 4-this phase is for maintaining your weight, so here you can eat as much healthy carbs as you like without regaining weight.
Foods to avoid on The Atkins Diet.
- sugar
- grains
- vegetable oils
- trans-fats
- low fat foods
- high-carb vegetables
- high-carb fruits
- starch
- legumes
Foods to eat on The Atkins Diet
- meat
- fatty fish and sea food
- eggs
- low carbs vegetables
- full fat dairy
- nuts and seeds
- healthy fats
For beverages you may include coffee and green tea. Whereas water should be your go to beverage. You may also have bacon, heavy cream, cheese and dark chocolate because these are considered high fat food.
After your induction is over, you can slowly add all the healthy carbs back to your meals. The induction phase is of two weeks only where you have to minimize your carb intake. After that you can add vegetables, fruits, berries, potatoes and other healthy grains back to your meals. The only thing you need to know here is that you may want to stick to low carb diet for life because you will gain weight back if you start eating the same old food again.
The Atkins menu for one week.
MONDAY
BREAKFAST– eggs and vegetables fried in coconut oil.
LUNCH– chicken salad with olive oil and a handful of nuts.
DINNER– steak and veggies
TUESDAY
BREAKFAST– bacon and eggs.
LUNCH– chicken and veggies.
DINNER– cheeseburger without the bun, with vegetables and butter.
WEDNESDAY
BREAKFAST– omelette with veggies, fried in butter.
LUNCH– shrimp salad with olive oil.
DINNER– ground beef stir fry with veggies.
THURSDAY
BREAKFAST– eggs and veggies, fried in coconut oil.
LUNCH– leftover stir from the night before.
DINNER– salmon with butter and vegetables.
FRIDAY
BREAKFAST– bacon and eggs.
LUNCH– chicken salad with olive oil and a handful of nuts.
DINNER– meatballs with vegetables.
SATURDAY
BREAKFAST– omelette with various vegetables fried in butter.
LUNCH– leftover meatballs from the dinner.
DINNER– pork chops with vegetables.
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST– bacon and eggs.
LUNCH– leftover pork chops from the night before.
DINNER– grilled chicken wings with some salsa and veggies.
