A Review of the Atkins Diet

by | May 26, 2019 | Diet, Food

  • Degree of Difficulty / 0= Extremely Hard, 100- Extremely Easy/ 50% 50%
  • Level of Activity /0=Not included, 100= Activity is high/ 50% 50%
  • Water Included in Diet /0=Not included, 100= Built into plan/ 100% 100%
  • Maintenance Plan /0=No plan after initial weight loss, 100= Lifetime plan/ 100% 100%

Description

The Atkins diet is based on the hypothesis that carbohydrates cause a spike in blood sugar levels which leads to storing fat. This diet limits carbs severely at the beginning and slowly introduces them back into diet.

Ease for Dieter*

Medium

  • Diet has graduated phases
    • Phase 1 typically lasts for 2 weeks and is limited to only 20-25 g Daily Net Carbs from “Foundation Vegetables, Proteins, Healthy Fats and Most Cheeses” or “Nuts and Seeds”.
    • Phase 2 is limited to only 25-50 g Daily Net Carbs from Phase 1 and “Berries, Cherries or Melon”, “Whole Milk Greek Yogurt”, “Legumes”, or “Tomato Juice”.
    • In Phase 3 you are limited to only 50-80 g Daily Net Carbs from Phase 1, Phase 2 and “Additional Fruits”, “starchy Vegetables”, or “Whole Grains”.
    • Finally, Phase 4 is limits you to only 80-100 g Daily Net Carbs from Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3.  (This is the maintenance level)
  • Many tools are available on the Atkins Site
  • There are several versions of the diet depending on your weight loss goals.

(*My impression is based on my research and how hard I think it would be to maintain for 1, 6, 8, 10, 20 weeks. Your experience may vary.)

Food Emphasis

  • Restricted Carbs
  • High Protein
  • High Fat

Maintenance Plan

  • Lifetime. 45 to 100 grams of carbohydrates per day.

Suggested Activity Level

  • No Activity Required

Source

Health Line

Atkins

Suggested Further Reading from Amazon

Considered
New Atkins You Ultimate Shedding

Atkins Diet Guide Beginners Cookbook