Want to try a low carb diet? While Atkins is a low carb diet, this does not mean you aren’t eating any carbs. You are swapping sugar and processed foods—those empty carbs that mess with your blood sugar and energy levels—for fiber-rich vegetables and even whole grains. Even from the beginning, you are eating more vegetables than the average American, for five very good reasons. This is why I don’t call Atkins a “no” carb diet, but a “right” carb diet. In fact, I don’t even like to call Atkins a “diet”, but a way of eating that keeps you satisfied with a variety of delicious foods, and boosts your energy while helping you to control your blood sugar levels and your cravings. The reason for this is because you’re eating all the “right” carbs. Colorful vegetables, low-glycemic fruits and nuts all contain carbs, just not the ones that cause blood sugar spikes and cravings and wreak havoc with your health and wage war on your waistline.
Atkins 20, 40 or 100: Which Plan Is Right For You?
You have options, depending on how much weight you need to lose and what kind of foods you’d like to eat.
You might want to consider Atkins 20 if:
- You have more than 40 pounds to lose
- You are pre-diabetic or diabetic
- Your waist circumference is higher than 40 inches (men) and 35 inches (women)
- You are content with food choices being gradually re-introduced in a pre-defined order
- You have been seeing results on Atkins 20.
Here’s what you do on Atkins 20:
- Eat three meals and two snacks a day.
- Consume 20 grams of Net Carbs a day (with 12 to 15 grams of Net Carbs coming from Foundation Vegetables).
- Eat three 4- to 6-ounce servings of protein a day.
- Embrace healthy fats. Consume two to four servings of added fat a day.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Stick with the list of Phase 1 acceptable foods.
- Try these 10 Tips for Weight Loss on Atkins 20.
You might want to consider Atkins 40 if:
- You have less than 40 pounds to lose.
- You are not pre-diabetic or diabetic.
- Your waist circumference is less than 40 inches (men) and 35 inches (women).
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- You want to eat a wider variety of food.
Here’s what you do on Atkins 40:
- Eat three meals and two snacks a day.
- Consume 40 grams of Net Carbs a day (with 12 to 15 grams of Net Carbs coming from Foundation Vegetables and 40 grams of Net Carbs coming from Other Carbohydrates).
- Eat three 4- to 6-ounce servings of protein a day.
- Embrace healthy fats. Consume two to four servings of added fats a day.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Follow these tips, and try this sample two-week meal plan.
Atkins 100
Did you know that the average person consumes 251 to 300 grams of carbs in a day? Just one in three Americans understand that you should eat 100 grams of carbs or less in a day; Atkins 100 allows you to make small changes to your eating habits by cutting back to 100 grams of Net Carbs a day. It’s that simple. Here’s what else you do:
- Eat a minimum of 12 to 15 grams of Net Carbs a day of Foundation Vegetables. (You’ll budget remaining 85 grams of Net Carbs from the Acceptable Foods List.)
- Eat three 4- to 6-ounce servings of protein a day.
- Eat two to four servings of added fat a day.
No matter what plan you pick, Atkins’ low carb and low sugar approach is a deliciously better way to eat. To make it even easier, we’ve got flavorful low carb recipes, plus these 10 tasty low carb swaps and low carb dishes you can substitute for high carb classics
