Atkins Diet Explained: Everything You Need to Know

Everything you need to get started with the Atkins Diet:

The Atkins diet is a low-carb diet, similar in nature to the keto diet.
An emphasis is placed on getting all of your calories from protein and fats, avoiding carbs wherever possible.
Calorie counting isn’t enforced on this diet, although it could help provide better results.
The Atkins diet was originated by Dr Robert Atkins, who wrote a best-selling book on the topic in 1972.
It has been thoroughly studied since then and has been shown to help accelerate weight loss.
Additionally, it has also led to improvements in blood sugar, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides.
While it is relatively high in saturated fat, it does not typically raise the bad LDL cholesterol.
The Atkins diet is split into 4 different phases that take place in the following order.
The first phase is an induction phase, where participants need to eat under 20 grams of carbs per day for 2 weeks.
They are encouraged to eat high-fat and high-protein foods with low carb veggies to help kick-start weight loss.
Phase 2 is the balancing phase, where dieters can add more nuts, low-carb veggies, and fruit.
Phase 3 is the fine-tuning phase, recommended when you’re getting close to your ideal weight.
This involves steadily increasing your carbs until weight loss comes to a halt.
Lastly, you have phase 4, which is also known as maintenance.
In this phase, dieters can eat as many healthy carbs as their body can tolerate without gaining weight.
While these phases may seem a bit complicated, this structure makes participants more likely to succeed.
When undertaking the Atkins diet, there are certain foods you should look to base your diet around.
Meats like beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and bacon.
Fatty fish and seafood like salmon, trout, and sardines.
Healthy eggs, ideally omega-3 or pastured.
Low carb veggies like kale, spinach, broccoli, and asparagus.
Full-fat dairy like butter, cheese, cream, and yoghurt.
Nuts and seeds like almonds, macadamia nuts, walnuts, and sunflower seeds.
And healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, and avocado oil.
Essentially, your meals should be based around a fatty protein source with vegetables and some healthy fats.
Water should be your go-to beverage on the Atkins diet, with green tea as a very healthy supplement.
Coffee can be had from time to time, especially if it is high in antioxidants.
Alcohol can be had in small amounts, with dieters instructed to stick to dry wines as opposed to high-carb drinks like beers.
Just as important as the list of foods to eat are the ones you should be avoiding on the Atkins diet.
Sugars like soft drinks, fruit juice, cakes, candy, and ice cream.
Grains like wheat, rye, barley, and rice.
Vegetable oils like soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, and canola oil.
Trans fats typically found in processed foods.
Starches like potatoes and sweet potatoes.
And legumes like lentils, beans, and chickpeas.
High-carb vegetables and fruits should also be limited in the induction phase.
After this initial period, you can begin to slowly work these back in.
This should be in moderation, with most Atkins dieters staying moderately low-carb for life.
Here is a sample daily meal plan for someone following the Atkins diet.
Breakfast consisting of eggs and vegetables, fried in coconut oil.
Lunch consisting of chicken salad with olive oil and a handful of nuts.
Dinner consisting of a bunless cheeseburger with veggies and butter.
If you’re feeling hungry after this, you can enjoy some low-carb snacks like hard-boiled eggs, nuts, Greek yoghurt, berries and other fruits.
Overall, I’m a fan of the Atkins diet.
It is relatively structured and prioritizes a good mix of animal protein and veggies.
You can integrate this seamlessly into your social life, following this diet out at most restaurants.
Ensure a decent calorie deficit and workout regularly and you’ll get good results on the Atkins diet.
A regular 1-2 pounds per week is very achievable and can help change your whole body composition.
It is very similar to the famed keto diet, which I’ve had good personal success on.
If you’re interested in getting started with the Atkins diet, I’ll leave a link to my favorite resource in the description.
This customizes a diet program to your specific needs, allowing you to get the best results over the long-term.

[laurieanderson]

I did the Atkins diet back in the 70s and 80’ . It was fantastic. I was young pro dancer, and I was able to stay slim and energized! Now in 2024, at age 67, I still stay slim and energetic!

[richq]

Great video! I was introduced to the Atkins Diet back in the 90'swhile I was in school and I've never gone back to the 'typical American diet". It has enabled me to maintain a healthy lifestyle for the past 25 yrs.

[CarmenMuniz-mx]

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