THE PROGRAM: PHASE 3 Supporting You During This Phase

Here are some FAQs that you may encounter during Phase 3:

Q. How do I know when I’ve reached the right weight for me?

A. There is no single right or wrong weight. Your body type, age, hormonal status, activity level, and genetics all play a role. It’s possible you may be able to achieve a lower weight, but if it’s a struggle to maintain it, you may want to accept that being 5 or even 10 pounds heavier is where your body naturally wants to be. Again, inches count as much as pounds. As you tone your abdominals and other muscles with regular physical activity, your body will appear slimmer. When you come to a point where you’re comfortable with your weight at this time in your life, that’s the place to remain.

Q. Can I eat any low-carb product when I’m in Phase 3?

A. In Phase 1, you can have low-carb foods with Net Carb counts of 3 grams per serving; that increases to 6 grams per serving in OWL, and to 9 grams in this phase. In Lifetime Maintenance, the number rises to 10 grams or more, assuming your carb tolerance allows.

Q. Can I have more than one or two glasses of wine now that I have reached my goal weight?

A. Yes, if it doesn’t cause weight gain or leave you vulnerable to overeating the snack foods that often accompany alcohol. A general recommendation is a single glass for women and up to two for men, but you know your own tolerance. If you regain weight or lose control, drop back to a single glass or none. Also continue to avoid high-carb beer and mixers made with added sugar.

Q. Why am I experiencing cravings I haven’t had for months?

A. There are two possible explanations. Either you’re simply eating too many carbs and not burning primarily fat for energy anymore (remember, fat burning suppresses your appetite) or you’ve reintroduced a food or food group that’s spiking your blood sugar. Fruit may be the culprit, particularly if you’re not accompanying it with fat or protein to moderate the impact on your blood sugar. Cut back by 10 grams of Net Carbs a day and eliminate the foods you’re added recently. Then reintroduce them slowly, one by one, to find out which ones are creating cravings.

Q. How can I tame my sweet tooth?

A. There are two approaches: satisfy it or eliminate it. Satisfy your sweet tooth with acceptable substitutes, such as an Atkins Endulge bar. If you’re able to have such treats without overdoing them and without causing cravings, fine. If not, eliminate any foods that may be triggering cravings for sweets until you get the situation under control.

Q. What desserts can I have in this phase?

A. In addition to Endulge bars, plus the berries, cherries, and melon you started to eat in Phase 2, you can have almost any other fruit, as well as other desserts with no added sugar and no more than 9 grams of Net Carbs.

How to Start the Atkins Diet

THE PROGRAM: PHASE 3 What You Can Eat in this Phase

You should be saying “Wow.” And if you’re not, we’ll say it for you. Wow, you’ve made it to Phase 3 and you know what that means – you’ve almost reached your goal. Now it’s time to slow your weight loss and find your personal carb balance or ACE, Atkins Carbohydrate Equilibrium. And we have a great way to do it – more variety. Pair these low-carb fruits and low-carb vegetables and some whole grains with the Acceptable low-carb Foods lists from Phase 1 and 2 for your total variety eating plan. 

In Pre-Maintenance, you add 10 daily Net Carbs per week – The Power of 10 makes it easy. These low-carb foods, in these portion sizes, all equal about 10 grams of Net Carbs – remember, total carbs minus fiber.

Have fun. We know you will.

The Power of 10

Starchy Vegetables*	Serving Size	Net Carbs
Acorn Squash (baked)	½ cup	7.8
Carrots	1 medium	5.6
Potato (baked)	½ potato	10.5
Yams	½ cooked	16.1

Legumes*	Serving Size	Net Carbs
Black Beans	½ cup	12.9
Chickpeas	1/4 cup	6.5
Great Northern Beans	1/4 cup	6.3
Kidney Beans	1/4 cup	5.8
Lentils	½ cup	12.0
Lima Beans	½ cup	14.2
Navy Beans	½ cup	18.1
Pinto Beans	½ cup	14.6

Fruit	Serving Size	Net Carbs
Apple	½ of whole	8.7
Banana	1 small	21.2
Cherries	¼ cup	4.2
Grapefruit (red)	½ of whole	7.9
Grapes (red)	1/2 cup	13.4
Guava	1/2 cup	5.3
Kiwi	1	8.7
Mango	1/2 cup	12.5
Peach	1 small	7.2
Plum	1 small	3.3
Watermelon	½ cup	5.2

Grains*	Serving Size	Net Carbs
Oatmeal (rolled)	1/3 cup	19.0
Oatmeal (steel cut)	1/4 cup	19.0
Rice (brown)	1/2 cup	20.5

* All figures reflect if the vegetable, legume, or grain is cooked.

Understanding the Atkins Diet, Why It Works and What it Can Do For You

You’re probably now just 10 pounds from your goal weight, which you’ll achieve in Phase 3, Pre-Maintenance (Fine-Tuning). In this Phase, you will gradually see how much you can raise your daily Net Carb intake while exploring the final three rungs of the Carb Ladder.

THE PROGRAM: PHASE 3

Objectives of Pre-Maintenance (Fine-Tuning)

How long

Until you’ve reached your goal weight and maintained it for a month.

Purpose

Trim your final excess pounds, continuing to explore your personal carb balance. Then find your tolerance for carb intake while maintaining your new weight. This phase is a dress rehearsal for Lifetime Maintenance.

Goal

Gradually increase your daily Net Carb intake in 10-gram (or 5-gram, if you prefer) increments, continuing to reintroduce new carb foods, as long as you continue to slowly lose weight and then to maintain that loss. 

Atkins Diet Menu

Atkins Diet Plans

150 Pound Weight Loss Transformation

My Atkins Diet Success Story

THE PROGRAM: PHASE 2 When to Move On

If you’ve lost weight steadily and are now only about 10 pounds from your goal weight, it’s time to move on to Phase 3, because your long-term goal is to find a sustainable way of eating. And with 10 pounds to go, you have enough time to try to reintroduce the remaining carb foods.

If you aren’t yet 10 pounds from your goal, ask yourself which of these three scenarios describes you:

1. You’ve reached a daily intake of about 50 grams of Net Carbs, have introduced Phase 2 foods, and continue to slim down without experiencing cravings and unreasonable hunger. If so, feel free to transition to Phase 3 now if you’re eager for more variety in your meals. If you stall out there, you can always return to Phase 2 to reboot weight loss.
2. You still have more than 10 pounds to shed and are stalled in your weight-loss progress and/or experiencing cravings and extreme hunger before meals. By all means, stay in this phase until the cravings and hunger have vanished.
3. Although you lost weight in Phase 1, your progress in this phase has been frustrating, and some Phase 2 foods are creating cravings and undue hunger. You may have even gained a few pounds. You may be extraordinarily sensitive to carbs and may have reached your carb tolerance at 30 or 35 grams of Net Carbs. Follow the advice above, be patient, and ramp up your activity level if possible.

THE PROGRAM: PHASE 2 Supporting You During This Phase

Here are some FAQs that you may encounter during Phase 2:

How do I get back on track after an “indiscretion”?

First of all, don’t beat yourself up. We all have moments of weakness, and maybe that plate of French fries your friend was eating was more than you could resist. Second, don’t play the game of “Well, since I’ve already messed up, I might as well go whole hog.” For the rest of the day eat appropriately. Don’t wait until tomorrow to get back on the wagon.

What’s carb creep?

Without realizing it, as you gradually add back foods, you may be consuming far more carbs than you think you are. This can make you complacent about your intake until your weight loss stalls. Once again, tracking your carbs and portion sizes should help you avoid carb creep.

Why have my cravings returned?

Usually cravings vanish by the end of the first week on Induction when you convert to burning primarily fat for energy. There are several reasons they may return. Women sometimes experience cravings a few days before their menstrual period. Going too long between meals or adding foods such as dairy products or peanuts may stimulate cravings. Stress can also destabilize blood sugar, triggering cravings for comfort foods. Adding a bit more fat, in the form of olives, half an avocado, or some cream cheese in a celery stick, can help you feel more satisfied, minimizing cravings.

Do I have to reintroduce all Phase 2 acceptable foods?

Of course not. If you don’t like yogurt or chickpeas or tomato juice, so be it. Or if a whole rung on the Carb Ladder holds no appeal for you, just skip it. There’s still plenty of variety inherent in the whole foods you can eat on Atkins.

Why is my weight loss erratic?

As discussed in regard to plateaus, your body has its own schedule and won’t share it with anyone. The important thing is to follow the program faithfully and the pounds will come off. Again, adding exercise helps some people lose weight, but not everyone. Be sure to take your measurements weekly. If you’ve lost inches, the scale is bound to catch up.

Why have I regained some of the weight I lost?

The reason we recommend that you not weigh yourself daily is that your weight can vary by as much as 5 pounds even within a day. As long as you’re following the program, you should see some weight loss every week or so, unless you’re on a plateau. If you stayed on track but gained a pound or two since the previous week, you’re probably retaining water or are constipated. 

THE PROGRAM: PHASE 2 What You Can Eat in this Phase

During OWL, you add higher carb foods back into your diet – 5 daily Net Carbs per week. You can move beyond vegetables to other foods, such as nuts, seeds and berries. Although you will be eating primarily natural, unprocessed foods, you will find an increasing number of convenience foods – choices that help even busy people stay on track during weight loss.

The Power of Five

In the recommended portions, these foods each contain roughly 5 grams of Net Carbs (total carbs minus fiber).

Dairy	Serving Size	Net Carbs
Cottage cheese 2%	1/2 cup	4.1
Heavy cream	¾ cup	4.8
Mozzarella cheese	5 ounces	3.0
Ricotta cheese	1/2 cup	3.8
Yogurt, Plain, Unsweetened, whole milk	1/2 cup or 4oz	5.5
Yogurt, Greek, Plain, unsweetened, whole milk	1/2 cup or 4oz	3.5

Nuts and Seeds	Serving Size	Net Carbs
Peanuts	1oz (28g)	2.2
Almonds	24 nuts	2.3
Brazil nuts	5 nuts	2.0
Cashews	9 nuts	4.4
Hulled sunflower seeds	2 T	1.1
Macadamias	6 nuts	2.0
Pecans	10 halves	1.5
Pistachios	25 nuts	2.5
Walnuts	7 halves	1.5

Fruits	Serving Size	Net Carbs
Blueberries (fresh)	¼ cup	4.1
Cantaloupe or honeydew	¼ cup	3.5
Raspberries (fresh)	¼ cup	1.5
Strawberries (fresh)	¼ cup	1.8

Juices	Serving Size	Net Carbs
Lemon juice	¼ cup	5.2
Lime juice	¼ cup	5.6
Tomato juice	4 ounces	4.2

Convenience Foods

Many of the foods listed above are available conveniently packaged to go at the market or convenience store – feel free to grab and
go – just note the serving size, and subtract fiber from total carbs to get Net Carbs. 

And remember, Atkins bars and shakes are super convenient too, And every single flavor is allowed in Phase 2. So be busy, be happy and be well fed. 

How Long

Typically until you’re within 10 pounds of your goal weight, although you can transition to Phase 3 sooner if you’re willing to slow the pace of weight loss.

Purpose

Lose most of your excess pounds and find your personal carb balance.

Goal

Starting at 25 grams of Net Carbs daily, begin to increase overall carb intake in 5-gram increments. This means gradually reintroducing a broader array of carb foods as you step up the Carb Ladder, finding your personal carb balance. It could level off anywhere between 30 and 80 daily grams of Net Carbs or even higher. Your personal number is impacted by your age, gender, activity level, hormonal status, and other factors as you continue to lose weight. 

THE PROGRAM: PHASE 2

How to do Phase 2 Right / Troubleshooting

Here’s how to succeed on Phase 2 as you proceed up the Carb Ladder.

• Continue to consume a minimum of 12–15 daily grams of Net Carbs as foundation vegetables. Also continue to avoid foods with added sugar, have eight glasses of water or other acceptable fluids each day, and go no longer than three or four hours between meals or snacks, spreading out your carb intake across the day.
• Reintroduce food groups one by one, following the Carb Ladder. Depending on your metabolism and weight-loss goal, this may be at weekly intervals, every couple of weeks, or even longer.
• Add back carb foods within each rung of the ladder one by one as well. For example, reintroduce walnuts but gauge their impact, if any, before reintroducing almonds.
• Increase your overall daily Net Carb intake in 5-gram increments at weekly, biweekly, or even monthly intervals, whichever works best for you.
• Continue to weigh and measure yourself weekly.