The Atkins Diet was designed to be lifestyle diet by Dr. Robert Atkins in the 1970s. Dr. Atkins is proponent of Dr. Atkins is a proponent of ketogenic fat burning, which is achieved by eating fewer than 40 grams of carbohydrate each day. He also recommends the use of dietary supplements to help balance nutrition and the bodies systems.
The Atkins Diet has 4 stages: the Induction Diet, the Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL) Diet, the Pre-Maintenance Diet, and lastly the Lifetime Maintenance Diet.
The Induction Diet Stage severely limits carb intake, only 20 grams are allowed for 14 days. The recommended source of carbs is low starch vegetables. Following this stage is the OWL diet.
The OWL Diet Phase is more forgiving. At this point, participants can consume 40 grams of carbs per day. This phase lasts until dieters reach their ideal weight. Once this goal is accomplished, dieters move to the pre-maintenance diet phase. Now the participant must establish how many carbs they can consume without gaining weight. This is known as finding their carb tolerance level.
At this point, where dieters know how carbs affect them individually they have reached Lifetime Maintenance. They will now continually (read forever) avoid sugar, hydrogenated oils and fats, processed foods, and worst of all white flour!
