The Atkins Diet is a popular low-carbohydrate eating plan developed in the 1960s by cardiologist Robert C. Atkins. The Atkins Diet restricts carbs (carbohydrates) while emphasizing protein and fats.

The Atkins diet plan relies on knowing how much carbohydrate is in everything you eat. Specifically, consumers count their net carbs. Net carbs can be calculated by checking the total grams of carbohydrate in your portion of food and subtracting the grams of fiber and sugar alcohols or glycerin (if applicable).

Phases of Atkins Diet Plan:

Atkins diet is broken up into 4 phases – induction, balancing, fine-tuning, and maintenance.

Phase 1: Induction

For two weeks, consume fewer than 20 grams of carbohydrates each day, restricting your diet to fats and proteins, as well as occasional leafy greens (low-carb vegetables).

Phase 2: Balancing

Staying primarily with high-fat and high-protein foods, begin introducing some nuts and beans back to your diet, along with more leafy greens to keep total carb levels low, possibly between 20-30 grams per day.

Phase 3: Fine-Tuning

In this phase, as you approach your goal weight, add more complex carbohydrates back into your diets, such as a wider range of vegetables and fruits. Continue on this phase until your weight loss slows down or stops.

Phase 4: Maintenance

At this point,add many healthy carbs back into your diet as you want, but you shouldn’t gain any of the lost weight back. If you see weight gain occurring, go back to the induction phase and begin again.