by Westman, Dr. Eric C. ; Phinney, Dr. Stephen D. ; Volek, Dr. Jeff S.
Be sensible, not obsessive, about both carbs and portions. You needn’t split hairs about whether a serving contains 0.4 or 0.8 gram of Net Carbs. Round off to 0.5 gram in the first case and 1.0 gram in the second, as we’ve done in our meal plans. Nor will you hit 20 grams of Net Carbs on the button each day. Your intake may be a couple of grams under 20 one day and a little over the next. Don’t count calories, although we do ask you to use common sense. In the past, some individuals made the mistake of thinking that they could stuff themselves with protein and fat and still lose weight. If the pounds are falling off, forget about calories. But if the scale won’t budge or it seems to be taking you forever to lose, you might want to do a reality check, caloriewise. (See page 107.) You could probably guess that too many calories will slow your weight loss, but here’s a surprise: too few will slow down your metabolism, also threatening your progress.
THOU SHALT EAT REGULARLY …
That’s right. No starving yourself! Regardless of the phase in which you start, you should be eating three regular-sized meals (with your choice of up to two snacks) every day. You may be surprised how quickly that old devil hunger diminishes when you eliminate the blood sugar roller coaster. One reason we want you to put something into your stomach at least three times a day is to provide enough protein to prevent lean-tissue loss, as well as to avoid cravings that may tempt you to hijack the office doughnut cart. Also, a low-carb late-afternoon snack, perhaps half an avocado or a couple of ounces of cheese, will make you less likely to chow down everything in sight at dinner. Are snacks mandatory? Not if your appetite is under control at meals and you’re not feeling fatigued. Try cutting out one or both snacks, see what happens, and proceed accordingly. Or simply cut back a bit at meals and continue the snacks. Some people do best on four or five small meals. Do what works for you.
… AND DRINK REGULARLY
There are numerous health reasons for drinking adequate fluid. When you’re not properly hydrated—and many people are borderline dehydrated much of the time—your body releases a hormone that makes your kidneys retain salt and water, but it does this at the expense of wasting your body’s stores of potassium. This essential mineral is vital to keeping your muscles and heart happy. The key to maintaining a healthy amount of potassium is to drink plenty of water, eat your foundation vegetables, and consume a modest amount of salt every day (unless you’re on a diuretic medication). We’ll discuss how to do this in detail in chapter 7. Consuming adequate salt, particularly in Induction, keeps your circulation primed and your energy level high. People often misread the body’s signal for more fluid as hunger, so staying well hydrated also helps you not overeat.
To determine if you’re drinking enough fluids, simply check the color of your urine, which should be clear or pale yellow. Also make sure that you’re passing urine at least every four to six hours. Thirst is clearly a sign as well, but you need to rehydrate long before you actually feel thirsty. Despite the old saw that everyone should drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day, individual needs vary. Larger, more active people need more than small, sedentary folks. Vigorous exercise or airplane travel (thanks to the dry air) increases your needs as well.
The bulk of your daily fluids should come from water, clear broth, and herb teas. Drinking coffee and other caffeinated beverages increases urine output, but research indicates that it doesn’t contribute to creating water or electrolyte imbalances.1 Caffeine also gently assists the body in burning fat.2 That means that you can count coffee and caffeinated tea (in moderation) toward your fluid intake. You won’t be drinking fruit juice (with the exception of small amounts of lemon and lime juice) or sodas sweetened with sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, all of which are full of carbs. The same goes for milk—and that includes skim milk, which is naturally rich in milk sugar (lactose). Spread out your fluid intake over the day, although you may want to stop a couple of hours before bedtime to avoid middle-of-the-night trips to the bathroom.
SUPPLEMENTARYINSURANCE
Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other micronutrients in food are just as vital to your health as protein, fat, and carbohydrate. Vitamins and minerals help convert calories into useful energy and perform a host of other functions that are vital for your body’s optimal performance. With lots of vegetables, ample protein, and healthy fats, at the very least you’ll be getting the daily minimum of micronutrients that you need. You should also take a daily multivitamin with minerals that includes magnesium and calcium but no iron (unless your doctor has diagnosed you as iron-deficient). Also, take an omega-3 supplement to ensure a proper balance of essential fatty acids. Finally, consider taking additional vitamin D if you don’t spend a lot of time in the sun.
BECOME GOAL-ORIENTED
As with any new endeavor, the first step is to set specific goals. We encourage a realistic long-term weight goal. If you’re dealing with health issues, work with your health care provider to quantify both long-term and short-term goals. Blood sugar, insulin, triglyceride, and blood pressure indicators usually improve quickly on Atkins, but changes in some markers may take up to six months. As with any journey, you need to know your destination or you might get lost or distracted along the road. The more specific your goal, the more likely you’ll achieve it. For example:
• I want to lose 30 pounds in six months.
• I want to be able to fit into Mom’s size 10 wedding dress for my wedding in June.
• I want to get my blood sugar level down to normal in the next three months.
• I want to maintain my 30-pound weight loss for a year.
Don’t make the mistake of setting yourself up for failure by trying to return to the twiggy figure you may have had thirty years ago. But don’t sell yourself short either. There’s usually no reason why you can’t be slim again—or even for the first time. Having that goal weight firmly planted in your mind will help you confront momentary temptations. Setting short-term goals is equally important, especially if you know you have a long road ahead of you. Step-by-step goals provide an ongoing sense of accomplishment, so you don’t start feeling that you’ll never reach your ultimate goal. If you have a long way to go, you might set interim goals in 10-pound increments or smaller clothes sizes. If your weight loss goals are more modest, 5-pound increments may be more appropriate.
Once you’ve established your goal, imagine how achieving each one of your objectives will make you look and feel. These visualizations should be more than just idle daydreams. Close your eyes, clear your mind, and create a distinct image of the new you. Visualize the person you are becoming on a daily basis.
LET’S GET PERSONAL
You can customize Atkins to your own metabolism, goals, and time frame, for example, choosing to start in Phase 2, Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL) instead of Phase 1, Induction. Just as important, you can mold the program to your culinary tastes and any dietary restrictions you may have. If you don’t care to eat beef, fine. Concentrate on poultry, pork, fish, and lamb. If you’re allergic to dairy products, there are plenty of alternative products that you can enjoy. You can even do Atkins while following kosher dietary rules.* One of the reasons that Atkins is so popular worldwide is that it can be adapted to almost any cuisine.
VERSATILE ENOUGH FOR VEGETARIANS
No, that’s not a typo! It’s perfectly possible to be a vegetarian—or simply minimize your intake of animal protein, add variety to your meals, and trim your food budget—and still do Atkins. The typical American vegetarian often consumes far too many carbohydrates in the form of pasta and other refined grains. As long as you consume at least two varieties of plant protein each day, you can get a balance of essential amino acids. Which leads to the second challenge. Plant proteins are “packaged” with carbohydrate. Your objective is to consume enough protein without simultaneously getting so much carbohydrate that it interferes with weight loss or weight maintenance. To adapt Atkins to your needs as a vegetarian:
• Make sure to get sufficient protein in eggs
, cheese, and soy products (see page 42 to gauge your needs).
• Start in Ongoing Weight Loss at 30 grams of Net Carbs and introduce nuts and seeds before berries.
• Or, if you have no more than 20 pounds to shed and are willing to swap slower weight loss for more food variety, you may start in Phase 3, Pre-Maintenance, at 50 grams of Net Carbs.
• Add extra olive, canola, high-oleic safflower, walnut, flaxseed, and other oils to salads and vegetables to make up for the smaller amount of fat in most of your protein sources, so as not to interfere with fat metabolism.
You’ll find vegetarian meal plans in part III. We’ll go into greater detail on this variation of Atkins in the chapters on OWL and Pre-Maintenance.
ATKINS FOR VEGANS
It’s more challenging for vegans, who don’t eat eggs and dairy products, to do Atkins, but not impossible. The trick is to get sufficient protein from seeds, nuts, soy products, soy and rice cheeses, seitan, legumes, and highprotein grains such as quinoa. Weight loss may proceed more slowly because of the higher carb intake than that of those following the standard Atkins program. Vegans should make the following modifications:
• Start in Ongoing Weight Loss at 50 grams of Net Carbs so that you can have nuts, seeds, and their butters, plus legumes, from the start.
• If you don’t have much weight to lose, begin in Pre-Maintenance at 60 grams of Net Carbs, in order to include small amounts of whole grains and other plant protein sources from the start.
• Make sure you’re getting sufficient protein in plant sources (see “How Much Protein Do You Need?” on page 42 to gauge your needs).
• In order not to interfere with fat metabolism, add extra flaxseed, olive, canola, walnut, and other oils to salads and vegetables to make up for the smaller amount of fat in most of your protein sources.
You’ll find a 50-gram Net Carbs vegan meal plan in part III and you can modify the vegetarian plans at higher levels. We’ll go into greater detail on this variation of Atkins in the chapters on OWL and Pre-Maintenance.
ATKINS WITH A LATIN BEAT
As the number of Latinos in the United States continues to grow, so, unfortunately do their rates of obesity and diabetes, making them one of the most at-risk populations in the nation. All this argues for overweight Hispanics or those with a family history of obesity or diabetes to seriously consider Atkins, which has been shown to reduce risk factors for type 2 diabetes and even reverse its progression. Although their traditional diets include lots of corn, rice, and beans, most Latinos didn’t suffer from metabolic disorders in disproportionate numbers until they migrated to this country or started eating the typical American diet full of refined grains, sugar, and other processed foods. You can honor your Hispanic culinary traditions and still do Atkins. (We understand that from Peru to Puerto Rico, and from Mexico to Cuba, each cuisine is different, so our recommendations are general in nature.) Start in Phase 1, Induction, regardless of the amount of weight you need to lose and focus on simply prepared protein dishes flavored with traditional seasonings minus high-carb sauces. Specific recommendations appear in the chapters on Ongoing Weight Loss and Pre-Maintenance.
RESEARCH REPORT: LOW-CARB DIETS AND EXERCISE
Two common beliefs of nutritionists and athletes are that it’s necessary to consume carbohydrates to have the energy to exercise, and therefore high-carb diets optimize exercise capacity. So, the logic goes, because Atkins is a low-carb diet, it must play havoc with your ability to be physically active. Right? Wrong! The reality is that your body adapts to a low-carb diet, allowing access to your fat stores and burning more fat for fuel, which are the same desirable outcomes associated with exercise training. In fact, being able to burn fat for energy and thus spare carbohydrate stores while exercising is a major goal of endurance athletes. From a purely metabolic perspective, the Atkins Diet and exercise are highly complementary.
One researcher looked at elite cyclists who ate a diet similar to the Atkins Lifetime Maintenance phase.3 Given their very low carbohydrate intakes, conventional wisdom would have predicted severely impaired performance. Indeed, for the first week or two, they struggled to maintain their training schedule. Four weeks later, however, when the amount of time it took for the cyclists to reach the point of exhaustion was tested, the results were virtually identical to their previous performance while on a high-carb diet. There were, however, dramatic changes in fuel selection. After the four-week period, the cyclists used almost exclusively fat during exercise, making very little use of blood sugar (which remained at the normal level) and muscle glycogen (stored glucose).
Atkins and weight training are highly compatible as well. In another study, overweight men followed a diet comparable to the Ongoing Weight Loss phase of Atkins while participating in an intense resistance training program.4 After twelve weeks, the men showed extraordinary changes in body composition. They lost an average of 16 pounds of fat, attributable mainly to their low-carb diet. Meanwhile, their lean body mass actually increased by 2 pounds, credited mainly to the resistance training. These and other studies clearly shatter the common misconception that you need a high-carb diet to benefit from exercise.
GET PHYSICAL—OR NOT
Numerous health benefits are associated with regular physical activity, making it a natural partner to a healthy diet. The primary benefit of exercise weightwise is to promote long-term weight maintenance. Research reveals that physical activity appears to help some people lose weight but not others, meaning that your genes make this determination.5 But there are numerous other benefits of regular physical activity, including:
• Increasing your energy level.
• Complementing the effects of a low-carb diet to unlock your fat stores.
• Inducing calmness, thanks to the release of endorphins, which could temper stress experienced as a result of changing eating habits.
• Building muscle (in the case of some types of high-resistance exercise) so you look better in and out of clothes.
• Instilling a sense of accomplishment.
But go slowly. If physical activity is already a part of your life, you may need to reduce the duration or intensity in the first few weeks as you adapt to Atkins, before building back up again—or not. Listen to your body’s signals. Sedentary folks should wait until they are at least two weeks into the program before adding activity. Build your skills and tolerance gradually so that by the time you reach your goal weight, your fitness program will help you maintain it. We also understand that some of you need to trim off a few pounds before you move on to exercise. Over time, however, there’s no reason why most people can’t incorporate physical activity into their routine. Begin with walking, which can be done almost anywhere and is also less likely to result in injuries. You can personalize the type and degree of activity to suit your skills, preferences, and schedule. Embarking on a vigorous fitness program at a later date is one of those possibilities that is entirely up to you.
You may find it easier to incorporate walking, hiking, and swimming into a busy schedule by combining them with family time, socializing, and even chores like walking the dog. Because it’s more natural than a formal exercise program, many people are more likely to stay with such physical activities for the long term. Much like your new eating style, being active should become a habit. Just as you’re more likely to eat delicious foods, you’re more apt to regularly pursue activities you find enjoyable. The Department of Health and Human Services Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend two and a half hours of moderate activity per week.
TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR
See your physician before embarking on any weight loss or health improvement program, both to make sure that there is no health reason that might interfere with your success and to have baseline tests performed. He or she will check your blood pressure and blood sugar level as well as order a lipid panel (total, HDL, and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides). In three to six months, or after you’ve reached your goal weight (
whichever comes first), these health markers will serve as bases for comparison. If you’re taking any medications, discuss whether they might interfere with weight loss, as certain antidepressants, insulin, steroids, and beta-blockers can. Perhaps you can reduce the dosage or switch to another medication. If you’re taking insulin, controlling your carb intake will likely reduce your blood sugar level, often necessitating a prompt reduction in your dosage. This is a good thing, but you need to discuss with your doctor how to manage it safely. People with high blood pressure also often see a quick improvement, so if you are on diuretics or other medication for this condition, take your own readings and keep in touch with your physician. Caution: Do not stop taking or reduce the dosage of any drugs without consulting your physician.
GET READY, GET SET
As Henry Ford once said, “Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success.” Once you’ve experienced the appetite-controlling benefits of burning your own body fat, you’ll find it much easier to deal with the psychological baggage associated with weight loss. The control you’ll wield will enable you to accept on a profound level that you’re going to succeed. You’ll find that you can get past your history and perhaps a poor self-image and form new habits. With the Atkins Edge, you’ll enjoy a wonderful sense of mastery as you realize that you’re capable of modifying your responses to certain situations and temptations. Before you begin your Atkins journey, address these motivational and practical matters.
• Finish reading this book. You’ll want to return to various sections as you enter each new phase, but it’s important to have an overview before beginning.
• Get a carbohydrate gram counter. Print it out from www.atkins.com/tools or pick up Dr. Atkins’ New Carbohydrate Gram Counter, which fits in your pocket or purse.
• Pick the right time. Don’t embark on Atkins when you’re under a lot of stress or unusually busy. You want to have as much control as you can over external events in your first weeks on the program, to ensure getting off to a good start. Likewise, don’t begin over a holiday or just before a vacation. On the other hand, don’t keep coming up with excuses to delay starting the program.