Atkins Diet Pre-maintenance Phase

After experiencing the Induction and OWL phases of the Atkins Diet, the next step is to enter the pre-maintenance phase. This phase ensures that you can eat and live a healthy and balanced life. You should start this phase when you come within 5 to 10 pounds of your target weight. Your weight loss will be slowed down even further, but it is for a purpose. You want to learn the practices and habits that will determine your long-term success.

In the OWL phase, you will add carbohydrate grams to your daily count in the increase of 5 grams per week. During the pre-care phase you will increase that to 10 grams per week. As long as you keep losing weight (no matter how slowly it decreases) you will keep adding grams. Ideally you will lose less than one pound per week towards the end of the pre-care phase.

According to the Atkins book you should continue this phase until you reach your target weight and maintain this for a month. This process can take 1 to 3 months. Your goal is to reach a state called carbohydrate equilibrium. This is your ideal carbohydrate intake and will help you maintain perfect weight.

During pre-maintenance, you can try a wider variety of foods. Be sure to introduce new foods slowly and increase your carbohydrate intake at a measured rate. Do not add 20 or 30 carbohydrate grams per week. Measuring the increase in steps of 10 will give you a better idea of your personal carbohydrate level. Knowing this number will help you manage your weight in the long term.

Make sure you check this with a carbohydrate counter or a reliable website before adding a new food to your diet. Some examples of 10 carbohydrate foods are 1/3 of a cup of legumes, an apple, a cup of potatoes and a cup of oatmeal. These foods can be taken daily and increased the following week.

Pre-maintenance is not a perfect process. A delicate balance is needed between carbohydrate counting and exercise to slow down weight loss while still promoting it. You need to be even more careful than before to make sure that the increase in your carbohydrate program does not lead to an increase in weight. There is a thin line between winning, keeping and losing, and during the pre-care work you try to find out exactly where that line is.

If you are unable to add carbohydrates without slowing down your weight loss, you may have a high metabolic resistance. You will benefit from increasing your workout schedule to bring your metabolism to a higher level. For you, the pre-maintenance phase will be more like OWL.

Some people do a variation on pre-maintenance that allows them to undergo treatment once a week. Instead of adding 10 grams a day, they allow themselves a treat of 20 to 30 grams of carbohydrates a few times a week. Examples of the treat are a piece of fruit or a portion of sweet potatoes. A glass of white wine or beer also qualifies for this treat. This is a fun way to reward yourself and still be on the plan.

Another way to do pre-maintenance is by averaging your carbohydrate intake for the week. Because life is sometimes unpredictable, it can be useful to have a little flexibility in your eating plan. For example, if your current carbohydrate level is 70 grams, you can limit yourself to 50 grams a day. Then you can spit yourself out on a meal the next day and have 90 grams for that day. However, follow this method only when there is no need for carbohydrates. Sometimes an excess of carbohydrates on one day can cause you to need even more carbohydrates the next day.

The pre-maintenance phase gives you the tools for long-term success. By learning to slowly increase your carbohydrate grams, you will be able to hold on to the amount of carbohydrates that is right for you.