Many looking to lose weight find the Atkins Diet to be an attractive way of eating that allows them to restrict their food intake while still enjoying many of the foods they love. You can find much information about the diet online, but many people who haven’t read the Atkins Diet book may wonder how long you should stay on the Atkins Diet. The answer is a bit more complex than you might think.
What most people don’t realize is that the Atkins Diet has several stages to it. You start with the “induction phase”, which helps you get rid of any carbohydrate cravings you may have and forces your body to go into ketosis. Ketosis is when your body starts using its fat for energy instead of carbohydrates, causing you to lose weight. You can see if your body is in ketosis by using unique strips that test your urine.
When most people think about the Atkins Diet, they are only thinking about the induction phase of the diet.
However, you are supposed to move out of it. After spending two weeks on the induction phase, you should move to the ongoing weight loss (OWL) phase. In this phase, you begin to add carbohydrates back into your diet slowly until you reach a point where your body goes out of ketosis. Of course, these should be healthy carbs such as vegetables and whole grains, not doughnuts.
You then go through a pre-maintenance and maintenance phase where you introduce even more healthy carbs to your diet. It is meant for when you have lost all the weight you want to lose and maintain a healthy weight.
Technically, it would be best if you stayed on the Atkins Diet for life. If you were to go back to a standard way of eating, you are likely to regain all of the weight you lost. You need to follow a healthy way of eating for life to stay healthy and slim.
Some people do stay on the induction phase of the Atkins Diet for longer than two weeks. It is a personal preference. These people feel that strictly maintaining their diet helps them to achieve their goals. Others, however, find the induction phase to be a bit restrictive and enjoy incorporating additional carbohydrates into their diet.
The choice is yours. But if you are serious about improving your health, you should realize that you are making a lifelong commitment.