The Atkins Diet Induction Menu

April 9, 2009 by Steve

Following the Atkins diet induction menu correctly is one of the most important steps to successful weight loss. Along with the list of acceptable foods are a few important rules that need to be followed during this part of the diet.

During the Atkins diet induction phase, you should be eating three normal-sized meals per day or four to five smaller meals. If you find that you’re getting hungry between meals, you should break your meals down into smaller portions and eat more frequently.

To stave off carb cravings, you’ll need to keep your body running on the proteins and vegetables in the plan. Don’t skip meals or go more than six waking hours without food!

Remember that the Atkins diet is not a calorie-restricted diet. So you can eat freely from the list of acceptable foods. Don’t restrict your fats and proteins.

The only thing you should be concerned about is your carbohydrate intake. Make sure you count the grams when eating veggies, cheese and beverages with Splenda. About 12-15 grams of your allowed 20 grams of carbs should be from the vegetable list. Veggies are important to your digestive system.

You must avoid fruit, bread, pasta, grains and starchy vegetables such as cauliflower or squash during this initial period. These will slowly be introduced throughout the course of the pre-maintenance phase.

If you really feel that you should have some grain products in your diet, make sure it’s limited to high fiber low-carbohydrate. This may slow down your weight loss though.

Here is an example of an Atkins Induction menu:

Breakfast

Breakfast menus for the induction phase should not total more than six grams of carbohydrates. Eggs, bacon, ham, and cheeses will work quite well.

Sample menu: 2-egg omelet with chèvre and chives, bacon and decaf coffee.

Lunch

A small salad with a burger or meat salad would make for a good lunch.

Sample menu: Chicken salad, mesclun mix salad (1 cup) with sugar-free dressing, sugar-free gelatin, water or tea.

Dinner

Meals are fairly simple at this stage, as your 20g daily carb limit dictates that dinner should be no more than 7g of carbs. Still, with a little creativity, dinner can be very fulfilling.

Sample menu: smoked salmon appetizer, Caesar salad (no croutons), steak au poivre, steamed broccoli, sugar-free gelatin.

Snacks

Beef jerky, vienna sausages, cheese (remember each ounce of cheese counts as one gram of carb), hard-boiled eggs, pork rinds.

During the Induction phase, anything that isn’t on the acceptable food list is forbidden. Don’t be tempted to try anything else. You’ll end up ruining your diet.

You should adjust the quantity of acceptable Atkins diet foods to eat to suit your appetite. At the start of the Atkins diet Induction phase, you may find yourself eating more than at the end of the phase. As your body breaks its addiction to sugar and carbs, you’ll be less hungry throughout the day. When this starts to happen, you should only eat what you need. Don’t be stuffing yourself.

Always read the labels of packaged products. Even though some may say they’re “carb free”, if a product has fewer than .5 grams of carbohydrates, the law will allow the manufacturer to round it off to zero.

Remember to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. This will keep your body well-hydrated. You’ll also be able to flush out the by-products created by fat burning.

By keeping these guidlines in mind and eating the foods on the Atkins diet Induction menu, you will be paving the way for long-term weight loss success.

Filed under: Atkins
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