The initial stage of any type of diet is the crucial factor which decides the effectiveness of the diet. So is the case with the Atkins diet. Along with the food items that can be consumed during the duration of the diet, there are certain golden rules which need to be followed during the diet period.
In the initial stages of dieting, it is recommended to people to consume three meals per day of regular size or five to six smaller meals is acceptable. If you tend to feel hungry very frequently, you can break your large meals into smaller segments. A vegetable and proteins diet would help in staying away from the craving to consume carbohydrates. Staying awake for a period more than six hours without a meal and skipping meals is not advisable at all.
There need not be any restriction on proteins and fats and you can freely choose to have a variety in the list of foods that are accepted. As the Atkins diet plan is not a diet restricting calories, you can go for as much as fats and proteins as you prefer. Only the level of carbohydrates in grams matters. It is necessary to calculate the amount of carbohydrates consumed in grams by way of cheese, beverages with splenda and vegetables. At least 12-15 grams of the carbohydrates intake which is allowed must be from vegetables. Vegetables play a major role when it comes to diet.
Whole fruits, pasta, grains, bread and vegetables with starch such as squash and cauliflower have to be avoided. Such food stuff will be introduced gradually with the passage of the diet. Beans have to be avoided as they contain carbohydrates along with proteins. If an urge to eat grain products is prevalent, low carbohydrate-high fiber food must be preferred. One thing to be noted here is that, this will slow down the process of weight loss.
During the introduction stage, it is completely out of question to have anything which is not in the list of acceptable foods. This is because; there is a great probability of it spoiling the whole diet plan.
The quantity of foods accepted should be adjusted as per the needs of individual appetite. As the craving for sugar and carbohydrates decreases, hunger pangs would gradually decrease. After this is achieved, only the satisfying amount of food must be consumed.
Special care must be taken to go through the labels of packaged food items even if it is specified that it is carbohydrate-free. This is because many products may contain hidden carbohydrates. If the percentage of fat is lesser than .5 percent, it can be rounded off as zero, by the manufacturer as the law does not prohibit it. The ingredients of the product may help in determining the presence of carbohydrates, if any. While having meat and salads care must be taken to ensure that carbohydrates are not consumed unknowingly by means of gravies and salad dressings. For this purpose, salads can be had with vinegar or olive oil dressing and meat can be had without gravy.
The next thing to be followed is to drink at least 8-ounces of water a day other than any other drink that you consume. This will help in avoiding constipation and would help in keeping the body hydrated. In the same way, the by-products of burnt fat can be flushed out of the body.
These are the golden rules which ought to be followed while starting off with the Atkins diet so that the desired results are achieved in the longer run.