Pre Maintenance Stage Of The Atkins Diet
The pre maintenance stage comes after the orientation and OWL stages of the diet plan. This stage is the stepping stone to a balanced and healthy living for all the years to time. This should be begun when you are within five to ten pounds nearer to the target you have set. This would slow down the weight loss process but you will learn techniques which would help you in achieving better results in the long-run.
In the OWL stage, you would slowly start introducing little grams of carbohydrates to your diet which would be gradually increased by 5 grams each week. When the pre-maintenance week starts, this increment would be increased to 10 grams every week. Carbohydrate grams are added till the time you lose weight however slow it may be. Generally, it is common to lose less than one pound every week in the pre-maintenance phase.
This state should be carried on till you reach your target weight and successfully maintain it at least for a month, as per the Atkins diet plan book. The duration of this process ranges from one to three months. The target to be achieved is termed as the stage of "carbohydrate equilibrium" and is the state when your carbohydrate intake is perfect and would help in maintaining the desired weight in the longer run.
A wide range of food items can be had during this period. New food stuff can be introduced gradually and intake of carbohydrates has to be increased side by side at a properly calculated rate. Increasing the intake of carbohydrates by ten grams every week is considered ideal. This would help in maintaining the ideal weight.
Before adding a new item into the diet, it is necessary to check up the carbohydrate counter book or a website. Some food items which contain ten gram carbohydrates are half an apple, quarter cup of potatoes, one-third cup of legumes, and half a cup of plain oatmeal. Such foods are to be included on a day to day basis, and then have to be increased with the passing weeks.
Pre-maintenance cannot be termed as a complete process. It takes a subtle balance of exercise and carbohydrate counting to decelerate the weight loss and still move forward. Enough care should be taken to keep an eye on the carbohydrate intake so that it does not result in weight gain in any way. There is a thin line which separates gaining, losing and maintaining weight. Pre-maintenance is the period when you are looking for this fine line.
If weight loss cannot be stalled while adding on carbohydrates, it implies a great metabolic resistance. In such a case exercises can prove beneficial when increased.
Another method which can be followed is treating oneself a couple of times a week by saving carbohydrate grams of some days. This can be done by consuming beer or white wine or by having a portion of sweet potatoes or a fruit piece. The other way is to calculate the carbohydrate intake per week and divide it in such a way that you consume a little less on a few days while you can have a blast on the other days using the quantity of carbohydrates that was saved. However, care should be taken to not let the carbohydrate craving increase again.
The pre maintenance stage is a sure shot way for long term results if followed properly. It would help in maintaining the weight as well as have a balance over the carbohydrate intake.