New Atkins Diet

Dr Robert Atkins showed the world that weight loss doesn’t mean you have to starve. As long as you break free from the stranglehold of eating too many carbohydrates that programme our bodies to produce and store fat.

The old Atkins diet promises to turn your body into a fat-burning machine. The theory is that by starving yourself of carbohydrates, your body will start burning fat for energy.

New Atkins

New Atkins is similar to the old Atkins, except it allows a wider variety of foods to make it more nutritionally balanced.

During the first two weeks of the diet, designed for rapid weight loss, you’re on a protein-rich diet with no restrictions on fat and a daily carb allowance of just 20g.

During the next three phases, the weight loss is likely to be more gradual and regular exercise is encouraged. More carbs are introduced to your diet – initially 5g and later 10g at a time – with the aim of working out what your ideal carb intake is to maintain a healthy weight for life.

Phase one is designed to help you lose up to 15lb in two weeks, reducing to 2-3lb during phase two.

One of the defining aspects of the All-New Atkins Advantage is that each person can tailor it to his or her own needs and tastes.

Four phases of New Atkins:

There are four phases to the diet. If you are willing to wait a little longer to lose weight, then just work through the phases as described below.

But if you want to lose weight rapidly you can stay in the more restrictive induction phase for longer.

1. The restrictive induction phase

You eat only a minimal amount of carbohydrates during this phase – around 20g of ‘net carbs’ a day (to work them out, see information below above) – and will experience fairly rapid weight loss as your body switches from burning carbohydrates to fat. You should do this phase for two weeks, but you can do it for up to a maximum of six months, depending on how much weight you would like to lose.

2. The On-going Weight Loss Phase 

You slowly add a greater variety of carbohydrate food by 5g a week and will discover exactly how much carbohydrate you can eat while still losing weight. You stay in OWL until you have only five to ten pounds left to lose before reaching your ideal weight.

3. Pre-maintenance

You increase your carbohydrate intake by 10g a week, as long as you still keep losing pounds or inches. Your weight loss will slow to a crawl, but this is exactly what you want if your goal is permanent weight control.

During this phase, you will reach your goal weight. Once you have maintained it for a month, you are ready to move on to Lifetime Maintenance – not so much a phase as a permanent way of eating.

4. Lifetime Maintenance

This is not really a phase at all, but a permanent way of eating. We recommend that once you have reached your goal weight, you monitor it closely, being careful never to gain more than 5lb.

The New Atkins Diet Plan

STARTING THE DIET PHASE ONE: INDUCTION

Don’t over- extend yourself during this period, because this phase requires some psychological and physical energy.

In some respects induction is the most rewarding part of the new Atkins Diet – after a few days, you will be rewarded with an energy surge accompanied by rapid weight loss.

We recommend you do it for a minimum of 14 days, because that’s how long it will take to break your body’s carbohydrate addiction. But you can stay on it for longer – until you have only 50-10lb left to lose.

Here are the rules of induction:

• Eat only the foods on the Acceptable Foods in Induction list below.
• Consume approximately 20 grams of net carbs a day, primarily from salad and other vegetables. See the box above for what 20g net carbs looks like in terms of a day’s eating.
• Eat at least 12 net carbs per day of acceptable vegetables – that’s four cupful’s, three as salad and one of the other vegetables from the lists below. You can have more if you stick to salad.
• Spread your carbohydrate intake over the course of the day
• Eat three regular meals or four or five small ones. Do not skip meals, especially breakfast, or go for more than six waking hours without eating.
• Eat at least 6oz/170g (the size of two decks of cards) of protein at every meal.
• Between meals eat a low carbohydrate snack if you are hungry, such as a boiled egg, a celery stick filled with cream cheese, or a slice of turkey wrapped around a steamed stalk of asparagus.
• Drink two litres of water throughout the day.
• Take a daily multivitamin, a fibre supplement (see below) and essential fatty acids.

ACCEPTABLE FOOD IN INDUCTION

• All fish, including tuna, salmon, sole, trout, sardines, herring.
• All fowl, including chicken, turkey, duck, goose, quail, pheasant
• All shellfish, including oysters, mussels, lobster, clams, squid, prawns, crab (limit oysters and mussels to 4oz/115g a day as they have higher carbs).
• All meat, including beef, pork, lamb, veal, ham, venison.
• All eggs, including scrambled, fried, poached, boiled or as omelettes. You can eat all these liberally because they’re virtually carb-free.
• Around 3-4oz (85g-115g) a day of any cheese, including cheddar, gouda, edam, mozzarella, Roquefort or other blue cheese, Swiss cheese, any cow, goat or sheep cheese. There is around one net carb in every 1oz/28g of cheese, so include it in your allowance.
• Salad vegetables: You should eat 12-15 net carbs a day of vegetables. Salad vegetables are high in nutrients and provide a good source of fibre. They provide 1g of carbohydrates per cup of vegetables and include: alfalfa sprouts, bok choi, celery, chicory, chives, cucumber, daikon, fennel, lettuce – any sort, including rocket, endive, radicchio, romaine etc – mushrooms, parsley, radishes and sorrel.
• Other vegetables: These are slightly higher in carb content, but add variety in flavour and nutrients. They provide 6g carbohydrates per cup, and include: artichoke, asparagus, aubergine, bamboo shoots, bean shoots, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, chard, courgette, hearts of palm, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, okra, onion, peppers, pumpkin, rhubarb, sauerkraut, spring onions, sugar snaps, spinach, string beans, squash, tomato, turnips and water chestnuts.
• Salad garnishes: crumbled crisp bacon, grated cheese, chopped hard-boiled egg, sauteed mushrooms, sour cream.
• Spices: Add herbs and spices to taste as long as they do not contain any added sugar. Choose, for example, basil, cayenne pepper, coriander, dill, garlic, ginger, oregano, pepper, rosemary, sage, tarragon and thyme.
• Dressings: Oils, vinegar and lemon juice plus herbs and spices. Prepared dressings with no added sugar and no more than two carbs per tbsp are fine.
• Artificial sweeteners: The Atkins preference is sucralose, marketed as Splenda, the only sweetener made from sugar. It is safe, non- calorific and does not raise blood sugar. It contains some carbs, so include in your allowance.
• Beverages: Water – you must drink eight 250ml/8 fl oz glasses of water a day of filtered, mineral, spring or tap water  –  a total of two litres. You can also drink clear broth/bouillon (read the label and make sure there is no carbohydrate in it), soda water, coffee and tea, diet drinks make with sucralose (count the carbs), ‘no-calorie’ drinks and herbal tea.
• Special category foods: For variety, you can eat ten to 20 olives, half a small avocado, 1oz/28g sour cream or 3oz/85g cream and 2/3 tbsp of lemon or lime juice.
• You should also take three supplements a day: a multivitamin, essential fatty acids and fibre. For fibre, consume a minimum of 2tsp of ground flaxseed, unprocessed bran or psyllium husks daily (all of these are available in health food shops).

HOW DO I WORK OUT NET CARBS?

Refined carbohydrate causes blood sugar to rise rapidly. To calculate a food’s net carb value, all you have to do is look at the information on the back of the packet.

Find the total carbohydrate content and then subtract the amount of fibre. For example, four spears of asparagus have 2.5g of total carbohydrates and 1g of fibre. That works out as 1.5g of net carbs.

To help you, we give the net carb values for all the foods in weekly meal plans Below. Alternatively, you can buy the Dr Atkins New Carbohydrate Counter book, which contains many net carb values.

Here’s an example of how one day’s 20g carb allowance could work out:

• Mixed salad (3 cups) = 3g.
• Eggs (two) = 1g.
• Cooked veg (1 cup) = 4g.
• Cheese, 3/4oz (85g/115g) = 3g.
• Avocado (half) = 2g.
• Olives (10) = 2g.
• Lemon juice (1 tbsp.) = 1.5g.
• Cream (1 tbsp.) = 0.5g.
• Salad dressing (2 tbsp.) = 2g.
• Sugar substitute (2 tsp.) = 1g.
• TOTAL = 20

NB: All measurements are in American cup sizes (available in homeware shops). Or use your measuring jug: 1 cup = 240ml = 8fl oz. 1/2 cup = 120ml = 4fl oz.

WEEK ONE MEAL PLAN

DAY 1

• BREAKFAST: Atkins Advantage Morning Bar or low carb protein bar (3 net carbs), 2 boiled eggs (1)
• SNACK: 1/4 cup ricotta (2), 1 celery stalk (1)
• LUNCH: Salmon salad: 8oz/225g salmon mixed with 2 tbsp mayo, 1 tbsp parsley, 1/2 cup sliced cucumber (1), 2 cups mixed salad leaves (2).
• Top with 4 spears asparagus (2) and 2 tbsp vinaigrette (2)
• DINNER: 8oz/225g grilled chicken breast, 1/2 cup roasted broccoli (1), 1 cup cos lettuce, 2oz/ 57g Parmesan (2), five olives (1), Caesar dressing (1)
• SNACK: 1/2 cup sugar-free jelly (1), 2 tbsp cream (1/2)

TOTAL: 20 1/2g

DAY 2

• BREAKFAST: Florentine omelette: 2 eggs (1), 2oz/56g grated cheddar (2), 1 cup chopped spinach (1), 3 bacon rashers (1)
• SNACK: 1/2 avocado (2)
• LUNCH: Chicken salad: 8oz/225g chicken mixed with 1/2 cup sliced cucumber (1), 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes (2), dill, 2 tbsp mayo, 2 cups mixed leaves (2), vinaigrette (2)
• DINNER: 1 cup clear broth (1), Sauteed prawns: 8oz/225g prawns, sauteed in butter, garlic (1), chopped parsley, 2 cups cos lettuce (2), 5 black olives (1), creamy ranch dressing (2)
• SNACK: 1oz /28g edam (1)
• TOTAL: 22g

DAY 3

• BREAKFAST: 1 slice rye toast (3), 2 sliced smoked salmon, 2 tbsp cream cheese (1)
• SNACK: 1 boiled egg (0.5)
• LUNCH: 1 cup chicken broth, Chef salad: 2 slices each of thick ham, turkey, roast beef, 1 chopped boiled egg (1), 1oz/28g blue cheese, 2 slices bacon crumbled over three cups mixed salad (3), vinaigrette (2)
• DINNER: 8oz/225g grilled steak with 1/2 cup each of courgette and mushrooms, sauteed (2.5), 1 cup rocket (1), 1/2 cup sliced cucumber (1), ranch dressing (1)
• SNACK: Hot chocolate: 1/2 cup plain soya milk, 1 tbsp cocoa, 1 tsp Splenda (3)

TOTAL: 19g

DAY 4

• BREAKFAST: 2 scrambled eggs (1), 1 slice rye toast (3), 2 bacon rashers
• SNACK: A stick of celery filled with 2 tbsp of cream cheese (3)
• LUNCH: 8oz/225g turkey burger with 1 tbsp ketchup (1), 2 cups lettuce (2), 1 oz/28g crumbled feta cheese and vinaigrette (2)
• DINNER: 8oz/225g grilled tuna, 1/2 cup steamed artichoke hearts (2), 2 cups mixed salad leaves with vinaigrette (4)
• SNACK: Atkins Advantage Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar (2)

TOTAL: 20g

DAY 5

• BREAKFAST: Spiced turkey and egg scramble: 3oz/85g turkey mince with 2 scrambled eggs (2). Season with salt, red pepper flakes and hot pepper sauce
• SNACK: 1oz/28g Swiss cheese (1)
• LUNCH: Chicken soup: 8oz/ 225g shredded poached chicken, 1/2 cup mushrooms (1 1/2) in 1 cup chicken broth (1), 2 cups endive (1), 5 olives (1), vinaigrette (2)
• DINNER: 8oz/225g roasted pork tenderloin, 3 cups cos lettuce (3), 1oz/28g crumbled blue cheese (1), 2 tbsp sundried tomatoes (2), vinaigrette (2)
• SNACK: 1 stalk celery, 2 tbsp soy nut butter (2)

TOTAL: 19.5g

DAY 6

• BREAKFAST: Atkins Advantage Peanut Granola Bar or low sugar protein bar (3), 1 boiled egg (1/2)
• SNACK: 1oz/28g cheddar (1)
• LUNCH: Cobb salad: 6oz/170g grilled chicken, 1 slice bacon crumbled, 1/2 avocado (2) and 1oz/28g blue cheese, crumbled (1), over 3 cups mixed leaves (3) with vinaigrette (2)
• DINNER: Beef sauté: 8oz/225g minced beef sautéed with 5 chopped black olives, 1/4 cup tomato sauce (3) and 1 cup chopped spinach (1); creamy mashed cauliflower: 1 cup steamed cauliflower (2) mashed with 1 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp cream (0.5)
• SNACK: 5 black olives (1)

TOTAL: 20g

DAY 7

• BREAKFAST: 2 fried eggs (1), 1 cup mushrooms and sautéed tomatoes (2.5)
• SNACK: 1/2 avocado (2)
• LUNCH: Blue cheese burger: 1 8oz/225g hamburger patty with 1oz/28g melted blue cheese (1), 1/2 cup chopped cherry tomatoes (2); 2 cups mixed salad leaves with ranch dressing (2)
• DINNER: Chicken parmigiana: 8oz/ 225g chicken breast topped with a cup of tomato sauce (3) and 1oz/28g fresh mozzarella cheese (1), 1/2 cup grilled aubergine (2), 1 cup salad leaves (1) with vinaigrette (1)
• SNACK: 1 boiled egg (1)

TOTAL: 19.5g

WEEK TWO MEAL PLAN

DAY 1

• BREAKFAST: Nut smoothie: 1 tbsp soy nut butter (1); blend with 1 cup natural soya milk (3), 2 scoops whey protein vanilla shake (2), 4 ice-cubes
• SNACK: 1 boiled egg (0.5)
• LUNCH: 4 slices corned beef, 2 slices Swiss cheese (2), 1/2 cup sauerkraut (2) served over 2 cups of spinach, steamed (1) with mustard vinaigrette (2)
• DINNER: 8oz/225g grilled salmon steak splashed with 1 tbsp soy sauce (1) served with mixed salad leaves (2) and half a cup of cucumber (1) drizzled with 1 tbsp peanut oil and 1tbsp unseasoned rice wine vinegar (2)
• SNACK: 5 black olives (1)

TOTAL: 20.5g

DAY 2

• BREAKFAST: 1 poached egg (1/2) on 1 slice low-carb multigrain toast (3), 1oz/28g cheese, melted, 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes (2)
• SNACK: 1 Atkins Advantage Morning Start Bar (2)
• LUNCH: 1 cup vegetable broth; 2 cups baby spinach (1), 8oz/ 225g roast turkey, 1 bacon rasher, crumbled, blue cheese dressing (2)
• DINNER: 8oz/225g lamb chops, grilled, 1 cup steamed cauliflower (2); 1 cup mixed salad, ranch dressing (1); 1/2 avocado (2)
• SNACK: Prawn cocktail: 6 steamed prawns with cocktail sauce (3)

TOTAL: 18.5g

DAY 3

• BREAKFAST: 2 scrambled eggs (1), 1oz cheddar (1), 1 tbsp each salsa and sour cream (2)
• SNACK: Atkins Advantage Ready-to-Drink French Vanilla Shake (2)
• LUNCH: 1 cup chicken broth; 8oz/ 225g grilled chicken breast with pesto sauce (1/4 cup fresh basil with 2 tbsp olive oil, 1oz grated Parmesan) (1), 1 cup cos lettuce (1), vinaigrette (1)
• DINNER: Fish fajita: 8oz/225g pan-fried cod and 1 slice cheddar wrapped in a low-carb tortilla (3), 2 cups mixed salad leaves (2) with 1/2 cup button mushrooms, chopped (1), and vinaigrette (2)
• SNACK: 1/2 avocado (2)

TOTAL: 19g

DAY 4

• BREAKFAST: 1 boiled egg (1/2), 1 Atkins Advantage Morning Bar (2)
• SNACK: 1 celery stalk, herb dip (2)
• LUNCH: Broccoli soup: 1/2 cup of broccoli, pureed with 1/4 cup liquid and 1/4 cup single cream (3); 1/2 avocado (2) with 8oz/225g crab/tuna with mayo, 2 cups spinach (2), vinaigrette (2)
• DINNER: 8oz/225g gammon steak, 1/2cup green beans with butter and chopped mint (3), 1 cup mixed leaves (1), vinaigrette (1)
• SNACK: 1/2 cup cucumber slices (1), 1oz/28g smoked salmon, 1tbsp cream cheese (1)

TOTAL: 20.5g

DAY 5

• BREAKFAST: Atkins Advantage French Vanilla Ready-to-Drink Shake (2), 2 boiled eggs (1)
• SNACK: 1oz/28g soy nuts (1)
• LUNCH: 1 cup chicken broth Open ham sandwich: 1 slice low-carb rye bread (3), 2 thick slices baked ham, 2 slices U.S. cheese (2) with mayo and mustard, 1/2 cup sliced cucumber (1) served on 1/2 cup endive (1), with 1 tbsp vinaigrette (1)
• DINNER: 2 grilled veal chops seasoned with butter that’s been mixed with chopped sage, 1/2 cup sautéed courgette (3), 2 cups mixed leaves (3), drizzled with vinaigrette (2)
• SNACK: 1oz/28g cheese (1)

TOTAL: 21g

DAY 6

• BREAKFAST: Greek omelette: 61/2cup spinach (1), 2oz/56g feta cheese (2), 2 eggs (1), 1 small tomato, sliced (1)
• SNACK: Atkins Advantage Fudge Brownie Bar (2)
• LUNCH: 1 cup beef broth (1), 8oz/225g poached chicken on 2 cups cos lettuce, 1/2 cup sugar snap peas (3), drizzled with sesame oil (1), 1 slice low-carb rye bread (3)
• DINNER: 8oz/225g pan-fried halibut, 1/2 cup steamed string beans (3), 1 cup mixed leaves (1) with vinaigrette (1)
• SNACK: 5 black olives (1)

TOTAL: 21g

DAY 7

• BREAKFAST: Atkins Advantage Peanut Butter Granola Bar (3), 1 boiled egg (1/2)
• SNACK: 1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes (2) and 1oz mozzarella cheese, sliced (1), drizzled with olive oil (1)
• LUNCH: 8oz/225g cooked prawns, mixed with mayonnaise and chopped flat leaf parsley (3), 1 slice low-carb rye bread (3)
• DINNER: 8oz/225g pork tenderloin seasoned with rosemary, salt and pepper (1), 1 cup mixed leaves (1) with ranch dressing (1)
• SNACK: Hot chocolate: 1/2 cup plain soya milk with 1 tbsp cocoa powder and 1 tsp Splenda, heated (3)

TOTAL: 19.5g

Extracted from The All-New Atkins Diet by Stuart L .Trager with Colette Heimowitz, published by St Martin’s Press.

If you do gain more and haven’t altered your diet, you may need to start doing some more exercise, or cutting back slightly on your carbohydrate intake.

Pros:

You can lose weight very quickly, which can be motivating. The diet also encourages people to cut out most processed carbs and alcohol. With its diet of red meat, butter, cream, cheese and mayonnaise, it’s one of the diets that appeals most to men.

Cons:

Initial side effects can include bad breath, a dry mouth, tiredness, dizziness, insomnia, nausea and constipation from cutting out carbs, and potential for lower fibre intake. The high intake of saturated fat may increase your risk of heart disease, and there are concerns about the recommendation to add salt.

Verdict:

The New Atkins diet plan is almost the same as the original one, but includes more practical advice on how to implement the diet and variety to reduce boredom. The amount of processed meat, red meat and saturated fat is still an issue, as is the advice to add salt, which all contradict current health advice. Some could still find it complicated and time consuming, but the promise of initial rapid weight loss may appeal to and motivate some.