Home
>
Weight Loss
>
How to Do the Atkins Diet Right?

How to Do the Atkins Diet Right?

Let me tell you something - if you are doing the Atkins Diet, you might be doing it WRONG. I have been on diet forums for years, have consulted thousands of people on low carb diets, and I am seeing it again and again. People don't know how to implement a low carb diet. Very often people fail to lose weight or to adapt to the low carb life style. Many people give it up after a couple of days because they don't know how to do it right. The Atkins Diet is the most famous low carb diet, but it is full of pitfalls just waiting for you to walk into.

Rule 1:

Calories DO count. You must count both carbs AND calories Some of you may believe that losing weight is just a matter of reducing carbohydrates. In fact, many do. Hunting for hidden carbs and totally neglecting the calories you eat is setting you up for failure. The only reason that low carb diets work is that they reduce your appetite. You end up eating fewer CALORIES, and lose weight.

The problem is that not all people start eating fewer calories after switching to a low carb diet. The only 100% bulletproof method of losing weight is by counting calories. Don't rely on simply reducing carbohydrates. Eat less carbs AND less calories. Count calories! It is much easier to restrict calories when you are on a low carb diet, because you won't feel as hungry as with high-carb diets.

Rule 2: Going straight to 20 grams of carbs per day is a NO-NO

The Atkins Diet has you eating only 20 grams of carbs a day during the first two weeks on the diet. After that, you are advised to gradually increase the number of carbs you eat. I strongly urge you to reverse the order of events. Start eating 80 or more grams of carbs per day, count calories and then reduce them more if you want to.

My reasoning for doing so is very simple. During the adaptation period you will lack energy because you have taken out the carbs, and you need time to make the fat burning enzymes to use more fat for fuel. If you suddenly start eating a super low amount of carbs, you will feel totally out of energy, because your body cannot manufacture quickly that many fat burning enzymes. However, when you reduce the carbohydrates GRADUALLY, you give your body a chance to adapt to the diet without the misery of being lethargic.

You can even start by eating 150 grams of carbs a day for the first week, and then reduce them to 100 grams for the second and so on. You won't be so fatigued, and because you count calories you are losing weight. You should expect a period of about one to two weeks when you won't have much energy, but this will pass. Don't give up just because you lack energy. This is temporary. If you listen to me and gradually reduce the carbs, you will experience a much less-pronounced drop of physical and mental performance.

Rule 3: Calories control your bodyweight, NOT carbohydrates.

If you eat less calories than you burn, you are going to lose weight no matter how many carbs you consume. You don't need to go super low on the carbohydrates to experience the typical loss of appetite that is so important to be successful at dieting. I eat about 50-80 grams of carbs a day year-round, and I have single digit body fat %. That's because I control both carbs and calories.

You won't be able to eat just 20 grams of carbs for a long time. It is too impractical, hard-to-do and unnecessary. You will do fine eating 80 grams of carbs a day, as long as you count calories.

Rule 4: Don't give up your coffee

Atkins advises that you avoid caffeine and only drink decaffeinated coffee. This is totally unnecessary. If you are used to drinking coffee, just continue to do so. You will have a much easier adaptation period. Coffee makes your body burn more fat, and helps you adapt to fat burning faster. Coffee also suppresses your appetite, and has a mild thermogenic effect (you burn more calories). Last but not least, coffee is very addictive and hard to give up. I know a couple of people who gave up the Atkins Diet just because he says to stop drinking coffee! I am telling you - coffee will help your weight loss efforts. It is totally unnecessary to give it up.

Rule 5: Don't avoid milk and yogurt products

Eating plain yogurt is associated with weight loss for some mysterious reason. Researchers speculate that it is the Calcium in milk products that helps with weight loss. Whatever the reason, milk and yogurt are good for your health and weight loss. They have some carbs, but as I told you, there's absolutely no need to go super low on the carbs, if you control your calories.

Here's a little known fact, most low-carb dieters don't know. Plain yogurt has 3 times less carbs than labelled! The reason is simple. Yogurt has billions of healthy bacteria called probiotics, which thrive on glucose. These probiotics eat up the carbs in milk, and turn it into lactic acid. Now, when manufacturers measure carbs, they do so by the method of "carbs by difference". They measure everything else(protein, fats, water..), and what's left is ASSUMED to be carbs. But what's left is carbs + lactic acid. To know the real number of carbs in yogurt, divide the number of carbs on the label by 3. Do so only for PLAIN yogurt. Avoid all artificially processed and carb loaded yogurts. Eat plain yogurt!

Rule 6: A low-carb diet is a high-fat diet

By definition a low carb diet is a high-fat diet. Some people turn the low-carb diet into low-carb and low-fat diet. What a mistake! First, if you eat a high-protein low-carb low-fat diet, you are going to get hungry. Second, eating less fat will slow down the adaptation to fat burning and extend your misery. Third, your body needs fat and the fat-soluble vitamins to digest the proteins you eat. Without the fat you are going to get sick, upset your stomach and become severely constipated.

Women should be very careful to eat enough fat. Many women don't like to eat meat or eat only very lean meat. They must find a way to get more fat in the diet by ways of high-fat cheeses.

Fat should represent more than 50% of the calories you eat.

Rule 7: Don't be fooled by the quick initial weight loss

Most of the weight that is lost during the first two weeks on a restrictive diet is WATER. On a low-carb diet, you are going to lose even more water. The rate of weight loss is going to slow down after the first two weeks. Be prepared, it is perfectly natural to happen. Don't expect miracles.

Let's sum it up. Count calories. Hunting for hidden carbs, and neglecting the calories is a major reason for plateaus. Restrict carbs gradually. Eat more fat to control your appetite. Don't go super low on the carbs. Go as low as you feel comfortable. As long as you control calories you are on your way to success.

Hristo Hristov owns X3MSoftware, a company specializing in developing diet and fitness tracking software. Hristo has a degree in Computer Science and passion for strength training. Hristo has designed and written Fitness Assistant, X3MSoftware's leading software product. Download your demo at download diet software and fitness software by x3msoftware

custom home cleaning Wilmette ..

In The News:

Scammers create fake Evite invitations that mimic legitimate event emails, requiring users to verify senders and use antivirus software for protection.

The new Apple Watch hypertension feature passively monitors blood pressure patterns over 30 days using sensors to detect chronic high blood pressure signs.

Chrome extension spyware disguised as a free VPN service highlights security risks after it captured private browsing data from trusted sites.

New research shows how fatty acids in cooking oil can safely dissolve and recover silver from circuit boards without harmful chemicals or environmental damage.

The Fox News AI newsletter gives you information on the latest AI technology advancements, and about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Anthropic investigates alarming AI abuse case where hacker automated entire cybercrime campaign using Claude, stealing sensitive data from defense and healthcare firms.

TikTok, Meta and YouTube restrict Charlie Kirk shooting videos with age gates and warnings while X faces criticism for allowing continued circulation.

Cybercriminals use fake troubleshooting websites to trick Mac users into running terminal commands that install Shamos malware through ClickFix tactics.

San Francisco startup Fable launches Showrunner, an AI platform dubbed the 'Netflix of AI' that generates animated episodes from text descriptions with Amazon support.

Apple raised iPhone prices for some models despite receiving tariff relief from President Donald Trump, with the new lineup starting at $799 for the base model.

A two-story 3D concrete printed home in Western Australia demonstrates faster construction methods that could reshape American housing amid rising costs.

Credit scores remain important during retirement for insurance rates and housing applications, while seniors become prime targets for identity theft and financial scams.

Scammers now send unexpected packages with QR codes that redirect victims to fraudulent websites or download malicious software to steal sensitive information.

Meeting AI tools record private conversations alongside work discussions, creating privacy risks that can be managed with proper settings and awareness.

Hotel privacy concerns are valid but rare, with methods to detect hidden tech using smartphone flashlights, mirror tests and scanning apps.

Improve your Wi-Fi speed and reliability with 10 simple router optimization tips that don't require special apps or expensive subscriptions.

A Columbia University breach exposed names, Social Security numbers and academic records of nearly 869,000 people, with notifications beginning in August.

Rental car drivers use AI-powered apps like Proofr to protect themselves from unfair damage fees as major companies deploy automated inspection tools.

Fox News' AI newsletter brings you the latest on technology advancements around artificial intelligence.

OnTrac data breach between April 13-15, 2025, exposed personal information of over 40,000 people including Social Security numbers and medical records.

A woman named Wika announces her engagement to an AI chatbot sparking worldwide debate about virtual relationships and technology.

The notorious people search site National Public Data relaunches despite a previous breach affecting 3 billion individuals, raising fresh privacy concerns.

Revolutionary TRAUMAGEL gel controls life-threatening bleeding from gunshot wounds and traumatic injuries, helping first responders prevent prehospital deaths.

Protect your home network by enabling proper encryption, creating strong passwords, checking connected devices and using VPN and antivirus software.

The Navy's solar-powered Skydweller drone flew nonstop for 73 hours in Mississippi, proving renewable energy can power long-endurance military missions.

How to Do the Atkins Diet Right?

Weight Loss