After experiencing the induction and OWL phases of the Atkins diet, your next step is to enter the pre-maintenance phase. This phase will prepare you for a healthy and balanced life and diet.
You should begin this phase when you are approaching 5 to 10 pounds of your target weight goal. Your weight loss will slow down even more, but it's for a purpose. You want to learn the practices and habits that will determine your long-term success.
In the OWL phase, you will add grams of carbohydrate to your daily count in an increment of 5 grams per week. During pre-maintenance, you will increase that to 10 grams per week.
As long as you continue to lose weight (no matter how slowly you are losing it), you will continue to add grams. Ideally, towards the end of the pre-maintenance phase, you will lose less than a pound per week.
According to the Atkins book, you should continue this phase until you reach your ideal weight and can maintain it for a month.
This process can take between 1 and 3 months. Your goal is to reach a state called "carbohydrate balance." This is your ideal carbohydrate intake and it will make you maintain your weight perfectly.
During pre-maintenance, you will be able to try a wider variety of foods. Make sure to introduce new foods slowly and increase your carbohydrate intake at a moderate rate. Don't add 20 or 30 grams of carbohydrates a week.
Measuring the increases in increments of 10 will give you a better idea of your personal carb count. Knowing this number will help you prepare for long-term weight management.
Be sure to check with a reliable carb counter resource book or website before adding a new food to your diet.
Some examples of foods with 10 grams of carbohydrates include 1/3 cup of legumes, ½ apple, ¼ cup of potatoes, and ½ cup of plain oatmeal. These foods can be included on a daily basis and then increased the following week.
Pre-maintenance is not a perfect process. A delicate balance between carbohydrate counting and exercise is needed to reduce weight loss and yet keep going.
You will need to pay more attention than before to make sure that increasing carbohydrate grams does not result in weight gain. There is a fine line between winning, holding and losing, and during pre-maintenance you are trying to figure out exactly where that line is.
If you can't add carbs without stopping your weight loss, you may have a high metabolic resistance. You will benefit from increasing your exercise regimen so that your metabolism burns to a higher level. For you, the pre-maintenance phase will be more like OWL.
Some people make a variation on pre-maintenance that allows them to treat themselves to a treat once a week. Instead of adding 10 grams per day, allow a treat of 20 to 30 grams of carbohydrates several times a week.
Examples of treats could be a piece of fruit or a serving of sweet potatoes. A glass of white wine or beer also qualifies for this treatment. This is a fun way to reward yourself and stay on the plan.
However, another way to do pre-maintenance is to average your carbohydrate intake during the week. Since life is sometimes unpredictable, it can help to have a little flexibility in your eating plan. For example, if your current carbohydrate level is 70 grams, it may be limited to 50 grams a day.
Then the next day, you can splurge a little on a meal and have 90 grams for that day. However, only follow this method if you don't create carbohydrate cravings. Sometimes too many grams of carbs in one day can make you crave even more the next day.
The pre-maintenance phase will provide you with the tools for long-term success. By learning to slowly increase your carbohydrate grams, you can better control the amount of carbohydrate that is right for you.
Comments
Post a Comment