Pre-maintenance Phase 3

Atkins Low Carb Diet Pre-maintenance: The Final 10 Pounds

The last 10 pounds of the Atkins low carb diet are like the last legs of a big race. You may feel worn down and maybe even doubtful you will ever reach that finish line. What I found helpful was concentrating not on the thought I would be forever dieting, but instead on being forever slim and forever healthy.

Phase 3 of the Atkins Low Carb Diet

During the pre-maintenance phase of your Atkins low carb diet you will slow your weight loss process telling your body that weight loss is normal for you. You will be less likely to reach your weight loss plateau by using this technique.

Atkins Carb Level for Maintenance

In Phase 2 of the Atkins low carb diet you had to find your CLL or Carb Level for Losing. In Phase 3 of the Atkins low carb diet you will be finding your Carb Level for Maintenance or CLM. This is the level of carb you can eat and still maintain your healthy weight. This means not gaining or losing weight.

New Carb during Phase 3 of the Atkins Low Carb Diet

During Phase 3 of the Atkins low carb diet you will increase your carb intake by 10 grams per week so long as you continue to lose weight. You will continue to enjoy the protein and fat foods, plus 3 cups of salad during Phase 3 of the Atkins low carb diet and add these carb in the following order:

1. More nuts and seeds with ½ cup almonds, ¼ cup cashews, ½ cup filberts, ½ macadamias, 2 ounces roasted shelled peanuts, ¾ cup pecans, ½ cup pine nuts, ¼ cup pistachios, ¾ cup walnuts, 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, 1/3 cup sesame seeds or 2 ounces sunflower seeds.
2. Starchy veggies including ½ cup carrots, 1 cup winter squash, ¼ cup yams or sweet potatoes, ½ cup shelled peas, ¼ cup plantain, ¾ cup beets, 1/3 cup parsnips and ¼ cup white potatoes.
3. Beans including ¼ cup lentils, ¼ cup kidney beans, ¼ cup black beans, ¼ cup navy beans, ¼ cup lima beans, ¼ cup great northern beans, ¼ cup chickpeas, ¼ cup fava beans or ¼ cup pinto beans.
4. Fruit choices including ½ apple, 12 cherries, 1 peach, 12 grapes, 1 cup strawberries, ½ grapefruit, ¾ cup cantaloupe, 1 kiwi, 1 cup watermelon, ½ cup fruit cocktail, canned in water , 1 plum, 1/3 banana, 1 guava or 1/3 mango.
5. Grains including ¼ cup long grain brown rice, ½ cup oatmeal, ¼ cup corn kernels, 1 slice whole wheat bread, 1/3 cup whole wheat cereal, ¼ cup barley or ¼ cup spinach pasta.

Avoid the carb that make you gain weight or make you feel hungry. Your goal is to find out how many carb you can manage without gaining weight. As you add new carb during Phase 3 of the Atkins low carb diet you can try more of my recipes. They will offer delicious choices to help keep you on track of your low carb diet.

Tip: Use your CLM when eating in a restaurant by asking the server to replace your rice or potato with a serving of vegetables.