ATKINS DIET PHASES (Part 3) – PRE-MAINTENANCE
Posted on 18 December 2009 by Diet Expert
Upon reaching this stage of the Atkins Diet, most people are already feeling very proud of their selves and have lost already considerable amount of weight. It is not to say that dieters can now relax though as in the third stage of the Atkins diet, or the pre-maintenance stage, the aim starts to shift from the immediate goal of losing weight, to a more long-term goal of keeping the weight off. This involves starting to consider permanent lifestyle changes in the diet.
The pre-maintenance stage starts, as previously mentioned, at around a range of 10 pounds from ones’ desired or target weight. Because one has gone so far and is so near the end goal at this time, one might be so motivated to reach the finish line that they might tempted or may consider to do crash diets by this stage. The Atkins diet remains radical however, and at this stage starts to ‘reign in’ the dieter into slowing down. The level of carbohydrate intake is continually increased at this stage, from the Ongoing Weight Loss or OWL recommended 25 daily net carbs, the Pre-maintenance stage recommends up to 35 net carbs daily. The diet increases the recommended daily net carb by allowing dieter to eat foods going up the discussed hierarchy of rungs.
If the Ongoing Weight Loss or OWL Stage of the Atkins diet focuses on the ‘Critical Carbohydrate Level of Losing’ or CCLL, for the pre-maintenance stage, the important concept that the dieter must learn is the ‘Critical Carbohydrate Level for Maintenance’ or CCLM. The concept of CCLM discusses how much food a dieter can intake without gaining any weight, but maintaining to lose about an average of just one pound of weight per week. Like the concept of CCLL, ones’ CCLM can also be determined through the trial and error process of monitoring food intake.
The rationale behind the third stage of the Atkins diet is to help the dieter adjust to the program efficiently. By avoiding crash dieting, the person allows the body to find the balance between the necessary carbohydrates that it needs to intake for energy production while minimizing it in order to prevent gaining weight. By letting the dieter become accustomed to his body and to this lifestyle, the diet does not only promote losing weight, but it also promotes healthy living.
The pre-maintenance stage continues to challenge the dieters’ determination, patience and discipline. If done correctly, slowly but surely, the dieter will achieve finally his target weight in about 3 months.
REFERENCES:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atkins_diet
http://www.atkinsdietfreeplan.com/phase_3.htm
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