Atkins Diet Induction (Phase 1) :: Ongoing Weight Loss (Phase2) :: Pre-Maintenance (Phase 3) :: Lifetime Maintenance (Phase 4)

Congratulations! You have made it through induction. The key to ongoing weight loss is to find your Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing (CCLL) and eat under that amount of carbohydrates each day. This is your own magic number for effective weight loss. You simply add foods in 5-gram increments each week. For instance, week 1 OWL, you’ll eat 25 grams of carbs each day, on Week 2 you’ll have 30 grams of carbs each day, etc. Keep adding carbs in 5-gram increments until you stop losing weight. When you have stopped losing weight, ask yourself: "How many carbs did I eat each day during the previous week?" There’s your CCLL. You know that you must eat under that number of carbohydrates each day in order to lose weight. You know if you eat more grams of carbohydrates than that, you’ll gain. It’s so simple!

The amount of carbs you can eat without gaining weight depends on your metabolism and whether or not you exercise. A lady with a very stubborn metabolism may only get to 25 grams of carbs per day, while someone who exercises every day may be able to eat 90 grams and still lose weight. Dr. Atkins gives us a simple chart to help us select our extra 5 grams of carbs as below: