Atkins Diet redux – part 3

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In Atkins Diet redux – part 2, I outlined the 4 different plans that make up the:

Health habits – low carb, fat reduction and general good health for carb addicted North Americans Diet.

Yikes….that name really stinks.

I am seriously going to need some marketing help if I am going to publish this sucker and cash in on next year’s batch of new years resolution dieters. I can see it now. Millions of people rushing to their local book store, feverishly trying to purchase the last copy of the:

It’s Better than the Atkins, South Beach, Sonoma, Skinny Bitch, Mediterranean, Sugar Busters, and Zone Diet – Diet Book

$29.99 – Get one while they last

I’ll be rich I tell you, rich……mwoohahahaha

Just kidding

In this post, I will give you all of the how-to details about Plans A and B.

Plan A

Let’s review.

Plan A is the strictest version of my low carb diet. It is for those dieters who:

• Have a lot of fat to lose
• Have a lot of motivation to lose the fat
• Have a lot of motivation to lose the fat QUICKLY
• Have an ability to stick to a diet that is going to drive them crazy at times. You WILL crave carbs. Period. On this plan, you can’t cheat. CAN’T CHEAT. I am serious. No cheating. Got it?

Warning – This is where I give you the typical warning about how you shouldn’t start a restrictive low-carb diet like this without seeing your doctor first. Not the worst idea in the world. But first, use your own common sense. I have been a personal trainer for over 19 years. I have seen this diet work very well for many clients. I have also seen clients feel nauseous, tired, irritable, incredibly thirsty, constipated, and generally pretty miserable. If you feel bad, shift to one of the less restrictive plans. You can always come back to Plan A.

Remember, this is not a lifestyle eating plan for most people. Listen to your body. Use common sense. Go see your doctor. Bring her a copy of the diet. Have her email me.

This is your final warning and my pathetic attempt at avoiding a lawsuit. Seriously – use common sense.

Plan A Details

All of your time on this diet will be spent in the Low Carb Zone of Pain. In that zone:

• There is no calorie counting.
• You can only eat carbohydrates from the approved Low Carb food list (see list below)
• You will eat fat at every meal (see approved fat list below)
• You should eat protein at every meal (see approved protein list below)
• You will only use condiments from the approved condiment list
• You will only drink beverages on the approved beverage list
• You can mix and match foods from the approved lists.
• You will eat until you are approaching fullness. Slow down, don’t shovel the food in.

Unlike Plans B, C and D, you do not get a break from the Low Carb Zone of Pain.

Your post-workout nutrition is low-carb.

As well, you don’t get to enjoy a week-end carbohydrate re-feed like those lucky Plan C and D people.

Sorry…

Approved Protein List

Beef

Pork

Poultry

Eggs

Fish

Cheese – avoid flavored cream cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese or any other non low-carb cheese

Low carb (no sugar alcohols) protein powder made from whey/rice/soya/egg/hemp/pea/etc.

Basically, any unprocessed animal protein – this means no sauces, glazes or breading.

See approved Condiment List

Approved Fat List

Butter – no margarine

Cream (no milk), Sour Cream, unsweetened whipped cream

Cheese – see approved protein list

Coconut oil

Monounsaturated Oils

• Olive oil (73 per cent monounsaturated oil)
  
• Canola oil (61 per cent)
• flax oil (60 per cent)
  
• hazelnuts (50 per cent)
  
• almonds (35 per cent)
  
• Brazil nuts (26 per cent)
  
• cashews (28 per cent)
  
• avocado (12 per cent)
  
• sesame seeds (20 per cent)
  
• pumpkin seeds (16 per cent)

Seeds & Nuts – 1 handful per day – no peanuts or cashews

Olives and low carb olive products, i.e tapenade

Warning – To avoid free radicals caused by cooking with fat, reference this smoke point list.

It is believed that fats that have gone past their smoke points contain a large quantity of free radicals which contribute to an increased risk of cancer.

Approved Carb List

Approved Condiment List

Salt

Sour Cream

Vinegar

All Spices

Onion, Garlic, Chives

Low cal sauces & marinades – no sugar alcohols

i.e Soy sauce, Worcestershire, hot sauces with no carbs, no sugar alcohols

Mayo – no carbs, no sugar alcohols

Mustard

Pesto

Olive tapenade

Approved Beverage List

Naturally low-carb beverages only

Water

Coffee / tea

no diet drinks – no artificial sweeteners

Sample Meals

Egg based meals – scrambled, poached, fried, omelettes – (cheese, veggie, ham, bacon), fritattas, bacon & eggs, ham & eggs

Beef / Pork / Poultry / Fish based meals – soups, salads, stews, 1950s style meat & veg, stir frys, etc…

Snacks – Low-Carb Protein shakes – no bars, Nuts & seeds (1 handful per day – no cashews or peanuts), cheese, lunch meat – (avoid the loaf style products – that means no bologna), pepperoni sticks, hard boiled eggs and if you can stomach them, everyone’s favorite Atkins snack, the Pork Rind.

I was going to include some sample recipes, but there are lots of low carb recipe websites here and here and here and here, so get clicking.

But remember the rules. And the warnings.

Plan A is a real b*%ch, but it works really well.

Plan B

Plan B is the second strictest version of my low carb diet. It is for those dieters who:

• Have been on Plan A for 6 weeks or who just can’t take it anymore and are going to cheat
• Still have a lot of fat to lose
• Have a lot of motivation to lose the fat
• Have a lot of motivation to lose the fat QUICKLY, but
• Don’t want to sacrifice any more muscle mass to the very effective but unforgiving Plan A

In practice, the only difference between Plan A and Plan B is the inclusion of fast absorbing carbohydrates to your Pre and Post Workout Protein Shake / Meal.

Why Workout Nutrition?

The latest research shows that ingesting a mixed carbohydrate / protein meal before (start 20 min. before), during and after (up to 20 min. after) your workout will:

Quickly reverse your body from a catabolic (muscle damaging) state to an anabolic (muscle repairing) state. This is good.

Direct the nutrients towards the repair of your muscles and away from your fat cells. This is good.

Keep in mind, this is not 100% foolproof. There is a trade-off.

Your fat loss will be a little bit slower than on Plan A, but you are less likely to sacrifice muscle mass in your attempt to melt away your body-fat.

How-to Plan B Workout Nutrition

Option 1

A protein shake containing fast and slow absorbing proteins and high GI carbohydrates.

Here is my favorite shake.

Option 2

A meal of solid protein (beef, chicken, etc) (aim for 50 grams of protein) and 2 cups / 16 oz. of fruit juice, before and after the workout.

This option isn’t as easy to digest as option 1 and as a result, may make you nauseous if you try to eat half of it pre-workout. You will also be slightly delaying the turnaround from catabolic to anabolic.

Option 3

A meal of solid protein and carbohydrate – 50 grams of protein and 60 grams of carbohydrates. This option is even slower to digest, but if you are craving a sandwich, this may be the one for you.

Option 4

If you can’t stomach workout nutrition, skip the pre-workout meal altogether and consume the entire portion of Option 1,2 or 3 up to 1 hour after the workout. If you can’t get to a workout meal before 1 hour post-workout, you are out of luck. Go back to the standard fat-burning meal of meat and vegetables.

Note – In my protein shake recipe, I include creatine and glutamine. I will discuss these supplements in a future post, so if you are unsure if you should include these in your shake, don’t. They wouldn’t hurt you, but as with any drug/supplement, you should know what you are putting in your body.

Conclusion

So that’s it for Plans A & B. I will cover Plans C & D in a future post.

I think that I covered anything, but if anybody has any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to comment or email me.

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