= Full article availableInduction Diet
The 2-week Induction Diet people are supposed to follow at the start must contain no more than 20 grams of carbohydrate a day. Eat a banana, and you’re out of bounds. A cup of milk, a slice of bread, an orange, or a baked potato are verboten, too. “If the food is not on your diet,” the book says, “you are to have absolutely none of it. Your ‘just this one taste won’t hurt’ rationalization is the kiss of death.…”
The sample Induction menu here, composed from Dr. Atkins’s instructions, contains only 16 percent of the Daily Value for fiber and less than two thirds of the Daily Value for the following nutrients: thiamin, vitamins C, D, and E, iron, magnesium, and potassium. It does contain almost three times the saturated fat someone should eat in a day (52 grams!) and more than three times the cholesterol.
Breakfast
- Ham & cheese omelet made with 1 egg, 1 oz cheddar cheese, and 1/2 oz ham
- Decaf coffee or tea
- 2 Tbsp half & half
Lunch
- 2 cups chef’s salad made with 1 1/2 cups greens, 1 egg, and 1 oz each turkey, ham, and cheese
- 2 Tbsp creamy garlic dressing
- 6 pieces boiled shrimp with dressing made of 1 Tbsp mustard, 2 Tbsp mayo
Dinner
- 6 oz broiled steak
- 1/2 cup spinach soufflé made with cream, cheese, egg, flour, and butter
- 1 cup salad greens
- 1 Tbsp creamy dressing
- 8 oz sugar-free Jell-O
- 1 Tbsp whipped cream
2 snacks
- 1 Tbsp peanut butter (natural only) and 4" celery stalk
- 1 hard-boiled egg
Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL)
This is the basic reduction diet. Up to 60 grams of carbohydrates are allowed daily, but a limit of 35 to 40 grams is recommended for most people.
The Ongoing Weight Loss menu here contains 40 grams of carbohydrate, along with 285 percent of the Daily Value for saturated fat and 217 percent of the recommended limit for dietary cholesterol. It also contains less than two thirds of the Daily Value for fiber, thiamin, folate, iodine, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. Dr. Atkins says that “your rate of weight loss is generally proportional to your exclusion of carbohydrates,” with some people having to limit themselves to only 15 grams of carbs a day to continue to lose weight in a consistent fashion.
Breakfast
- 1 scrambled egg
- 2 oz smoked salmon (lox)
- 2 Tbsp cream cheese
- Decaf coffee or tea
- 2 Tbsp half & half
- 4 oz V8 juice
Lunch
- 1 bacon cheeseburger made with 5 oz raw beef, 1 oz Swiss cheese, and 1 strip bacon (no bun)
- 1 cup tossed salad greens
- 1 Tbsp creamy dressing
Dinner
- 6 oz poached salmon
- 2 Tbsp hollandaise sauce
- 2/3 cup steamed broccoli
- 1/2 cup strawberries with 1/4 cup cream
2 snacks
- 1 oz Swiss cheese and 4 Wheat Thins
- 1 oz roasted almonds
Pre-Maintenance
This phase of the diet is supposed to last about 2 to 3 months, with weight loss of less than a pound a week. It’s meant as a transition from Ongoing Weight Loss to Maintenance, to be followed when you have only 5 to 10 pounds left to lose. It allows for one “deviation” from the prescribed menu up to two times a week. The deviation included here is a half cup of wild rice. Dr. Atkins points out that “you’ll want to eat a bit more” at this point and adds, at the end of the pre-Maintenance chapter, that “there will be times in your life when you gain some weight back.”
The serious dietary shortfalls on this menu are for fiber, thiamin, vitamin E, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. Once again, saturated fat and dietary cholesterol are way over recommended amounts.
Breakfast
- Cheese and mushroom omelet made with 1 egg and 1 oz cheese
- 2 strips bacon
- Decaf coffee or tea
- 2 Tbsp half & half
Lunch
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup tuna salad made with light tuna packed in oil and 2 Tbsp mayo on a bed of 2 cups greens
- 1 piece Wasa crisp bread
Dinner
- 6 oz roasted chicken breast
- 1/2 cup wild rice
- 1 cup tossed salad greens
- 2 Tbsp creamy dressing
- 6 steamed asparagus spears with 2 tsp butter and lemon
2 snacks
- 4 oz V8 juice and 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- 4 tortilla chips and 2 Tbsp guacamole
Maintenance
Once you reach goal weight, you’re allowed up to 90 grams of carbohydrate a day, although “a typical person” may find he “must stay between 40 and 60 grams” daily in order not to regain any weight. The menu here, which is very high in saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, contains 84 carbohydrate grams. It is not extremely low in vitamins or minerals but probably would become so if the carb count went down to 60 grams. Note that Maintenance is not exactly forever. Dr. Atkins tells readers to expect their weight to shift upwards sometimes and that when it rises by 5 pounds, a temporary return to the Induction phase is crucial for taking off what you’ve regained. In other words, you’re always only a few pounds away from having to return to a 20-carbohydrate-gram limit.
Breakfast
- 1 fried egg
- 2 slices Canadian bacon
- 1/2 grapefruit
- Decaf coffee or tea
- 2 Tbsp half & half
Lunch
- Lobster salad made with 1/2 cup lobster meat and 2 Tbsp mayo
- 1/2 avocado
- Spinach salad made with 2 cups greens, 1/4 cup orange segments, and 2 Tbsp creamy bacon dressing
- 1 slice diet whole-wheat bread
Dinner
- 5 oz breaded pork chop
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup sautéed greens in 1 tsp butter
- 1/2 cup berries with 2 Tbsp unsweetened whipped cream
2 snacks
- 1 oz cheese and 1 piece Wasa crisp bread
- 1 hard-boiled egg and 1 cup raw zucchini with 1/4 cup French onion dip (made with sour cream)
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