When you reach your goal weight, you will officially be in phase four: Lifetime Maintenance. Congratulations! As you move into this next phase of Atkins, you must remember to ease into your Maintenance regimen very slowly. You should be out of ketosis by now, and discover the amount of carbs you feel best on and maintain your goal weight. Always keep in mind that even though you may eat a wider variety of foods than you did during the other phases of the diet, you cannot fall back into your old eating habits. Don’t make the mistake of losing the weight only to gain it back by eating the way you used to. Sweets should be resisted (as they jeopardize your weight loss), and only enjoyed on special occasions, depending on your Atkins diet CCLM. If your Atkins diet CCLM is low, your diet won't include sweets. More and more artificial sweeteners are available as alternatives.
The Atkins Diet has the following recommendations for permanent success in maintaining your weight loss:
• "Be food aware-remember that fresh meat, fish, fowl, vegetables, nuts, seeds and occasional fruits and starches are the foods nature intended you to eat.
• Be endlessly wary of sugar and corn syrup, and white flour and cornstarch. Look at the labels of any packaged food you are considering and avoid like the plague all those that contain sugar, corn syrup, and honey.
• Individualize your personal eating plan. Try new foods. Increase the variety of foods that you enjoy. These will help prevent you from going back to eating foods that you have enjoyed in the past, but which simply aren't good for you. Continue to abide to low carb diets.
• Continue your already established and effective program of vitanutrient supplementation.
• Consume caffeine and alcohol only in moderation.
• Remember that addictions can be managed only through abstinence.
• Make exercise a regular part of your life.
• Take care of weight regain promptly and effectively by returning to the Induction and Ongoing Weight Loss phases for as long as it takes to get back to your goal weight."
Lifetime maintenance is simply a matter of following your Critical Carbohydrate Level for Maintenance. You learned how many and what type of carbohydrates your metabolism can handle during Pre-Maintenance. You may now add more foods to your plan with the exception of sugar. Follow your CCLM and you will maintain your new weight within 2 or 3 pounds. There is a natural fluctuation of around 3 pounds due to hormonal fluctuations in your body. Most people will be able to eat around 90 grams of carbs per day and maintain their weight.
You also must overcome your previous bad habits and learn how to deal with stress. Maintaining your weight loss is as much a mental challenge as a physical one. It’s important to eat right even when you’re stressed. By realizing that you tend to reach for sugary or starchy foods for comfort and then making the correct food choices can actually lessen the impact of stress on your body. Similarly, you'll need to learn coping strategies for holidays, as well as knowing how to order what you need at restaurants. By making weight control a constant priority in your life, you can continue your success.
