What Is Skinny Fat? How to Fix It, Examples, & More
Learn what causes “skinny fatness” and how to fix it.
Read MoreThe Atkins diet has been around for decades now, and it doesn’t appear to be going anywhere soon. In the past, I’ve discussed the topic at length, detailing the strong support for Atkins, along with the opposition to it.
Because of the huge amount of information out there on the web, people seeking to try it for the health benefits it promises may be a little overwhelmed. And, since it’s carefully structured in four distinct phases, some people find it difficult to adapt to.
Realizing this, I knew that people needed a simpler way to understand Atkins. That’s why I’ve compiled these 15 awesome Atkins meal plans for the different phases of the diet so you can achieve weight loss success.
I don’t typically recommend extremely low-carb diets, as research generally supports a more moderate approach. However, if you have your heart set on trying this diet, the following are some helpful meal plans to make the process easier.
During the first phase of Atkins, you’ll be consuming 4 to 6 ounces of protein at least three times a day, and will be cutting carb intake to a very low 20 grams per day.
Many of these recipes are calculated for multiple servings, so be advised against eating everything you make. They’re all so delicious that you may be tempted to.
This shrimp salad will provide you with an awesome 18 grams of protein, and can be eaten either as a main dish or as a side dish to another high-protein, low-carb main dish.
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Warning: this recipe will be hot.
Serrano chiles are actually hotter than jalapenos, so use caution when preparing it. Try a taste of the salsa before adding too much of it to your chicken. But, if you’re like me and you can’t get enough of spicy foods, you’ll love it.
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Salsa:
Chicken:
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I don’t need to tell you how much love the Atkins diet gets for including bacon among its list of acceptable foods. This recipe can make a full meal or a great snack. I mean, come on, it’s bacon.
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I often consider the meatball. Not really anything particular about them. Not their shape, taste, or consistency, but their simplicity and how little I actually eat them. And how rarely I actually go out thinking: Today, I want some meatballs.
But on Atkins, meatballs are a sure way to get a lot of protein in one place.
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In the second phase of Atkins, you’ll start slowly incorporating more carbs into your diet. Some people choose to increase this to around 80 grams a day, or maybe stick to a low 30 grams. It really depends entirely on your weight loss goals, and what the appropriate balance is for you.
Salmon is pretty amazing in a lot of ways. It can provide you with fantastic omega-3 benefits and has plenty of protein.
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The carb count is starting to grow a little higher here, while still providing a nice protein punch.
This is preferably a side dish to a main course with a higher protein content, but you could still mix and match or add your own toppings like sliced chicken or bacon. Remember, this recipe is for four servings of the dish.
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Whoa. That’s what I said when I first saw this recipe title. I’ll let the ingredients do the talking.
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This recipe is one of those prime examples of what makes the Atkins diet so popular among people who want to be able to still enjoy their food.
And the geniuses who devise such meals know how to tweak them in all the right ways to make them still work with your diet. This cheeseburger soup will provide you with 16 grams of protein ad only 4 grams of carbs.
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During the third phase of Atkins, you’ll be learning to maintain the weight loss you’ve reached through the other two stages. You’ll be steadily increasing your carb intake in small increments and adding more variety of foods to your diet.
Thanks to the beef, this meal provides a whopping 37.5 grams of protein. And, because of the way you’ve been steadily increasing your carb intake, the 15.4 grams of carbs you’ll eat in this dish should fit fine within your diet structure.
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At 24 grams of protein and 19 grams of carbs, you might want to watch to make sure you only get a single serving (the recipe makes four servings), but if you play your cards right, this recipe will fit easily within your phase 3 days.
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I don’t know about you, but just reading that title makes my mouth water. For an awesome Atkins breakfast, this omelet is a phenomenal way to start your day with a startling 33 grams of protein and only 6.4 carbs.
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Once you’ve reached phase 4 of the Atkins diet, you’ve already successfully reached your weight loss goals and figured out how to maintain them in the short term.
But this phase can last the rest of your life. That’s why it’s so important to have completed the other phases and to have gained the appropriate understanding of what foods work best for your health. You have to know what meals work best for you.
So, for the final phase, here are some recipes that should fit perfectly within the guidelines of your maintenance goals.
This interesting dish will provide your body with 20 grams of protein and 16 grams of carbs, at a low 245 calories.
It’ll fit nicely on any breakfast table, and will kick start your day and tickle your fancy for fascinatingly textured foods.
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Because of the nature of the 4th and final phase of Atkins, many recipes will work for multiple phases.
This one fits nicely into the latter three phases, and thanks to the incredible benefits of the superfood Swiss chard, it packs a great amount of protein and fiber along with an amazing nutrient density.
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For a well-rounded veggie side dish, this recipe makes use of a great mixture of healthy vegetables that will limit the total amount of carbs.
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That’s a fancy name for you out there with culinary expertise to delightedly twirl your tiny mustaches to.
I’ve spoken before about the health benefits of cheese. This recipe incorporates sheep’s milk cheese, steak, and a delicious combination of celery and parsley that works for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th phases of Atkins.
Frankly, the protein to carbohydrate ratio on this recipe is so crazy, I had to include it – 49 grams of protein to only 11 net grams of carbs.
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Braciola:
Celery root puree:
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Hopefully this list of awesome Atkins recipes will provide you with some great ideas for meal plans on every stage of your weight loss endeavor, whether you’re following Atkins or not.
There’s no reason you need to follow The Atkins Diet, as there are other methods that tend to get better long-term results. But, if this is something you want to try, these recipes will help.
"Dieting" doesn't have to suck. You CAN eat foods you like and have the body you want!
Click Here to Learn HowWhat if I told you that just about everything magazines and trainers “teach” you about dieting is wrong?
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Learn what causes “skinny fatness” and how to fix it.
Read MoreIf you want big, strong, round delts that pop, you want to do these shoulder exercises and workouts.
Read MoreLearn what muscle groups to train together and how to train each one optimally.
Read MoreLearn how to transform your body with the Legion Macro Calculator.
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Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits, so our shipping is free!
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Also, if you don’t absolutely love our stuff for whatever reason, we don’t request you deliver it to a PO box in the Gobi Desert by carrier pigeon.
We just . . . wait for it . . . give you your money back. No returns. No forms. No nonsense. Holy moo cows.
That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.
Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits, so our shipping is free!
Okay, so we do dig on profits, but we also go in for happy customers, and free shipping works like gangbusters. So, if you’re outside the USA, your order ships free when it’s over $199.
Why the restriction on international orders? Unfortunately, shipping abroad is very expensive, and if we didn’t require a minimum order size, we’d lose a lot of money. But! We're also hustling to improve our international logistics and will be passing our savings along to our international customers.
Also, if you don’t absolutely love our stuff for whatever reason, we don’t request you deliver it to a PO box in the Gobi Desert by carrier pigeon.
We just . . . wait for it . . . give you your money back. No returns. No forms. No nonsense. Holy moo cows.
That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.
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“Natural” doesn’t always mean “better,” but in many cases, natural ingredients are superior to artificial ones for various reasons, including purity, safety, and efficacy.
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This product doesn’t just “contain natural ingredients’’—every ingredient is naturally sourced from plants and animals. This product contains no artificial or synthetic substances of any kind.
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