The Atkins 40 Low Carb Diet Plan

Atkins 40 is a simple diet plan based on portion control and eating 40g net carbs per day. If you have less than 40 pounds to lose, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or want a wider variety of food choices from the first day of your diet, Atkins 40 could be a great fit for you. With Atkins 40 you can enjoy a range of food that you choose from. From protein and veggies to pasta and potatoes, there is an extensive list of food to plan your meals around while still losing weight and feeling satisfied.

How Does Atkins 40 Work?

Start the Atkins 40 program by eating 40 grams of net carbs, 4 to 6-ounce servings of protein and 2 to 4 servings of fat per day. As you approach your weight loss goals, start to increase your carbohydrate portion size. From day one, Atkins 40 offers a flexible variety of food choices. Your daily carbs can come from all food groups and you can choose to eat anything from the Acceptable Foods list below. With Atkins, you have the opportunity to customize your diet plan to achieve your weight loss goals in no time.

Net carbs represent the total carbohydrate content of the food minus the fiber content and sugar alcohols, if any. The net carbs calculation reflects the grams of carbohydrate that significantly impact your blood sugar level and therefore are the only carbs you need spread out between three meals and two snacks in a day.

How to Lose Weight Fast: 3 Simple Steps, Based on Science

There are many ways to lose a lot of weight fast.

However, most of them will make you hungry and unsatisfied.

If you don't have iron willpower, then hunger will cause you to give up on these plans quickly.

The plan outlined here will:

Reduce your appetite significantly.
Make you lose weight quickly, without hunger.
Improve your metabolic health at the same time.

Here is a simple 3-step plan to lose weight fast.

1. Cut Back on Sugars and Starches

The most important part is to cut back on sugars and starches (carbs).

When you do that, your hunger levels go down and you end up eating much fewer calories (1).

Now instead of burning carbs for energy, your body starts feeding off of stored fat.

Another benefit of cutting carbs is that it lowers insulin levels, causing your kidneys to shed excess sodium and water out of your body. This reduces bloat and unnecessary water weight (2, 3).

It is not uncommon to lose up to 10 pounds (sometimes more) in the first week of eating this way, both body fat and water weight.

This is a graph from a study comparing low-carb and low-fat diets in overweight or obese women (4).

2. Eat Protein, Fat and Vegetables

Each one of your meals should include a protein source, a fat source and low-carb vegetables.
Constructing your meals in this way will automatically bring your carb intake into the recommended range of 20–50 grams per day.

Protein Sources

  • Meat: Beef, chicken, pork, lamb, etc.
  • Fish and Seafood: Salmon, trout, shrimp, etc.
  • Eggs: Whole eggs with the yolk are best.
The importance of eating plenty of protein cannot be overstated.
This has been shown to boost metabolism by 80 to 100 calories per day (6, 7, 8).
High-protein diets can also reduce cravings and obsessive thoughts about food by 60%, reduce the desire for late-night snacking by half, and make you so full that you automatically eat 441 fewer calories per day — just by adding protein to your diet (9, 10).

When it comes to losing weight, protein is the king of nutrients. Period.

Low-Carb Vegetables

  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Spinach
  • Tomatoes
  • Kale
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Cabbage
  • Swiss chard
  • Lettuce
  • Cucumber
  • Full list here.
Don’t be afraid to load your plate with these low-carb vegetables. You can eat massive amounts of them without going over 20–50 net carbs per day.

A diet based mostly on meat and vegetables contains all the fiber, vitamins and minerals you need to be healthy.

Fat Sources

  • Olive oil
  • Coconut oil
  • Avocado oil
  • Butter
Eat 2–3 meals per day. If you find yourself hungry in the afternoon, add a 4th meal.
Don’t be afraid of eating fat, as trying to do both low-carb AND low-fat at the same time is a recipe for failure. It will make you feel miserable and abandon the plan.

To see how you can assemble your meals, check out this low-carb meal plan and this list of 101 healthy low-carb recipes.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-lose-weight-as-fast-as-possible
https://www.atkins.com/how-it-works/atkins-40

3 Week Diet Review