Probably a stupid question.

But is there a way to lean off of atkins once you finish the final phase. Like just maintain your weight loss some other way like restricting calories. Or will this result in a weight gain?

Blonde08, my personal experience is, if you get to goal weight on Atkins then think you can add back in unhealthy carbs, that doesn't work, whether you count calories or not. If your personal plan is to lose weight on Atkins then try to maintain by counting calories while eating starch/sugar/unhealthy carbs as treats, it's going to backfire on you because your system is going to be programmed, through having been on Atkins, to gain weight even on relatively small amounts of sugar/starch. I lost 100 lbs then regained 150 doing this, so I know what I'm talking about.

If you truly feel that you can't (mostly) give up sugar for life, consider a different plan than Atkins. Like calorie counting. Best of luck to you on your journey.

I agree that there can't be a 'weaning off' of a diet. you have to change your lifestyle permanently.

Perhaps explore some of the other diets and see if they're more something you think you could do forever.

I've never done Atkins, but, I lost 100lbs doing my own low carb, was perfectly happy, but then discovered Paleo. I've lost another 40+ lbs and am delighted in what I get to eat, my hunger level (or lack of it), etc.

The perfect eating plan is out there for you, too, I'm sure! Good luck!

I'm actually very curious about this idea.

I myself am on wrung 2 (dairy) of the Carbohydrate ladder of OWL right now. However, once I reach goal, I intend to transition to another diet. The reason why I want to do this is because I personally feel that Atkins according to DANDR focuses a lot on carbohydrate monitoring and less on other macro (and micro) nutrients (and I do mean PERSONALLY- I'm sure there are some who won't agree, and to that I say I respect your opinion, but things vary from individual to individual).

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you can't eat a healthily, balanced diet on Atkins Lifetime Maintenance. I just feel that personally for me to BOTH stay at my goal weight AND have a healthy, exciting, balanced diet, I need a diet with a more expansive outlook on nutrition than the Atkins diet. Right now I'm about 20lbs away from goal and VERY VERY busy, so I'm putting off doing the research on switching until later. Right now I really like the Abs diet, where you focus on 12 "power foods.":
http://www.absdiet.com/uof/absdiet/noemail/power12.html

Anyway, I digress... point is, if you choose a HEALTHY way of eating, where you don't regularly overdo any macronutrients, whether it be carbs, fat, or protein, shouldn't you be able to maintain?

I'd love to hear your comments.

Thanks!

~shauna~

Theoretically ~ probably.

As my post said, if she adds back in crap (sugar, starch, bad carbs) she is more than likely going to gain and gain big, even in very small quantities. When I crashed, burned and went off Atkins in 2003, there were many, many days when all I would eat would be a low-fat blueberry or banana muffin and a 6-pack of diet coke, every day for days on end. That's not that much, calorie-wise...but I certainly gained on it. And how. And fast! Maybe my personal experience isn't the best case example...but I really do think folks that want to lose on Atkins then add back in bad carbs are just setting themselves up for pain and suffering.

Perhaps the only answer is, each person is individual so there's no one answer that fits everyone. I mean, we all know people, little tiny cute perfect people, who shovel those carbs in like they are going out of style, and never gain a pound. I try not to be bitter...

Well said!

And thank you for the "tiny, cute, perfect people" comment, it made me laugh out loud this morning!

I've known those people all my life. Always wanted to throw my fat self on them and roll around. Ahhhhh!