Try My Tasty Atkins Diet Sample Menu

My Atkins Diet sample menu can help you get a better understanding of what it will be like to eat on this plan. While you may have looked at some Atkins diet sample menus and heard others talk about the low carb advantages of the Atkins diet, a lot of us don’t know what to expect. I know I was one of those people, and it was a real adjustment when I first started.

To help you skip all that confusion, I’ve put together a few Atkins diet sample menus of what a typical day of eating is like on the Atkins Diet menu plan. Keep in mind when you look at these, though, that your choices and what you can eat will change as you move through the diet’s phases (Induction, Weight Loss, Pre-Maintenance and Maintenance). You’ll get more variety as you progress.

The first phase, Induction, is the most restrictive, but even on it you can have tasty meals and snacks. The Atkins diet induction menu sample below gives you a good idea of how much you can eat and still lose weight rapidly:

Induction Diet Sample Menu

(20 grams carbohydrates or less)

• Breakfast - Omelet with bacon or ham and onions 2 slices tomato
• Lunch - Tossed salad Spicy burger with cheese (no bun)
• Dinner - Baked salmon or Halibut Steamed broccoli with lemon juice and pepper
• Snack - Atkins Advantage Bar or guacamole with raw veggies

Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? And remember, this is the phase with the lowest carb count! You can broaden your choices as you move on through the diet.

You can also have some tea, coffee and sugar-free soft drinks (preferably sweetened with Splenda), but keep this limited, as caffeine can cause dehydration. The best choice though is water, which will curb your appetite while keeping you hydrated.

Adjust Your Menu As You Go

Each time you move to the next phase of the Atkins diet, your choices become more varied. For instance, during the Weight Loss phase, you can have up to 40 grams of carbohydrates a day, which will make you feel that you’re almost “cheating” after two weeks on the Induction Phase. This is one of the keys to the success of the Atkins Diet – you aren’t restricting yourself for long periods of time. Every few weeks you can add more variety and adjust your eating as you go.

Atkins diet meal ideas can be found almost everywhere these days. Even restaurants have certain dishes labeled either “low carb” or “Atkins Approved” so that you can eat out without worry. In fact, I’ve found that these dishes are a great inspiration for my own cooking at home!

After you’ve gone through the Induction phase, you’ll love the items added to the other phases, especially the Pre-Maintenance Phase, when you can begin adding some carbohydrates without over-doing it.

Another Atkins Diet Sample Menu (One of My Favorites!)

• Breakfast - 1 slice of whole-grain wheat bread ½ cup of blueberries Omelet with herbs and cheese
• Lunch - Enchiladas Tossed salad with creamy Italian dressing
• Dinner - Szechwan chicken Roasted squash and zucchini Baked spinach casserole
• Snack - Ice cream (yay!)

If my Atkins diet sample menu has inspired you to get your hands on some other recipes, the Internet has many sites with Atkins diet meal plan recipes you can download either free or for a small membership fee. Also look for Atkins-approved cookbooks that have great recipes in keeping with the low carb lifestyle.