Where do you find the best Atkins Diet meal plan? The answer to this question is not as easy as it should be for such a popular and long lasting diet. This is not a simple diet.
Most people who start the Atkins Diet, or similar, are not accomplished dieticians. So, getting the right meal plan together is critical to succeeding.
WHY IS A MEAL PLAN SO CRITICAL?
First, let’s take a look at why a meal plan is so important for the Atkins Diet, and then we can look at your best options. You can also check out our Atkins Diet and Diabetes review in our weight loss section of the site.
As you know, the diet is a “low carb” diet. Rather than rely heavily on carbohydrates, as most western diets do, Atkins focuses more on proteins and “good” fats.
So, you not only have to figure out different foods and different recipes, you also have to put it all together to make sure you are getting the proper nutrients and calories. In other words, you need a comprehensive Atkins diet meal plan to pull everything together to be successful.
While there are many Atkins Diet recipe and cook books, these resources don’t do you any good if you don’t know how all these recipes and meals work together.
Compounding the issue is that depending upon what stage you are in the diet (phase 1, 2 or 3) or what carb level you are consuming (45, 60, 80 or 100) not all meal plans are going to work for you.
OPTIONS AND CHOICE
If you buy the newest Atkins book, New Atkins for a New You , you will get some meal plans. However, meal plans are not the focus of this book.
Instead, you have to look at a few other options:
ATKINS DIET DIRECT OPTION
If you become part of the Atkins Diet community, then the company website has a relatively active consumer base. You get access to many different recipes and message boards that can help with creating YOUR OWN menu plan.
If you are not a self starter, or would rather have it done for you, this is not a great
MEAL PLAN PURCHASE OPTIONS
If you are open to purchasing a meal plan, there are only three good choices in our opinion. One of these choices is actually only for the first two weeks. Surprisingly, despite the wealth of Atkins Diet books very few focus on meal planning.
THE ATKINS ESSENTIAL: A TWO-WEEK PROGRAM TO JUMP-START YOUR LOW-CARB LIFESTYLE
For those of you with ADHD, like me, this book is a great way to “jump start” the diet. It gives just the facts, without all the in depth theory of the diet. Moreover, it has the first two weeks of the diet all mapped out for you. Those of you who have ever started and failed a diet know that the first couple weeks can be the hardest. Not a bad choice if you are just getting started.
What about those of you who are grizzled Atkins Diet veterans or want more than two weeks of Atkins Diet meal plans for your money? There are two decent choices.
THE ALL-NEW ATKINS ADVANTAGE:THE 12-WEEK LOW-CARB PROGRAM
This book is what it says it is. Fire up your diet and go hard for 12 weeks. Twelve weeks is a good period of time to make a transition to an entirely different style of eating. This book is good about getting you through this transition.
ATKINS FOR LIFE:THE COMPLETE CONTROLLED CARB PROGRAM FOR PERMANENT WEIGHT LOSS
This book is for the lifer. While it says it has 120 meal plans, it is more like 30. The reason is that most Atkins Diets have up to 4 low carb choices (45g, 60g, 80g, 100g) depending upon your individual situation.
Thus, this book has 30 meal plans for each low carb choice. Either way, it has some good choices and is a worthy addition to your Atkins Library if you are serious about the diet.