Read The New Atkins Made Easy Online
Authors: Colette Heimowitz
Atkins Phase 2 (Balancing) Meal Plan at 25g NC/day | ||||
 | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday |
BREAKFAST | 2 eggs 1 1 tsp olive oil 1 oz Cheddar cheese | Atkins Advantage Peanut Butter Granola Bar 25 almonds | Atkins Frozen Farmhouse-Style Sausage Scramble | 4 oz steak or hamburger 1 tsp olive oil 1 1 1 oz Cheddar cheese |
Net Carbs: 4.1g; FV: 3.1g | Net Carbs: 5.8g; FV: 0g | Net Carbs: 5g; FV: 1g | Net Carbs: 5.6g; FV: 5.3g | |
SNACK | Atkins Advantage Vanilla Shake 25 almonds | 1 small tomato 1 oz Monterey Jack cheese | 3 2 Tbsp ranch dressing 10 walnut halves | Atkins Advantage Milk Chocolate Delight Shake 15 walnut halves |
Net Carbs: 3.8g; FV: 0g | Net Carbs: 2.6g; FV: 2.5g | Net Carbs: 4.9g; FV: 2.8g | Net Carbs: 4.1g; FV: 0g | |
LUNCH | Atkins Frozen Crustless Chicken Pot Pie | 4â6 oz chicken 1 small tomato 1 cup mixed greens 1 2 Tbsp ranch dressing 20 almonds | Atkins Frozen Beef Merlot | 4â6 oz ham or pork chop 1 cup baby spinach 1 1 Tbsp ranch dressing |
Net Carbs: 5g; FV: 4g | Net Carbs: 8g; FV: 5.1g | Net Carbs: 6g; FV: 4g | Net Carbs: 3.5g; FV: 2.8g | |
SNACK | Atkins Advantage Coconut Almond Delight Bar 20 almonds | 1 stalk celery 1 oz Cheddar cheese | Atkins Advantage Café Caramel Shake 25 almonds | 1 small tomato 2 Tbsp vinaigrette 25 almonds |
Net Carbs: 5.3g; FV: 0g | Net Carbs: 1.4g; FV: 1g | Net Carbs: 4.8g; FV: 0g | Net Carbs: 5.7g; FV: 2.5g | |
DINNER | 4â6 oz canned tuna or fish filet 2 cups mixed greens 1 2 Tbsp vinaigrette 1 cup broccoli florets | Atkins Frozen Meatloaf with Portobello Mushroom Gravy | 4â6 oz chicken 1 cup broccoli florets 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 cups mixed greens 2 Tbsp creamy Italian dressing | Atkins Frozen Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo |
Net Carbs: 5.9g; FV: 5.6g | Net Carbs: 7g; FV: 4g | Net Carbs: 4.5g; FV: 4.3g | Net Carbs: 5g; FV: 5g | |
 | Total Net Carbs: 24.1g Total Net Carbs from FV: 12.7g | Total Net Carbs: 24.8g Total Net Carbs from FV: 12.6g | Total Net Carbs: 25.2g Total Net Carbs from FV: 12.1g | Total Net Carbs: 23.9g Total Net Carbs from FV: 15.6g |
Enjoy Atkins Endulge Treats for dessert if Net Carb consumption allows! |
Atkins Phase 2 (Balancing) Meal Plan at 25g NC/day | |||
 | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
BREAKFAST | 1 cup baby spinach 1 small tomato 1 1 oz Monterey Jack cheese 25 almonds | Atkins Frozen Tex-Mex Scramble | 2 eggs 2 cups baby spinach 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 1 oz Monterey Jack cheese |
Net Carbs: 8.2g; FV: 5.3g | Net Carbs: 5g; FV: 3g | Net Carbs: 6.2g; FV: 5.3g | |
SNACK | 2 oz Cheddar cheese 1 small tomato 2 Tbsp vinaigrette | Atkins Advantage Caramel Chocolate Nut Roll Bar 15 walnut halves | 1 stalk celery 1 oz Cheddar cheese |
Net Carbs: 3.6g; FV: 2.5g | Net Carbs: 5.1g; FV: 0g | Net Carbs: 1.4g; FV: 1g | |
LUNCH | Atkins Frozen Roast Turkey Tenders with Herb Pan Gravy | 4â6 oz canned tuna or fish filet 2 Tbsp mayonnaise or tartar sauce 1 stalk celery 1 1 small tomato | Atkins Advantage Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar 20 walnut halves |
Net Carbs: 6g; FV: 4g | Net Carbs: 5g; FV: 5g | Net Carbs: 4.8g; FV: 0g | |
SNACK | Atkins Advantage Caramel Chocolate Peanut Nougat Bar | Atkins Advantage Vanilla Shake 25 almonds | 1 2 Tbsp ranch dressing |
Net Carbs: 3g; FV: 0g | Net Carbs: 3.8g; FV: 0g | Net Carbs: 2.9g; FV: 2.2g | |
DINNER | 4â6 oz ham or pork chop 1 cup broccoli 1 cup mixed greens 2 Tbsp creamy Italian dressing 10 walnut halves | 4 oz steak or hamburger 1 small tomato 1 1 | Atkins Frozen Crustless Chicken Pot Pie 25 almonds |
Net Carbs: 4.6g; FV: 2.9g | Net Carbs: 6.4g; FV: 6.4g | Net Carbs: 7.8g; FV: 4g | |
 | Total Net Carbs: 25.4g Total Net Carbs from FV: 14.7g | Total Net Carbs: 25.3g Total Net Carbs from FV: 14.4g | Total Net Carbs: 23.1g Total Net Carbs from FV: 12.5g |
Enjoy Atkins Endulge Treats for dessert if Net Carb consumption allows! |
To update your shopping list, simply add the two items in boldface to your Week 1 shopping list. Also add any foods resulting from your modifications to the meal plan for this week.
PHASE 2 (BALANCING) WEEK 1 | ||||
PROTEINS | DAIRY/CHEESE | VEGETABLES | CONDIMENTS/NUTS | ATKINS PRODUCTS |
Steak or Hamburgers | Butter | Hass Avocados | Creamy Italian Dressing | Atkins Bars |
Chicken | Cheddar Cheese | Baby Spinach | Atkins Shakes | |
Eggs | Monterey Jack Cheese | Broccoli Florets | Ranch Dressing | Atkins Frozen Meals |
Ham or Pork Chops | Â | Celery | Vinaigrette | Â |
Canned Tuna or Fish Filets | Â | Lettuce/Mixed Greens | Extra Virgin Olive Oil | Â |
Bacon | Â | Onions | Almonds | Â |
Sausages | Â | Green or Red Bell Peppers | Walnuts | Â |
 |  | Tomatoes |  |  |
*
Select sauces and condiments without added sugar.
Alcoholic beverages are permissible in Phase 2 (Balancing). But your body burns alcohol, just as it does carbohydrate and fat. In fact, it burns alcohol before fat and after blood sugar (from carbs). So drinking wine, beer, or spirits delays fat burning. Although white and brown spirits (whiskey, rum, gin, vodka, etc.) contain no carbs, a 3
1
/
2
-ounce serving of white, red, or dry dessert wine contains 1, 2, or 4 grams of carbs, respectively. An ounce of spirits or a glass of wine is not going to have a big impact on your daily carb tally, but beer is another story. A 12-ounce can or bottle of most beer contains upward of 13 grams of
carbs. Low-carb or “lite” beer cuts that to roughly 2.5 or 5.6 grams, respectively. Avoid wine coolers and conventional mixers, which are full of sugar. Fortunately, there are quite a few sugar-free mixers available.
So should you drink once you reach OWL? That depends.
â¢Â Can you stop at one drink (for women) or two drinks (for men)?
â¢Â Are you willing to drink spirits neat, with club soda or water, or with a sugar-free mixer?
â¢Â Can you moderate your intake of snacks such as salted peanuts or any other food when imbibing?
If the answer to any of these questions is no, you're probably better off waiting until you're closer to your goal weight to reintroduce alcohol.
Most cocktails present liquid trouble. A 3
1
/
2
-ounce margarita, for example, racks up almost 14 grams of Net Carbs, and a piña colada more than 22 grams. But here's the good news. The following companies make sugar-free mixers for various drinks. Not every company offers every option, but you'll be able to find mixers for a bloody Mary, daiquiri, mai tai, margarita, cranberry or sour apple martini, mojito, mudslide, piña colada, and sweet and sour:
â¢Â Baja Bob's sugar-free cocktail mixers;
bajabob.com
â¢Â Scales Cocktails;
scalescocktails.com
â¢Â Lt. Blender's sugar-free cocktail mixers;
ltblender.com
â¢Â Master of Mixes Lite Mixes; masterofmixes.com/lite
THE SCOOP ON SUGAR: PRIME OFFENDERS
Added sugars are found in countless common foods. Here's the (not so) skinny on a few that you may have been eating and drinking before you began Atkins, starting with those in which you wouldn't expect to find sugar and ending with those in which it's a key ingredient. Prepare to be astounded!
FOOD | SERVING | SUGAR CONTENT |
Skippy Peanut Butter | 2 tablespoons | 3 grams |
Kikkoman Seasoned Rice Vinegar | 1 tablespoon | 4 grams |
Burger King Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce | 1 packet | 10 grams |
Nature Valley Trail Mix Chewy Granola Bar | 1 bar | 12 grams |
Bush's Original Baked Beans | 1 | 12 grams |
Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup | 1 | 12 grams |
Glacéau Vitamin Water | 20 ounces | 31 grams |
Health Valley Apple Cobbler Cereal Bar | 1 bar | 16 grams |
KFC Sweet & Spicy Wings | 5.6 ounces | 15 grams |
Kikkoman Hoisin Sauce | 2 tablespoons | 17 grams |
Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix | 1 | 17 grams |
Snapple Iced Tea | 8 ounces | 18 grams |
McDonald's Fruit 'N Yogurt Parfait | 5.2 ounces | 23 grams |
Dannon Low-Fat Coffee Yogurt | 6 ounces | 26 grams |
Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice | 8 ounces | 30 grams |
Aunt Jemima Original Pancake Syrup | 1 | 32 grams |