Does Atkins eventually become Low Fat?

[amwin12]

Hello All,
I was reading my 2002 Atkins book and came across a page where there was a question asking does Dr.Atkins promote a high fat diet and his response was no exactly that once you get into Maintence your fat intake will have to decrease as you increase your carbs.

I don't have the book in front of me to say exactly what page it's on. So my question is does the Atkins diet eventually become low fat? Not as low as the typical Low Fat diet but nonetheless much much lower then in the early phases?

It's been a while since I've read the Maintence phase section in the book but I do not remember Dr. Atkins stating that fat should be decreased in this phase but it is mention briefly in the Q&A section in the beginning of the book.

To you maintainers how have you handled the fat and increase carbs situation. Have you found it difficult to adjust?

Thank you all in advance for responding.

[ValidRouge]

No, it does not become anything like "lowfat".

The majority of our calories always come from fat. But, instead of it being 65% fat as in induction, maintenance might come down as low as 50% fat. That's still HALF of our daily calories and a far cry from what anyone would consider "low fat".

With that said....in maintenance, I'm still at 60% fat or higher. I need the fat to stay satisfied.

[jimmyolsenblues]

I agree with ValidRouge , atkins for life is still a high fat diet.

[sadie147]

My fat is normally aroudn 40-50 % a day. When you up your carbs, your fats automatically usually come down.

[sallyseachange]

On Atkins fat is, and continues to be, your friend. Yippee! Actually, I never really reduced mine, but as Sadie said, when your carbs increase, which they do as you journey to maintenance, the percentage of your fats naturally gets reduced, without eating any less.

[losetocruise]

I have both the 1992 and 2002 versions of his book. in the 1992 version he specifically says that the Atkins diet is not actually a high fat diet.. The purpose of fat in the diet is two fold. I,) Fat satiates the appetite. 2.) Fat makes otherwise bland diet food taste better.

Fat will not hurt you on the Atkins diet, but people often seem to think of it as a high fat diet rather than a low carbohydrate diet. Atkins also says that people with a real aversion to fat can do a low fat version using leaner cuts of meat or even a vegetarian version though their menu choices would be extremely limited.

In a practical sense, if you severly limit the carbs, there is not a lot left other then fat and protein

[mitzimarie]

Originally Posted by losetocruise

I have both the 1992 and 2002 versions of his book. in the 1992 version he specifically says that the Atkins diet is not actually a high fat diet.

LOL... well, if you do the math, Atkins IS a high fat, moderate protein, low carb way of eating. In ANY given phase of Atkins, your fat percentage will be higher than your protein or carb percentage.

It's OK... if you understand the plan, you know that fat is not a bad word. It's healthy!

[ttdriver]

I'd give up living before I'd give up the fat.

I eat A TON of fat. Always have since day one on Atkins (January 19, 2002) and I still do. I also weigh less than I ever have !

I am a runner and fat is my fuel of choice. And besides, it tastes so darn good !

Betty

[vitaminc]

currently i am maintaining on a low fat diet.
my doctor told me i had really high cholesterol and had to cut down the fat and greasy foods.
its doing well right now, no cravings what so ever.

[carbless_in_seattle]

if you take a diet that is 65% fat, 30% protein 5% carbs, and then you add 5 carbs and do nothing else to change that diet, the 5% of carbs is going to go up, consequently lowering the other two numbers, even though you are eating just as much fat, its just not as high of a percentage.