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Phase 3: Find your carb balance
With your goal weight in sight, Phase 3 is all about helping you establish a long-term way of eating so you can stay happy and healthy for good.
Getting the balance right
As you get ready to hit your target, slow and steady weight loss is the name of the game. Phase 3 is also about building up your carb tolerance, so hit by the time you’re ready to move on to Phase 4, you know what works for you in the long-term.
We’re all different, so what works for one might not work for another. If you have any questions or find yourself struggling, you can turn to members of our Atkins community or our nutritionists for extra support.
Listen to your body
During Phase 3, you will increase your carb intake by 10g per week. This is so you can find your carb balance – the ideal level that will allow you to reach your goal weight and stay there. Everyone’s different, so it is just trial and error. Take it at your own pace and listen to your body.
By the time you reach your goal weight and have kept it there for a month, you should have a pretty good idea of what amount and type of carbs your body can handle, and what it can’t.
Fine-tuning your carbs
If your cravings come back or your weight loss stalls, drop your carb intake by 10g for a week, then introduce an extra 5g until you find your level. In this final ‘fine-tuning’ stage of your plan, you’ll discover the balance between what you can eat and maintaining your ideal weight.
Remember, weight loss will be slower as you work find your carb balance. Be patient, if you stick to a few rules, you will find the carb limit that will help you stay at the weight your happy weight.
- You can add an extra 10g of carbs per week (up to 100g) to find your carb balance
- You can now add pulses, starchy veg, more fruits and grains to your diet
- Monitor your daily carb intake – which you can do using our carb counter
- Consume eight glasses of water (or other acceptable fluids) per day
Support in Phase 3
We have a range of handy weight loss tools plus advice and inspiration on hand from our experts should you need it.
Get your questions answered: If you’ve got a question, ask one of our experts, read our FAQs or share it with the Atkins community.