9 Atkins 72 Induction Rules that are Still Relevant Today

Are you following all of these 9 rules
for Atkins 72?

A few weeks ago, at an estate sale, I ran across a hardcover copy of the original Atkins Diet – also known as Atkins 72. I was really glad to find it because my paperback (the 1975 addition) has been read so many times that it's falling apart.

Most people, in their rush to get into ketosis and evolve into a fat-burning machine, will gloss right on by these Atkins 72 Induction Rules. However, not following the rules is one of the major reasons why dieters fall off the wagon and fail to achieve their Atkins Induction goals.

As I've said many times before, Induction (regardless of which version of the Atkins Diet you're following) isn't about weight loss. It's about getting into ketosis comfortably and correcting any hormone imbalances you might have.

Induction also introduces you to the types of foods that are consistent with a leaner you.

Most people come to the Atkins table from a diet high in sugars and starches. They don't come from a background of well-balanced choices. With instinct and impulse in charge of your past behavior, Induction seeks to show you that what you eat now matters as much as how much.

The typical American style of eating, regardless of what dietitians and nutritionists say, is not a well-balanced, whole-grain diet.

Only a few people eat that way.

Look at any grocery cart the next time you go shopping and you'll find it filled to the brim with overly-processed and highly-refined foods. Snacks, desserts, and chips reign supreme, with very few fruits and vegetables showing up.

Switching from the Standard American Diet of hot dogs, french fries, and macaroni and cheese dinners to Atkins will help you shed the pounds, but also substantially improve your health due to the controlled quantities of nutrient-dense carbohydrates that Atkins allows.

When you control your carbohydrate intake on low carb, your body switches from predominantly using glucose for fuel to burning fatty acids and ketones quite rapidly.

The idea is to show you how easily you can ditch pounds and inches while eating luxuriously. However, it must be followed to the letter.

And this is where the Atkins 72 Rules come into play.

No matter which Atkins or low-carb diet you're following, if you don't do it correctly, you might not go into ketosis. And if you don't get into ketosis quickly enough, you'll be more apt to walk away from the diet, believing that Atkins is just another weight-loss diet that doesn't work.

Related Article: How to Get Into Ketosis in 24 Hours

The nice thing about following Atkins 72 Induction Rules is that they are useful for anyone who has adopted a low-carb lifestyle. They are not just for those using Atkins 72.

They are relevant for all low-carb diets.

So here are the 9 super-important still-relevant Atkins 72 Induction Rules that you need to follow to see success:

Rule #1: Don't count calories on Atkins 72 Induction.

Being in a calorie deficit doesn't mean you have to “count” calories. There are lots of ways to control portion sizes or beef up your activity without having to resort to math.

When I put this to the test, I started Atkins 72 eating 1,600 calories per day. Since I'm only 5 feet tall, 1,600 calories was way above the amount of calories I can eat and still lose weight.

What an eye-opener.

I had vowed to give Atkins 72 a week or two before evaluating if it was a better version for me, and I'm so glad that I did it that way. Although I kept telling myself that this wasn't going to work, within 3 days, my appetite had dropped from 1,600 calories down to 900 a day.

The appetite suppression is real.

In addition:

In my experience, the fewer carbs you eat, the more dramatic the hunger reduction will be. Zero carb gave me no hunger and cravings, which is why it works so well.

But you have to be careful that you don't allow yourself to fall back into old habits of unconscious eating. That's when the real problem begins.

Rule #2: Eat as much of the allowed foods as you need to avoid hunger.

The Atkins Diet works best when you eat just enough to avoid feeling hungry, so those 900 calories I was eating on Atkins 72 caused me to lose 2 to 3 pounds per week.

When I decided to do this again, but focus more on portion control, rather than calories or carbs, I dropped 40 pounds in one year by just cutting back on how much I was eating.

I didn't count calories or carbs.

I just ate less.

I didn't lose quickly. I lost 2 to 3 pounds per month. But it was well worth the effort that it took to stay conscious and aware of what I was putting into my mouth.

For example, when I ditched the regular sodas for the diet varieties, I instinctively began cooking higher-fat low-carb dishes for dinner. When I started eating a more balanced, well-rounded meal, and cut back on the fat, the weight started to drop.

Rule #3: Don't eat when you're not hungry.

How often do you eat out of habit rather than hunger?

Do you have a craving for salt, fat, or sweets?

Are you used to eating dessert, snacking in front of the television or computer, or eating just because those around you are eating?

Are you attracted to food due to the taste or smell?

In my own life, I've found that my consciousness goes to sleep when I eat while working at the computer. I can polish off half a giant bag of Cheetos without realizing just how much I ate.

Most people who are overweight eat when they are NOT hungry. We eat for comfort, taste, and to numb our pain, so this is a nice rule to adopt no matter which weight-loss diet you're following.

Rule #4: Don't feel you must eat everything on your plate just because it's there.

I was raised in a home where cleaning your plate was a rule. I couldn't be excused from the table unless my plate was clean.

But here's the thing.

Whether you're scraping food into the trash can or cramming it into your body, you're still wasting food!

It took me decades to break free from that.

The guilt at leaving food behind on my plate was horrible. I started by wrapping up my leftovers for lunch the next day, so I don't have to waste food, but there are other ways you can break free of this.

You don't have to eat it all, just because it's staring up at you. It's better to dish up half a portion and go back for seconds, if needed.

Rule #5: Drink as much water or calorie-free beverages as thirst requires. Don't restrict fluids. But it's not necessary to force them either.

Dr. Atkins was never in the “drink half of your current weight in ounces” club that I'm aware of. He recommended the same amount of water as those on well-balanced diets are told to drink: 64 ounces a day.

However, many, many low-carb dieters across the years have shared their experience in drinking more than that.

What have they said?

You can stall in your weight loss if you're not drinking enough.

You can be dehydrated if you don't drink enough.

You can feel hungry when the body actually wants water, so thirst isn't always a good guide. Many say you are already dehydrated by the time you feel thirsty, but I don't know if that's true or not.

When I was in the weight-loss phase of Atkins, and after some trial and error, I found out that three 32-ounce cups of water was the perfect amount for me.

Rule #6: Frequent small meals are preferable.

The Atkins 72 Diet was created to be a no-hunger diet, so frequent small meals and snacks were encouraged, despite the biological impact on your insulin level to eat that way.

This is because Atkins 72 was much lower in carbohydrate than the current Atkins plan.

Vegetables were used to add variety and color to your meals.

They weren't used as filler.

The way I got around this insulin problem was to eat only no-carb proteins and fats for snacks.

Rule #7: If weakness results from rapid weight loss, you may need salt.

If you're feeling weak, dizzy, shaky, or flushed, you probably have the Atkins Flu. The Atkins Flu isn't a virus. It's called the flu because that's what the symptoms remind you of.

What's really going on?

You've thrown your electrolytes out of balance.

Electrolytes are calcium, potassium, magnesium, and sodium. Since low-carb causes you to lose a lot of water, these vital minerals get flushed out of your system and need to be replaced.

Most of the time, extra salt is all you need to supplement with because modern-day Atkins diets are higher in vegetables. On Atkins 72, however, you might need more than just added salt.

Magnesium and potassium have to be increased, as well as salt.

Rule #8: Everyday take a high-strength multivitamin pill.

When Atkins 72 was young, Dr. Atkins' company used to sell a handful of multivitamins. Today, they no longer sell supplements but still recommend that you take a high-strength multivitamin pill of your choice.

In Dr. Atkins' professional experience, 10 percent of the people who begin the Atkins Nutritional Approach experience a less-than-ideal state after starting Induction.

This is due to malnutrition.

Vitamin and mineral reserves are so depleted, due to the Standard American Diet, that it takes more than 7 days to rebuild those reserves.

Atkins didn't believe in minimum daily requirements. He believed in optimum doses. This point is particularly important if you're following Atkins 72.

Rule #9: Read the labels on “low-calorie” drinks, syrups, desserts. Only those with no carbohydrate content are allowed.

In 1972, there was only a few options that fit into a low-carb diet, but low-calorie options at the supermarket were a big deal. Today, you still have to be careful about condiments, salad dressings, and sauces, because the carbohydrates can add up quickly.

Twenty carbs per day doesn't go very far, even on Atkins 72.

Also, keep in mind that the no-carbohydrate rule is for Induction only. That's the very first week. After the first 7 days, you have the option of adding whatever 5-8 gram portion of carbohydrates you want to add.

If you want to spend it on drinks, syrups, and desserts – you can.

For example, today, Heinz No-Sugar Added Ketchup is only 1 carbohydrate per tablespoon, so it would be allowed on Level 2 or beyond. Gulden's Spicy brown mustard is 0 carbs per teaspoon, so you could have that on Week 1.

Low-calorie products often have additional sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, molasses, and other sweeteners to help improve the flavor. Sugars and starches is what you're trying to avoid in condiments and sauces.

What to Do if You Break an Atkins 72 Induction Rule

Be realistic.

Don't wait until tomorrow to start over.

A few extra carbs will have a limited effect on your metabolism, but if you hold off and slip into a midnight binge, since you're going to diet come morning, you could find yourself making more excuses in the morning for why you can't go back to Atkins yet.

Don't tell yourself there's no use in trying. It's okay to not follow the plan perfectly. Breaking bad habits and addictions and replacing them with healthy practices and patterns will take time.

Pick yourself up. Evaluate what happened, and why.

What can you do today to help yourself avoid the same mistake in the future?

The idea is to teach yourself how to respond to challenges that might pop up in the future. This is one of the times that the “what if” game can be quite beneficial.

What can you do to be better prepared?