Veggie Blog

Pre-Maintenance is the third phase of the Atkins diet, the stage between losing weight and keeping it off. The old version of this post explained it, but much of the text had been garbled by a bad rewriting tool. This version keeps the same ideas and checks them against what Atkins itself publishes. Atkins now sells its programs as plans based on daily net carbs, so older names such as Induction, OWL and Pre-Maintenance may look different from what you see on a current label.

What is Pre-Maintenance?

According to Atkins, you move to this phase when you are within 5 or 10 pounds of your target weight. The idea is to lose the last few pounds slowly, so you ease into a permanently changed way of eating. The phase lasts until you reach your target weight and maintain it for a month. The old post said it can take one to three months, which is reasonable, though the time depends on how much weight you have left and how your body responds.

How fast should you add carbs?

In the earlier Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL) phase, Atkins says you add net carbs in 5-gram steps. In Pre-Maintenance you add 10 grams of net carbs per week, as long as weight loss continues and you have no undue hunger or cravings. A loss of just half a pound a week is fine at this stage, according to Atkins guidance for health professionals. The old post said the same, and warned against adding 20 or 30 grams at a time because smaller steps help you find your personal limit. Interestingly, a large 2018 trial of low-carb and low-fat diets used the same idea: participants added back carbs (or fat) in small amounts each week until they found a level they could keep up for life.

Which foods come back first?

Atkins says you can gradually reintroduce foods such as lentils and other legumes, fruits other than berries, starchy vegetables and whole grains. You still need 12 to 15 grams of net carbs a day from the foundation vegetables, and you add new foods one at a time so that you can see how each one affects your weight and cravings. The old post gave a few examples of foods worth about 10 grams, such as legumes, an apple or oatmeal, but portion sizes matter a great deal, so check a carb counter or the package label for the foods you choose.

What if weight loss stalls?

This is part of the process and not a failure. The old post explained that there is a fine line between gaining, maintaining and losing, and the way to find it is to pay close attention. Atkins advises that if loss stops, slows to less than half a pound a week, or you start to regain, you back down by 10 grams of net carbs (or 20 grams, if necessary) and stop adding new foods. Stay at that level for a couple of weeks, and if loss resumes, try going up by 5 grams instead. See overcoming plateaus on the Atkins diet for more.

Can you average your carbs over a week?

The old post suggested that some people eat 50 grams one day and 90 grams the next, for example, so that they have flexibility around a special meal. I could not find this in Atkins guidance, and the old post itself warned that a high-carb day can trigger cravings the next day. If you try it, keep to your weekly total and stop if cravings return. A steadier routine is easier for most people, and the 2005 report on the National Weight Control Registry found that people who keep a consistent diet on weekdays, weekends and holidays are best able to keep their weight off.

What should you do next?

Keep counting net carbs, keep a note of your weight once a week, and let the scale and your cravings guide each step. If you have a medical condition such as diabetes or kidney disease, talk to your doctor before you add or cut carbs. When you have reached your goal weight and held it for a month, you are ready for the maintenance phase; our post on Atkins diet basics explains the overall structure, and planning for Atkins gives meal-planning ideas. Our guide to carbohydrate cravings on Atkins can help if cravings return as you add carbs. Atkins also publishes a guide for health professionals with more detail on this phase: Guidelines for Phase 3.