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Summary: Explores Holes In Low-Fat Diets
Review: An interesting, different look at our relationship with foods and how the human body uses carbohydrates, protein, and fats to store and provide the energy it needs. Dr. Atkins was the first to preach the new low-carb, high protein diets that are emerging today. Atkins gives a somewhat scientific, yet simple enough explanation of how most of the "low-fat" foods we eat actually contain great amounts of sugar and carbohydrates which our bodies readily convert to fat storage in our bodies. The diet he prescribes flies in the face of traditional low-fat, low cholesterol diets, suggesting we consume mostly protein and fat (excluding meats high in sodium and preservatives) while limiting our intake of carbs (especially those high on the glycemic index) like grains, flour and sugar. Research at the Atkins Center reveals that cutting fats from our diet can actually satiate us less, leading us to eat more and more of these high carb foods. The body converts the extra carbs to excess body fat, which over time leads to obesity, insulin resistance, heart disease, and often diabetes.
Following the diet can be tough at times, especially during the first two weeks where you are limited to very few carbohydrates. I never was able to stick to it through this part, but I know others who have. They lose a lot of extra weight and look really good. It really comes down to how much you like to eat bread and cereal and sugary foods. Vegetarians/vegans may have an even tougher time. Skeptics wonder about the toll taken on the liver and other organs from eating so much protein. Atkins touts proof in his studies that his diet inevitably lowers bad cholesterol and blood pressure.
In the end I could never stay away from some of my favorite foods (french bread, cereal, pizza). I did come away with an awareness of the incredible amount of sugar, starch and preservatives contained in American foods. Even if you aren't looking to lose weight, Atkins' New Diet Revolution can provide a unique insight into nutrition and the chronic American diet.
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Summary: Atkins without the red meat
Review: Sandi from Ontario described Atkins as a horrible diet. I have been on Atkins (at 100 grams of carbs per day to maintain) for years. I have red meat about 1 time a month. For meats I eat fish and chicken and rarely do I have this. Most of my protein comes from soy foods and nuts. Yes Sandi, there are some silly people that use Atkins as an excuse to pig out on the red meat. Atkins is about being aware of your food choices. All the cancer stats you cited are correct, however you didn't seem to find it neccessary to state that your risk of cancer is higher if you are over weight than if you eat meat. Cancer is lowest in Japan where *GASP* they eat meat- known as fish. I really ger annoyed by people who spout off facts without giving the full picture first.
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Summary: Melt That Fat Away - With Some Major Deprivation!
Review: There is an ever growing number of obese Americans. According to the Centers For Disease Control, 60% of all US adults are overweight; one-fifth of Americans are considered obese, up from 9% in 1991; and obesity among our children is a growing problem. We, as a nation of people determined to get rid of that fat, spend more than $30 billion a year on diet products. And most of the products and diets are doomed to fail. I myself, am not obese, but always ready to remove 10-20 pounds. With summer ahead, and the thought of exposing my bod on the beach, I picked-up "Dr. Atkins' NEW Diet Revolution" in April - admittedly a bit late to lose much weight before the call of Memorial Day weekend. I must say the diet works and I have lost almost 16 pounds (it is now July - so 3 months of dieting. Now, I am one who pursues my diets with a vengeance, and they have run the gamut over the years. So, keep in mind, I do follow the rules, strictly. Until I stop dieting. Maintenance just does not seem to be my thing. This is not Dr. Atkins' fault. Twenty years after the 1st Dr. Atkins' Diet was published, there are new research results, new studies and new evidence that Dr. Atkins' was, and still is, correct on many of his theories. Over $ten million of the original diet books have been sold, and now the good Doctor has published a New, revised edition. In a nutshell, the goal of the diet is to assist you in changing your body from burning Carbohydrates to burning Fat; stabilize you body's blood sugar and stop cravings for sugar and other carbs, (the craving NEVER stopped for me!); demonstrate to you, the dieter, that you can lose pounds this way; and to get your body into, what is called 'ketosis'...the process that occurs when your body burns fat. It also causes smelly sweat, stinky breath and sometimes hot flashes. Are you totally grossed out? The price we pay for health and beauty! The first two weeks are the most difficult. You should, (Must!), take a good multivitamin and a calcium supplement to avoid leg cramps, a side effect of this regimen - explanation in the book. You must drink 8-10 eight oz. glasses of water per day...or more, if you can. Water cleanses the body of fat and other wastes. Make sure your multivitamin has plenty of potassium, because you lose it rapidly with all the water you will be drinking. Forget coffee, tea, sodas, etc...just drink the water. You may eat lots of meat, fish, shellfish, chicken, pork - but there are limitations, (see book); hard cheeses, not American or processed; eggs; some nuts; fat (moderation is the key here) - butter, olive oil, mayo, cream cheese; 2 cups, (at least salad) of greens per day - the darker the green the better; vegetables that are LOW in carbohydrates - of, course, many of your favorites are high in that favorite food group(!). The book contains an excellent carb counter. You May Not Eat Sugar, Bread, Cake, Pasta, Potatoes, (I am beginning to cry), and the most difficult for me is to avoid most fruit, which is loaded with carbs. Maybe it would be easier at another time of year, but summer's bounty of peaches, nectarines, cherries are lost to us. Initially, no more than 20 grams of carbs per day. As I said, or as Dr. Atkins says, after the 1st two weeks you may increase the carbs a bit, but not by much. For me this diet, along with exercise - you don't have to do anything too strenuous, but walking a mile or two a day really helps - does work. I can do this for the short term, a few months, maybe 6. I understand the maintenance program is not bad. I haven't reached that part yet. :) However, the thought of giving up bread, cake, ice cream, pasta, etc., for a lifetime, hurts my heart and decreases my will to live - Really Live!! I will check out Maintenance and see, however. I do recommend the book. It is informative, well written, has all kinds of charts and carb counters to assist with your weight loss. Good luck, whatever you decide!
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Summary: Very Healthy if Done Properly
Review: The original book came out in 1972, and with this latest release, updated in 2002, you get the latest research, knowledge and nutrition that makes the Atkins diet succeed. I admit to being a skeptic before I read more about the Atkins diet. It seemed too good to be true. Choose butter over margarine? Eat tuna steaks instead of bean sprouts and bagels? How could this help you to lose weight? Of course, most of these things have already been proven to be healthy by studies. You can't just drop protein from your diet, and you can't eat tons of starch. Margarine is unhealthy for you, while butter is good. And exercise, of course, is a key to a strong metabolism. I went into college to get a biology degree (I later switched to computer science) so I had a good grounding in biology to start with. And the more I read about this diet, the more intrigued I was. It of course makes sense that the huge volumes of sugar most Americans and other developed nations eat isn't good for us. It makes sense that chowing down on potato chips and french fries isn't healthy. Which is in essence what this diet is all about. Cut out all the sugary junk we have been weaned on. Cut out the bland white bread that has the nutrients beaten out of it. And start eating HEALTHILY. To have a book explain WHY, and how a balanced diet of fresh vegetables, fresh fish and chicken is both filling and nutritious, made a lot of sense to me. Some people erroneously think that Atkins is about lots of bacon and processed meats, and no veggies. Nothing could be further from the truth. Atkins is about salmon steaks and zucchini, lots of fresh salads, tuna and celery. And because your body isn't doing the wild mood swings that sugar consumption bring on, you feel full and relaxed while you do it. Many people make the mistake that the induction plan for the first two weeks is the whole diet. That's not true at all! Induction is to get your body into fat-burning mode. After that, we pretty much ate "normally" - that is, healthily. Lots of fish and chicken, lots of great, fresh veggies, berries and nuts. But cut out all that junk food, and see what a difference it makes. In addition to all the great medical background and step by step instructions, the book even has a selection of delicious recipes and suggestions for those with specific medical problems. This isn't a diet about starvation. We were ALWAYS full on this diet. It's about eating delicious foods like filet mignon and salmon steak, with asparagus and tomato on the side, and having your body thank you by shedding its excess fat it no longer needs. We know so many people that have lost weight (and KEPT it off) on the Atkins diet that it pretty much speaks for itself. Give the book a read, and decide for yourself if it's time to give it a try!
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Summary: Not A Diet - A Life Style
Review: I must say, that I'm amazed at the zealots that feel the need to post reviews of every low carb book, shouting ridiculous claims of "danger" and "death". What their agenda is, I'm not sure, but they must somehow benefit from smearing the likes of Dr. Atkins and others. One can be assured, that their warnings are based on myth, innuendos, and pure ignorance of the low carb life style. I am a 46 year old male, that weighted in at 240 lbs., when I started to do Atkins on June 3rd of this year. As of today, less then one month later, I've lost 28 lbs. of fat, and have renewed vigor, energy and stamina. I no longer suffer the horrible sugar cravings and binging, that where a daily part of my life. I no longer feel bloated, nor do I suffer from spells of exhaustion. After seeing my success, my wife joined me on June 12th, and proceeded to lose13 lbs. in just over 2 weeks. We now eat a very healthy diet of quality meat, fish, eggs, cheese, nuts, vegetables and low carb fruits. In fact, our diet today contains far more vegetables then we ever ate before Atkins. Gone are the processed foods, full of empty sugar calories, homogenized fats, and tons of preservatives. We've never eaten heathier, nor better in our lives. Food is now a satisfying fuel, that makes us feel energized, not the former burden, that put us to sleep after a meal. Yes, the first week or so can be hard, as your body adjusts to carb withdrawal, but if you stick with it, the rewards are phenomenal. Low carb is now our chosen life style, and we no longer have any desire to ingest the poisons of our past. If you are overweight, and concerned about your health, you owe it to yourself to read this book from cover to cover. But a word of warning. If you enter this lightly, you will fail! Atkins is about a life style change, it is not a "diet".
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Summary: Way too extreme for most people.
Review: I would just like to warn most people out there that this diet is too extreme and expensive for anyone to do longterm. After following the induction for two weeks I was so sick of meat, eggs and cheese that I couldn't eat them constantly anymore. I am not obese and only need to lose 30 pounds, but have allways been looking for a miracle to drop the weight fast. Well the miracle is, eating a nutritious diet and exercising. And it is hard work and takes commitment. I walk and work out 6 times a week, eat a healthy diet full of organic meat, veggi's, beans, lentils, fruits, pasta ect. I get plenty of omega 3 fatty acids from flax fish and omega eggs and try to limit suger, however if I really want a cookie or something yummy, I have it and the world isn't over. Doing this I am losing about a whopping 1 pound a week. So next year when all of the atkins low carbers are yo-yoing up and down, I will be 30 pound lighter and in excellent physical condition. The beautiful part of it is I will not have deprived myself and I will know that as long as my overall diet is excellent I can still eat whatever I want in moderation. I can live with that my whole life. I reccomend that instead of buying this book, arm yourself with some books on the glycemic index and on essential fats. Plus learn how to cook and take care of yourself!!!!
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Summary: Unbelievable !
Review: I've been on the Atkins Diet for almost a half a year, and it has worked wonders for me... In addition to losing close to 60 lbs, I'm off a million different pills for a million different problems (from diabetes, to gout to nervous stomach), my blood sugar is back to normal and I'm searing with energy - -most phenomenally, I am no longer constantly hungry... The theory in part behind this diet is that in stabilizing your blood sugar, you stabilize your appetite. - - Of course, the Atkins Diet has its skeptics... but the most amazing thing is that most of them critisize the diet based on "rumors" about it, not the truth... the most amazing thing you discover when you read the book that the Atkins diet is NOT a junk food diet. Little by little the diet tricks you into chosing foods that are natural, healthy and unprocessed. - - Junk carbohydrates are replaced by healthy nuts, berries and greens... 6 months into the diet, I am exercising more and eating more vegetables than I have in ages... If for some reason you've been led to believe that the Atkins diet is a dangerous no-carbohydrate all cheeseburger no vegetable diet, you've definitely been mislead and should read the book... I believe this diet saved my life... even if it didn't it has greatly improved the quality of it... and maybe it will yours !
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Summary: Not for everyone!
Review: I tried this plan and did it by the book but it just didn't work out well with my body. Even with vitamins and extra fiber supplements, I still had too many digestive problems. My doctor requested that I go on a 'less extreme' diet instead since I was hurting my kidneys. You really do need to check with a doctor before trying this plan. It is not for everyone. Some people may have problems with the high amounts of saturted fats/meats and lack of natural fiber sources especially during the induction phase. The book still has some good information and advice. I don't count my carbs anymore but I do try to stay away from white sugars/breads. There is nothing wrong with having some veggies as a sidedish instead of a pasta/potato. However, I don't take it to the extreme and don't worry if there is a little 'sugary' ketchup on my burger. I'm doing the WW point system and that has been working great and I don't miss Atkins at all. Moral of story - One size does not fit all. Read the book if you are curious and consult with your doctor before starting.
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Summary: Make sure you know what you're getting!
Review: Yes, this can help you to lose weight - I have seen this help people drop extra pounds. But you need to realize that it is only a very short-term thing and is not a good idea for long-term use. This can be a great jump-start but afterwards, the weight-loss must be maintained. This means a balanced diet and exercise - nothing is easy! So make sure you realise that this is not a fix-all and that weight loss and maintenance is never really over.
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Summary: Counter-intuitive but extremely effective.
Review: My wife got this book, and I initially was quite skeptical. However, I decided to go along (just because making a diet version and non-diet version of each meal would be too much of a hassle). Initially, for the first couple days, the diet is draining because your body is getting accustomed to having low blood-sugar. After that, it's fine. I got to eat all the meat and cheese products I wanted, and I didn't miss sweets because I wasn't that attached to them in the first place. Within 2 weeks I saw major results, losing close to 10 pounds. We've been on the diet for about 6 weeks now, and I've lost 15 pounds without killing myself exercising. We've discovered splenda and sugar-free candy from hershey, so we haven't had to give up sweets. There are low-carb versions of my favorite foods (pizza and pasta), so the sacrifice isn't very big. When you eat fast food, just take the burger off the bun or eat a salad. Easy as pie.
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