Rating: 
Summary: Dr. Atkins is telling the truth, but he's much too strict
Review: I had purchased this book almost 3 years ago. After having read it, I put it away and decided that this could not be true.About 2 years ago, I started hearing people talking about
hyperinsulinemia and how/why it causes weight gain. I had even heard some doctors discuss it in the hospital I work at. I had asked one of the doctors about it, and he suggested I attend a seminar about health and nutrition in order to learn more about it. At that seminar, I was astonished to learn that the very same things Dr. Atkins wrote about in his book, that FAT DOES NOT MAKE US FAT, BUT HIGHLY REFINED CARBOHYDRATES (SIMPLE SUGARS) DO INDEED MAKE US FAT, as well as SICK, were being discussed at large. Hyperinsulinism is caused by the refined carbohydrates we consume. Last year, I decided to give that diet a try. I did shed pounds, and quickly. Not only that, my HDL (good cholesterol) went up and my LDL (bad cholesterol) went down. I felt more energetic and less hungry. However, I could not tolerate the fact that I would have to give up my carbohydrates FOR GOOD. Also, I found it tough only eating 3 cups of vegetables a day. I found myself wanting more vegetables. Following the 2 week period, I began to crave fruits. By the third week, I simply had to have an orange. I, personally, cannot live without carbohydrates. I feel I must have some fruit, pasta, rice, etc. Don't get me wrong,
Dr. Atkins IS telling the truth, he's not a liar. Highly refined carbs are definitely the cause for cardiovascular diseases, especially coronary heart disease leading to Myocardial Infarction (heart attack). Needless to say, however, if one's fate is to die from a heart attack, then he WILL die of a heart attack, regardless of his good health, physical activity and daily nutrition. For those of you who find this diet easy enough to adhere to without fruit consumption, then I'd say go for it. You will lose weight -- FAST. Don't forget to drink LOTS of water. Those of you who, like me, cannot give up the carbs for good and find the limited quantity of vegetables, as well as abstaining from fruit difficult, then perhaps you should consider reading "The Carbohydrate Addicts Lifespan Program" by Drs. Richard & Rachael Heller. It's a great book (great program, too) and they also discuss hyperinsulinemia. Good luck in whatever you choose & good health.
Rating: 
Summary: Bottom line: IT WORKS!
Review: This is a common sense diet that has worked for me. My choice was possibly die early from being too fat, or loose weight. I choose to loose the extra pounds. I laughed at a previous review calling this a death sentence. Try reading the book first before you condem it. In about 5-months I have lost 42 pounds and feel great and I am staying on it. The nice thing is this diet is easy to do and I am NEVER hungry!
Rating: 
Summary: Worse low carb diet on the market, Protein Power is better
Review: Low carb diets work period. BUT atkins is the worse low carb program there is. My doctor suggested to me a low carb diet, but NOT atkins. Atkins forbids fruit and grain products on his diet while telling us to take massive amounts of vitamins. Why? becuase his diet is so restrictive you lose vital nutrients that our bodies require. I was told to use protein power, and from reading the book I can see why. Atkins is so busy selling his vitamins which can be found at dollar stores under generic labels, and horrible tasting food products at horrific prices. protein power tells us how the diet works in a way anyone can understand. Protein Power is a much better program.
Rating:
Summary: Healthier, more energetic and loosing fat fast !!!
Review: I started Atkins way of eating a month ago. I am 178 cm (5.8 ft)I was 106 kg (234 pounds) when I started. Now, I weigh 96 (211 pounds)and I continue loosing fat everyday. I feel more energetic, healthy. I have had indigestion problems for almost 15 years. Now, all my heartburn, numbness disappeared. I strongly suggest this to anyone who cannot tolerate high carbs. The best thing about this is proably that I have NEVER felt any hunger during this past month (I mean it). I eat all those proteins, fat plus good healthy carbs (lettuce, cucumbers, spinach, tomatoes). Stay away from all bread, pasta, rice, cookies, juices and also high carb veggies and fruits. Take your vitamin supplement daily and enjoy loosing fat every day.. You may feel dizziness in the first 3 days or so, it disapperaed in a few days. I plan to continue this radically till I reach my ideal weight (80 kg) and then stick to low carb eating lifetime..
Rating:
Summary: You will have to decide for yourself
Review: I got on this diet as a result of my personal doctor telling me it was the only thing that would help me from not becoming a diabetic. So far, I'm not sure I have succeeded, but I certainly have lost some 12 pounds (lowest weight I've had in several years) and going (I've been on it for approx. 2 months). There are several things you should bear in mind about it:
* This is NOT an easy fix for nutritional disorders. It works, but it takes TIME.
* This is NOT a balanced diet, because by repressing carbs (or maintaining them under 20 g per day in the begginning) it's aimed at getting your body in a state called ketosis. In such a state the body starts to use its stored fat as a source of energy, as opposed to expecting it from carbs. There are very diverse points of view about ketosis: being such a delicate topic, I invite you to make your own mind about it, but based on what I've read about it, it seems to not be tied to the heart or kidney-related problems that are attibuted to it.
* It's not a static diet either, because your menu evolves as your weight does: as you begin to get to your ideal weight, the amount of carbs you're allowed increases as well.
* This diet requires vitamin supplements and exercise along with it, in order to work well.
* Most important of ALL, please check with your doctor before you begin this diet. Long story short, read this book and decice for yourself. So far, I'm with it, but not too fond of the total lack of fruits that it has during its early stages. I'm combining its concepts with those of the "Omega Diet."
Rating:
Summary: This is literally a death sentence!
Review: Robert Atkins' books, as well as other authors, advocating high-protein weight loss plans, recommend diets for health and weight loss with significantly more animal protein than is usually consumed by the average American. Americans already eat almost 50% of calories from animal products, and as a result of such nutritional extravagance we have seen a tragic skyrocketing in cancer rates and heart disease rates in the last 50 years. In spite of the hokum and hoopla, as a result of hundreds of scientific studies, the link between animal protein and various cancers is as solid now as the link between smoking and lung cancer. This is not to say that animal foods are the sole cause of cancer, but clearly it is the increased consumption of animal product and the decreased consumption of fresh produce that has the most powerful effect on cancer risks. These recent books aren't new, just a rehash of the same diets advocated years ago. They are just as dangerous today. Unfortunately, the lay public has always been a sucker for a quick, painless way to achieve results so they can continue their love affair with rich and dangerous foods. Dr. Atkins' book actually recommends such foods as fried pork rinds and bacon cheeseburgers. It states on the first page: "Imagine losing weight with a diet that lets you have bacon and eggs for breakfast, heavy cream in your coffee, plenty of meat and even salad with dressing for lunch and dinner!" No wonder Dr. Atkins calls it a "diet revolution." There are numerous ways to lose weight. However effective they may be, some are just not safe. We certainly would not advocate smoking cigarettes or snorting cocaine for weight loss (even though they may be effective) as both these methods sharply increase one's risk of a heart attack. We should not advocate weight loss via drugs, or high-protein, high-fat diets for the same reason; you may pay a substantial price: your life! A meat-based, low fiber diet like Atkins advocates with no fruit, or starchy vegetables, will almost double your risk of certain cancers, especially of meat-sensitive cancers, such as colon cancer. Stomach and esophageal cancer, for example are linked to populations that do not consume sufficient fruit. Atkins' menus average 60-75% of calories from fat and contain no fruit. One reason he gets support is that the diet does work to cause weight loss and the conventional diet is so unhealthy and fattening that people need to do something that works. Being overweight is such a health risk that there are some real health benefits one receives from losing weight, even if the mode of weight loss places the person at increased risk. Losing weight, even by a high-protein, high-fat, low-fiber diet will lower triglycerides, decrease insulin resistance, and lower blood pressure, for example. Since these high-protein diets strongly forbid refined carbohydrates and junk food and the nutritionally depleted white pasta and bread most Americans live on, and recommend the dieter consume hundreds of dollars of nutritional supplements each month; they may offer more micronutrient density than the diet the person was on prior. However, no matter how much supplements and psyllium fiber are prescribed, it is simply impossible to make up for the destructive effects of so much animal products and so little fibrous produce. It is indeed difficult to believe so many people can't see through this insanity, and actually take everything we know about cancer prevention and longevity, and do the exact opposite. The diet is completely opposed to our primate heritage, with almost no fiber, utilizing the precise foods labeled as the primary causes of cancer and heart attacks. The foods that have been shown to prevent cancer such as, fruit, yellow and orange vegetables and beans have been specifically excluded from the diet. Then they are told to take supplements to make up for the deficiencies. Does this make sense to you? So how does this diet work? How can you eat all the fat and grease that you want and still lose weight? When the body can't find enough carbohydrates to properly run its machinery, it produces ketones, an emergency fuel that can be utilized in times of crisis or fasting. Built into our genetic code is the ability to survive periods of time without food, such as periods of food scarcity, or natural disasters. Since we are primates, designed by nature to survive on a plant-based diet, rich in carbohydrates; when our cells realize they are not receiving sufficient fuel (glucose), the body receives messages to dip into its fat reserves to produce ketones as an emergency fuel in such rough times. Ketones rise in our bloodstream and the body begins to lose fat in spite of a large consumption of high fat animal foods. One pays a substantial price from such a diet which generates a chronic ketosis. Besides the increased cancer risk, the kidneys are placed under increased stress and will age more rapidly. It can take many, many years for such damage to be detected by blood tests and by the time it is detected irreversible damage might have already occurred. The blood tests that monitor kidney function do not begin to increase until more than 80% of the kidneys have been destroyed. It is the extra weight, the fat on the body, that causes the insulin resistance. As long as one successfully loses weight, carbohydrates are not a problem to the diabetic. Remember, losing weight healthfully is the key.
Rating:
Summary: Atkins is NOT a diet -- It's a lifestyle
Review: Poo-Poo to those that say that the Atkins-Clan is wrong when we think that we can "eat cheeseburgers, heavy cream, and eggs and be healthy without ever exercising or touching a fruit or vegetable". These folks have never, ever read the book. A very large part of the Atkins lifestyle is vegetables -- after the initial super-low-carb 2-week phase, you can pretty much eat all of the veggies and protein you need to no longer be hungry. The fresher the veggies, the better. People who think that all we eat are meat/cream/eggs/cheese are not correct. Seafood, veggies, and minor amounts of carbs round out our diet, providing all of the vitamins & minerals we need. Think about it, folks: In the olden days of non-civilized humanity, did we eat the mass quantities of bread/pasta/potatoes/grains/sugars that our modern society feeds us? Or did we eat the occasional tuber we dug up with a stick or the occaisional ear of wild corn? Our diets were mostly gathered vegetation with semi-regular infusions of wild game/seafood. If that diet/lifestyle carried us through 10,000 years of evolution, I'm not going to knock it. I'm FINALLY not 40% body fat for the first time in my life. I'm not hungry all the time, my blood sugar levels are stabilized for the first time ever (even though I was never hyper/hypo-glycemic or diabetic), and I actually HAVE THE ENERGY TO EXERCISE NOW, which I never had before. When the body *feels* right, it *is* right. Adopting the Atkins lifestyle was one of the smartest things I ever did. JUST BE SURE TO DRINK ROUGHLY ONE GALLON OF WATER A DAY. Kidney stones are a problem if you are chronically dehydrated. (The low-carb lifestyle just aggravates this condition, it doesn't create it.) As a matter of fact, the perfect companion for the Atkins book/s is "Your Body's Many Cries for Water," (also on Amazon) which discusses the many serious adverse effects of chronic dehydration on the human body, ways to spot them, and how to avoid chronic dehydration. Also written by an M.D., this book has surprising information about signs of chronic dehydration which occur long before thirst. I fully believe that finding this book saved my life.
Rating:
Summary: Atkins = Heart Attack
Review: When will people realize that while they might be losing pounds, Atkins-style dieting has long-term negative effects? Although it is not the only factor by any means, this type of dieting (says the cardiologist and diet specialist) led to the heart attack a family member had recently.
Why do the low-fat diets lead to weight gain? Because people do need a minimum amount of fat in their diets to be healthy (and fat is what makes you feel "full" when you eat, and if you don't feel full, you eat more. Simple really.). However, people also need a moderate level of carbs and a moderate level of vitamins, minerals, etc. The key to dieting is MODERATION AND EXERCISE. If you would like to have a heart attack while watching your waistline slim down, by all means continue on the Atkins diet. However, do your family a favor and get your will in order before you begin. Anyone who believes that they can eat cheeseburgers, heavy cream, and eggs and be healthy without ever exercising or touching a fruit or vegetable is in for nothing but heartache--literally. Please people, be sensible. What seems to good to be true, always is. Practice moderation. Eat your cheeseburgers, but eat carbs, and eat fruit, and eat vegetables, and go for a walk every now and then. Just because you are losing weight, doesn't mean you are doing good things to your body. Do you think that anorexics or bulemics are treating their bodies well...they too are losing weight though. Either make sure that you have good health insurance, or pick a different diet, because this one has been hurting ppl for years, the damaging effects just aren't as immediate as the perceived beneficial effects such as weight loss and "shinier hair." Who would pick shiny hair over their cardiac health? But that is what you are doing if you follow this "diet."
Rating: 
Summary: Lo-Carb diets work, but Protein Power is a better plan
Review: Dr. Atkins makes a good case for his program, but if you really want to understand why the diet works and how to maximize your health, go for Protein Power or Protein Power Lifeplan by Dr. Eades.
Probably the most significant difference between the two plans (other than Eades backs his up with plenty of scholarly citations from medical references and papers) is that with Protein Power you understand you only have to do the really severe carbohydrate restriction (under 50 grams per day) for a fairly short time (typically a week or two at most)unless you are really in bad shape when you start. After that you transition to a maintenance phase that continues to give you most of the benefits of the early intervention phase, while allowing you to eat (almost) normally.
This is not intended as a slam against Atkins (after all he did found the lo-carb diet revoloution) but his book and work are simply not in Eades' league. Both plans are good, but Protein Power is far better.
Rating:
Summary: I lost 60 lbs
Review: Wow!! This book, and diet seem impossible but... once I got in to the diet full out I was amazed. This diet is not for everybody. I found myself questioning the methods in the well written and informative book until they all started to come true. I have lost 60lbs in 3 months!!! and I am not gaining it back even though I am only losely on the diet now. An interesting read, even if you don't want to try the diet. It gives your brain something to think about.
| 
