Rating: 
Summary: Made Me see the world in black and white
Review: Oh my GOD, This diet that my husband and I have been on for approximately ten days, made us BOTH unbelievably sick. This was the second time we tried this diet. In March, we tried it for approximately five days, before getting sick and this time we made it to ten days before finally throwing in the towel. Now when I say "it made us sick" is that it CONSTIPATED both of us tremendously! We had to take over the counter laxitives! NOT SO FUN to be backed up for days and then have a WEEKEND EXPLOSION on the can! It made our world from color to black and white just like the movie "Pleastville" only in reverse! I'm not much of meateater or a fat-eater either. Common sense tells me this diet may just be for a few in our population and it is certainly not for me. Someone said: "A life without pasta, is a life not worth living", since I'm sicilan I have to believe this! Oh yes as to the weight you are suppose to lose... I lost are you ready? A grand total of three pounds in TEN VERY PAINFUL DAYS! I have now only 37 pounds left to get to my 125 pound goal. I reached this before and it was through a proper combination diet and EXERCISE! I'm out
Rating: 
Summary: Eat like a King? Try eating like a Saint!
Review: So you want to lose weight and take it off. Are you willing to forgo alcoholic beverages forever? Your morning cup of coffee? Pizza? Do you want to spend the rest of your life scraping the meat and cheese off your sandwiches to avoid eating the bread? If you are not willing to do all these things then this diet probably isn't for you. If you are, then you are a saint! Dr. Atkins would have you eat like a king, and he mentions this fact in his book repeatedly, but thorough reading of the book suggests that you would be actually eating more like a Mormom who is allergic to bread, pasta and fruit. Atkins does has some good ideas in this diet, which is why I gave it three stars, but he takes these ideas just a little too far and the average person will have a very difficult time following this diet for the rest of their lives. Still, the book is worth reading for the excellent information you will get on such topics as diabetes, hypoglycemia, food intolerance and heart disease. In fact I agree heartily with Atkins in that since adding refined sugars and white flour to the diet in the late 1800s, that heart disease and obesity has increased to epidemic proportions. But rather than counsel us to reduce or even omit the pastries, candies, cakes and soda that contribute most of our "empty calories", Dr. Atkins takes things a step further and counsels us to reduce and even omit entirely carbohydrate foods that are GOOD for us such as whole wheat bread, rice, pasta and many fruits and vegetables. In fact, Atkins would have us eliminate most of the food groups entirely during the induction phase of the diet (10 days) and then only at very reduced levels during both the "weight loss" and "maintenance" phases of the diet. In short, Atkins is telling us that we need to eat very limited quantities of breads, pastas, rice and fruits for the rest of our lives! Why does Dr. Atkins do this? My theory is that Atkins wants us to lose an enormous amount of weight during the onset of the diet (up to 16 pounds in the first 10 days) so that we are "locked" into his system. Then he wishes to ply us with his multivitamin supplements, his special formulas and of course, the "Dr. Atkins Advantage Bar" which he makes available to us at various websites and in a health store near you. All of this, evidently, to make up for the fact that we are no longer eating nutritious fruits, vegetables, breads and pasta as much. In fact, in the book, Atkins suggests that we may very well need to take up to THIRTY vitamin pills a day! Why? Atkins' book leaves out a lot of critical information. For example, he praises the French for their "high-fat" diet and their low incidence of heart disease. But he fails to mention the whole story: That the French also drink a lot of wine and eat a lot of bread. Those items of course are practically forbidden in the Atkins diet. In fact, the studies on the French diet actually attribute the low incidence of heart disease to the moderate consumption of red wine, not a low-carbohydrate diet (they simply don't have one). Atkins only mentions alcohol twice in the entire book and he dismisses it entirely though he does allow for a glass of wine once in a while, but only during the maintenance phase of the diet. Atkins does not like coffee either. What does he like? Evidently meat, cheese, and a whole lot of vitamin pills. Doesn't sound like a very satisfying lifestyle for me. Still, I did get something from this book. In the six months since I first read it, I have been steadily losing weight at the rate of about a pound a week by simply modifying the Atkins diet. I've eliminated the pastries, candies, cookies and cakes entirely as well as soda. I restrict my carbohydrate intake to whole wheat breads, brown rice, pasta and I eat lots of fruits and vegetables regardless of their carbohydrates. I also drink beer and wine moderately and on a regular basis. More importantly, I don't have to pop a bunch of vitamin pills everyday. So if you are patient and don't mind losing weight slowly, then you can take the Atkins diet and modify it to your own needs.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Balanced
Review: In looking at this diet and those of others I choose the 40-30-30 plan over Atkins and have lost over 90 pounds on that diet. The Adkins diet plan does not "Balance" out your meals, but sets you up in a planned eating arena of low carbs, high fat and protein. As soon as you go off the diet plan then back comes the weight. Along with proper diet comes exercise, but that's not stressed enough in Adkins diet. The book is wordy and needs to get to the point, and it's my recommendation that if purchased be prepared for a constant "Atkins plan" in your life.
Rating: 
Summary: I've lost 30 pounds and counting....
Review: After having 6 kids, I really needed to lose weight, and more than that, I needed to take control of my severe fatigue. (Running after 6 kids requires quite a lot of energy.) I have had hypoglycemia for as long as I can remember. My older sister became diabetic in her 20's, and I really feel that if I did not get control of my diet, the same thing would eventually happen to me. I don't follow the diet as strictly as some people do -- but I AM losing weight, and, more importantly, I feel GOOD - every day! Even if you don't do the diet exactly as Atkins suggests, you will learn more about the body and how it functions from reading this book, and will be able to make better diet choices as a result. I recommend this book to anyone who is tired, hypoglycemic, has spent a lot of time yo-yo dieting, or just needs to lose weight.
Rating:
Summary: It works.
Review: I've been on this diet for the months and have lost 17lbs. I have 18 more to go. Yes, I'm still on 20 grams of carbs a day But I do not feel "trapped" at all. I eat as much of acceptable foods and due to the chemistry of the diet I do not crave the unacceptable foods. I think when I lose 8 or 9 more I may add some fruit each week, but now I feel as good or better than I ever have and don't need to change much. (Although I've added one light beer now and then.)
Rating:
Summary: DANGEROUS DIET
Review: My cholesterol shot up more than 70 points on this diet, from 193 to 268. My doctor tells me I'm now at risk for heart attack and stroke, and I can only attribute this new health problem to this diet. With a diet that encourages carte blanche consumption of eggs, red meat, bacon, butter, cheese and other cholesterol-laden foods, I guess I should have known better.
Rating:
Summary: I'm trapped for life!
Review: Ok.. i did lose about 20 lbs since I've been on this diet, which has been about 8 monthes and counting. Yeah, sure... being 20 lbs lighter is really nice.. i mean, now i can actually try on cute clothes and have them look good on me.. But thats not the point! Now, I'm restricted to eating less than 20 carbos a day if i do not want to gain weight again. If i do eat more than 20 carbos in one day, I'll end up gaining about 2.5 lbs the following day! I'm starting to feel seriously "trapped", in this diet. Not only that, but I'm severly constipated all the time, too! Sometimes, I wish that I never started this diet in the first place. So If youre seriously thinking about going on a low-carb diet, try reading Carbohydrate Addicts, or the Suzanne Sommer's Diet books. They're much much much better for you, and You'll be a lot better off, in the long-run!
Rating:
Summary: Believe in Dr. Atkins
Review: I lost 8 pounds in 6 days. I'm am truly impressed with Dr. Atkins' revolution!
Rating:
Summary: The "secret" of the protein/fat versus carbs
Review: I am not going to bother describing the diet to you as it has been done at least 800 times before this. About two years ago I set out to lose weight and I lost 30 pounds, not with Atkins, but with supplements - thermogenics. However, I really was in a "diet" frame of mind and I was really starving myself. I had pretty good will power and could fast for days, etc. But the trick is, of course, how to maintain your desired weight once you get it off. Well, once I learned the "secret" of the protein/fat versus carbs it was like a heavy burden was lifted from my shoulders. If you don't have any carbs to burn, guess what, you burn fat instead (this is over-simplified.) It was like when I was teaching a friend of mine to play chess. I told him if he ever got ahead by one piece he should trade all of his remaining pieces. He said, "Why?" I replied, "Because when you are finished trading you will be one piece ahead at the end and you can beat your opponent with that piece." My friend's face lit up like he had just been given the secret keys to some harem. And so it is with this book. A friend of mine at work who just started to diet took this information from me by word of mouth and has lost about 30 pounds in just about a month now combining this diet with weight workouts and running. It took me a year with the supplements. But now I eat more than ever and I don't feel hungry (because I am always eating.) I still pig out on carbs now and then, which is a bad habit, but when I feel myself gaining a few too many, I get back on the high protein and usually withing the week I am back to where I was. I believe in this diet.
Rating: 
Summary: good book
Review: I think this is a good book for fat people. You should do this diet, it works. I lost 7lbs. I recommend it for anyone.
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