Rating: 
Summary: We know about the beef but where is the POTASSIUM?
Review: Just a bit over weight due to smoking seccession and debilitationg surgery, this reporter tried the Atkins diet. Read the book from cover to cover and began the "Induction Diet" three weeks ago. Was taking a multi-vitamin as a supplement. Experienced dizzyness, leg cramps, muscle weakness, pain over the kidneys, sleep desturbances and bouts of digestive distress. Wife, a registered nurse, suggested the problems were due to POTASSIUM DEPLETION. Read book again. On page 233 the author reports that "dozens of deaths (usually from heart rhythm disturbances secondary to potassium depletion) have been reported." On page 275 there is a description of a formula for use with hypertensive patients, and it simply includes the word 'potassium' as one of many ingredients, but no dosages are mentioned. These are the ONLY references to potassium in the entire work and ...in my opinion this constitutes an almost criminal ommission! If potassium deficiency is deadly, why is this not made very clear! And why is potassium not mentioned as included in the Dieter's Basic Formula described in detail on pages 268-269? The BASIC FORMULA is of course for sale by the the Adkin's Center...nuff said?
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent source of information.
Review: Excellent way to tackle the way you think about losing weight. Very different approach. I have read the book and am following the diet. Little or no hunger pangs after the first couple of days, as the book suggests. Also have lost 15 pounds in two weeks!!! More energy than ever!
Rating: 
Summary: The book is OK, but the diet it promotes is extreme.
Review: Dr. Atkins book is scientifically sound according to my physician who approved my starting the Atkins diet. But, the diet is very difficult to follow and dining out is virtually impossible if you want edible food. I did learn that mediocre food is disguised with sauces, catsup, gravy and the like. And the claim that you can eat all you want of carbohydrate-free foods is nonsense. I have bought the finest steaks, fish, and fowl that can be had, but still crave the taste of bread, potatoes, vegetables, fruit and dessert. The fact is you cannot lose weight without giving up something. The Atkins diet requires you to give up a lot. It ain't pretty, but the diet will carve off pounds. Thomas E. Bates
Rating:
Summary: Mayo Clinic has adopted this for heart patients!
Review: It works but somethings may have to be changed for you if not as successful as you want.1) Caffine is deadly. Try to limit caffine intake or cut it out all together for a week and you will see a difference. 2) Cut done on the salads if you see a stalemate in your progress. Mayo clinic has adopted (with 2 modification) this diet for over weight patients needing to lose 50# who are facing heart surgery! So much for NAY sayers. To maintain your desired weight is trial and error Your body determines the # of carbs you can have before you start gaining. I have been with this since the First book!
Rating:
Summary: THE DIET IN THIS BOOK IS EASY TO FOLLOW AND WORKS
Review: I've lost 20 lbs in 7 weeks and haven't minded one day on this diet. I have always exercised and tried to eat a low fat diet with small portions. This kept my weight down for years but when I turned 45, I started gaining about 10 lbs a year, and was soon 80 pounds overweight. I also began feeling tired all the time. Two days into this diet I experienced headaches and decided this wouldn't work for me. Three days into this diet I began regaining my energy and the headaches disappeared. I am amazed at my energy and exercise is back to being a pleasure again. There are things I miss such as fruit and juice, but it's great to eat butter and nuts again. My cholesterol is down, my blood sugar is down, my weight is down. I never thought I'd lose a pound again.
Rating:
Summary: This really works but hard to stick with!
Review: The book discusses a ton of information I did not feel like I really needed. GET TO THE POINT! I tried this diet for 2 weeks and it worked. I lost approximately 7 lbs but it was very hard to stick with. The majority of the people who need this diet are sugar eaters and this is one of the many things you can not have on the diet! This was the hardest part! I could see this diet being a temporary fix, but not a life-changing diet! No bread, no fruit, no sugar? Let's be a little more realistic!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: 3 of us have lost 12 pounds in 4 weeks each - I started at 170 lbs and went from size 16 to 13/14 so far. My husband started at 333lbs, my mother started at 162 lbs; proving that it works equally well on all body types. Recommend using the ketone strips and eating lots of Fried Pork Rinds!
Rating: 
Summary: Easy diet, Cholesterol is decreased
Review: The author is bit on the extreme side with his claims of eating foods such as bacon, eggs, heavy cream, but the reality is that his diet was easy; I lost weight, and my cholesterol is down a bit. Not an easy book to read. Skip his gung-ho stuff; go right to the do' and don'ts.
Rating:
Summary: Dr Atkins offers guidance toward lifelong weight control
Review: Dr. Atkins takes a unique approach to weight loss and control with his high fat/low carbohydrate lifestyle. While the approach defies the dated dogma of the AMA "consensus panels", Dr. Atkins makes the case for his approach very eloquently. Citing many of the same studies used by the high carb/low fat camp, as well as his own extensive clinical experience, he defines a very credible model of the human metabolic process which includes the body's internal control mechanisms. This provides a refreshing contrast to the overly simplistic "more goes in, more stays in" model adhered to by low fat advocates. The low carb/high fat approach results in an interesting diet menu. The induction phase allows virtually unrestricted consumption of protein foods such as meat, fowl, fish, and eggs, coupled with satiety inducing fats such as butter and cream yield a diet experience with no hunger as well as no cravings! The other side of this "luxurious" diet is a complete restriction on sugar and processed grain. The paradox of all the eggs you can eat, but no toast, is one of the few laments of this writer's experience on the Atkins diet. The Atkins diet is a complete plan in four phases: 1) The Induction Phase, which introduces the dieter to the low carb regimen over a two week period while yielding a significant initial weight loss. 2) The Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL) Phase, which is less restrictive than the induction phase and yields a more moderate weekly weight loss. 3) The Pre-Maintenance Phase, easing the dieter out of the fat burning ketosis/lipolysis state of the first two segments. 4) The Maintenance Phase, consuming the right level of carbohydrates for ongoing weight control. Together these phases form a complete roadmap for achieving and maintaining the dieter's target weight. It should be noted that Dr Atkins views this as a lifelong lifestyle change. As with any diet, success comes with behavior modification, and failure will result from recidivism.
Rating:
Summary: It works. It works. It works.
Review: I am a 30 yr. old male and have been overweight all my life. Since starting this program in March I have lost an amazing 56 pounds. It is quite honestly the most encouraging and positive program involving my health that I have ever experienced. I feel better than I have in years, seem to be able to concentrate better, have more energy, sleep more soundly, and have shaken those horrible bouts of fatigue that I'm so used to battling every day. What I can tell you is that for those with lots of weight to lose, this diet works. I have studied the book and others like it, read the reviews, and investigated in general the "low-carb / high-protein" concept for 6 months before starting it. If you're like me you have ridden the diet train from calorie counting to Herbalife, Fit for Life to Medi-fast, you name it I probably tried it or at least considered it. Until I read Atkins I had decided that the ONLY way I was going to get fit and stay that way was lots of exercise and a low fat "balanced" diet - clearly a good way and the prevailing choice by the medical profession, but very very slow. Life is short, I want the quality of mine to improve today. If you read the reviews on this site you will see that this diet not for everyone, most people however report success. My job requires about 75% travel which means that I have to eat in restaurants quite often, this diet is great in that respect because it is easy to eat out and still follow the program. The book explains the causes of certain symptoms and problems that are common to those of us who are overweight and shows how this diet can reverse them. Even if I wasn't losing the weight I would probably still follow the program because my overall sense of well being has increased so dramatically. This diet has been very, very, easy to follow. What I suggest: Don't consider this diet unless you have 30+ pounds to lose (from reading the reviews and studying the concept, those with more to lose seem to have a higher rate of success). Study the whole book (and others like it) and see your doctor before starting. Take vitamin supplements, exercise, and drink plenty of water every day. Make up your mind that you are committed to improving your health, and go for it. I have many more pounds to lose, but everyday, life gets better. I hope this book can help yours too.
| 
