Rating: 
Summary: Stop worrying, buy it!
Review: I've been on Atkin's 2 months and 40 pounds lighter. You MUST read the book to get the whole idea. If you have 10-15 vanity pounds to lose...forget it. If you need to lose a considerable amount of weight, this is the way to go. Hard to do on vacation or if you eat out a lot, but if you can cook, this IS the diet for you.
Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive, Doable, and healthy
Review: The pros--like so many others, I have lost weight doing Atkins. I started two months ago and am down 20 lbs. That may seem nice, or even great--but it is much more. I am not a chronic dieter. I don't do fads. To be honest, I wasn't even doing the basics. Additionally, I'm not an excerciser. However, counting carbs is easy. Starting out with black and white rules (pastries, pasta, and refined grans = bad, proteins, fibers, and most veggies = good) was clear. I had enough options--even during the 20-carb gram-a-day induction phase to eat hearty and watch myself melt. Furthermore, Atkins is BALANCED! There are plenty of vegetables, and as one progresses towards target weight, fruits and unrefined whole grains reenter the dietary picture. In addition, though many start Atkins without exercise, the book and program stress its importance. Personally, I'm on the verge of renewing my exercise routine, now that I don't have to stare a mass of fat everytime I sit down on the bike.Caveats: Atkins has led several friends and coworkers I know to lighter, healthier lives. However--and Atkins stresses this--those who commit to a low-carb lifestyle MUST drink lots of water. High-protein, high-fat diets can lead to kidney stones (it happened to a friend of mine). Bottom-line: For those who are serious about weight-loss, and burning fat, Atkins will work marvelously. It is comprehensive, and the book can be used as a reference guide (it's easy to look for answers to specific questions). You will be more successful if you like meats and rich, creamy foods, and can give up on breads, pastas and sugary sweets.
Rating: 
Summary: Impossible way to live
Review: I tried to follow this diet, but on the fourth night I was awoke by painful leg cramps, and I had severe constipation. This was ended by eating all the fruit I could eat. Within 15 minutes the cramps and headache that I had since the second day went away, and I felt fantastic. The fat from the diet turned my stomach. On the plate was several pieces of greasy chicken, and a handful of lettuce, or the same greasy bacon and eggs for breakfast. If you want to lose weight the sane way check out the book "volumetrics". It really goes into detail about these fad diets, and the damage they can do. I learned my lesson with the atkins diet, and the only way to lose weight is portion control.
Rating:
Summary: This is the best diet of my life!
Review: I am a retired dancer who lived low-fat high carb, and I could because I burned off the carbs! I didn't know what to do, and I found this wonderful book. After ten years of weight gain I have lost the 100lbs I put on and was able to get back to being active. My cholesterol is better than back in the "Ornish" days- that book makes sense, but unless you are an athlete forget it! We have been trained to believe the "low fat" lifestyle is the way. Well folks, this diet works better, faster, and your choices are fantastic. Anyone who says otherwise didn't read the book. There are lists in the book, the only problem I had was meal planning and having to cook instead of eating processed or pre-packaged foods. I saved so much money I now think nothing of buying prime cuts of meat, expensive seafood and exotic fruits. I admit is is difficult at first to give up the starches and sweets, but after living this lifestyle, nothing can make me go back to believing I need potatoes and rice. I am eating more veggies than ever in my life, lean protein and yes, even fruit for dessert. Yes, low fat is easier, but low carb is definitely the way to go. Read this book. Go get your cholesterol checked. Follow the rules and and get checked again. You will see that it really truly works, if you are responsible and read the book, you will live a healthy life. I am now working on giving up the low carb beer, nutrasweet and caffeine, three things I only cut down on. I can't wait to see what the next few weeks bring! The book itself is dry- yes- but worth it's weight in lobster!
Rating: 
Summary: Boring.
Review: I commend the efforts of Dr. Atkins and the people who follow his plan and have amazing success. I didn't like it. I am too embedded in the low fat, versatile menu, and exercise method of weight control to be able to recommend it. It reeks of "fad." 2 stars are generous. I'm trying not to detract from others' success.
Rating: 
Summary: GRRRRREEEEAAAAT
Review: The only diet that I've tried that's actually worked. I never felt hungry and have kept the weight (~30 lbs) off. It's also been the cheapest ([money amount]for the book, and that was it). However, I do agre that its not for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Helped Me
Review: This book certainly helped me go from a size 16 to a size 6. It was pretty difficult giving up my bad habits and giving up the foods I love most excruciatingly painful. But in the end I was amazed how the pounds melted away. Follow Dr. Atkins to a healthier life like I did.
Rating:
Summary: Do yourself a favor and get off this diet!
Review: This book is horribly misleading. Everytime I hear about somebody who hails the Atkins diet as "healthy" or "the only way to lose weight", I feel genuinely sorry for the person. This diet is based upon half-truths, at best. Sure, it's great for losing weight, if that's all you want. You see, when you cut carbs--the body's main energy source--from your diet, the body must get its energy from someplace else. Where does it get this excess energy needed from a lack of carbs? It gets it by turning to your excess fat reserves. In this way, the diet does help you lose massive amounts of weight in a short period of time. However, is it healthy? No. All animal products, including eggs and dairy, have high amounts of cholesteral, saturated fats, and other unhealthy things. This is fact. All major american health organizations--such as the American Heart Association, American Diatetic Association, and the WHO--cite meat consumption as one of the primary causes of heart disease and a myriad of other health problems. Open your eyes and look around you. Most Asian countries, such as Japan and China, have a mostly (save for the occasional fish) vegetarian diet. They're robust, thin, and very healthy people with incredible longevity. However, when Asians move to the US, they become obese, sluggish, and diseased as a result of the diet change. What's the difference in the two diets? It's mostly the daily consumption of meat and chicken. Now, I'm not saying people must entirely leave meat out of their diet...this is impossible for some people. However, I am saying that cutting back on meat is the best way to be healthier. It will also help you lose weight, because the calories/gram of meat is very high compared to other high-protein foods, such as beans, tofu, etc. For example, it takes only 2 or so lbs of meat to reach 2,500 calories--the amount of calories required by a normal, slightly active person. It would take 9 or so lbs of potatoes, 6 or so lbs of rice, and a whopping 19.6 lbs of peaches to reach this limit. All veggies and starchy foods, pound for pound, have fewer calories than meat. Thus, when you eat more plant foods, you will inevitably loose weight because your calorie intake decreases. The bottom line is this...the Atkins diet contradicts nutritional FACT. It helps you lose weight at the cost of your overall health. Any initial cholesteral/triglyciride improvements are the result of weight loss, not the result of the so-called "healthiness" of the Atkins diet. If you want to lose weight AND be healthy, I urge you to cut back on meat, dairy, eggs, sugars, and oils. Eat a diet high in starchy foods, and include lots of vegetables. Pound for pound, this diet provides you with more nutritional value and fewer calories, so weight loss is inevitable. I promise you, you will look better and feel better. Your body will thank you! And before you accuse me of "not doing my homework", know this: my opinion is the prevailing opinion in the medical community today. It is based upon numerous scientific studies, studies of the eating habits of healthy people in all regions of the world, and upon common sense. The Atkins diet flies in the face of all of this. Dr. Atkins used nutritional half-truths to promote a system that would help you lose weight quickly and easily--at the cost of your health. Please, do your own homework. Read books by people other than Dr. Atkins; I strongly suggest Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. John McDougall. They present a no-nonsense approach to dieting that WORKS. I am a living example of that. ... Thank you for reading this lengthy post.
Rating:
Summary: You are taking chances with your health
Review: My husband and I decided to try this diet together. For the first couple of days, I felt okay, but starting on day 3, I was constipated, nauseous, weak and lightheaded. I waited for it to pass, but it didn't. I was drinking lots of water, taking vitamins, and psyllium as directed, but continued to feel sick. Finally, when I couldn't stand the symptoms any more, I stopped the diet. I am now eating well, have cut out the refined flour and sugar products, and am eating fruits, whole grains, veggies and meat. Despite what Dr. Atkins describes in his book, eating fresh fruits and whole grains did not make me tired or crave food, but I am now losing weight and feeling energetic. My husband stayed on the diet longer than I did, but ended up with terrible side effects. Despite following all recommendations regarding vitamins, extra fibre, fluid intake, etc he developed a severe case of gout. For anyone who doesn't know what gout is - it is caused by a buildup of uric acid (which is a breakdown product of protein metabolism) in the blood. When the kidneys are unable to rid the body of the excess uric acid, it forms sharp crystals and deposits itself in the joints. This caused tremendous pain and near-total immobility. My husband had NEVER had gout before and does not have kidney problems. He immediately discontinued the diet, and with proper treatment has recovered. After watching what he went through, I would not recommend this diet to ANYONE. Please, don't take chances with your health.
Rating:
Summary: Questions Dr.Atkins Does Not Answer
Review: I agree that the carbs MOST people eat make us fat and crave more carbs. However, I believe that we should eat brown rice, not white. Whole wheat flour instead of white, no sugar period. BUT - while Atkins claims that fat does not cause heart attacks, etc. he nevertheless fails to address the FACT that meat and all animal products are loaded with hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, etc. A diet high in animal fat is a toxic diet. Look at Asians - they are thin, they have only a third of the breast cancer that American women have, they smoke more but have half the lung cancer, etc.etc. They aren't eating steak and eggs.
I would challenge anyone thinking of going on this diet to read "Diet for a New America" - read about the cattle, poultry & dairy industries and what it does to our bodies and our planet. It's sickening. Finally, women don't do as well on Atkins as men and often suffer DEPRESSION from a low-carb diet - women's bodies need carbs to produce estrogen and progesterone which in turn affects seratonin. Again, stay away from the white stuff. But enjoy your carbs in moderation - a bowl of brown rice with vegetables will keep you full for a long time. And you'll be helping the planet as opposed to contributing to its environmental demise by stuffing your North American face with cheese, meat, eggs, and other foods which require a huge amount of land, energy, natural resources, etc. to be produced.
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