Rating: 
Summary: Good to jump start weight loss; I doubt long term use
Review: I give Dr. Atkin's book 3 stars for having prompted me to reexamine my carb intake. I am not overweight, I exercise regulary, I maintain a 30% fat count in my diet, but I did gain 12 pds over the last year. I call them my 45th birthday present. Part of this gain was due to the weight training I began. Unfortunately, my fatty outer layer was going up. I figure this is due to middle-age and approaching menopause.I was frustrated with all my efforts, as I was still putting on ounces or hovering at a weight that made my clothes tight. The concept of Atkins, to lower my carb intake, was the marvelous trick to help me lose 6 pds since Thanksgiving, which was 7 days ago. And, I did not go down to below 40-50 grams of carbs! I thank his rather unwieldy (and much too egotistical and personal) book for this chance to question what I've been eating. In spite of reasonable calories, 1600/day, I was just eating too many starches and junk food (read sugar candy and chocolate bits at work). I figure that each type of calorie is definitly different in how it is processed in the body, and therefore just counting claories was not going to work for me. I still have to determine what my stable level is for carb consumption. I thank previous writers for their tips on other books! Also, I appreciate the other information I gleaned other's experiences. I'm suspicious of a diet that must use soooo many supplements and warns of calcium depletion. I'm suspicious of someone who doesn't allow criticism of his diet in his chat room. Wow.... That means he's promoting his diet more than health in general. I do not want to lose lean muscle tissue nor fruit nor the benefits of fiber in my diet. Dr. Atkins diet may in fact be for really overweight people as others have suggested. Anyway, it helped me question just counting calories. Now I will check my carb intake, read some of the other books mentioned, and continue working out.
Rating: 
Summary: No Energy!
Review: I have been on this diet for three weeks. I use to run 30 minutes a day. I have run exactly three times since I started on this diet. I have no energy and I haven't lost one pound. I agree that I was eating too many carbos but I can't believe replacing them with butter and cheese is the answer.
Rating: 
Summary: Believe the hype
Review: I'm a young man in his mid-twenties who has been overweight since the second grade. Only twice have I lost a great deal of my excess baggage -- by being worked to death by a coach in high school and, more recently, by using Dr. Atkins' diet. I have yet to experience nausea, fatigue or dehydration on this diet, mainly because I had already expelled sugar and other toxins from my system. In fact, I'm so infused with energy that I climb the stairs at work without huffing and puffing. I've lost thirty pounds in two months, eating red meat which I love, and lots of cheese. My tip: before going on the induction diet, see your doctor and eliminate as much sugar as you can.
Rating:
Summary: THIS IS THE DIET FOR ME!! I FEEL GREAT!
Review: I started the diet just four days ago and I've already lost 5 pounds. I feel great. I eat when I'm hungry and I feel so satisfied. I never dreamed I would find the diet for me and here it is! I have 80 more pounds to go but for the first time in years I'm not hungry all the time. I wish you the best of luck.
Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable and informative read with a product that works
Review: I found the book easy to read, informative, and often amusing. The diet may not be for everyone but I do feel that those who follow it properly (which means reading the whole book thoroughly) can not help but lose weight and keep it off. I particularly liked the way it is divided into phases of induction, ongoing weight loss, and then maintenance. It truly is a diet for life rather than a quick loss, and then back to piling on the pounds again which is what so many diets lead to. All the people I have suggested it to have benefited, not just from weight loss (not all needed to do that) but healthwise. Some really sick people have got really good results within the first few weeks, and maintained the improvement, which is what really counts. I was interested in the comments about the Blood Type Diet and the Atkins Diet not being suitable for Types A and AB. My husband and I are both Type As and have both benefitted enormously from being on the Atkins Diet. I tried the Type A diet some time ago and ended up feeling really ill, because I am intolerant of nearly all the foods allowed on that diet, the only grain I can eat being oats. On the Atkins Diet I have felt fine all along and no longer suffer the constant exhaustion and violent mood swings that accompanied other dietary regimes. I have a family history of Type 2 diabetes and was having major problems with blood sugar metabolism before starting the Atkins Diet. A couple of friends did feel nauseous the first week on the diet, but they stuck with it and the nausea passed as their bodies adjusted. Now they feel fine and are delighted with the results. As to getting bored with the diet, perhaps it might be less delightful to those who are addicted to cakes, pastries and desserts, but I find it tasty and satisfying and have no problem finding interesting recipes to try out. I do feel it is extremely important to read the book thoroughly and keep referring to it, because all those I know who have failed with it have done so because they have not understood what low carbs means. Most of them have left out bread, cakes, pastries, etc. but have piled in the potatoes and carrots, bananas and other high carb vegetables and fruits. It seems to be very difficult to comprehend that carbohydrates do not only come in the range of cakes and desserts. Some people have even thought that pasta was okay on a low carb diet.
Rating:
Summary: Try this diet. It really works!!
Review: I was given Dr. Atkins book by an overweight friend, who suddenly had so much energy and was losing weight.I thought she was on some sort of drug. I weighed 167lbs.I read the book, kept it by my side at all times. I now weigh 147Lbs. It took 3mnths. to lose it. I lost 10lbs. in 14 days and then things slowed down. I started walking my dog briskly and the rest of the weight fell right off. My family thought I was going to gain weight from all the high fat I was eating. Soon my husband went on the diet and also my daughter and a few of her friends.
Rating:
Summary: Great Diet - Lousy Book
Review: Heard about the diet from many friends - some said don't bother with the book but since I was so skeptical I did buy it. The book is poorly written and is hard to read. Atkins spends too much of the book justifying the approach - he has a cute "Welcome" halfway thru the book for those who do skip all the preamble and want to get "into" the diet. Notwithstanding what I think of the book, I am on the diet and in 6 weeks I have lost 25lbs and 4" off my waist. I have never felt hungry and now enjoy snacking on pepperoni (sp?) sticks, hamburger patties and cold cuts. I used to be addicted to chocolate (especially when stressed out) but no longer NEED chocolate. I did find about Day 3 I felt a little light- headed and had some headaches about Day 5, but now I feel fantastic. I have more life in my step (also because I am 25lbs lighter) and I fit into my old clothes - and some new ones too! I am often very thirtsy so drinking water is important. I also took vitamin and mineral supplements to ensure proper balance. Getting potassium was the biggest challenge - I used Nutrilite Sugar Free juice mixes. I did not buy any foods from Atkins - just did it all from the supermarket and learned to read labels. I'm sticking with it - the eggs and bacon and cheese omelettes for breakfast are awesome!
Rating:
Summary: This Diet Is Very Dangerous - Do Not Use It
Review: The "Nothing but meat and fat" diet may have been the one that Jeffery Dahlmer used to get in shape, but all it did for me was make me very tired and depressed, not to metion dizzy. The brain needs carbohydrates (ie glucose) to function - hence the dizziness and profound depression that this insane diet causes. The human body can only burn off a few pounds of fat in a week, especially without exercise, so anyone who is losing 10lbs or more in only a few days is in fact losing muscle tissue and vital fluids. You do not become healthy, fit and toned by completely ignoring entire food groups (ie carbohydrates), but you may become hospitalised. I dont care if Dr. Atkins is a cardiologist, a brain surgeon, or if he can time travel, his diet is unsafe and ineffective. On the discussion group site for the Atkins diet there are warnings galore that any messages that disagree with the diet will be removed, which certainly doesn't do much for its credibilty. This diet is UNSAFE and INEFFECTIVE - DO NOT TRY IT!!
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely did not work for me!
Review: I gave this diet the two-week trial as specified in the book, and followed every instruction to the letter. The results? Headaches, dizziness, extreme fatigue, poor muscle tone, light-headedness, loss of sleep, nausea, acid reflux, irritability - and not one single pound lost. Atkins and his ilk may be correct in their condemnation of refined carbohydrates, but this diet has taken it too far. I haven't felt this bad since I had the flu. Thanks but no thanks, Dr. Atkins!
Rating:
Summary: A Radical Approach Not For Everybody
Review: I have followed the low-carb diet for the past week and have decided to go on to something more balanced. I think Dr Atkins makes a good point about over-indulgenece in carbohydrates, but a radical approach like his is probably best for ppl who are middle aged and/or truly obese. For guys like me who are in their early 20s and already have a 31" waist but want to get "ripped",(ie lose 20 lbs or less) I would suggest reducing the overall amount of carbs (which should come from fruits, vegetables and whole grain breads), drinking a lot of water, and regular aerobic exercise. The carbs you really want to minimize are the ones in cereals, pasta and of course sugary foods. I also found with the Atkins-type diet that I had almost no energy to exercise, which can't be a good thing. In summary, I think the body requires a more balanced diet for healthy fat loss. Good Luck!!
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