Rating: 
Summary: My highest recommendation.
Review: There is much controversy over low-carb eating, ketosis and other facets that come into play with the Atkin's diet, but that's only because we've been instructed to eat high carb diets for so long that everything else "sounds" dangerous. Ketosis (ketosis lypolysis) is a natural metabolic state...the state of burning fat. The body goes into ketosis while we sleep, if you don't eat before you hop into bed. The brain functions on ketones, actually. Ketoacidosis is dangerous, but this is a totally different state with a similar-sounding name. I have three more things to say to those who begin the Atkin's diet. Drink plenty of water. This is necessary for great health anyway, but very necessary to keep the wastes moving through the kidneys effectively, and 64 oz of water a day will ward off constipation. Don't rush back into high carb eating after you lose the weight. You can have carbs, just don't go crazy and load up or you will gain weight. After all, if low carbs caused you to lose weight, doesn't it make sense that you shouldn't add them back in full force or you will gain? You can have a baked potato sometimes, or pasta sometimes. Just have a protein dish as your main course and a small side of your pasta. Lastly, please begin an exercise program after your induction phase of this diet. It will up your metabolism as you settle into your new weight, and your exercise program will keep the weight off, and allow you to add those foods back in that you missed while on the diet. Also, if you watch your scale and don't allow yourself to gain more than 5 pounds, you can easily go back to induction for 2-3 days at a time and you will never be more than 5 pounds overweight again. I was a big skeptic and I've done much research. The glycemic index of foods is extremely helpful during your maintenance phase. Do a search for glycemic index and you will find resources to help you pick and choose the carbs that are least likely to start the fat storing process in motion. If you are a diabetic, you should not be on this diet without your doctor's okay, and everyone really should have a checkup with their doctor before beginning this (or any other) diet. Just don't expect your doctor to endorse the Atkin's diet. Most doctors receive little to no education in nutrition. They are trained to diagnose your problem and give you either drugs or surgery to fix the problem. There is talk of destroying muscle tissue with high protein. This couldn't be further from the truth. Muscle tissue thrives on protein. This is a plus as you begin your exercise routine as well. Protein is absolutely necessary to promote weight loss *without* muscle loss during weight training or other strength exercise!
Rating: 
Summary: futuristic nutritional approach
Review: I found some of the negative reviews interesting. "This is BAD for your body, this is not a healthy plan, it will make your body work poorly". This is simply not true. More and more articles are coming out in the medical literature about glycemic index, the low-insulin approach and the detrimental effects of high carb diets. I wonder if the other reviewers have any knowledge of these topics.
My husband is overweight and has familial hypercholesterolemia. As a doctor and a concerned wife, I put the whole family on the Atkins diet, AFTER DOING EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ON THE MATTER. The results were amazing. His BP dropped, as well as his cholesterol and blood sugar. But forget the results. If you have any knowledge of how body metabolism works, you'll know that this diet makes sense. It is a shame that our authorities take so long to catch up. Our food pyramid truly needs some changes, and this is not just me talking. Read about it on the latest medical journals! WHY 4 stars and not 5? The book dwells in long explanations of why this nutritional approach works (relevant, yes. But there are way too many repetitions.) I wish they had spent more time explaining the details of how to put it into practice. It would make the lives of us doctors easier!
Rating:
Summary: Simply compelling science
Review: After 30 years and hundreds of millions of dollars of research, the medical establishment has failed to show any link between dietary fat and weight gain, or for that matter, heart disease. Furthermore, no one can explain where the "low-fat" belief came from: apparently it has never had any foundation in science. Thirty years of pain and frustration, not to mention an incipient diabesity epidemic, have led many of the American public to become sceptical and despondent at ever gaining control of their health. Meanwhile, for thirty years Dr. Atkins has been prescribing what used to be accepted belief for diabetes and other endocrinary problems: the source of weight gain is carbohydrate, not fat, and his results have been undeniably successful. His books first gained attention during the early eighties, and were lumped among the other "high-protien" diet schemes which were quickly discredited. But Dr. Atkin's quiet conviction, many pages of scholarly research references, and consistently mounting anecdotal evidence have now built to a small mountain of persuasion which cannot be simply refuted. His theory is based on a commonsense understanding of the insulin cycle which has somehow escaped the researchers. He convincingly debunks the supposed risks of his program as far safer than the low-fat, high-carb recommendations currently in fashion. Earlier editions include more scientific background, particularly the fascinating fifteenth chapter on the heart, which expertly critiques the famous Harvard Nurses Study, among others. A bedrock of current dietary belief, this study completely ignored the effect of sugar on diet because the researchers "presumed" sugar had nothing to do with it, contradicting their own results. This chapter alone should open many scaled-over scientific eyes, and rightly cause much rethinking. I challenge you to read it with an open mind, and judge for yourself the evidence, based on strict science and observable results. Drawbacks: He has not made a clear enough distinction between a high-protien diet, which he nowhere directly advocates, and a low-carb diet, which he does. It is not necessary to follow his 4-step program or take expensive supplements, though these are helpful and recommendable. He is a practicing cardiologist, not a researcher, so he must rely on others to do the necessary research to develop credibility. He should drop the hyperbolic "revolution" title, which sounds like shallow promotionalism. His biggest setback has been to accuse the American Medical Association and American Heart Association directly of bad practice, which has turned a scientific debate into a blood feud, and slowed down acceptance of his theory. We have a long while to wait for the marketing system to provide affordable low-carb products. Ultimate take-away: low-carb is good science, and low-fat has been a 30-year old-wives tale. The medical establishment should drop their defensive posture, which only sets back the credibility of the scientific community and keeps us all in bondage to out-of-date beliefs. If you want a balanced controlled-carb diet with little explanation, go with Barry Sears' "The Zone". If you want to really understand and thereby control the mechanism behind weight loss, hypertension, heart disease and diabetes, Atkins' book is a medical watershed.
Rating:
Summary: Just-released medical studies show Atkins Diet successful
Review: I am a health-care professional who has now abandoned the ridiculous food pyramid I once advocated religiously. Following the food pyramid guidelines will set you up for life as an obese diabetic. The New Atkins Diet is one of a cluster of lower-carb, higher protein and fat diets that advocate an approach to fat-loss that is sensible and achieves results. You need to take the time to READ the information, not just assume from editorials that you know what is involved, or assume that eating meats and fatty foods results in the Atkins Diet. I recommend the New Atkins Diet in addition to the Schwarzbein Principle diet and the Fat Flush Plan. Each has modifications which makes rotating them good for variety as well as helpful in preventing plateaus. As a person who had been on the slender side for most of my life, I gave little thought to the intricacies of having to follow any particular diet. I simply ate what I pleased. In the early 1990's, as the R.N. supervisor of a large residential program for the mentally ill, I noted obesity to be one of the foremost conditions needing to be addressed among that population. Armed with what was then the cutting-edge information on nutrition, I advocated for the typical lower fat, moderate protein, higher carb diets, in addition to a walking program, for the residents. A local MD was also addressing obesity, and promoting the Atkins diet. This man had been obese himself, and followed the Atkins diet and lost a significant amount of weight. Several of the clients I had counseled on weight loss, who continued to gain weight, saw this doctor and followed the Atkins diet instead, and lost weight. One of the gentlemen had been well over 300 pounds, and lost significant amounts of weight, for the first time in his adult life. However, I dug in my heels and continued to promote what was the accepted protocol at that time, and as I was starting to gain weight for the first time in my adult life, adopted a low-fat, high carb diet as my response. I was trying not to be a hypocrite, and so practiced what I had been preaching to my clients. No matter how well I adhered to the diet, I continued to gain weight. So I went even further, myself, and adopted a low-fat vegetarian diet. I continued to gain weight, an average of 10 pound or more per year. I exercised to no avail. I suffered hair loss as well. I had no stamina, developed asthma, had acne breakouts, though I had never even had a pimple in my teen years, developed dry, flaky, skin, and lost all the luster to my hair and skin. I caught everything going around, though I had not been a "sickly" person before. When a simple fall resulted in a major fracture, I knew without a doubt that the nutrition program I had been following and advocating was a disaster. By this time most of the clients were following a higher protein diet, as I could not in good faith advise them to remain on the high carb, low protein diet. Finally, I got ahold of a copy of Dr. Diana Schwartzbein's "The Swartzbein Principle", as well as Dr. Atkins Diet, and Ann Louise Gittleman's "Eat Fat, Lose Weight" book. All advocated lower carb diets, higher protein, and higher fat intake, specifying Omega 3's and 6's, in place of margarine, veg oils, etc. The principle of preventing rapid rises in blood sugar, and so preventing the resulting high insulin output as a response, made perfect sense to me. The amount of research combined in these books indeed impressed me, and I finally acknowledged that the high carb, low fat diets promoted after the 1950's, plus all the changes from butter to margarine and veg oils, range-fed livestock and poultry to grain-fed, hormone-injected varieties were wreaking havoc with the quality of nutrition in the USA. Grain-fed livestock, poultry and eggs from grain-fed poultry have far less Omega-3 fat, and it is Omega-3 that signals satiety, as well as nourishes the skin, and is healthy for the internal organs. It is essential for emotional health as well, as outlined in The Omega-3 Connection, by Andrew Stoll MD, of Harvard University and a reaearch psychiatrist at MacLean Hospital, a leading psychiatric hospital in MA. With all the processed cereals touted as good nutrition for breakfast, incredibly lacking in any protein, and hailing eggs and butter as deadly evils, we were creating a country of obese diabetics by over-emphasizing grains, pastas, quick foods and goodies. The Atkins Diet was independently tested in several universities, and results just published days ago indicate it results in just what it claims: lowered cholesterol and triglyceride levels, reduced weight and body fat, sustained weight loss, no problematic hunger, reduced blood sugar levels, and no negative cardiac implications. Ann Louise Gittleman's Fat Flush Plan advocates for a bit more carb intake, and her suggestions of sprouted grain breads instead of floured breads allows an advantage in adding some grain to the diet. Ann Louise is no slouch in the nutritional research department, and combined with the wisdom and research in both Dr. Schwarzbein's books as well as Dr. Atkins' books, one would be able to work with all three and either rotate a month on each, for example, or borrow elements from each other for a variety in the menu, while still adhering to the basic principles of preventing rapid rise in blood sugar. Those who insist that Atkins Diet is bad, or makes you sick, may need to add a bit more carb, as different metabolic types need different amounts or ratios of carbs to protein. In conclusion, I feel that I can advocate for the Atkins Diet as part of a cluster of diets that includes The Fat Flush Plan and The Schwarzbein Principle diet.
Rating:
Summary: What Goes Around Comes Around
Review: I, like so many other blind sheep, dismissed the Atkins plan for many years. I did so because of all the alarmist propaganda put out by the Medical Establishment that this diet was "dangerous". I believed them even though I had solid evidence to the contrary. Back in 1972, a high school friend who was grossly overweight went on the Atkins diet. Before my eyes, he took off 80 lbs - and kept it off! For thirty years! No ill effects! In short, it was just propaganda by the Medical Establishment, and now the truth is finally coming out. Fortunately, Dr. Atkins, like Mahatma Gandhi, stuck to his guns and has never yielded grounds to the hyenas who tried to discredit him.
Rating:
Summary: You will have to decide for yourself: I have lost 30 pounds!
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. Although I ended up being diagnosed diabetic I have lost and maintained, over the course of 12 months now, over 30 pounds. I began as a size 38 (almost 40) and now I am on my way to size 32 (I am at a comfortable 34 at this point). With the number of options you run into while grocery shopping or while dining out (at least these days, there are plenty of alternatives for people who want to live a low-carb lifestyle) an update to Dr. Atkins' theories was already due, and here it is for you. However, there are still 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 all I've read about it (and believe me: in a year's time, my diet is something I've devoted a lot of reading to), 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 Atkins' books 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've combined its elements with those of the "Omega Diet," and the concept of reducing the portions I eat in every meal.
Rating: 
Summary: Please do not do this
Review: It can make you very sick. Please do not do this diet.
Rating:
Summary: AYURVEDA and Dr. Atkins
Review: Dr. Atkins books are great. They give an effective prescription for food choices. I also think that an Eastern/Oriental view on diet has helped balance my mind and body. The book is called AN ELEMENTARY TEXTBOOK OF AYURVEDA: MEDICINE WITH A SIX THOUSAND YEAR OLD TRADITION by a Yale doctor, Frank John Ninivaggi, M. D.This book on Hindu medicine devotes large sections to diet and food choices based on your constitutional type as devised 6,000 years ago and still effective today. I recommend both books.
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your money
Review: Having just finished reading the 2002 edition ofNew Diet Revolution and New Diet Cookbook, I can sum it by saying, "Crackpot."
Rating:
Summary: Dr. Atkins diet is unhealthy and an easy way out!
Review: Your body requires good fats, proteins, and carbs. You need a healthy well-rounded diet with a combination of regular exercise. If you want a book that will help you to lose weight the healthy, right way, then try Bill Philips' Body For Life. I have done Slim Fast, Dr. Atkins, and many other diets. The only one that will work and keep the weight off is proper nutrition and regular exercise. That is, the basic food pyramid and 30 minutes of cardio at least three times a week. After awhile, you will lose energy and your thinking will be cloudy for lack of carbohydrates. Trust me...I lost 37 pounds and 4 pants sizes in 12 weeks!
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