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Summary: Looking for the end of the rainbow
Review: I've tried to stick with this diet for about eight month's. I've tried other diets just to compare . I notice when I am sticking with the Atkins Diet , my attitude is positive and my skin looks better. I can't quite explain why I am having a problem sticking to the diet. I'll do really well for about two weeks but I'am not sure what happens after that. If anyone can share some pointers , that have been helpful to you , please share. I know this diet can work for , it works when I am focused.
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Summary: I love the Atkin's Diet!
Review: I am so happy I bought this book. I not only needed to lose a few pounds, but the carbohydrates that I was consuming were making me feel so bad! Not only am I 20+ pounds lighter and feeling 100% better, my blood tests came back with better results after changing to this way of life. I am very satisfied with this way of eating, and have accepted it for life. I like feeling good all day, not getting the shakes and weak from carbohydrates! Thank you, Dr. Atkins!
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Summary: The Skeptic RE: Raising Cholesterol
Review: My husband & I have been on the Atkins diet since January 15,2001. I am a little concerned because my husband had a triple by-pass 12 years ago and he has high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The book assured him that the diet would improve all of the above. I'm leary as to what this will do to his health. It's true in almost month we have been on the diet he has dropped from 214 to 200 lbs. He is estatic. I've dropped a mere 4 lbs. We have both stuck to the diet 100%. I read that if you are on any kind of hormones it can interfere with the weight loss. I'm afraid to get off the prempro because I have such bad hot flashes. My husband is 59 & I am almost 52. If any on out there can give me any real life advise I would appreciate it. The weight is coming off my husband. I'm sticking to the diet . I haven't lost a lot of wieght but we took measurements when we started and I've lost several inches & my clothesdo seem to be fitting better. My sister & her husband started the diet Jan 1 & it's the same way with them. Her husband lost 25 lbs. so far & she's lost almost 10 lbs. but she's like me on hormone replacement. Anyway, I'm skeptical, just doesn't seem like it can really be good for you from all I've read in years past.If anyone can give me some reassuring advise . Please e-mail me at sbharold@juno.com thanks and good luck to everyone on the diet>>>>>
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Summary: This diet will work, but carries risks and a price tag
Review: After 25 years of being a vegetarian, I almost wanted to go on this diet. It was too good to be true. Eat lots of protein, a few veggies and as many fatty foods as you want while losing weight and feeling tremendous as you are doing it. The idea was appealing, that is, until, I reached Chapter 22. A wonderfully charismatic and persuasive writer, Dr. Atkins waits until Chapter 22 to discuss the downside of his miracle diet - but we'll get to that later. First, let's talk about the advantages. Dr. Atkins hits the nail on the head - sugar and simple carbohydrates resulting in a sugar imbalance in our blood are one of the most significant problems with the American diet. Our well-documented rise in diabetes in the US supports this, as does our increase in all types of cancer. (Sugar feeds cancer and white bread, white pasta, and white rice easily convert into sugar in the body.) He's right again with the need for fat in the diet. I, too, have seen the low-fat Pritikin enthusiasts look thin, fit, but with skin older than their age. In fact, I think the diet is safe for a short-term stint of one to 6 months for significantly overweight people. But I have some reluctance to recommend it long-term. Here are a few basic objections to the diet. First are the side effects of constipation, possible gout, kidney stones, gall bladder colic, and digestive deficiencies. A diet shouldn't pose health risks. Second, there is the myriad of vitamins and nutrients necessary to successfully do this diet. Dr. Atkins counters this objection with the need for vitamin supplementation with any diet or lifestyle. And to a small extent, he is correct. However, his recommendations are a multivitamin and mineral, essential fatty acids, L-carnitine, CoQ10 and chromium and then 5-6 more supplements to counter the possible dieting side-effects of constipation, hunger, fluid retention, fatigue, nervousness, and insomnia. That's a lot of pills. Add that to the cost of free-range meat, and this diet becomes expensive. So once again, we have the same dilemma. Can't we find a diet which works, is healthy, safe and affordable? I can't help but think about all the medical research that supports eating a diet rich in vegetables. Vegetables are extremely protective against cancers. And vegetarians tend to be thinner than the average person. Also, just wiping out beans and grains as if they are somehow unnecessary is also, in my opinion, a mistake. Beans are cancer fighting and balance blood sugar. Grains provide necessary nutrients and fiber for digestive health. Dr. Atkins has had some impressive results. I'd like to see some extensive follow-up studies on those who have followed his diet for a significant amount of time. Let's look at their medical histories. That would settle the debate over the safety of this diet once and for all. In the meantime, I recommend this diet for those trying to loose at least 50 lbs. Dr. Suzanne C. Lawton
NaturopathyOnline.com
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Summary: And still counting DOWN
Review: I'll keep this to the point cuz there are so many other detailed testimonials. My wife and I started this while on vacation six months ago. I started at 201 lbs, and saw 159 this morning. My wife has lost about 25 lbs (I'm not allowed to know exactly ;) but the ratio is similar). Then I could hardly walk a block or two without getting winded. Now I can play tennis early in the morning for a couple of hours on the weekends and still function for the rest of each day; not be exhausted. I'm buying clothing for 34" instead of 38"; M instead of XL or L. To reiterate what other have said because it is SO important: DO read the WHOLE book - the Induction diet is just the start. Some of the naysayers would have you believe that is it, forever. YES, it does help to be able to cook with some imagination; there are cookbooks available if you need a nudge or two. Emphasize on quality, not quantity of food. Pay extra for asparagus and artichokes and avocados and good cuts of meat. You won't need to eat as much of them to feel full, as the bit of butter or sour cream to go with them satisfies the appetite centers in your brain. When we started we couldn't finish a meal because they seemed so rich. Now we make smaller meals. YES, there are sweeteners that can be used that aren't ghastly chemicals - try Stevia which is a pure simple plant extract. I make an awesome chocolate sauce with just cocoa powder(unsweetened!), Stevia, butter and cream. Put a dollop of that over a quarter of a cup of nuts and dried (unsweetened!) coconut and you have a truely decadent dessert where most of the carbos are fiber. There is variety - different nuts, hot, frozen, flavorings such as orange, berry, etc. Unsweetened gelatin is making a comeback with cream and nuts and simple flavors... YES, there will be bumps in the road. I was stuck at 172 +-2 for about six weeks. OK, Thanksgiving and Xmas were in there, and I didn't succeed in avoiding everything forbidden that floated by. Still, I didn't gain anything. When the gang wants to go out, go to a smorgasbord or cafeteria. Then you can pick the stuff that isn't loaded with useless carbos - salads, certain veggies and meat and still pig out with the best of them. Once you've regained control of your situation, and the carbos aren't ruling you anymore (see binge testimonials below), you can still allow an occasional indescretion if you sort of plan for it. On a recent trip to New Mexico we relented and had a couple of wonderful Native NM meals that contained corn chips, corn tortillas and sopapillas (fried bread) with honey. But because we isolated those events with our NOW normal high protein diet, we were able to get away without gain. In fact I lost 3 lbs over the week and a half, also due in part to the other physical activities. In summary, the Atkins style low carbo diet may not be for everyone fighting lethargy and weight, but I must say it has worked for us. Now, when I look at what that the, ah, gravitationally-challenged folks in my office eat, it is no longer any surprise to me why they are what they are...
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Summary: I feel great after losing weight the Atkins way!
Review: After my first child was born, I never managed to lose any of the weight I had put on during pregnancy. Then I bought the book. Now the weight is just coming off - in 4 weeks I have managed to lose 24 pounds (it was hard at first, but now it is just part of my everyday life).
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Summary: made me sick
Review: I tried the diet in 1998 and fell in love, instantly lost 10 pounds and thought I had found Jesus. Kept to it for 2 1/2 years while my digestive system disintegrated. Was on a prescription stool softener, a prescription enzyme to digest food, an anti-acid pill, Propulsid and Metacloymide, Metamucil and fiber pills, also! Nothing moved food through my system, and in the meantime I innocently kept stuffing meat down my throat. Have been off ALL meat for 1 month now, have lost weight, gotten rid of all medicines and went to a raw foods fruit and veggies diet ... Feel like I'm alive again.
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Summary: Update - It STILL Works
Review: I am approaching one year and minus 90 pounds with the Atkins Diet Revolution. It is simply that - a revolution. Removing the bun from a fast-food drive through sandwich is now a way of life. I no longer want chips or fries. Pork Rinds are just fine. I again encourage people who are considering this Plan to READ THE BOOK! Don't just rely on bits and pieces of conversation from a "friend of a friend." I will, however, attest that one can vary from some of the strictures in the book. I never gave up caffeine. There are NO carbohydrates in Jack Daniels' - one need not change one's entire existence :-) Enjoy!
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Summary: My results were mixed
Review: Frankly, I was pretty disappointed with my results on the Atkins diet. I admittedly lost eight pounds the first week, and during the time I was on the diet I ate plenty of foods that are "verboten" on other diets like red meat, eggs, and cheese every single day. However, it's been over a month since I started the diet, and I've only lost an additional two pounds beyond the first eight I lost (which I assume was mostly water weight). As much as I like eggs, eating them for breakfast literally every day has gotten extremely repetitive, and as someone who likes to "eat and run," not being able to eat sandwiches for lunch (since basically all breads are off limits on the diet) is a real pain. I know plenty of people successfully lose weight on this diet, but the modifications I've had to make to my normal diet -- I LOVE having my cereal and orange juice in the morning, for instance -- are just too severe. I plan on switching to "Sugar Busters," which seems like it's much more in-tune with my usual dietary behavior.
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Summary: The last Diet you will ever need
Review: Prior to Atkins, I was a Slim Fast fan. Lost weight. But then I realized that Slim Fast is just low calorie sugar and the weight I had lost was more lean tissue than actual fat. I had just become a smaller fat person and got tired of just drinking shakes all the time. I also tried the 40-30-30, lost weight there too but was always hungry and tired. It was hard to stay on and I quit.I also tried to work it off by going to the gym only to put it right back on again. I also tried jogging, that was hard on my knees and back. I was so out of shape I could hardly run a block. Exercise is for fit people.I tried the "BALANCED DIETS" too including nutritionist and dietician recommended programs. I lost some weight but was tired all the time, hungry, looked gaunt and nutritionally depleted. In short, the conventional and so called "sensible" ways to lose weight don't work. I felt tired, depressed, and hungry and very quickly regained any weight that I lost.Then I heard about Atkins. What a enjoyable way to lose weight. I wasn't hungry. I wasn't tired. My skin became tighter and firmer. My hair and nails improved. Even my beard became thicker. My skin became radiant again. Something I haven't seen in myself since I was in my twenties! No more dry skin. I looked rejuvenated, younger and healthy.I read an article about protein. It stands for of First Importance. No article ever said that carbs are of first importance. Now I know why.My weight dropped from 250 to 173 in five months. I have gone from a 45 waist to 32. I look and feel like a teenager again and at 44 that is great.I intend to stay on Atkins ad infinitum. The program is safe and effective. You get to eat real foods and some really great foods like lobster. I cheated over the Thanksgiving holiday and did not gain a pound. This diet is incredible.I have started jogging again along the beach. Now I have the energy ro run 3 miles, no aches and pains. The people who advocate exercise for weight loss don't understand the fitness and overall condition of the morbidly obese that I was. We need another vehicle. Atkins is that vehicle. Read the book and follow the program. It works. Don't reinvent the wheel. Don't try to combine this with other diets or believe you need those fruits and veggies. Try it, just try it. You'll be glad you did.
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