Study says Atkins diet is best; others doubt it

A study comparing three popular diets -- the low-carbohydrate Atkins diet, the Mediterranean diet that is rich in fish and nuts, and a low-fat diet recommended by the American Heart Assn. -- has found that the Atkins and Mediterranean led to a slightly greater weight loss than the low-fat diet. The differences between the three groups of dieters, who were studied for two years, was slight. The Atkins dieters lost an average of 12 pounds compared to an average of 10 pounds for the Mediterranean dieters and an average of 7.3 pounds for the low-fat dieters. People on the high-protein Atkins diet also experienced greater improvements in their HDL cholesterol. The study was published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

But don't expect all nutritionists and doctors to get behind the high-protein-diet trend. The study's credibility is a tad shaky considering it was funded in part by the Atkins Foundation.

Moreover, the American Heart Assn. released a statement this morning standing by its long-time recommendation that cutting fat in the diet is the optimal way to achieve good health and weight loss.

"The American Heart Association doesn't recommend high-protein diets for weight loss," the statement reads in part. "Some of these diets restrict healthful foods that provide essential nutrients and don't provide the variety of foods needed to adequately meet nutritional needs. People who stay on these diets very long may not get enough vitamins and minerals and face other potential health risks."

The AHA notes that more research is needed on whether weight loss achieved through high-protein diets can be sustained. The statement also suggests that high-carbohydrate diets featuring fruits, vegetables, nonfat dairy products and grains has been shown to reduce high blood pressure.

It's hard to imagine a day when the AHA will support high-protein diets over low-fat diets. Today is definitely not that day. See the story in The Times about the comparison of low-fat and high-protein diets. Read the AHA statement on high-protein diets.

-- Shari Roan 

Comments

[Lincoln Brigham]

The AHA has a lot of political capital invested in low-fat diets. They're not capable of reversing course now. What's more, the AHA treats everyone as if they are a heart patient.

[Terrance Bean]

The headline to this story is scewed from the start. Here's a better one: New England Journal of Medicine: Atkins wins or Atkins best. To not indicate the the "Study" was an NEJM study does not lend it the proper credence. Also, to include "others doubt it" in the headline gives undo credence to oppositional views without substantiation. You want to stop losing market share to other news sources (the internet)? - then, stop printing stories with an agenda. Does the AHA advertise with you?

[enrico57]

The study did not yield any surprise for many who are or were on the Atkins diet . I personally lost close to 80 lbs when I was on Atkins but unfortunately 2 years later I regained every single ounce back and the reason is : Atkins is extremely boring and difficult to adhere to. I had to cheat on the diet. Simply put it is based on meat, bacon, pork rinds,cheese, a few green leaves , eggs, fish etc..etc... I believe no one should fall for this horrible high fat, high protein, low carb diet no matter what the study says. Everyone I know who has regained their weight is now following a more balanced approach. Diets and exercise must be interesting and be based on variety. I wish good luck to all the fat guys out there. Believe me it is not easy to lose weight and keep it off.

[Craig Warden]

Doesn't the AHA have a huge conflict of interest because it makes money certifying food? In contrast, The Atkins Foundation which funded this research does not make money from sales or certification of food.

[Rose]

Weight loss is all well and good, but what about people's overall health? How much of their recommended intakes of vitamins and minerals are they getting? What about all the other extremely important health benefits of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, like better digestion, less constipation, lower blood pressure, less cancer... The list goes on and on and on.

What about the phytonutrients, antioxidants, and polyphenols in the 'high carb' fruits and vegetables that Atkins shuns?

What about the environmental costs of eating almost solely meat, which contributes to loss of vital habitats to create pastures, animal cruelty, huge amounts of grain being used up that could instead help allievate world hunger, and greenhouse gas emissions?
It might help you shed a few pounds, but in the long run, Atkin's diet is not a good plan.

[Theta]

Thats the secret of all restrictive diets for weight lost. You get bored of it and just decide to eat less. (In reply to Terrance Bean's comment ).

[G Eden]

I agree with Lincoln Brigham's comment and I would add HMO's to the list of those who are invested in the low fat high carb diet. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2000. When I follow the Atkins diet I not only lose weight, my HDL and glucose readings improve. The more weight I lose the more normal the readings. My HMO's dietitian won’t even read the Atkins book. I don’t eat high fat protein and nowhere in the book does it state that high fat protein is mandatory. The problem is sticking to Atkins for the rest of your life but the low fat diet is also very difficult to stick to.

[TJefferson]

The low-fat dogma just seems to never end, no matter how much science debunks it. The people in this study who were on the low-carb diet could have lost half their body weight, cut their LDL cholesterol level by a hundred points, improved their HDL cholesterol to perfect levels and the AHA would still be complaining about saturated fat content in the diet - even though the low-carb dieters did far better overall than the low-fat group. While the number differences were relatively low, the actual percentage differences were huge.

Aren't the people at the AHA supposed to be scientist. If so, why can't they look at the empirical evidence and just acknowledge that their hypothesis about low-carb diets and saturated fats have been just plain wrong. I swear, the never ending denials of the AHA and other like minded groups, no matter what the science shows, gives one the impression that these groups are on the payroll of the entrenched interests who are most likely to lose out when the low-fat paradigm dies its eventual and rightful death.

[Tom]

I'm a diabetic and I've been on the Atkins diet for 5 days and I feel great. My glucose has been steadily rising and I was worried I might have to go on insulin. Now, I feel like I may eventually get off my pills. It's amazing! My glucose is down 50% since Saturday and I feel great. I used to be exhausted after lunch but now I have tons of energy at work even at 5:30. Plus, I'm not hungry. I no longer eat any sugar, bread, or pasta and eat tons of dark green vegetables with some fruits that have a low glycemic index plus chicken, steak, salmon, and bacon. I feel like I'm 15 years younger.

[Tom Haws]

Rose,

Well said. Being slender is important, but life is about total health and happiness, not just weight loss.

All diets agree on one thing: Replace white flour, white sugar, and packaged high fat and high sodium food with something healthier, more varied, and more tasty, more colorful, and more interesting .

Tom Haws

[BMurray]

Clearly the optimal diet for simple weight loss is not eating at all (which, taken to the extreme, will even keep that weight off for the rest of your life), which suggests that weight loss as a sole criterion for a diet is flawed.

[M. Y.]

The problem is that they failed to include the "Heller" variant of low carb diets. The Heller method requires low carb meals twice a day with a modest-carb-containing meal allowed once per day and includes a balance of foods with moderate fat, high protein and generally low carbs. It regulates insulin production and thereby appetite. It has been tested with lab measurements of insulin.

Almost all discussion on diet fail to include the effects of appetite. No diet which doesn't control appetite can succeed in most people-- appetite is a primal urge almost as compelling as breathing. People can't resist it with will power alone for very long.

Unfortunately boredom is important for some people-- though many can recognize that as long as they aren't hypoglycemic or ravenous, life has other enjoyments and rewards besides food. The Heller system and modifications to it allow people to enjoy most foods except maybe the sweetest desserts and starchiest foods and yet lose weight and maintain the loss. Not everyone needs this but those with "metabolic syndrome" (google it) emphatically do. They also need modest doses of statins and niacin and if they do the Heller diet and those things, they can forestall the development of high blood pressure and diabetes sometimes for life.

You can read about the Heller system here:

http://www.carbohydrateaddicts.com/

And you can get their original (and best) 1992 book on eBay or amazon.com used for a pittance.

FYI: I have no financial or other interest in the Hellers or their book or their method. I'm just trying to be helpful with a frustrating problem made worse by all the idiots who spout off on it without knowing anything-- starting with the weirdoes appearing on day time TV shows in the US especially Oprah.

[Scott]

All the yea but's crack me up. I have used the Atkins for three years and have lost over 120 lbs and never felt better. The low carb way of life is returning and get ready for the stores to start stocking new low carb items. Believe it, it works....

[John]

What bothers me about this report is that it ignores the long term effects of each diet and also what the side effects may be of sticking to the Atkins or low fat diet. Secondly results should nto just be measured in terms of weight loss but overall helath of the person on a longer term basis.

The key is not to diet and then later change back to your old ways but to adopt a new diet that you can sustain for the long term. The fact is that while not eating carbs will help you lose weight your body needs complex carbohydrates. The carbs that are bad for you are the simple processed carbohydrates. as for fat there is good fat and bad fat. Natural fats found in things like avocados and fish is healthy fat. The fat from McDonald's and junk food is not. Another miscoception is cholesterol. There are two kinds HDL and LDL. The LDL is bad for you while HDL is good for you. Natural foods provide you with HDL.

My thought is to adopt a natural diet and suggest eliminating all processed foods, fried foods, junk food, soda, etc. The Mediterrean diet is probably the most balanced and incorporates a broad spectrum of healthy natural foods such as proteins from fish and meats, complex carbs from beans legumes,etc. and other healty sources of nutrition such as fruits and vegetables. In addition, the way these foods are prepared make them tasty! There is nothing like a nice grilled fish with a freash salad with real fresh non-modified tomatoes, onions, carrots, avocado and olive oil! Also red wine is very good for you as well and complements the meal nicely.

[Scott]

"Simply put it is based on meat, bacon, pork rinds,cheese, a few green leaves , eggs, fish etc..etc" I am sorry but you didnt read the book and didnt follow instructions. No where does it say you are stuck to these foods. In fact, I eat low carb bread, I eat low carb Ice cream, I eat good hearty fruits and I know what my limits are. If you were to follow the book, you would not have gained that weight back. Sorry but I have to vent a little because this way of life saved my life. 120 lbs lost. Also you can have wheat noodles and brown rice at times as well. So much to choose from. Try it again my friend and you will see that it works if you work it.

[anonymous]

Atkins has got to be the most misunderstood diet of all time.

My husband lost 50 pounds five years ago and has kept it off. I lost two sizes just sorta following it to encourage him.

To all of you Atkins "experts" READ THE ENTIRE BOOK. It is a healthy lifestyle, not a diet! It really boils down to nutrient dense food replacing empty carbs and chemicals.
The reduction diet is a temporary diet that is in no way intended for long term health.

If all you eat is protein and a lettuce salad you are going to seriously damage your heath. There are hundreds of vegetables and fruits to choose from, the fresher the better. Don't forget dairy, either - just don't eat the processed kind with hydrogenated oil (ie; American cheese).

You should all read the entire book before claiming you know what the Atkins lifestyle is about.

[Wicasta Lovelace]

The Atkins program is the only diet that has ever significantly worked for me. One refrain you keep hearing is that someone went on Atkins and lost a lot of weight, but then gained it all back once they went off of it. Well ... duh. If you go back to eating the way you were eating before, then of course you're going to gain the weight back. Weight Watchers has always worked for my mother, but whenever she goes off of that program, she gains the weight back. For any diet to be effective, you have to approach it as a lifestyle change, not a quick fix. Atkins is a means to an end. But when you've reached your ideal weight, the idea is to adopt have developed healthy eating habits and maintain your weight, not go back to the cheeseburgers and ice cream.

[Tom]

The key to weight loss is smaller portions of all the good food. I use NuVitae to "quench my appetite" so I can eat less, naturally. It tastes and looks like lemon lime soda but has fiber in it, the missing link for many people :-)

[veggiedude]

If you want to know what the best diet is to lose weight, it is the one where you stave yourself by not eating anything at all. But who is daft to endorse that? Similarly, the Atkins diet is not a common sense approach to dieting.

[vladimir_dt]

Sorry people, but low fat intake means nothing to your body's desire to have free floating fat molecules in your bloodstream. Check a high school metabolic chart for conversion of food to energy sources that your body can use please.
The Atkins diet, which has lost me 45 lbs permanently, (loss kept off for more than 10 years) when read and followed correctly, means that you must take into account the loss of trace micro-nutrients and minerals, and MAKE UP THE LOSS through high quality supplements. Not doing this means that you are NOT following the diet correctly.
My genetics and family history has a inevitable curse of heart failure, and diabetes, yet by using a strict atkins eating pattern I've been able to maintain a healthy blood sugar level for more than 5 years without insulin.
Nutritionists need to evaluate their testing methods and stop relying on studies from the 20's 30's and 40's for their "diet" prescriptions.
Eat meat, its good for you.

[Lisel]

Thanks to the AHA and ADA, my low fat diet made me not only fat, but diabetic and loaded with triglycerides. Only by adhering to a moderate fat, high protein diet can I keep my cholesterol, triglyceride and HbA1c levels at normal. I had to learn to actually LIKE a breakfast omelet with cheese and sausage and eggs (no toast) or OJ)rather than a bowl of high carb cereal, and I had to learn to eat salads with meat and hard boiled eggs or shrimp in them, and to eat meat or seafood and a low carb veggie like broccoli for dinner, but with all the great cookbooks out there, I am pretty happy. The AHA is screwing americans by promoting diets that are only for marathon runners! those carbs are converted to fat and used in place of body fat for energy, thus insuring that you stay fat!

[fred]

these are not real diets 7 - 12 pounds in 2 years that is what you should expect in 1-3 months not 24.

[Victor Klassen]

The wonderful thing about secondary sources is just how much they leave out. Several key things were not mentioned: "the participants were counseled to choose vegetarian sources of fat and protein and to avoid trans fat"; and the low-carb diet and "Mediterranean" diets outperformed the low-fat diet after two years, while they were within statistical noise of each other. Also, [They] "enrolled few women; however, [they] observed a significant interaction between the effects of diet group and sex on weight loss (women tended to lose more weight on the Mediterranean diet)."

[Brian]

Having lost 60lbs on Weight Watchers and kept it off for around six years, I agree with everyone here who kept the weight off (yes, even the Atkins folk): It's your lifestyle that has to change, not your weight. If you go into any of the major diets thinking one simple rule will fix your problem, you'll fail. The idiot version of Atkins (eat nothing but steak and cheese) won't work, nor will the idiot version of the low-fat diet (eat nothing but boxes of pasta [it's low fat!!]).

Change your lifestyle, make healthier decisions forever, and you'll be alive longer. The real version of Atkins, the real version of Weight Watchers, and the real version of pretty much every mainstream diet demands that kind of commitment from you to work.

[Justin]

This was partially funded by the Atkins Institute and that diet only performed marginally better than the others. I realize it was published in a respectable journal but I don't completely trust the findings if the AI funded even a portion of the study.

[lpd]

The comparison study did *not* evaluate the Atkins diet. They evaluated a low-carb diet emphasizing *vegetarian* protein and fat sources. This is not even close to what the Atkins books constantly hold up as examples, or to what most Atkins dieters eat.

[Chris]

The 7 - 12 pounds in 2 years must be for people who did not really need to lose weight (people very close to their ideal weight). When I followed Atkins I lost 32 pounds in 3 months.

[Radagast]

There have been numerous studies done of low-carb dieting in the years since the diet hit its peak popularity. Every single one I'm aware of - *every* one - has shown favorable results from low-carb. Weight loss, blood serum cholesterol, blood sugar levels, blood pressure - all improve on low-carb. This has been born out innumerable times on a personal level by dieters, including me. I've been off and on low-carb eating - mostly on - since before the Atkins "craze". Every time I"m on it, I lose weight and feel better in general. It's time for the so-called experts in the AHA and dietitian communities to start paying attention to the data, and dump their erroneous preconceptions. Low-carb works, and it works better than other diet regimens. Period. End of story.

The real health problem in America is the obesity epidemic, and this is caused by massive consumption of sugar, white flour, other high-glycemic carbs, and most especially, corn syrup. Corn syrup is deadly, yet it is put into most processed foods - even meats like breakfast sausage, for gawd's sake. Decades of consumption of high-glycemic junk foods leads to an inevitable chain of consequences - first obesity, then metabolic resistance syndrome (pre-diabetes), and then adult onset diabetes. This progression can be stopped in its tracks by eating low-carb, and without any expensive drugs with nasty side effects. Just control what you eat, dump the high glycemic stuff, and the slide to diabetes will stop and even reverse course.

It's really not that complicated. Avoid sugar, white flour, potatoes, white rice, and other high glycemic foods. Eat lots of green veggies, lean protein, the good kinds of fats, and carbs only in moderation, and only the low-glycemic kinds. That's it, not that hard. Your pancreas and your heart will thank you.

And corn syrup should be banned as a food additive. It is responsible more than any other factor for obesity in America, and you might as well eat poison.

AHA, wake up.

[Jeff Clark]

Due to the short nature of the trial all of the endpoints measured are secondary. They measured weight and HDL and LDL etc. Other studies have measured actual health effects like heart attacks and death. To avoid those serious end points the Mediterranean diet has been shown to be better. There are other constituents of food outside of fat, protein and carbs. There are oddities like wine and chocolate that can be good for you. You don't want tunnel vision when you evaluate a diet.

[theo]

what's happened to the times? i moved to seattle 7 years ago, and how when i read the times, it sounds more like a gossip rag.

the atkins study was done by a very respected group of israeli researchers. and thus they were published in the new england journal of medicine. it was a pretty darn long 2 year study at an isolated nuclear research facility. that low carbs was most effective at cholesterol lowering was a major finding, contrary to nay-sayers who claimed it would raise it instead.

the point of fact is, after all these years, the numbers and facts support atkins. alternative hypotheses (to say it politely) and critiques have been dead wrong.

this is atkins' vindicated. and i'm not atkins fan per se. i just respect the fact that he posited a theory about carbohydrate metabolism and its side-effects, made a set of testable predictions, and the vast majority of them came true. the scientist in me tells me to give up much props for pull off that mad feat.

[Gail Rendle]

How come the nay-sayers only concentrate on the first 2 weeks (the induction period) of the Atkins plan, and ignore the follow-up part of the plan? Do they really think that Induction is the whole diet plan? It looks to me like the read the first part of the book, and tossed it out! Boring? Come ON! It's not boring if you are willing to do some thinking. I started on the plan in August, 2001, and lost 43#, and kept it off FOR 2 YEARS - until a hospital dietition told all of us having knee and hip surgery to "get off any diets". BIG MISTAKE!! I thought it was necessary because possible anesthesia or drug interactions, but it seems that the hospital kitchen was "not interested" in attending to special diets. So I went off it, and gained the weight back. I tried low-fat, South Beach, Hellers, Eades, and Nutri-System, as well as others, in the interim, and none of them has worked. So, I'm going back on Atkins - Nay-sayers, GET OUT OF MY WAY!

[kitty]

Atkins works for me. I do a healthier version: chicken, fish, egg white, and veggie. I agree that loss of 7-12 pounds in 2 years is not that impressive, especially all these dieters were obese.

[Maggie]

As someone who works very closely with the AHA, I will be the first person to admit that a diet that is simply low in fat is not enough to encourage weight loss. The reality is that weight loss is a result of burning more calories than you consume. Period. The reason that the Atkins diet works is that people stop eating 500 calorie bagels, huge pasta dishes and sugar filled desserts. The fact is that a low fat diet also cuts out unhealthy foods like greasy cheeseburgers, pizza and those same desserts.

The American Heart Association is an organization dedicated to helping people live healthier, longer lives. They are not there to make money and I can tell you for sure that the people who work there could make more money and get better benefits working in the for profit sector. Saying that they don't endorse the Atkins diet because they are on "the payroll of entrenched interests" or because of their "political capitol" is absurd. The blatant fact is that EVERYONE is a heart patient. Sudden cardiac arrest happens to everyone, not just heart patients, not just people who eat a high fat diet and including people who exercise and participate in all kinds of diets, Atkins included.

[Gail Rendle]

The Nay-sayers here are NOT reading the whole book. Atkins works. Atkins IS a healthy diet plan. I know - my cholesterol went way down, I felt great, and I lost 43# on it, keeping it off for 2 years until a hospital dietician told all of us who were having knee or hip surgery that week to "get off any diets". BIG MISTAKE! I thought they were monitoring our meals relative to possible anesthesia or drug interactions, but it seems the kitchen just wasn't interested in catering to special diets. I gained the weight back, over the last 4 years, and in the interim years I have tried Low-fat, Low-sugar, Hellers', Eades', South Beach and Nutri-System, and none of them worked. I have developed a STRONG distrust of the AMA, AHA, FDA and other government agencies - they are, as others above have mentioned, locked into the pocket$ of "low-fat" interests, and haven't got the guts, in the face of the evidence, to back up and take a second look! We may as well face the fact that we are going to have to think for ourselves, and ignore government agencies. Nay-sayers, GET OUT OF MY WAY! I'm going back on Atkins!

[Radagast]

I have to respond to one poster who claims that Atkins only works because of calorie reduction. That is simply not true and is typical of the misinformation about the diet. The poster clearly has not read any of Atkins' books.

There are three kinds of fuel the body can run on. They are, in the order of metabolic "preference", carbohydrates, alcohol, and fats. Low-carb dieting works because, in the weight loss phases, carb intake is reduced to a very low level (20 grams or less), or even eliminated. Alcohol is also eliminated. In the absence of carbs and alcohol, the body has no choice but to burn fat. To do so, it enters a state of lipolysis/ketosis - breaking down and burning stored fat - the same process that causes cancer patients to lose large amounts of weight. It's nothing to do with calorie reduction per se - it's a natural process by which the body can burn stored fat in the absence of carbs. Indeed, by eating 3-cheese omelets, bacon, and other rich foods, you may in fact increase your calorie intake, but the weight still comes off.

And that is what freaks out the critics of Atkins. They look at the ketosis phase and think, my god, that can't be good for you. What they don't seem to realize is that this is why you can lose weight rapidly without being hungry, it's a natural body function, and that the ketosis phase is relatively brief, a few weeks (or perhaps months in cases of very obese people) at most. After that, you gradually add low-glycemic carbs back into the diet until you find the amount you can eat without gaining weight. And that's where you stay, in maintenance, hopefully as a permanent lifestyle change.

I really wish people would actually learn about a topic before blathering on about it. It's not that hard, after all, all you have to do is read.

[Mike]

Anyone actually read the study?

It wasn't the Atkins diet that was being compared. Read the study and you'll see that it was a vegetarian Atkins-like diet, one that allowed 120 grams of carbs per day after the first 20 days.

Does that sound like the Atkins diet to anyone?

This study was highly misleading.

[stan]

The reason most people don't lose weight on diets is that they eat not for hunger, but for emotional reasons. They medicate with food.
Turned down for a date? Eat a pizza to feel better.
A fight with the partner? Eat ice cream to feel better.
Bored? Eat a bag of potato chips.
And on and on.

If you want to lose weight without even following a diet, just go here and do a search on weight. http://www.emofree.com.

I have no relationship with the site. Just a satisfied user. This can change your life.

[Donna]

This study might have been co-sponsored by makers of laxatives and the supplements that you need if you stick to strict Atkins. I found it fun for about the first two weeks, then I felt like crap. Literally. I've reverted back to low-carb low fat, and ever decreasing portions. I've lost over 90 lbs. and it's taken me years. I'll keep on trying to eat less and exercise more, actually the only thing that really works!

[Randy McVay]

I am not going to bore you with facts and studies and diet lingo that seems to complicate and confuse everyone but this is what i would like to share with all of you. "My experience with the Atkins Diet" My wife started the The diet about two months ago and yes she had lost weight not as much as she would had hoped but its working. I decided to join her just due to the fact that its not easy to prepare two different dishes at every meal. (and i really do like beef) So i decided to join in. Well prior to the diet i have been having issues more of my general health than my weight like feeling tired early in the day, Difficulty getting up in the morning, Irregular Heartbeat, High Blood Pressure you know the kind that bothers you when you are trying to sleep. I had even had to cut Coffee out of my daily routine because i felt as though i was getting worse i tried exercising more. Cut out drinking ect... I was just trying to do everything i could that would help me feel better i am 47 years old i was only about 10 pounds overweight but i though it would be worth a shot. And here are my personal results after 4 weeks... I have not felt this good iN AT LEAST 20 years and that is no Bull, My High Blood Pressure is nearly gone, I think more clearly, I sleep better, I am up at 5 am feeling ready to do stuff oh and i lost ten pounds, and it goes on and on. I feel as though my wife saved my life. I now know had i not joined her in this diet that i would be on my way to an early grave. And now when i look around i am wondering how many more people are walking around going through what i did and not knowing there is help out there. My advise read the book!!! And follow the plan i am confident it will work for you as it did for me.

[Timmy]

Atkins helps you lose weight but it messes up the heart, liver, and skin. Low fat may result in less weight loss, but it'll result in longer life.

[Thomas Laufer]

Doctors and Associations have much more education and finance than I. However, what i do know is that I lose weight on the atkins diet. I feel healthier and the concerns expressed in the article, like vitimin deficiency, are taken care with a daily vitimin. I have no problem staying with the atkins diet. I can eat as much as I want, and the longer I stay on it, I find more and more ways to prepare my food and deserts. The Atkins diet has been great for me.

[manny]

An average of 12 pounds over two years? This is something a person should be able to do in two months with a simple exercise plan. Isn't there a more important statement to be said here.

[Maurice]

I have gone from 166 pounds to 156ponds in three months by exercise bike for 5 days a week for 20 minutes ,I am 56years male 5ft 8 inches ,and this loss was by just that ,no dieting,still drinking to much,that was the reason I started ,got a little paunch developing.To all those complaining about the Atkins diet,there was a dietician on UK tv last night(C4,Richard and Judy) saying that it worked but the reason why so many fail on it was that you do it full on for 2 weeks,then introduce a small amount of carbohydrate,this keeps weight loss down, plus gives you requisite nutrients and stops the boring element setting in ,

[Soliel]

Sure one can lose weight on the Atkins diet but you will suffer many other things as well...like constipation, bad breath, lower joint health, higher incident of cancer and heart disease...etc etc.

Look at epidemilogical studies and you will see, throughtout the world, those people who live a high whole food carbohydrate diet are the most trim and slim, througout life and with the least risk of chronic diseases prevalent in Western societies.

I eat a whole foods plant based diet...with fat too...and I stay slim AND healthy. I'll have joints that can move easily, and no bad breath and no constipation. IT's the way to go, IMO.

[Arnold Newcomb]

Obesity per se is not the problem. The real issue is the health and mortality consequences which follow from obesity. In November Harvard Medical School studied obese mice. The team of researchers gave one group biotivia transmax resveratrol extract, a commercial version of a compound found in red wine, and the other a placebo. The group receiving transmax resveratrol lived 31% longer and did not contract the normal diseases of aging such as diabetes, tumors, and cardiac diseases. Their endurance and energy levels also improved dramatically. Resveratrol is clearly no substitute for a good diet, exercise and a healthy lifestyle but it may augment all of these and extend the potential for ultimate life span. We need to first concentrate of the prevention of the disease of obesity and treat the excess weight as a separate issue. This approach will result in a reduction of suffering and huge health care cost savings.

[RRod]

I think we can all agree on this point: vegetables and fruits are GREAT! Everyone should eat their greens, reds, purples, and blues. The question is how you get your browns: grains/legumes or meat... As someone who lifts weights semi-seriously, I can say with certainty that I'd rather have the meat. Let's compare calorie-equivalent amounts of whole-wheat bread and 90% lean beef (~80 calories for each). Here are the vitamin/mineral standouts for each (meaning the other is significantly lower)
Bread: 27% manganese
Beef: 16% zinc, 15% B12
But the beef has ~10g of good quality protein, while the bread has 2.5g of protein of dubious quality (hence why vegans are told to combine protein sources). As someone who uses my muscles, I need that protein to recover: bread simply does not do. As far as the manganese, a serving or two of veggies and I can make up for that with fewer calories than the bread.

Other protein sources have their own advantages; take mackerel (again ~80 calories):
95% B12, 22% selenium, 7g protein
or pork tenderloin:
11% B6, 28% thiamine, 31% selenium, 12% phosphorus, 13g protein

And don't forget that fatty fish give the omega-3s that we're all starving for, on top of a nice protein punch. (Not everyone in the world has access to flaxseed!)

Most of these leaner meat sources have at least as much monounsaturated fat as saturated fats, if not more, which for me is a wash. Besides, it's easy to add olive oil and/or nuts to the diet, and the meat gives useful protein (keep your soybeans; I fail to see why a legume with an originally limited distribution should trump the universally available protein source that is lean game meat).

As far as low-carb diets making you feel weak and out-of-energy; that's a bunch of hooey. Sure, if you're a marathon runner, maybe, but as a weightlifter I have no problems getting through all my squats with an ~20% carb diet. And I never, ever, get that post-lunch crash that the sandwich-with-chips crowd gets.

Thoughts...

[Eve]

I have been reading up on lo-carb diets. It started with a book called "Good Calories, Bad Calories." I wasn't interested in lo-carb to begin with, I was just hoping to get some information that might help me lose weight and be healthier. Well, one book led to another and now I'm reading "Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution." My doctors have recommended a lo-carb diet to me an several occasions. But the dietitian/diabetic educator has always talked me out of it. I had some short-term success that was immediately wiped out when I took the dietitian's advice and gave up the lo-carb. So this time, I'm not going to tell her what I'm doing - I'm just gonna do it.

What I have read leads me to the conclusion that lo-carb dieting has a lot more going for it than anything else I've tried. I have followed lo-fat dieting principles for years with absolutely no effect on my cholesterol or triglyceride levels (or on my weight except that I'm no 30 pounds heavier than I was 15 years ago). As for the boring part of the diet - once you get past the first two weeks of restriction on Atkins you start adding back in more and more foods until you find the place where you lose weight at a reasonable rate, then more foods as you get closer to your goal until you find your maintenance level. Dr Atkins knows that none of us is going to stay strictly on any diet - we will occasionally 'cheat.' He tells you how to deal with the results of that, too.

[Alex Costa - minimizeme.tv]

I did atkins once and I lost 26.4 pounds in a month. But after that it was downhill. It was really hard for me to live without carbs.
There is a misconception that carbs are bad and evil, it's not true, your body need carbs because they are the fuel that your body needs so you can exercise better.
What's bad is the excessive amount of carbs that people are eating.
The bottom line is the best diet is that one that suits you better.