Atkins Diet did not live up the hype

by Jennifer
(Toledo, OH, USA)

As a meat-lover, I heard about the Atkins diet and figured it would be a great excuse to eat a few extra steaks and such.

I tried it for about 2 1/2 weeks, and did not lose any weight.

I enjoyed eating steak and shrimp and burgers and chicken, but the lack of carbohydrates was tough to deal with.

I love pasta and especially bread, so it was really hard to avoid them. They also forbid nearly all major health-boosters, like fruits, whole wheat, beans, and nuts.

While the plan allows for adding these types of foods in later on, I would not recommend how they just cut it all out completely.

After two weeks or so, I started to notice I didn't have as much energy, and an overall "something isn't right" kind of feeling.

I looked into the diet, and found out that by not eating any carbs (your body's main fuel source), you force yourself into a state called "ketosis" where your body begins burning protein for energy.

This process is much less efficient than burning carbs, and is probably not healthy for you. So I decided to call it quits and go back to my normal, balanced diet.

I supposed if you stayed on the diet for a really long time, enough to make it to “phase 4” where you can start adding carbs back into your diet, it would pretty closely resemble the way I eat now.

So their theory that a diet should be a life-long way of eating I agree with, but the way they go about introducing you to it is harsh and unrealistic. I think dietary changes should be gradual over time and you should know why you are making those kinds of choices.

Note from Dr. Dan

Whole grains and legumes (beans, lentils, peas and peanuts) are staple foods. There is no reason they cannot be part of a healthy diet -- even if you are in the process of losing weight.

Dr. Dan