Atkins Review

Overall 2.94 of 5 view all 31 reviews

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Grand Prairie, TX

This diet changed my life - and my weight!

almost always wishing for a lower weight, a lover of protein and fat, a person who enjoys quality, A frequent snacker, an emotional eater, value conscious

Pros

eat foods like bacon, never hungry, no calorie counting

Cons

not enough fiber, super restrictive with carbs

NOV

2007

This diet is not for everyone, but it definitely was for me! I dropped 30 pounds in about 3 months and have mostly maintained it (what little I've gained back is due to my inconsistency with it). The bad thing about this diet is that you have to be steadfast or you will gain the weight back. You also have to be willing to change your mindset about how you think about food - fat is not "bad" anymore, and that takes an open mind and some willingness to observe the science behind it rather than the emotional side of it which can be difficult. You can't do this diet AND do low-fat. They just don't go together.

Another myth with this diet is that you don't eat fruits or vegetables. That's just untrue. You eat vegetables from day 1 and fruits from 2 weeks. I love this diet because it is easy to know what you can and can't eat with any complex formulas to figure out. And if you want to delve deeper, you can - checking into glycemic index keeps you on top of everything. You are completely restricted from some foods, especially in earlier phases, so that is something you have to consider.

This diet works best for people who love meat and cheese and don't mind having certain foods restricted for a period of time. It's also very easy to cook for. Grill a piece of meat on the George Foreman grill and boil a couple of veggies or slice an avocado or cheese for sides. There are so many sugar-free or low-carb products out there now that it makes it very easy to have even the foods that would be considered cheating on other diets (chocolate, cheesecake, sodas, etc.) - although using too many of these products can lessen the effectiveness and cause other problems as well.

One more thing to consider - if you take lots of medications, this diet may not be for you. While it is a great diet for diabetics because it address blood sugar issues, medications of certain sorts (birth control, antihistamines, etc.) can keep the diet from being effective. It was still very effective for me although I take some of those things. It's a great way to drop weight quickly (the pounds come off surprisingly fast), but you have to be committed to keep it off just like with any other diet.