by Robert C. Atkins

Editorial Reviews

Designed to catapult your body into a state of fat meltdown, Dr. Atkins's diet has taken America by storm. It targets insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. The bodies of most overeaters are continually in a state of hyperinsulinism; their bodies are so adept at releasing insulin to help convert excess carbohydrates to fat that there's always too much of the hormone circulating through the body. This puts the body into a bind; it always wants to store fat. Even when people with hyperinsulinism try to lose weight--especially when they cut fat but increase carbohydrate consumption--their efforts will fail. This is why Dr. Atkins refers to insulin as "the fat-producing hormone."

Dr. Atkins's diet is extremely low in carbohydrates, which helps to regulate insulin production and decrease circulating insulin; less insulin soon results in less fat storage and fewer food cravings. The diet is far from torturous, though--those who've tried it attest that hunger is not a part of this plan. Ninety percent of Dr. Atkins's patients--more than 25,000 of them--have experienced dramatic weight loss. The book includes recipes for such luscious, low-carb dishes as lobster soup, zabaglione, sea bass, and blueberry ice cream, and even includes acarbohydrate gram counter and menus. --This text refers to the mass market paperback edition of this title

From Kirkus Reviews , June 1, 1992
Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution, published two decades ago, sold millions of copies but was denounced by medical authorities for its unsound high-calorie, low-carbohydrate regimen. Now it's back, slightly modified, and billed even more contrariwise as a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet. Atkins blames carbohydrates for most cases of overweight--as well as for much fatigue, mental fog, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. A high-fat diet, he says, is harmful only when added to a high- carbohydrate diet. At times, he backs off and hedges, admitting, for example, that refined flour and sugar, not all carbohydrates, are the culprits, and even that the desserts he promotes should be limited to special occasions. Still, heavy cream, butter, and cheese abound in his recipes; bacon and eggs are on his daily breakfast menu; and his program, especially the 14-day "induction diet'' designed to induce ketosis, or fat-burning, turns all prevailing guidelines upside down. It will be interesting to see how this book does now that low-fat, high-carbohydrate eating has been so widely accepted by professionals and public alike. Atkins claims success with his 25,000 overweight patients (who take an average of 30 nutritional pills a day along with the diet), and he scores a point or two against pro-establishment preconceptions among researchers, but he certainly doesn't prove that his is the healthier diet. Still, get ready for a blitz. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description
Twenty years later Dr. Atkins takes a fresh look at weight loss. Over 10 million Atkins books have sold worldwide.

Synopsis
One of the most palatable weight-loss diets ever devised allows the reader to lose weight with a minimum of pain and keep it off with ease. The product of 18 years of experience and analysis, Dr. Atkins has refined and expanded his thinking about weight loss, though his diet remains based on low carbohydrate intake.

Synopsis
Demonstrates how to lose weight in fourteen days, easily and without going hungry, outlining a diet program that is designed for the overweight metabolism and can be maintained for a lifetime. Reprint. --This text refers to the mass market paperback edition of this title

Synopsis
A revolutionary formula for changing metabolism offers weight loss without counting calories or feeling hungry as the body automatically adjusts to a new way of burning fat, as well as a maintenance diet that insures slimness for life. Reprint. IP. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews
RHow Can Losing Weight Be This Easy? July 11, 2000
Reviewer: Mark from Chassell
My sister lent me this book after saying how good it was. She lost 26 pounds after having a baby and all I have to lose is 20. The first 14 days you are on an "induction diet", meaning you can eat whatever you want BUT you must limit your carbohydrates to 20 gms or less per day. I never thought I would lose weight after eating bacon, sausage, hamburger, eggs, cheese and all I want too. I lost 15 pounds on the first 13 days (today is my 13th day on it) and have never been on an easier diet in my life. I have just as much energy as before and all my clothes fit again. This book is highly recommended for ANYONE who wants to lose any amount of weight. It's awesome! --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Final Update from Sacramento July 5, 2000
Reviewer: A reader
This is an update from a Sept. 99 review, and a Jan 2000 review. When I started my diet in July of 1999, I was 270 lbs and 6' tall. I have lost 87 lbs and have passed my goal weight of 185. Have held below 185 for over two months. My menu is basically eggs, bacon and sausage for breakfast; a chicken (most often double chicken) salad for lunch; and steak, vegetables and salad for dinner. I snack on the Atkins bars and on Macadamia nuts. I have added a little fruit to the diet after hitting my goal. My cholesterol is 147. I am extremely strict. I have eaten no bread, pasta, sugar etc. for the entire period, and I have absolutely no desire to eat such food again. My only real deviation has been the continued consumption of caffeine in coffee and diet drinks and an occasional (every other month) glass of wine.
For my body type, this diet worked great. During the past year, I have read the book several times, and it helps to reinforce what foods to eat. The key is just doing it every day.

My Doctor, who had prescribed a no fat diet for me for the last 12 years, gave me a check up recently and told me that for middle aged men with large bellies, this diet seems to work the best. My problem is why didn't he tell me about this diet himself 12 years ago if that is what he truly thought. Luckily, I found the Atkins book on my own. Good luck.

P.S. For those who hate this diet, I don't care if I lost 87 lbs of water; lugging that much water around was a real pain.

Easiest Diet I Have Ever Been On July 4, 2000
Reviewer: Mark from Chassell, Michigan
My sister lost 27 pounds on this diet a few months ago after having a baby and suggested I try it. I only need to lose 15-20 (only 10-15 now) to be lean at 155 pounds at 5'9".
I have been on the diet for 6 days and already my pants fit (that haven't in a while) and I was NEVER hungry. I ate bacon, spam, eggs, hamburger, cheese and sausage for those 6 days and ate as much as I wanted. I couldn't believe it! I do miss my Dairy Queen Blizzard but I substitute cheese and feel satisfied and now I don't EVER feel hungry because of the Ketosis state. I have a feeling that in about 15-20 days I will be right where I want to be - 155 pounds. Buy some Ketostix to test your urine which proves you are burning body fat when they turn purple.

You might feel a little light headed (from ketosis) but nothing bad and because you are eating quite a bit of protein you will not lose muscle mass as long as you don't lay around the house.
You will not feel bloated, even after eating a package of bacon! I still have energy to run every other day and still lift weights. This is the best diet I have ever been on HANDS DOWN! Can't wait to see my results in a few weeks.

Atkin's Proof is in the readership! July 2, 2000
Reviewer: Noah Edward Webster from Cleveland, OH USA
Many people complain that he has no scientific results to back up his claims. However, why else is his book a #1 Best Seller? If his product didn't work, people would not use it. And people who complain that it does not work, simply didn't follow it. You simply can't have carbs in your diet. It's tough at first, but when I have the choice if eating as much steak as I want for dinner or a bowl of pasta with nothing on it, which are you going to choose? I have been on the diet for 2 weeks now and I lost 10 pounds the first week, and 5 so far this second week. I was even following the old book and just ordered his new one. He does an excellent job of helping you make it work in the real world, by giving you examples of things you can eat if you go out, and setting different levels if you can't follow his most restrictive plan. If you have found that other diets leave you craving and tired, then switch to this diet. I have never been happier, or healthier!

Use This Book as Training For Your Personal Eating Plan June 23, 2000
Reviewer: Michael D. Bush from Heber City, Utah
When I read this book, I was shocked at first; here is a method that turns "conventional wisdom" about dieting on its head (that's why this book offends so many "nutritionists", it violates principles they've long accepted as gospel)! But, I'd known many people who had been successful at it, so I decided to give it a try. Sure enough, six weeks and thirty five pounds later, I can say that there really is something here.
My advise to anyone with a weight problem would be to read the book and give it a serious chance without breaking the rules, then learn its lessons and apply them to their own weight loss program. As far as "lessons go, I'd specifically mention the following:

1. There are two ways to lose weight. One is to reduce the amount of calories one consumes until the body is not able to maintain its short-term fuel, causing long-term reserves to be burned instead (and weight loss). The other way (I've learned from this book) is to lower carbohydrate intake to the point that the body automatically begins using long-term reserves, due to the hierarchy of how the body processes food. Which method is best for you? That's up to you. But at least this book arms you with the knowledge of how your body processes work.

2. The one thing that virtually all diet experts agree upon is that refined sugars and simple carbohydrates are bad. No matter how you choose to eat, that fact should tell you something. (Interestingly enough, those two items make up the great majority of "junk" foods produced by the food industry...and therein lies the secret of understanding why things are the way they are). This book teaches you to eat real food!

As to my own experience with the Atkins Diet: Yes, I felt awful the first week. But that experience is short-lived, the body adapts, and the results have generally been positive. Will I remain eating this way all my life? Doubtful...I can't see myself eating meat like this forever. But whatever I do, I'll have greater control over my weight than ever before, because I have a better understanding of how weight gain happens than I ever had before. This book has given me that.

Read it, then read it again June 16, 2000
Reviewer: A reader from Virginia
I am simply astounded by the number of people who blatantly mis-state and/or completely ignore the concepts and methods presented in this book. My advice: After purchasing the book, the intention is that you actually READ it rather than using it for a doorstop.
I just read a statement that Dr. Atkins claims vegetables and fruit are bad for your health. That is simply not true, and this is only one example of someone who either has very poor reading comprehension or has blamed the author for their own failure to follow the diet.

It's working extremely well for me. In 18 years of attempts, I have never been successful on a low-fat diet unless I starved myself. This invariably lead to a complete obsession with food. I remember weeks of consuming 1,000 calories a day of only carbs and protein and working out strenuously two to three hours a day, every day. My reward at the end of every week was the loss of maybe one-half a pound, if I was lucky. And we all know that one-half a pound is so little that it could easily consist entirely of water. There was no way I could maintain that kind of lifestyle, and I'd gain back the little I had lost with interest.

With the Atkins diet, I am never, ever hungry and I no longer even think about eating. Now that I know what takes place in my body when I consume carbs, especially refined sugar, I am so turned off that I don't even want to see a donut, let alone eat one. I'm losing fat and I feel  fantastic. My carb cravings are completely gone.

Read the book, make a commitment to follow the diet exactly, then read the book again. It is not a prison; it can be customized once you reach your goal. Like any weight loss program, you just don't get something for nothing.

It works June 10, 2000
Reviewer: mbmlaw from Northern Mn
I read this book 5 months and 70 extra pounds ago. I say "fooey" to the AMA and the government's USDA who persist in condemning Dr. Atkins. (The AMA and the government's FDA are the same folks who told me phen/fen was good for me. HA!) Dr. Atkins is a cardiologist and discovered this plan 30 years ago. Dietary fat is not the same as, and does not equal, body fat. Contrary to the criticisms, this is NOT a NO carbs diet - one is allowed up to 20 carbs per day in the initial 2 week "induction" phase of this "way of eating." (It's not a "flash in the pan" diet - it's a life-long "way of eating.") Carbs can then gradually be adjusted upward. Don't do the "low carb thing" without first reading this book and keeping it handy for reference. I also suggest getting a carbohydrate calorie counter reference - such as Allan Borushek's nifty little "The Doctor's Pocket Calorie, Fat, And Carbohydrate Counter."

COLOR ME SKINNY! June 6, 2000
Reviewer: A reader from Florida
... This diet is awesome. BUTTT, you do have to followinstructions & watch out for all those hidden carbohydrates the food processors sneak in their products. The critics are just looking for any excuse to give up because sugar is so addicting. That is why you may feel lousy at first because you are going through withdrawal just like with any drug....Also, many people need potassium if they are losing weight too quickly. And to the other geniuses: Gee whiz, OFCOURSE you will gain it all back if you go back to eating the way that made you fat! DUH! Every time I read the reviews I can tell who really reads the book & who just did a half a**ed attempt. The negative reviewers always leave clues that they didn't follow directions. Do it right & you will get the results you are looking for.