Here is a full review of two of the leading low carb diets.

Atkins Diet

• Books - Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution by Robert C. Atkins M.D., was previously published as Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution
• Credentials - 25,000 patients already successfully treated. 60,000 patients are currently registered at the Atkins Center for Complimentary Medicine in New York City. The book has already sold 10 million copies and over 20 million have already started this diet plan.
• Basic Philosophy - The point of this diet is to provide a series of dietary phases through which most people will pass through in order, as they successfully lose their excess weights. But along with the main diet plan there are additional diets that are provided for people who can't follow the majority route; this is usually for people who have food intolerances or a high metabolic resistance.

The aim of the Atkins diet is to provide people with a lifetime nutritional philosophy that will help them to accomplish three major things. Number one: restrict their intake of processed and refined carbohydrates; examples of these are sugar-rich foods, breads, pastas, cereals, and starchy vegetables. Number two: encourage the consumption of nutrient-rich unprocessed foods; examples are meat, fish, and poultry. Number three: promote the use of "vita-nutrient" supplements, which are basically vitamins. The Atkins diet also places a heavy emphasis on exercise and regular testing so that you can monitor your levels of Cholesterol, Insulin, Blood Pressure and Triglycerides. This diet plan is also evaluated with regard to the Heart, Cancer, Hypoglycemia and Diabetes issues, along with other health issues.

The diet plan also provides you with a lot of practical details. These details are presented to you in the form of instructions, anecdotes, menus and a carbohydrate calculator. But the best part is that this is all backed up by a considerable amount of theoretical and medical information. Many people criticize this diet but Dr. Atkins bases his findings on sound evidence, observations, and a large amount of personal experience.

Numbers:

People who are using this diet are restricted to around 20 grams of carbohydrates per day for the first two weeks. And then a weekly increment of 5 grams I s followed until you establish the highest number of grams of carbohydrates that you can consume each day without putting the weight back on, also known as Critical Carbohydrate level for Maintenance.

Method:

Phase 1 Induction - 14 days

• Purpose - to induce "Benign Dietary Ketosis." This is a condition that can be detected by Ketosis, which is only present when the body is producing Fat Mobilization Substance. Once this stuff is being produced what happens is the body is forced to disgorge and burn up deposited fat, which allows you to quickly lose weight. During this phase of the diet all fruits and most vegetables are excluded and you are restricted to 20 grams of carbohydrates a day. Any unnecessary medications that you are taking should be stopped and medical assessment tests should be taken for the "before" picture.

Phase 2 Ongoing Weight Loss - Until target weight has been achieved

• Purpose - this stage is designed to allow you to continue losing weight, but at the same time this phase is making the diet less restrictive and more palatable. How this is accomplished is by allowing a bigger selection of vegetables and raising the amount of carbs to around 40 grams a day. Also during this phase you are setting your own weight goal, and at the end of the phase you will be establishing your Critical Carbohydrate level for Maintenance.

Phase 3 Pre-Maintenance Diet - Starts when you are 5 to 10 pounds away from your target weight

• Purpose - this phase is used to prepare you for the final phase of the diet. At this phase the diet is changed so that you are losing the final few pounds are lost at a slower pace, which is accomplished using the Critical Carbohydrate Level for Maintenance that you obtained in Phase 2. This is accomplished by increasing the carbohydrate intake until you are losing less than a pound a week.

Phase 4 Maintenance Diet

• Purpose - to maintain your target weight for the rest of your life. This phase was designed to help you realize that you cannot maintain your new weight levels by eating anything and everything that you want because you are no longer protected by the Fat Mobilizing Substance. How this is achieved is by setting a fairly strict diet that will help you keep the weight off for your lifetime, by encouraging the person to stick to the carbohydrate level they feel happiest on without gaining weight.

Menu:

Induction

• Breakfast - sugarless sausage, bacon or ham & eggs with coffee or tea
• Lunch - bacon cheeseburger without the bun, salad and seltzer water
• Dinner - shrimp cocktail and mayonnaise. Steak, roast, chops, fish or poultry & salad. Jelly & whipped cream

Ongoing weight loss

• Breakfast - induction items, tomato juice, omelet, Crispbread
• Lunch - induction items, ham & cheese, salad, Mayonnaise, Herbal Tea
• Dinner - Seafood salad, salmon, vegetables from permitted list, strawberries and cream, and induction items

Maintenance

• Breakfast - Fruit and all previous food items
• Lunch - Roast chicken, salad, vegetables, dressings, soda, and all previous food items
• Dinner - soup, salad, vegetables, potato, fruit, wine or wine spritzers and all previous foods

Unique Features

• Usage of Ketosis
• Quantity and quality of medical testing

• Books - The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss
• Credentials - was written by Dr. Arthur Agatston who is a MD in the South Beach area of Miami. He is also an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at University of Miami and has published over 100 scientific medical articles
• Basic Philosophy - One thing that you need to know is that since the book was actually written part of the diet has changed. The main change to the diet has been regarding the diary and some of the common vegetables like carrots. But even then many people feel that the book and the recipes for the diet contradict each other at times.

The book comes with a small guide, but the guide is only really useful for the later stages because it helps you figure out which fruits and vegetables are not recommended. The guide does not distinguish between phases 1 and 2 and can't be used without the main book or at least an online description of the major ideas of this diet plan.

What this diet promotes is eating good carbs and good fats over a series of 6 meals and snacks each day. By eating this way you will balance your blood levels of glucose, insulin, cholesterol and other coronary heart disease markers. Which the diet was designed to help pre-diabetic and/or heart disease patients with high levels of the bad carbohydrates and triglycerides as well as glucose levels. The actual weight loss that occurred because of this was a side effect but it is what prompted the writing of the diet into the book.

How the weight loss was achieved is by completely avoiding refined carbohydrates that are quickly absorbed and are considered high on the glycemic index. But you are also supposed to avoid man-made trans fatty acids, as well as saturated animal fats, but the diet does not say anything about the exclusion of saturated fats. By following this guidelines weight loss is considered automatic.

This diet encourages you to eat fish, eggs, seafood, chicken or turkey breast, lean ham, pretty much all vegetables and to drink lots of water. You are also allowed to eat a moderate amount of nearly all fruits, nuts, other low fat meats, whole grain bread, pasta, and rice, olive or canola oil and a glass of red wine once a day. But you are not allowed to have any products that contain sugar, fruit juices, potatoes, refined grains, regular diary, fatter cuts of beef, poultry, and pork, butter and beer.

Numbers:

You are to eat 3 meals and 3 snacks a day and you are to never go hungry. You do not need to count calories, fats, or carbohydrates. You are supposed to eat any of the allowed until you full but not stuffed.

Method:

Phase 1 - 2 weeks

• This is the strictest part of the diet and it is also suggested that you return to this phase if you have cheated on your diet so you can get back into the swing of things. But during this phase you are not allowed any fruits, alcohol pr whole grain carbohydrates. You are only allowed to have fish, eggs, lean meats, limited low fat diary, and leafy vegetables.

Phase 2

• This is the main part of the diet and is suggested to use until you have reached your target weight level. But during this phase you can add nuts, fruits, whole grain products, and red wine if desired. But it is suggested that you add these products one at a time so that you can see what happens weight wise before you add the next product.

Phase 3

• This is considered the maintenance phase, basically it is the phase that allows you to maintain the weight loss for the rest of your life. There are no forbidden foods during this phase but it is expected that you will follow the principles that were learned in the diet plan for life in general. But the good thing with this diet plan is that there are exceptions allowed, meaning it is not as strict as some diets.

Menu: a third of the book is actually menus and recipes

• Breakfast - small glass of vegetable juice and a vegetable quiche
• Midmorning snack - celery with low fat cheese
• Lunch - large vegetable salad with shrimps or chicken breast
• Mid-afternoon snack - low fat string cheese, nuts
• Dinner - salmon with asparagus
• Dessert/evening snack - low fat ricotta dessert with artificial sweetener and fruit

Unique Features

• South Beach is more acceptable for traditional nutritionists and medical professionals
• There is no counting of calories, fat or carbs so it seems somewhat generous and subjective
• Cheating is somewhat expected on this diet and the plan makes allowances for it in the recipes and discussion portion of the book