Atkins Diet, is it still working to help people lose weight?

When Dr. Robert Atkins died in 2003, people were shook up about the whether the diet that was symbolized by eating eggs, bacon, and steak written by the American heart specialist., was still a valid diet option. His book, published in 1972, "Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution", was a big hit. It was not long before you saw "Atkins' Diet Approved" stickers on every high-fat item in the grocery store. This idea really bothered most traditional nutritionist that always have stated a balanced diet is the most effective. This irritation is probably why the diet was such a popular topic on all the talk shows and news stations at the time. This is not the case today.

Dr Atkins proposed that carbohydrate restricting forced the body to do a gear change and start using it's fat stores as it's energy source, because of the lack of starches being consumed. Therefore, the assumption is, the weight lost is mostly from your body's fat supplies, rather than your lean muscle, which tends to be the case with low-cal diets.

One of the many complaints about the Atkins' diet plan is that anytime you consume more protein than carbs, your body will eliminate more water in the first few days, because it takes more water for your body to digest meat.  Therefore the first 5-10 pounds lost on this diet is more water weight than stored fat.

Three doctors have taken over Dr. Atkins' cause, publishing a book last March called "The New Atkins for a New You". This book has already sold more than 300 thousand copies, world wide. This book tells you to gradually add more carbs into your diet until you reach your goal weight. It does a great job as a resource for more menu plans, recipes and tips on behavior changes that assist in the plan. Dr. Atkins' low-carb diet remains controversial, although its popularity is not what it used to be in the 80's and 90's.

"The New Atkins" has a 4 phase diet, similar to the first book, but the difference is, the education about the low-glycemic index research.  Atkins did not talk about "net carbs". Experts from around the world agree that the fiber in our foods is not absorbed and has little effect on our blood sugar. Therefore fiber rich fruits and veggitables do not have the same negative effects as low fiber carbs.  This opens our eyes to a world of Atkins' diet options because you can have more veggies earlier in the "New Atkins Diet". This fact alone makes this new book more applicable for more people.  All studies show that the more options you have in a diet the more likely you are to succeed.

Please submit your experience in the comments below.