[yooper]

I never could reconcile myself with a diet devoid of bread, and especially beer!

That said, I personally know people who lost major amounts of weight on the Atkins diet; they swear by it. My own suspicions are that high protein diets may result in weight loss, but are nevertheless unhealthy. What good is it if you lose 45 pounds and gain a 200+ cholesteral level.

My guess is that Atkins may work best and be healthiest when you avoid egg yolks, fatty meats such as beef, and stick to chicken and pork.

[andyk]

What good is it if you lose 45 pounds and gain a 200+ cholesteral level.

Atkins diet followers consistently show lower levels of bad cholesterol. Ingesting cholesterol does not increase blood serum levels of cholesterol.

[beezdotcom]

I never could reconcile myself with a diet devoid of bread, and especially beer!

Roman Meal Carb Aware, and Rolling Rock Green Light. No need to be deprived....

[ez]

What good is it if you lose 45 pounds and gain a 200+ cholesteral level.

I lost 32 lbs last year, and after a carb-filled holiday season, another 22 lbs so far this year. And my cholesterol is perfectly normal as of July 5.

I let myself off the diet every second or third weekend and on vacations and keep my weight fairly stable now. Atkins works but should be practised in moderation like anything else.

[Diego1618]

High cholesteral in itself is not a danger to your health. I'm told that it is the "Ratio" of good to bad cholesteral that is important... and in my case after losing 55 lbs. my cholesteral went up...but the ratio improved tremendously. My Oncologist said "Whatever you're doing seems to be working. Keep it up".

Cancer free now four years and counting!

[SamAdams76]

This whole "cholesterol" thing is a myth when applied to low-carb eating. It's not how much cholesterol you consume but how your body processes cholesterol that matters. A healthy diet of natural foods with regular exercise will keep your cholesterol under control no matter how much cholesterol you take in.

Consider that even in the total lack of cholesterol in your diet, your body will simply manufacture its own cholesterol!

For years, I have had at least two eggs a day, lots of cheese, red meat and nuts. I will even eat a plate of cooked chicken livers! Yet my cholesterol is consistently in the 175 to 185 range. I also walk 5 miles per day.

[SamAdams76]

This whole "cholesterol" thing is a myth when applied to low-carb eating. It's not how much cholesterol you consume but how your body processes cholesterol that matters. A healthy diet of natural foods with regular exercise will keep your cholesterol under control no matter how much cholesterol you take in.

Consider that even in the total lack of cholesterol in your diet, your body will simply manufacture its own cholesterol!

For years, I have had at least two eggs a day, lots of cheese, red meat and nuts. I will even eat a plate of cooked chicken livers! Yet my cholesterol is consistently in the 175 to 185 range. I also walk 5 miles per day.

[ExcelJockey]

Atkin's-type diets will definitely work short-term, especially for your friends if they are beer drinkers as well. In my grandfather's time it was called the drinking man's diet and it would drop the pounds (provided you substituted whiskey for the beer). However, 70 years ago they had the sense to realize what a shock this was to your system and that it was not sustainable long-term. This bankruptcy comes as absolutely no surprise.

[muawiyah]

Add cheese ~ dairy products have an enzyme in them that assists you in lowering your cholesterol ~ so do nuts.

That way you don't have to eat so much meat.

You also have to have "new fat" in your diet in order for the body to produce the enzymes necessary to burn up the "old fat" already in your cells.

It's not the high protein that gives you the weight loss ~ rather, it's the loss of the poisonous starches and sugars.