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The average bookstore in America has an entire section dedicated to books on diets and losing weight. Many of them are fad diets (not that I'm saying the Atkins Diet is a fad diet). However, most all of them will work if they are adhered to. So that is not the issue. The grapefruit diet will work if followed to the letter and people swear by it even though I do not think that is a very healthy way to eat.

So the question that must be asked is not whether or not the diet works but whether the diet is good for your overall health. It is quite possible to lose weight and yet develop medical problems on account of the way you eat (i.e. malnutrition, heart disease, etc.).

The Atkins diet works for many and good for them if they feel good and are indeed healthy. Personally, I think the diet is too heavy on red meats and other fatty foods and that the diet restricts foods that I believe are good for you (i.e. rice, pasta, corn). The Atkins Diet is also "hostile" towards beer and wine. I say hostile because while the diet in its maintenance phase allows for one glass a day of either, it's author (Atkins) is a teetolaer and recommends that alcoholic beverages not be consumed at all.

I prefer more of a Meditteranean Diet, which is heavy in fish, nuts, pasta, rice, olive oil and yes, beer and wine. My cholesterol is currently at 185 which shocks my doctor because high cholesterol and heart disease runs in my family and I am technically about 50 pounds overweight (if you are to go by those charts). I think it is the fish and olive oil because my father's cholesterol is over 300 and he won't eat fish of any kind or put olive oil in his food. Otherwise, our diets are very similar.

The average bookstore in America has an entire section dedicated to books on diets and losing weight. Many of them are fad diets (not that I'm saying the Atkins Diet is a fad diet). However, most all of them will work if they are adhered to. So that is not the issue.

You are absolutely 100% correct about this. Almost all diets will work in the short term. The only answer for the long term is to find a way of eating that you can live with. If you can't do it forever, then it's not right for you. It's a YMMV thing.

Personally, I think the diet is too heavy on red meats and other fatty foods and that the diet restricts foods that I believe are good for you (i.e. rice, pasta, corn).

There are a lot of low carbers who don't eat red meat (although I do - yum). As for fatty foods - low carb is, by its very nature, a high fat diet (not high protein - that's a myth), so fatty foods are not the problem. Except for transfats, fat is either beneficial or body neutral. Fat in conjunction with carbs is, however, not good for you.

However, for the record, I do want to state that there is no such thing as an essential carb. What does this mean? Well, you need to consume protein to get amino acids, which are essential for life. You need to consume fats for essential fatty acids (which, as their name suggests are also essential for life). However, there is nothing in a carb that is essential. It is possible to survive on a diet that is 100% protein and fat with no carbs at all. I'm not saying it's preferable, but it's possible. It's not possible to exist on a diet that completely lacks either protein or fat.

The Atkins Diet is also "hostile" towards beer and wine. I say hostile because while the diet in its maintenance phase allows for one glass a day of either, it's author (Atkins) is a teetolaer and recommends that alcoholic beverages not be consumed at all.

You're right about that. I've never had a problem with that because I hardly ever drank before I low carbed - just never developed a taste for alcohol. However, low carbing allows for drinking alcohol, as long as it's not a sugary liqueur or sweet wine.

I prefer more of a Meditteranean Diet, which is heavy in fish, nuts, pasta, rice, olive oil and yes, beer and wine.

The only things you eat that I don't are the pasta, rice and liquors. I try to get in at least half my daily fats in monosaturated ones - like olive and nut oils and avocados.

I think the Mediterranean Diet is an excellent one for many people - especially those who don't have underlying blood sugar problems. If, like me, you're a Type II, or someone who is hypoglycemic, insulin resistant, a PCOS sufferer, etc., then cutting back on carbs is a healthier way to eat.

I think it is the fish and olive oil because my father's cholesterol is over 300 and he won't eat fish of any kind or put olive oil in his food.

Could be the carbs he eats, too, although I'm not arguing with you about the fish and monosaturated fats. It's sort of a paradox, but low carbing tends to lower cholesterol in about 99% of people who try it. It takes about 3-6 months for the effects to show up, and in the beginning, you do get an elevation in cholesterol, so it's not wise to test right after starting.

My last cholesterol test was 142, with triglycerides of 46. My LDL was normal, but my HDL was low. The easiest way of increasing HDL is to add more monosaturated fats - so I've started decreasing the butter and adding more olive oil. I don't really like the flavor of very strong olive oil, so I get the lightest I can and mix it with the butter. I'll know in a few months if this has paid off.

Otherwise, our diets are very similar.

Absolutely, and if I weren't a Type II, I'd probably eat more like you do. Or not - low carbing has also cured my binge eating. Apparently, I'm very sensitive to carbs, so I need to stay away from them.

Maven

The Atkins Diet is also "hostile" towards beer and wine. I say hostile because while the diet in its maintenance phase allows for one glass a day of either, it's author (Atkins) is a teetolaer and recommends that alcoholic beverages not be consumed at all.

I heard him interviewed just a few months ago, and the host (maybe LK, can't remember now) asked him about drinking and he said he drank I believe it was vodka or scotch. I just can't remember more of it, but he didn't say at all that he didn't drink.