Why must people who disagree with this diet issue falsehoods, demonstrate ignorance or engage in gross exaggerations or lies about it? Sheesh, it like discussing religion or something. Most who want to trash the diet always do so on what they think it entails rather than what it actually does. Those who support it invariably are the ones who have used it successfully. While many legitemately may have had problems on the diet, most who say they did poorly on it continue with statements that prove to me that they have no idea what doing the diet correctly actually involves. Take your statement italicized above for instance. I did great on a very low carb diet and guess what? I ate lots of fish, veggies, oil and garlic, all foods that you are encouraged to eat under Atkins, contrary to your statement. I skipped the rice, pasta and booze b/c these things make me feel like crap. They don't make others feel like crap necessarily, but they do me.
Perhaps you did poorly on the diet because you don't even know what it entails, as your post clearly demonstrates. Some of your incorrect information leads me to wonder how many other elements you got wrong. Giving it a chance to make you feel better, not staying on the induction phase forever, etc.
I'm glad you have found something that works for you. That is what it is all about. People need to understand that we all have different engines and require different fuel to feel and run our best. When discussing diets, the first rule is to ignore any generalization that you see, as well as all the statements that begin with the words "I heard that..." With respect to nutritional issues more than anything else, heresay is always highly suspect. I don't know why these become such emotional issues - perhaps because food and our food choices are such an intimate thing.
The Atkins Diet is a fad diet. All fad diets will cause people to lose weight and those people will then swear by it even if the long-term effects of that diet are unhealthy.