I've a bad back, and other problems that limit the amount of exercise I can do. Yet, with a slightly modified Aitkins diet I've lost and kept off about 20 lbs for the last 18 months. This is after about 20 years of being about 20-30 lbs overweight.
I used to need to eat something every two hours, but now can skip lunch without noticing it when work gets busy.
I've gone through a complete physical lately and no flags like a jump in cholesterol were noted.
Now, I also didn't see where there was any line in the Aitkins method that suggested shoving fat down your throat. It did say that when hungry, fat was a 'free' food, not subject to any limits. If someone has reached the point where they can't eat any more, but are still stuffing their mouth, maybe a diet change isn't all that is needed and a shrink should be called.