Once the induction stage of the diet, which is very restrictive, passes things get rational again. Once you achieve your goal, as has been explained by others you are required to eat fruits and veggies..I know, I know.. it's not for everyone.. :o)
The key claims of the Atkins Diet are:
1.Burns body fat: Actually, any diet that causes you to eat fewer calories than you need to maintain your current weight will do the same thing: burn your body’s fat stores so that you lose weight.
2.This diet is ketogenic: by lowering the carbohydrate in the diet, and using fat and protein as the primary fuel to supply glucose, ketones are formed. The Atkins Diet promotes this as a good thing for the average person. Ketosis can cause dramatic weight loss at first (which seems great) because your kidneys have to get rid of these ketones, and this takes a lot of water to flush this out of your body. So, much of the weight loss initially is water. Ketosis changes your body’s blood chemistry, and can be dangerous for people with diabetes and those who are pregnant.
3.“You won’t feel hungry in between meals” - A diet high in fat and protein takes longer to digest, so you have a greater feeling of fullness. However, you do not need to go to a completely high fat, high protein diet to get a feeling of satisfaction. On a low fat, higher carbohydrate diet, you should spread the fat and protein in your diet throughout the day so that you do not get as hungry between meals. Many people make the mistake of filling up on plain carbohydrate snacks without any added fat or protein. Plain carbohydrates are digested quickly, leaving your stomach with an empty feeling faster. Adding a little low fat protein like turkey, tuna, or low fat cheese to the snack will diminish this problem.
4.“Your overall health will improve and you’ll feel better” - This claim is made because they say the Atkins diet “cleans” out toxins that are stored in the body’s fat cells because fat is being burned for fuel. The other rationale for this claim is a stabilization in blood sugar levels because of the reduction in carbohydrate consumption. This claim is very dramatic, but is applicable to almost any weight loss plan where the outcome is a reduction in body weight. Most people do feel better when they lose weight after being obese. Blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and blood sugar levels typically fall when a healthy body weight is achieved. One does not need to follow a ketogenic, high fat diet to accomplish this.
If you are considering a high fat, high protein diet, find about the effects of these diets from multiple professional sources. You can lose weight on just about any diet that is reduced in calories. The reason I do not advocate The Atkins diet is because it does not promote a healthy, lifelong pattern of eating, and teaches people to choose foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol and calorically dense foods.
It is well established that once a person reaches a healthy body weight, the best way to stay there and not re-gain the weight they fought hard to lose is to follow a lower fat diet that includes healthy portions of nutritious carbohydrates and proteins, and a reasonable amount of “good” fats, not saturated animal fats.
This is the opposite of the Atkins Diet.