In article . com>,
"mdginzo" > wrote:

> >Does it occur to you that some of us actually have *improved* our health
> >eating this way? That some of us really *did* feel like crap eating a
> >carb-heavy diet? I haven't eaten this way for 11 years because it's
> >making me ill, you know. Or do you really believe that I'm totally
> >insincere about this, or actually seriously ill, and in denial?
>
> Oh sure, many have lost weight and many feel better and are healthier.
> That is true of any fad diet. I am just here to do what you won't
> dare to do and that is point out the dangers of this diet. You got a
> problem with that?

I'll chime in and say I don't have a problem with it. There are dangers
in nearly every diet, and the main one in the Atkins diet, as with most
others is: Doing It Wrong.

Doing It Wrong in the Atkins diet can include: eating no vegetables,
eating no carbs, staying at Induction carb levels for too long a time,
trying to do low-fat at the same time, and not exercising.

If the diet is followed correctly, it is NOT high protein. Here's an
example, imagining a typical American overweight person and what may be
a typical meal:

Pre-Atkins lunch: Burger, fries, and a soda.

Atkins lunch: Burger (no bun) a side salad, water.

Well, you're already eliminating some unnecessary calories in the bun,
fries, and soda, and adding vegetables with the salad. Add to that the
interesting phenomenon that many people feel even LESS hungry when they
don't eat the carby foods, so they may not even finish the whole burger,
whereas pre-Atkins they'd still be hungry even after the full meal!

Does it work this way with everyone? Of course not. Some people don't
get that "Chinese food affect" (you know, you eat Chinese food and
you're hungry an hour later) from carbs, so limiting carbs doesn't help
lessen their appetite. But for those of us who do get more hungry when
we eat carby foods, Atkins can mean we end up eating less of
_everything_, not just carbs. So while the percentage of meat in the
diet may be greater, the overall quantity can be even less than before
going on low-carb. The only thing I eat more of now than before
starting low-carb is vegetables.