Excersise and low carb is best way to go for weight loss and energy. When you excersise and eat a lot of carbs, the body burns the sugar, not the fat. When you maintain a low carb diet, you excersise and you will burn the fat very fast. This is why many people complain that they are not loosing weight when they start a workout program because they are simply eating to many carbs and their body is working overtime to burn all of that sugar. Just because someone is on a low carb diet does not mean that they have to eat the most fatty foods like pork fat, there are lean proteins out there to indulge in. My girlfriend is also on the Atkins diet (way of life) and has been for about 3 years and initally lost 40 lbs. (her goal weight loss ) and has maintained it but she is flabby and a little mushy but very skinny, where as if she excersised she whould very tone. Just depends on your body type and what you want.