Just stopped by to check on activity here...no posts for a couple of years! Has everyone abandoned the Atkins approach? Looks like it...and too bad.

I'll just say Atkins was my first low carb diet ever, back in 2003. I had his first three books, and always liked the 2nd one the best although the very first one from 1972 was also interesting and had different information in it. They're both worth reading.

I've experimented with a lot of the various LC, semi LC and keto diets out there over the last 21 years, and I will say with certainty that I always have the best success and fastest weight loss with the older Atkins Induction approach. It provides steady weight loss as long as you are consistent and don't cheat. Induction is theoretically only a 2 week period as Atkins initially described it, but I stay on it indefinitely until I mostly reach my goal weight. I love this induction style eating because I'm never hungry, I never have cravings, I eat less food naturally, and weight loss is slow but steadily downwards. Atkins used to call this the "Atkins advantage" and that is very true. It's so much easier to stick to an eating plan if you have very limited hunger and no cravings. This is an easy diet to do as long as your head is in the right place and you are willing to eat a simple, basic diet of fairly limited foods. It's also very easy to go shopping on Atkins....you have it in your head what to buy and what not to buy!

Atkins no longer seems to be the "hot" approach it used to be, but I still recommend it if you have difficulty losing weight. I've learned a lot about how these various diets work with MY particular body, and there's a reason I always go back to Atkins when I'm frustrated with other approaches. Also, the diet community doctors and press were very critical of Atkins and his approach during his heyday of dieter enthusiasm and popularity. In recent years, the good doctor has been completely vindicated and his ideas are now accepted and commonplace. I wish he were still around to enjoy this.