The people who don't have a balanced diet and then have health problems should not be compared with those who participate in the Atkins diet. Or maybe they should, either way they are making a choice that will possibly negatively affect their health.
Vegatarianism is a lifestyle choice, not a fad diet. Although it is more difficult, vegetarians can get all the nutrition they need from their food, it just takes a little more effort.

I have tried the Atkins diet, and got very sick on conditioning runs after 2+ weeks on the diet. In the end, my optimism turned to disgust, and I was left with the glaring truth that nothing works better than properly planned nutrition, motivation, emotional support, and exercise.
I strongly recommend the book The Abs Diet by David Zincenko, for Men's Health Magazine. It's balanced, goes over pros and cons of all the fad diets, has recipes and exercises, and only costs you $24.95 once, as opposed to all those Atkins-labeled products to "help" you in your diet.

In short, try the diet for two weeks, and if you're happy, fine. It's definitely not a healthy lifestyle, and the constipation alone is bad enough to make one reconsider. Then, there's the cost of the diet. If you're exercising, you may not have the energy to get through (or start, for that matter) your workouts. Your breath and urine will smell strongly. You may get headaches, or, as a woman, Urinary Tract/Kidney infections. The medical studies I have read have not shown any increase in kidney problems for an Atkins sample population, but realize that this is a drastic diet, and will have side effects.
I have also heard of people gaining back their weight on Atkins, though there are many who drop a large number of pounds, as well.

Consult a doctor and maybe get some bloodwork/urinalysis done before you try the Atkins approach.

Just be smart, and if it hurts too much, then it's time to re-think your diet strategy.

I hope this helps.

-Hokiesandwich

Atkin's is also a lifestyle. If you don't continue it for the rest of your life, you'll gain all that weight back. You have to do it forever. I imagine that people on the Atkin's diet could also get all their nutrients from food if they wished to make the effort.

And please, please, please do not try it for only two weeks!! That is not enough! However, if you get pain or feel sick, then get off it, it's not for you.
People should always consult their doctors before starting a diet.

My Dad did it and was very successful. He is overall healthier. After the "fat burning" stage is over and you are at your goal you just have to stay with the lifestyle. You just can't bloat yourself with carbs afterwords... it is perfectly fine.

Any diet can produce adverse effects if not done properly.

The "problem" with Atkins is that only a small percentage have read the book completely and comprehend what it says. People that cannot or refuse to read a book (for what ever reason) and understand what it says should not speak of its merits (whether positive or negative).

The best, healthiest, and most natural way to lose fat is still exercise with a diet program. The top trainers in the world (olympic, professioanl sports, etc.) are currently working with the 3 part diet. 33% carbs, 33% fats, and 33% protien. And 100% exercise. Protien makes and maintains muscle. Fat and carbs are energy.

Nope, it doesn't.

Actually I have read that your cholesterol only goes up for a couple days. Then it actually lowers. That is why the diet recommends getting a lipids check before starting the diet.

Remember that the body makes its own cholesterol. Intaking cholesterol in the way of eggs etc. only adds to the count.

The Golden Rule is "Nothing works if you dont adhere to it long enough to see a result".
Concern yourself with just that, not what the other 5 billion are or are not doing.

Lets be blunt;
1. Read the Book
2. Go to a Atkins specific forum site for specific tips
3. Visit your GP for blood chemistry
4. Make a plan & implement it
5. Measure your progress & adjust as needed

If you haven't done 1. then your not ready.

ChasingAmy says;
There are reports surfacing showing that high protein diets ie. Atkins can cause osteoporosis later on in life. Has to do with the process your body use to break down protein.

These are misleading and inflammatory at best. Protein byproducts are acidic and acidic blood has many effects, one being demineralisation of bone. This is invivo(testtube). In the body the process is much more complex and well regulated. You can google and find carbonic acid intake (carbonated drinks) giving an acidosis (claimed) that will achieve the same thing (claimed) in no well proven time-frame.

"The more protein in your diet, the more calcium you lose in your urine. Because your bones are your largest source of stored calcium, there are concerns that the amount of protein eaten by people following the Atkins Diet (or any low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet) will increase the risk of osteoporosis."

If we assume the first is true, then when does the Osteoporosis occur? How much "later" in life? How is this dependant (if at all) on genetic predisposition to osteoporosis?

On a side note my friend who has his Post-Doctorate in Biology was also saying its funny how people consume dairy products to increase their calcium intake... there really is no net calcium in your body after b/c of the protein in the dairy products!

Ask your friend how we end up with bones at all. How often do you consume dairy type calcium without the simultaneous ingestion of protein? The bones of the entire body are on average rebuild completely every 6 months. So we cant assume a perfect recycling or why would we need to ingest calcium at all. So how do we get any calcium out of our colons? How do breast fed babies double their bodyweight and subsequent bone structure in the first 6 months of life on a diet of water and breast milk?

Ask your friend the specific effects of direct stress (i.e. gravity) and hormonal interaction on Ca++ uptake, also how this changes over the lifetime.

Boo says;
Remember that the body makes its own cholesterol. Intaking cholesterol in the way of eggs etc. only adds to the count.

Only adds to the count if you have a predisposition to a genetic irregularity.
1. You make too much cholesterol
2. You excrete cholesterol too slowly
3. A combination of 1 and 2

The intake of saturated fats i.e. solid at room temp, animal fats increases cholesterol levels in the blood. remember there are many componants of TC or Total Cholesterol, not all are bad.

Don’t rely on a scale alone. Use it in conjunction with a soft tape measure, and skin fold calipers.

The A diet is great if ones grotesquely overweight (300-400 lbs). Otherwise, although working (up to a point) for reasons that are widely known, and some that are only recently becoming apparent (elevated levels of cortisol- a major pro-oxidant); it just not necessary- there are other ways.

Keep the body in an anabolic vs. catabolic state.

If you don’t exercise, start. If you already do the goal is hopefully to lower your fat % vs. to “losing weight”. If you manage to lower your weight, but you’re catabolically in a high fat percentage vs. optimal lean mass it could back fire on. (i.e. – someone can be skinny and still be “flabby”.
Both cardio and weight training are optimal. Doing weight training doesn’t mean your going to “get big and muscular” which seems to be a fear of some. That depends on how your weight training program is structured.

Do cardio first thing in the am BEFORE you have breakfast and it will lower the amount of time needed to utilize fat for energy; immediately after weight training when other subtracted have been used for the weights leaving the target fat to boost through the cardio.

The easiest diet to stick to is one where you have the most control in preparing the thing you like. An eating schedule that you can literally do for the rest of your life, and never second guess whether it’s healthy or not.

1. First establish you target caloric intake
2. Split that into 5 meals
3. Get a book that give the substrate breakdown of ever food you can imagine (these are easy to find.
4. With foods YOU like and choose break down each of those 5 meals into a 40/30/30 approach. Protein-COMPLEX (not simple) carbs-FRIENDLY fats. The general three are easy to maintain: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s the other 2 that may present a schedule or convenience problem for some. That’s why a think meal replacement powders are great. They take the guess work out and within seconds you have a balanced meal that gets those 2 out of the way regardless of where you’re at. You will consume one last meal, #6 right before bad, but that will be straight protein. Generally such the calories produced are nominal, and for reason of nitrogen levels in your body make this an important addition.
5. be consistent – it doesn’t matter what diet you do if your deviate after a month, week, every other day- the results will speak for themselves

The point of eating in this direction is it will tap into your body’s strongest anabolic hormone by keeping it regulated- insulin. You will train your body to use fat for energy, while avoiding starving your brain of the nutrients it needs. The only thing you may not like with your metabolism speeding up is having 2 to 4 bowel movements a day.

There’s no controversy behind this approach because it’s extremely healthy, and you’re also assessing your progress with other parameters than just lbs gained or lost. Not to mention it’s extremely effective.

Due to technology getting better in age related hormone level testing: estriol, estradiol, estrone, testosterone, progesterone, DHEA, melatonin, and IGF-1 it will be interesting to see what extended ketosis does on the body. As well as oxidation. It’s my opinion that if someone does choose to do the A diet that they hopefully donate some of there time to enroll in a study to chart the progress and findings. It’s a good thing there are plenty of volunteers that are willing to eat like that so the most accurate effects can be undeniably established for future generations.