A new meta-analysis (combining and analyzing the results of different studies) released in the June issue of the British Journal of Nutrition shows that a low-carb diet like Atkins is more effective for long-term weight loss (after the one- and two-year mark) than a conventional low-fat diet. In addition, it showed that a low-carb diet is beneficial and safe for people who are highly insulin resistant and have a higher intolerance to carbs. This is great news, because these are the people who need to keep carb consumption low for the long term to control the insulin resistance and carb intolerance.... Read more

Suddenly the days are warmer, and whatever extra pounds you have accumulated over the winter months can no longer be hidden under sweaters and jeans. It is also likely that with the warmer weather, your appetite has also changed. You may want to eat less, and you may be craving different foods. But now is not the time to sabotage your weight loss efforts just because a day at the beach or pool (and the swimsuit that comes with that) is in your near future.... Read more

If you’re reading this, it’s quite likely you have lost weight on all sorts of diets. Only to regain those stubborn pounds as soon as you resume your previous eating habits. What will make Atkins the diet that allows you to actually lose the weight, and keep it off… for good? It’s simple. Stop thinking of Atkins as a “diet” and start thinking of it as a new way of eating.... Read more

When you think of dieting, what words come to mind? “Hunger” and “deprivation”? Maybe even “frustration”? In the past, did your experience with dieting include eliminating foods; drastically cutting calories and choking down the same bland meals; day in and day out? The good news? You probably lost some weight. The bad news? As soon as your willpower waned as you tried to stick to an unrealistic diet, the pounds came creeping back.... Read more

The wonderful thing about Atkins is that you have options; the program is truly customized to you and what works best for your body. One example of doing Atkins your way is the decision of losing most of your weight in Induction or losing most of your weight in OWL. Read on and let me know what works (or worked) best for you.... Read more

Last year I wrote about a large clinical study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that showed that dieters who had successfully lost weight and were trying to maintain their weight loss burned significantly more calories eating a low-carb diet modeled after Atkins than they did eating a low-fat diet. In fact, participants following the Atkins-style diet burned 300 more calories a day (that’s equivalent to an hour of exercise!) than they did on a low-fat diet. In addition, participants following the Atkins-style diet experienced a variety of health benefits, including increased HDL (“good” cholesterol), lowered triglycerides, reduced inflammation from baseline and improved insulin sensitivity.... Read more

Here’s a scenario: You have been doing Atkins for a while, you’ve lost weight, and you are feeling great. As you progress through the different Phases, you start to incorporate different types of carbs in your meal plan, while still losing or maintaining your weight. Then, maybe you become a little overly confident. You figure you can handle some bread here and there, maybe some potatoes or cookies or alcohol (or whatever carbs are not necessarily on the list for your Phase). And for a while this strategy may work, and you continue to lose weight. Until it doesn’t. Suddenly your cravings become uncontrollable; maybe they are even waking you up at night. And the only way to calm the cravings is to feed the monster, i.e. eat those carbs. And soon your weight loss stalls. Does this sound familiar?... Read more

No one ever said that the typical American diet was perfect—the fact that obesity rates continue to climb and obesity-related diseases are becoming more prevalent is a true testament to the pitfalls of many of the foods we eat every day. In fact, sugar may be the true killer. A study published in the February 27th issue of the journal PLoS One links increased sugar consumption with increased rates of diabetes. Researchers examined the data on sugar availability and the rate of diabetes in 175 countries over the past decade and found that increased sugar in a population’s food supply was linked to higher diabetes rates independent of rates of obesity. The simple conclusion we can draw from this is that it’s not just obesity that causes diabetes; sugar does.... Read more

A new study shows that about 30 percent of heart attacks, strokes and deaths from heart disease can be prevented in people at high risk if they switch to a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil, nuts, beans, fish, fruits and vegetables—even wine at meals. In this study, just published on The New England Journal of Medicine, scientists in Spain randomly assigned 7,447 people to follow the Mediterranean or low-fat diet. In order to participate in the study, individuals had to have either type 2 diabetes, or have three of the following risk factors: be overweight/obese, smoke, has hypertension, abnormal cholesterol readings, or a family history of premature coronary heart disease.... Read more

Most people find it easy to eat Atkins-style at lunch and dinner. Breakfast is easy, too, if you get “egg-cited” about the myriad of ways in which eggs can be prepared. (For more on the incredible, edible egg, see my last blog.) But if eggs aren’t your thing, don’t worry. There are plenty of other delicious and satisfying breakfast options. You’ll just need to think outside the box (and not just the cereal box!) a bit.... Read more

Eggs—omelets, quiches, scrambles, frittatas and more—are a delicious and satisfying part of Atkins for many of you. And I’m sure you’ve read that the poor egg has been accused of raising cholesterol levels and increasing health risks. Not true. In reality, eggs are one of the most nutrient-dense foods you can consume. One large egg provides 6 grams of high-quality, easily digested protein and all the essential amino acids.... Read more

The Induction Phase is your first introduction to Atkins. This is the time when you have the chance to jumpstart your weight loss, and it allows your body to become accustomed to burning fat for fuel instead of carbs. If you succeed in Induction, the next Phases of Atkins should become progressively easier. Here are 10 suggestions for making Induction a success, and setting the stage for continued weight loss in the next three Phases of Atkins.... Read more

The biggest game of the year is right around the corner. Although there are plenty of tempting game-day dishes that have the potential to send your daily net carb intake into overtime, there are many delicious low-carb options that everyone will enjoy (even your friends and family who aren’t doing Atkins).... Read more

To err is human. Even once you reach your goal weight, we know—and you know—that occasionally you’ll slip up. The following three situations should help you learn how to handle indiscretions, whether small or large.... Read more

There was a lot of internet chatter last week about a new report on nearly three million people published in The Journal of the American Medical Association that found those whose B.M.I ranked them as slightly overweight had less of a risk of dying than people of normal weight. Well then… break out the wheat thins, I don’t have to be thin after all. Right? Not exactly.... Read more

If you’re like most of us, you optimistically welcome the New Year with an ambitious set of goals. But within a few short weeks, those resolutions all too often fall by the wayside and it’s back to business as usual. Worse, you may feel disappointed or even guilty. When those New Year’s resolutions include slimming down and getting fit, your health and quality of life are also at risk. Yes, life intervenes and you may find yourself coming up short on more than one occasion, but that’s no reason to call it quits. Here are my eight tips for creating results as well as resolutions in 2013.... Read more

It’s quite likely that over the years, you’ve tried any number of diets before discovering Atkins. Back in the day, low fat was what everyone thought was the way to go. Remember all those low-fat and fat-free products you thought you could eat because the popular belief was that fat made us fat? And what did you discover during this diet phase? Low-fat and fat-free contribute to weight gain just as easily.... Read more

I love it when I can be one of the first share the positive results of brand-new research on low-carb diets. In a study presented today at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine show that when overweight or obese people lose weight, whether through a low-carb or low-fat diet, they reduce inflammation throughout the body. Inflammation occurs naturally when our body’s immune system fights off an irritant or infection or responds to an injury, but being overweight or obese also increases the risk of inflammation throughout the body. This type of inflammation is known as systemic inflammation and may increase the chance of a heart attack or stroke.... Read more

A recent study funded by the National Institute on Aging from the Mayo Clinic and published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease has found that people 70 and older who eat food high in carbohydrates have nearly four times the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, and the danger also rises with a diet heavy in sugar. The study found that people who consume more protein and fat relative to carbohydrates are less likely to become cognitively impaired.... Read more

The stop-start waiting game of weight loss is a very popular topic, because, honestly, if you haven’t experienced a delay or detour at some point in your journey, it’s only a matter of time before you do. Which is why rather than using it as an excuse to give up, you should just view it as a normal part of that weight loss waiting game. Once you understand what’s reasonable as well as that your body doesn’t work like clockwork (meaning one week may differ from the next), you can stop beating yourself up for not losing the 2.5 pounds (or whatever) that you think you should be losing each week. How one person’s body reacts to Atkins is entirely different than how someone else’s will, and there are a variety of factors that can be attributed to this.... Read more

Is an expanding waistline an unavoidable part of growing older, along with those smile lines and crow’s feet? Not necessarily. Research and experts in the field concur that gaining weight need not be an inevitable side effect of aging. Here is what you need to know: Gaining weight as we age is all about muscle mass.... Read more

Have you ever struggled through the ups and downs of a low-fat diet without losing weight, and/or even gaining weight in the long run because it was not a diet that worked with your body?... Read more

It’s that time of the year again. Children are starting to go back to school, many summer vacations are drawing to an end, and our thoughts turn to school supplies and schedules. This is the perfect opportunity to streamline your low-carb food prep routine and weekly meal planning. Here are some tips:... Read more

Atkins has evolved over the years in response to the latest nutritional research. For example, we now encourage consuming considerably more low glycemic vegetables—we call them foundation vegetables—from the get-go. In fact, no less than 12 to 15 grams of the 20 grams of Net Carbs you’ll be eating should be in the form of these veggies. Eating vegetables not only provides you with all important vitamins and minerals, their fiber content also helps avoid constipation and lower cholesterol.... Read more

It seems like all I’ve been writing about lately is breaking news on newly released scientific studies, and right when I decided it was time to focus on something else, here comes another study that I must share with you.... Read more

Déjà vu all over again. Have you ever noticed that if negative news comes out that has anything to do with “lower-carb” or “higher-protein” diets, the media automatically assumes it has everything to do with Atkins, when in many (and very often most) cases, they are dead wrong. Well, it’s happened again.... Read more

One of the most disturbing trends in an age of growing waistlines is the increasing onset of diabetes in the U.S. According to the American Diabetes Association, there are over 25.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 8.3% of the population, who have diabetes. The Center for Disease Control has reported that an estimated 79 million Americans were pre-diabetic in the year 2011. As a result, the need to control this epidemic grows more urgent with each day.... Read more

Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. today announced that a recently released epidemiology study published in Nutrition Journal has come to the mistaken conclusion that a low-carbohydrate diet, like the Atkins Diet™, is to blame for rising cholesterol levels between 1986 and 2010 in a Swedish population. However, based on the study abstract, this population actually consumed a high-fat, high-carbohydrate diet, which is very different from the Atkins Diet... Read more

It’s always encouraging when new scientific evidence comes out that continues to support the fact that low-carb diets like Atkins are safe and effective. We already know it to be true, but when the conversation takes place in the scientific community, I feel like progress is being made. I also know this kind of published peer review process will make it easier for those who have doctors that still live in the stone age.... Read more

There has been a flurry of activity lately on the Forums concerning whether to count net carbs or total carbs. Every practitioner will have their own take on things and it will vary depending on the situation.... Read more

As you probably know, the main premise of Atkins is lowering your net carb intake enough to unlock the gate that keeps you from primarily burning fat for energy. The initial amount that works for just about everyone is 20 grams of net carbs a day. So for at least the first two weeks, your objective is to stay at or very close to that number.... Read more

Last night CBS show “60 Minutes”, did an good job at starting the national conversation asking the question, "Is Sugar toxic”. Sanjay Gupta reported on research showing that beyond weight gain, sugar can take a serious toll on your health, worsening conditions ranging from heart disease to cancer.... Read more

In the news last week we heard about the Harvard School of Medicine epidemiology study in which the scientists reported that daily consumption of red meat—particularly the kind you might like to grill—may significantly increase your risk of premature death.... Read more

A brand new study from Johns Hopkins University just presented yesterday at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2012 conference in San Diego found that dieters who followed a low-carb diet like Atkins shed more weight than those on a low-fat diet... Read more

An estimated 10 million Americans are following some variation of a low-carb program, so it only makes sense that some of your nearest and dearest friends -- not to mention a family member or two -- are among these weight-loss winners.... Read more

One of the biggest misconceptions among low-carbers is the following notion: I can eat whatever I want as long as it's low carb.... Read more

You may have seen news about this on our Forums and Facebook page, but a new study in the journal of Obesity shows that people who have certain forms of the CD36 gene may like high-fat foods more than those with other forms of this gene.... Read more

Do you think sugar is as dangerous as alcohol and tobacco? According to a just-released report in the research journal Nature, added sugars in processed foods and drinks are responsible for so many cases of chronic disease and premature deaths that they recommend their use should be regulated, just like alcohol and tobacco. This finding matches what Atkins has proclaimed for 30 years.... Read more

There are so many positive aspects to losing weight. Not only does dropping the pounds help improve your health, it gives you more energy and helps your clothes fit better. But it also brings up some deeper body image issues. It means accepting your new body, especially if you were used to hiding behind the relative comfort of layers of clothing and fat.... Read more

If you spend any time on the web right now, you’ll see all sorts of stories devoted to New Year’s weight-loss resolutions. Why not us, why not now? Plus, this gives me an opportunity to shamelessly promote the new cook book.... Read more

Congratulations! You’ve survived Thanksgiving, hopefully with your waistline relatively unscathed. Now the next challenge awaits you as we head into the next couple weeks devoted to parties and food, food, food. How can you avoid being labeled a party-pooper while staying true to Atkins?... Read more

In his new book Wheat Belly, cardiologist William Davis, MD, explains that eating wheat can not only provoke a fat-storing insulin response, but it also stimulates your appetite to eat more. His theory is that when traditional wheat was genetically altered in the last century, the genetic changes may be responsible for the rise in celiac disease and gluten sensitivity.... Read more

In a report issued Monday, November 3, the International Diabetes Federation predicts that one in 10 adults could have diabetes by 2030. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are about 346 million people worldwide with diabetes and it projects that diabetes death will double by 2030.... Read more

I wrote a blog about this in June. But once again, the U.S. News and World Report has updated its rankings of the “best” diets to include a new category of nutrition and safety. The DASH diet came out on top (again) while Atkins weighed in at #20.... Read more

After my most recent blog, I had some requests to address the connection between low-carb diets and their effect on dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.... Read more

A recent study published in Archives of Internal Medicine is causing a bit of controversy. The researchers reported a link between the use of vitamins (including multivitamins, folic acid, vitamin B6, magnesium, zinc, copper and iron) and an increased mortality risk in older women.... Read more

I recently returned from a whirlwind week of travel and noticed my pants were a bit tighter than usual, which I attributed to some missed workouts, a few too many extra carbs and dinners out.... Read more

The fact that the nation is awash in an epidemic of obesity and related chronic diseases after so much “progress” has been made in the area of nutritional science must rank as one of the great ironiesof our time. The debate over what constitutes an ideal diet appears to be never-ending.... Read more

Did you know that Atkins could do a lot more than just help you lose weight? It can also help you prevent or manage Type 2 diabetes. I’ve seen a lot of people talk about this on the community forums, so I thought it may be time to talk about the science behind it as well.... Read more

If you've been losing weight and feeling tons better thanks to the Atkins Nutritional Approach™, you know burgers with the bun, fries, pizzas and tacos are off limits. In fact, these fast food staples may well be the reason you've gained pounds and lost energy in the past.... Read more

Let’s focus on some the basics this weekend. After all, if you get off on the wrong foot, you may fall by the wayside before experiencing all the wonderful things Atkins can do for you. Here’s how to do Atkins right, and avoid making some all-too-common errors:... Read more

Last week we talked about when to incorporate exercise into your lifestyle, and the various health benefits of exercise, including helping you to maintain the weight you have already lost on Atkins. Once you’ve made it through the initial couple weeks of Atkins... Read more

Last week we talked about when to incorporate exercise into your lifestyle, and the various health benefits of exercise, including helping you to maintain the weight you have already lost on Atkins. Once you’ve made it through the initial couple weeks of Atkins, and your body has adapted to burning fat for fuel instead of carbs, you may be ready to experience all these wonderful health benefits that exercise affords.... Read more

As you continue your journey with Atkins and the pounds start coming off, you may feel like you have more energy. This is the perfect time to add some more activity to your routine. If you’re new to exercise, start slowly. It can be as simple as taking the stairs instead of an elevator, or going for a walk with your kids in the evening.... Read more

If you’ve spent any time on the Community forums, you’ll see that there are a lot of discussions about helping newcomers make sure they are eating enough when just starting Atkins. But what about the individual who finds themselves eating too much. There is also a common misperception that as long as the food you’re eating is considered low-carb; that you can eat as much as you want.... Read more

This is a topic I’ve discussed before, but it’s an important one for many. Typically, it’s recommended you do Induction for two weeks before re-evaluating your progress. The main reason for staying in Induction past two weeks is if you still have a significant amount of weight to lose, as you’ll lose weight a bit more quickly and consistently than in later phases.... Read more

The workplace is a dangerous zone—carb-wise, and I’ve noticed a number of you discussing this on the Forums. How do you overcome the lure of doughnuts at coffee breaks, fast food lunches and tempting treats in vending machines? Answer: It’s easy—but it will take a little ingenuity and some advance planning.... Read more

As you begin your odyssey through the phases of Atkins, your body will need to make a number of adjustments as it focuses its priorities on burning fat. Most of these changes are completed within the first few weeks, after which you should have smooth sailing with few if any ongoing side effects.... Read more

Has this happened to you? You’re steadily losing weight on Atkins, and suddenly the scale refuses to budge or even gives you back a pound or two. This is not unusual, and there is no reason to panic. Here are five possible reasons why:... Read more

With the help of a panel of health experts, U.S. News & World Report evaluated and ranked some of the best diets out there.... Read more

Overweight and obese people looking to drop some pounds and considering one of the popular low-carbohydrate diets, along with moderate exercise, need not worry that the higher proportion of fat in such a program compared to a low-fat, high-carb diet may harm their arteries, suggests a pair of new studies by heart and vascular researchers at Johns Hopkins.... Read more

As long as you are controlling your carbs, the calories from fat are used directly for energy and are unlikely to be stored. Foods such as nuts, avocados, whipped cream, olives, pesto, butter and even chicken salad made with mayo help keep you full for longer so that you can keep your appetite under control.... Read more

For decades, the Atkins Diet has advised followers to eliminate added sugar from their meals and snacks. As you probably know, unlike natural sugar, which is integral to a food such as fruit, added sugar—the name says it all—is used to boost flavor and sweetness. Added sugars include table sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, honey and numerous…... Read more

In my many years of clinical practice as a nutritionist and certainly in my role at Atkins, I’ve found that most people naturally fall into one of two categories food-wise: those who’ve discovered which foods they prefer and eat them regularly and those who thrive on variety and are always looking for ways to shake things up. Identifying which of t…... Read more

Wow! I seem to have really hit a nerve—or several nerves—in my last blog on plateaus. So the first thing I want to say (again) is that each and every one of us has a unique metabolism, which plays a large role in one’s response to any weight-loss program. Your activity level, gender, hormonal status, previous experiences with losing and sub…... Read more

The response to last week’s blog was fabulous, but it also made me realize that there is still a lot of confusion out there about Atkins, and particularly Phase 1. So I’ve decided to focus some basics this week. After all, if you get off on the wrong foot, you may fall by the wayside before experiencing all the wonderful things Atkins can d…... Read more

Go Slow in ONGOING Weight Loss A couple of weeks ago, I discussed why it’s important not to get stuck in Phase 1, Induction. I’d like to return to that topic with advice about how to smooth the move from the initial phase of Atkins to the next. There’s no question that Induction takes weight off quickly, but even if you stayed in Induction…... Read more

There are some things we just can’t seem to get enough of. No, I’m not talking about chocolate chip cookies or salted peanuts! Whether you’ve been on Atkins for a while and experienced a weight-loss plateau first hand or you’re a “newbie” who has been warned about this frustrating experience, Atkins Community members are perennially fascina…... Read more

Many words have more than one meaning. You lean down to pick up a child, but you may or may not be lean. You may prefer to ride in the bow of a boat, you used to tie a bow in your daughter’s hair and you’re quite accurate with a bow and arrow. Words with the same spellings but different meanings are called homonyms. The word diet is not strictly sp…... Read more

Watch out for this common trap: You persuade yourself that because you're following a low-carb eating plan, Thanksgiving will be easy as pie. Heck, you tell yourself, it's all about the turkey, right? Wrong! There's the stuffing... and the cranberry sauce... and the ooey-gooey marshmallows on the candied sweet potatoes... and before you know it, yo…... Read more

We talked about the idea of trading your fat for muscle; of actually shifting the tissues around. To achieve this, two core tenets are employed; low carbohydrate eating to stimulate fat burning and resistance training to stimulate muscle growth. In brief, low carbohydrate diets consistently result in greater fat loss than any other diet program, and that resistance exercise results in greater muscle growth than any other exercise program... Read more