Originally posted by fudgester:
No way, man. The Atkins diet may promote weight loss in the short-term, but the high-protein, high-fat, high-cholesterol diet may cause greater problems in the future. You are basically depriving your body of energy and forcing it to go into quasi-starvation mode. Also, high levels of protein intake may damage the kidneys in the long term.
I don't need to explain what large amounts of fat and cholesterol can do to your heart.
It works because it forces your body to use proteins and fats to provide energy. Normally, your body will use glucose, which comes from carbohydrates. By using proteins and fats, it promotes weight loss.
The reason why there's so little carbohydrates for Atkins diet is because excess glucose is converted to fats in the body. So by promoting high-protein and high-fat diet, it encourages the body to use proteins and fats as energy and therefore promoting weight loss.