My roommate asked me last night if I was sure that being on Atkins is healthy, and that she was worried about consuming so much fat and protein. When she tells her coworkers which diet she's on, they say "ohhh no....Atkins is extremely unhealthy!!!" It's starting to deter her from wanting to continue to do the diet. Can anyone tell me exactly why consuming liberal amounts of fat is so important to Atkins induction?

Fat doesn't make you fat! It's a huge misconception people have.

And healthy fats are great for you, like the fats you find in fish, omega 3, etc.

It's not as if she's just eating straight trans fats, which are the unhealthy ones.

Protein is great for you too, it helps repair muscles after a good work out

A lot of people have this 'Atkins is unhealthy' stigma that they can't get passed. When I first heard about it I was the same, and I scoffed at the idea of counting carbs. When I got into weight lifting I realized I had to cut my carbs down a ton and couldn't get control of it.

Atkins has helped me learn how to count carbs. After doing a lot of reading, it makes sense. I even explained how it works to my fiance and he said 'That sounds like a really smart way to lose weight'

The sucky thing about Atkins is because so many people have that stigma about it, it get's a bad rap. Maybe she could just say 'A lot of people have the misconception that fat makes you fat, which is completely wrong. They also don't understand Atkins from what they've heard from others. I suggest you do some reading on it.' And then leave it at that.

It's just something we have to deal with. There's always different people mocking different diets. I mock VLC diets myself, because I think 500 calories a day is ridiculous, same with a certian diet we can't discuss that involves injections. I have a friend on it, it works for her, but I don't think it's safe personally. I don't say anything negative to her though because I am polite unlike your friends co workers hehe

When she told me what her coworker said, I just rolled my eyes and sighed. Then she said this coworker said, "that's why Dr. Atkins died from his own diet!" At that point, I went off. I told my roommate to go back and tell that chick to get her facts straight before running off at the mouth! It's amazing how people criticize these diets, and they are unhealthy and obese and not wanting to do anything about it.

Agree with Steph!

Fat doesn't make you fat - too many calories makes you fat!

Fat and protein help you feel FULL thus consume less calories.

Plus all the other "diet food" with simple carbs and sugar is actually really hard on your body. We were not designed for that kind of diet. Each meal like that (juice shack smoothie, "diet" bar with rice and sugar, etc) is SO hard for your body to process. it is like a sugar/carb bomb. Your body then produces insulin through your liver to try to deal with it, but then your body processes it but you are still producing way too much insulin, then your blood sugar drops, then you feel hungry again and it is a never ending cycle.

your body can only produce so much insulin in your life time before it peters out and you cannot deal with sugar as well as you used to (hello type 2 diabetes!!). It is bad bad bad!


Also most people think Atkins = meat cheese and eggs. Which if that was all you ate, yes that would be unhealthy.

You are supposed to get 10-15 of your daily carbs (on induction) from veggies! If you are doing this, your diet is much more varied than the average amernican's. Yes, there is full fat and full protein - but it is much closer to the natural source that your body recognizes and can deal with! and so much better than a bunch of transfats in a "diet" cookie or whatever the current craze is.

Plus induction is not forever. Once you are close to your goal, you add whole grains and fruit. Then what are you eating? the IDEAL diet. Mainly veggies, with healthy fats and protein, and a small amount of whole grains and fruit. Perfect!

this is one of the reasons we need the book handy and to read and re-read. We need to understand that when we cut carbs, the calories have to be replaced, and fat is the answer. It helps us burn fat, makes us feel full and satisfied and makes the food taste good. Low carb and low fat IS dangerous.