Since July 2005 I followed the Atkins Eating plan. This entry contains several observations and conclusions about the eating plan. Let me tackle the primary question first. Does Atkins work?

A few personal measurements say yes, yes it does:
1) Total pounds lost: 21
2) Percent of body fat lost: 3 percent
3) Omelets eaten: 109. Or, 436 eggs. Whoa.

Caliper measurements taken at the waist, thigh and upper arm show a clear decrease in body fat. Also, the most insulin resistant area of the body, my waist, shrunk so markedly that every pair of jeans slides off without a belt. In fact, most belts are now too large. That’s a good problem. I hate clothes shopping, though.

Another benefit, meal portions are smaller and less frequent. This underscores a key Atkins tenet. In sufficient quantities fat suppresses food cravings. The more time on the plan, the less time I spend thinking about eating, period. My old nemesis, food coma – the sensation of feeling tired after a meal as glucose levels rise and crashes – has not knocked since the first week.

Yes, let’s talk about the first week. Actually, the first two weeks. The Induction process is a hellish signpost along the weight loss journey. Induction is the reason many abandon the diet before seeing results. Ratcheting down from 300 grams of carbohydrates a day to 20, hurts. In German, it sucks. In English, it sucks, too. Just a few of the side effects: headaches, disorientation, lack of energy, irritability, insomnia and constipation. Those are the pleasant ones. It can get uglier, but that was the worst of what I experienced.

Because the process is so difficult, so painful, I do not recommend Atkins for the casual dieter. Instead, consult a doctor and nutritionist for a workout/meal plan. Atkins is a brute force solution, one that works, but at a price. The discomfort of severe carbohydrate reduction rivals nicotine withdrawal. Trust me, I’ve walked both roads. If one does not anticipate serious pain the first four to five days, and deal with the symptoms, the risk of failure is enormous. Which is a shame, because the greatest fat loss occurs after Induction.

And that’s about my last word on the Atkins Diet Revolution.

Today marks day 8 of Atkins for Life. In past week, I’ve learned a lot about the meal plan, and the induction process. Five pounds of weight lost so far. Quite possibly this is entirely water. I’ll know for certain in another week.

All workouts went as scheduled, with no noted loss of strength, endurance or muscle mass. Motivation and energy levels are fairly consistent.

My purpose to determine does the eating plan actually burn fat or not? Body fat measurements taken with calipers on three areas of the body – the thighs, waist and chest, will prove this.

I’m following the diet to the letter, recording all carbs I ingest, and never consuming more than twenty grams total from the approved list per day. The water intake is met or exceeded.

There’s a few misconceptions about Atkins that can only be addressed by reading the book from cover to cover. Certainly, I had more than a few.

Here’s the biggies:
1)You can eat as much cheese, butter, heavy cream and sour cream as you want.
FALSE. During the two week induction process, three to four ounces of cheese, totaling four grams of carbs are allowed each day. One to two tablespoons of sour cream are acceptable ( at the cost of one gram per tablespoon ). Heavy cream counts as one gram for every two tablespoons.
2)Eat as many fatty meats as you like. Bring on the lamb, baby!
FALSE: The plan calls for liberal amounts of all kinds of meats, however at a certain point proteins are metabolized as glucose, rather than protein. Obviously this works against the diet. The exact level varies but a rough guide is about forty five grams per three hours. It’s a lot, and most meals aren’t nearly that protein rich, but there is a limit.
3) People do Atkins for two weeks lose some week quick, quit and wind up fatter than before.
TRUE: People fail because they quit the diet or cheat. Once off the diet, it’s likely that they will gain some weight, and weigh even more. This fact is not hidden in the book or on the website.
4) Atkins is not maintainable because eventually everyone craves carbs.
UNKNOWN: There are four stages to Atkins, and I’ve only done the first half of one, so I won’t speculate as to why people stray. However, according to the book it should take about three to four months to reach Maintenance. As you cycle through the process, more carbs are allowed. The exact level varies per person, and everyone is different. A healthy adult in maintenance might be able to consume as many as ninety grams of carbohydrates per day. That’s about one third of the average American, and it’s certainly not no carbs.
5) Carbohydrates are critical to health, denying them is crazy. Atkins is no carb, therefore it is asinine.
FALSE: Nowhere does the plan say not to eat carbs. It is an eating plan that discourages enriched carbs, like bread and pasta, as well as refined sugars like corn syrup or sugar. The plan does call for plenty of nutrient rich vegetables which contain carbs. Right now I’m eating three cups more of veggies per day than before Atkins.

Two-thirds of today was a mash of blurred vision, headaches and cramps. Less of a day, and more like a twelve hour nightmare. Then at at five PM, a switch clicked and the fatigue disappeared. I went from surly Atkins acolyte to happy camper. The shift, profound and noticeable, came with lots of energy. Like whole lots. A workout schedule for Thursday was bumped up to tonight, because any more inactivity became unthinkable.

This may mean I crossed into ketosis, a state where the body can burn it’s own fat stores for energy. Then again, maybe this is but sweet delirium. Strength in some weight lifting movements has improved over last week. A encouraging sign.

I’m roughly the same weight as three days ago, which is excellent. My experiment in Atkins is to test the claims of fat reduction, not weight loss.

Also, since the shift, writing is possible. Overall concentration levels decreased for a day or so. Now it’s back to the jungle!

It’s 1998 and I’m on Atkins. Wait, that’s a half-truth. It’s 2005 and I’m on Atkins. The eating plan was hip seven years back. Since then, everyone and my aunt tried and failed on this diet, I know. These days Atkins is not only out, it’s off most restaurant menus and grocery shelves. Who suffers low carb purgatory when Baja Fresh and Panera Bread offer takeout service in hundreds of convenient locations? Who, indeed.

Some twisted person who enjoys headaches, leg cramps and constipation, I guess.

So, bring on the heavy cream, sour cream, olive oil and cheeses. Lay that fat slab of pork roast on my plate. Gimme some Gouda and a burger, and hold the bun.

Follow the mystery of whether man can thrive on three cups of veggies, two hundred grams of protein, and a big old helping of natural fats per day, unravels.

By the way, this is day two. Last night I dreamed of pizza with pepperoni. In the morning, the Wife had no buttons on her pajamas.