Is Atkins Just Misunderstood?

If this heart attack waiting to happen is your idea of a perfect Atkins Diet meal, you are not only very confused but should steer clear of this popular diet. As part of my IIN studies, I recently listened to a lecture by a VP at Atkins Nutritionals, and was surprised to discover that in the mind of the people who work for the company, the Atkins diet is nothing like the bacon, egg and cheese fest we all imagine it to be. While many people in my program remain very skeptical of this diet and any potential benefits, I believe that done correctly and for a short period of time, it could be beneficial to someone who really needs to lose weight.
The key benefit of a low carbohydrate diet in layman's terms is that when you eat tons of high-carb, high-sugar foods, your body is so busy trying to burn off the excess energy created by the rise in glucose in your blood (which triggers your body to release insulin) that it has no time to do its real job, which is burn fat. When you eat lots of bread and cookies and boxed cereals, your body is like an office employee that is so buried in meaningless paperwork that she can't actually do her real job. In addition, any energy produced by the rise in your blood sugar that cannot be used by the cells quickly will be stored as fat.  So unless you are training with Lance, you cannot have a lot of bread and pasta in your diet without putting on excess weight.  I don't have the time or space to delve into too much detail, but here are a few important points from The Heimowitz lecture (more info on the Atkins website):
1) Atkins, especially the strict "induction" phase, is not for athletes or people who only need to lose a few pounds.  The diet is intended for people who have developed insulin resistance from overeating sugar and carbs, not housewives or gym rats who want to lose 5 lbs!
2) The diet has four phases and you add more carbs (starting with the healthiest) in each one.
3) The ideal Atkins meal would be something like 4-8 ounces of grass-fed beef or wild salmon and a few cups of greens sauteed in olive oil or butter along with a green salad topped with raw veggies, a little cheese, avocado and olives (or my personal "breakfast of champions" from the last post) NOT a fatty 16 oz steak covered in butter and smothered with cheese with nothing green in sight.

As a health coach would I encourage someone to go on Atkins?  Probably not, although I think a modified version that discouraged some of the unhealthier fats but allowed starchier vegetables, fruit, beans and unprocessed grains in very small portions then increased these slowly could be very beneficial for breaking the carb/sugar craving cycle and losing weight. There is no doubt that a diet high in healthy carbs - vegetables, fruit and legumes - and low in refined carbs, along with moderate intake of protein (preferably lean and wild or "pastured") and healthy fat (think olive oil, nuts and seeds) is a very healthy diet. This is the way I strive to eat all the time but sometimes life gets in the way (especially on the weekends!).

As a final note, if you decide to start any diet, read about it thoroughly before embarking on it. Just as one size does not fit all, one diet does not fit all either!