One of the cornerstones of the Atkins diet is that people previously believed that if you wanted to get thinner all you had to do was eat less or reduce calories. As it turns out, according to the Atkins diet you can eat only 20 grams of carbs per day, but you are allowed to eat plenty of red meat, fish, eggs, cream, and butter. This is quite a contrast to what most people believe about dieting.

Of course the long-term data is still out on this question and many people are concerned about the long-term risks of following the Atkins diet.

The diet is based upon the fact that it is the way your body processes the carbohydrates you eat not how much fat you eat is what causes you to gain weight. The principle behind the Atkins diet is that weight loss is quicker because fat burns more calories than carbohydrates do.

Of course there are still supplements diet plans and other programs and also support that dieters can turn to to help manage their eating habits and their weight loss progress. The Atkins diet holds that people who are overweight are eating too many carbohydrates and by reducing carbohydrates that our bodies will burn the fat more effectively.

You see Dr. Atkins knew that the human body uses two types of fuel to sustain life. The first is glucose from carbohydrates. The second, ketones from fat. So basically by limiting your carbs, you force your body into breaking down the stored fat, which is what you really need to do to lose weight.

There are of course many detractors of the Atkins diet. For example there are some reports from the UK that people on the Atkins diet simply don't feel like eating anymore. Others say that the weight loss from an Atkins diet isn't that much different than other diets that rely on the low-fat or vegetarian diets.

Another concern is that if you lose weight too quickly because of ingesting too few calories, your body will go into a so-called starvation mode and your weight loss will either slow down or stop completely because of a change in your metabolism.

Still another concern of the detractors of the Atkins diet is that some of the foods that are restricted on a low carbohydrate diet are the same types of food that decrease inflammation for example fruits and vegetables. Also foods high in saturated fats such as butter tend to increase the body's production of inflammatory chemicals. Some believe that replacing carbohydrates with foods that are high in saturated fats also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

But that's just the point. The Atkins diet does not suggest or promote the ingestion of extremely unhealthy and fatty foods without moderation. Anything overdone can have unhealthy side effects.

Hundreds of thousands of people have enjoyed permanent weight loss reduction using the Atkins diet method. Give it a try yourself and see if it isn't right for you.