I do know that I've lost a bunch of weight after I switched from Coke to coffee at work.

(Puts on well-worn devil's advocate hat) Wouldn't that be because you went from drinking Cokes with about 160 cals/12 oz to coffee with zero calories?

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Oh, it definitely is. :)

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I'm on the Atkins diet right now, and I feel great. Atkins gets a bad rap for being an all-beef diet, but that's not quite it. He advocates eliminating refined sugars, breads, beer, alcohol, refined grains, and other "empty" calories from your diet, and instead eating a sensible diet high in protein and vegetables. Even without his protein/ketosis gimmick, you can see how you can lose a LOT of wait on atkins by cutting out empty carbs. As atkins says, there is no such think as an essential carbohydrate, and the high-fiber benefits that some people use to argue for bread can easily be replaced with a $20 jar of psyllium husk tablets. It's funny to contrast him with the CSPI guys, who to me are the bastion of the high-carb low-fat philosophy, who on the one hand publicize how the public is getting too much sugar, saying "For instance, a typical cup of fruit yogurt provides 70 percent of a day's worth of added sugar" here and reviewing their favorite yogurts here, including advocating a drinkable yogurt that has 44 grams (which is a hell of a lot) of sugar in it (i checked). They don't even mention the sugar content. They are obsessed with low fat and care about nothing else.

The atkins diet also advocates a slow transition from induction to continuing weight loss to a very slow transition over your last few pounds to a maintenance diet. He emphasizes checking your weight continually after you hit maintenance and reassessing after you gain more than five pounds. It's a really sensible diet plan based on sound nutrition. The main arguments nutritionists seem to have with him is the fact that he doesn't particularly care about fat content. He claims that his studies have shown that fat content doesn't have that much of a direct link to heart problems if you're otherwise eating well. The CSPI guys claim different. They both have studies to back them up, so you have to decide for yourself.

The fact is that Americans are fatter than ever and diabetes is on a rampage through our society, so I'd say that some sort of radical change is needed. I'm no nutritionist, but it seems to me that packing on 40 extra pounds for years is worse on your heart than a little fat could ever be.

Anyway, I like the Atkins approach and his book, even if you don't follow his diet, is full of good information. His new paperback edition is only $6, make sure you get the one with the white cover with the "completely revised and updated" on it. There are several editions out there, but that one is the 2002 edition. When I bought it in Barnes and Noble, they had no less than six editions on the shelf. I'd challenge anyone to try it for two months and see how they feel.

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