Atkins diet, is like an old car. It works, but you are always maintaining it.

by Zaphod

On The suggestion of my mother, also overweight, I decided to try the Atkins diet.

She has tried just about every diet that has come down the pike, and this was the only one she recommended to me. It helped that they were inviting us to dinner which was T-bone steaks.

My wife and I thought that it should not be that hard to do, so we gave it a whirl. One of the first things we noticed, was that this diet worked better for my parents since they could have things like T-bone steak for dinner.

We were poor college kids. And meat is expensive. We spent a lot of time eating fast food, due to our work schedules, and noticed that our food bill increased dramatically.

Whereas one cheeseburger might have been enough before, once the bun is gone, it takes away a lot of filling properties, and your only option is to buy another sandwich.

Then there was ketosis. Bad breath and urine that reeked so bad, I wished I could be in a different room.

Also, another weird side effect was that we had to start regularly taking potassium supplements. Without them we would suffer terrible body pains. Not in any one place really, just like everything was bruised.

Meanwhile my parents are having luck with it, and losing weight, but we are struggling. Neither of us is the cook -- my mom is. Meals are stressful in our house. Limiting your diet further makes it even harder.

We refer to this point in the diet as the "egg and cheese" period, since that is all we seemed to eat. It was the easiest to make, and the cheapest on the budget.

It also gets old really fast. I also didn't mention that one of my favorite foods in the world is ice cream.

It didn't take long, but spaghetti, ice cream, and sandwiches WITH buns are all on the menu again. We are still overweight, but there are plenty of other diets to try.

Note from Dr. Dan

Zaphod,

Economics and diets -- you just can't separate the two.

On the plus side, if you're eating less you will save some on groceries. But the real healthy foods are more expensive.

That's why fast food is burgers and tacos. Lots of wheat and corn products which are cheap. They are also loaded with salt and sugar.

Now, there's nothing wrong with salt as long as your heart and kidneys are healthy. But...

When you eat foods that contain a lot of salt and sugar you tend to get cravings and overeat.

It's like free marketing for the fast food industry. The more you eat the hungrier you get.

And the fast food industry knows it. They've tested every aspect, from how much salt and sugar they add, to the beef flavoring they put in their French fries.

Dr. Dan