[EeyoreButterfly]

The Atkins diet is successful only because it eliminates an entire food group. Therefore people are likely to eat less since so many foods are off limits, which results in a lower caloric intake. Many people are not able to keep up with such a limited routine and will soon go back to their old patterns.

In 2006 a study was published of all commercially available diets and programs. Atkins was one of the diets studied. Do you know what it found? There was only one, I repeat, one commercially diet program in which participants were able to lose the weight and keep it off. It was not Atkins. It was Weight Watchers.

I do Weight Watchers and have had great success with it, as have many people I know. The key is that there are no off limit foods. Instead you are essentially using a simplified version of calorie counting that encourages you to make healthy choices. (Whole grains instead of refined, more vegetables, fewer processed foods, etc.) In the end, a diet that teaches you portion control and allows you to eat what you want in a smart way instead of blindly eliminating entire food groups is more likely to be successful. Research has shown this.

Recommending Atkins to a person with diabetes is irresponsible. Atkins can result in ketones because the kidneys must work harder to filter protein. This is very dangerous for people with diabetes.

Research has repeatedly shown that being overweight puts you at a higher risk for diabetes. Being overweight in and of itself does not cause it. There are people who are Type 2 who are not overweight, just as there are people who are overweight or even morbidly obese who do not develop it. That said, by being overweight you do put yourself at a higher risk than you would normally otherwise be.

As for diabetes causing obesity, this is the first time I have heard anybody say that. I don't think that you can draw a direct cause and effect relationship. There are plenty of people for whom diabetes does not equal obesity. In fact, since diet is one way Type 2 is controlled, many Type 2's actually lose weight after being diagnosed.

In the end, we cannot take personal responsibility out of the equation when it comes to weight .Yes, there will always be a select few for whom diet and exercise will not be enough. But there are very few people who fall into that category. Medical science has shown us time and again that what matters is calories in vs. calories out. If you consume more than you expend, you will gain weight. All this fishing for another reason seems like an attempt at justification to me. A way to ease the conscience and say that you really tried but there were forces at work that conspired against you.