Atkins diet: The good and the bad

After Aniston, Moore and Zeta-Jones, Kim Kardashian is now on the high-protein diet.

Being a celebrity (or an extremely weight-conscious young woman) can sometimes lead one to go to extremes to make sure the weighing scale needle lands somewhere between 40 to 50kg. Whether it’s starving oneself, going on crash diets or lying under the knife for painful surgeries, the ultimate goal must be achieved.

While starving results in disorders like anorexia and other consequences, it’s believed that the Atkins diet is the most viable option. And why wouldn’t it be, Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore and Catherine Zeta-Jones — who have amazing figures — have done it and are fans! And now, reality TV star Kim Kardashian has also recently jumped on the bandwagon.

A fan on Twitter recently questioned Kim on the loss of her post-baby weight, to which she responded, “I’ve actually been doing the Atkins diet and I love it,” according to contactmusic.com.

While the up side of Atkins — a diet all about proteins — is that you see instant results, there is also a flip side. Several nutritionists believe that this low-carb diet is only effective in the short run. “People tend to have a rapid response when it comes to weight loss, but Atkins is also known to have one of the greatest re-bounds. So, people pile the pounds on when they come off it,” said nutritionist Nicole Berberian, according to BBC.

Sian Porter, a consultant dietician for the British Dietetic Association, adds that people are generally looking for a magical bullet. “Diets are fads, but it [losing weight] is about making permanent changes,” she said. “Plus what you eat is only half the equation, the other half is physical activity.”

Not a fan

English actor Claire Sweeney has seen the bad side of Atkins, and she admits that it wasn’t pretty. “After a short time on the diet, I suddenly collapsed. My temperature soared and I couldn’t stop shaking. I was bedridden and the doctor came to see me,” she told the Daily Mail. Sweeney was disagnosed with a kidney infection after being on the diet for four weeks and did not lose any weight. “I don’t think it’ a healthy way to lose weight.”

When going on such diets, one should be aware of the consequences. Actor Amanda Redman, 41, reveals she lost weight when she was on the Atkins diet when she was 19, but says her health suffered as a result. “I was living on bacon and eggs fried in butter every day. I ate lots of meat too,” she told Closer magazine. “I did lose a lot of weight but the repercussions were bad. It was very stupid to have done it.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 19^th, 2013.

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