Atkins diet doesn't work, and I'll tell you exactly why

The concept of Atkins diet basically is, or rather was, as I believe they've finally decided to change it, practically zero carbohydrates. Meaning that all your meals are made up primarily of just protein and fat. 

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First and foremost you should know that depriving your body of carbohydrates isn't healthy at all. It's not just your skeletal muscles which require the glucose broken down from carbohydrates for energy, but also your brain. 

The problem with a high protein/fat and no carbohydrate diet is that it changes your body's metabolism. Carbohydrates are the preferred source of energy, so your body would be forced to break down fatty acids and protein you ingest in such a way that it can be used as energy. 

Now, aside from health issues with this diet, the weight loss most people experience primarily consists of depleted glycogen and water, rather than bodyfat.  I'll explain. 

Glycogen is energy which the body stores mainly in the liver and muscle cells. Now this storage of energy must be well hydrated. In fact for every 1 gram of glycogen there is around 2.6 grams of water stored with it. 

So on a no carbohydrate diet, such as the Atkins, these glycogen stores are the first to deplete, and therefore you're actually losing more water than anything else.  You will experience some weight reduction, but also a great loss of strength, energy and probably also mood swings. 

It's common knowledge that the same way bodyfat doesn't accumulate overnight you can't expect to lose it in a day. The way to lose bodyfat in a healthy manner which produces lasting results is through a consistent and strict calorie controlled diet over at least 6 to 8 weeks.

Remember your caloric intake must be based on your targeted body weight, and your diet needs to be balanced in this proportion: 55% Carbohydrates, 35% Protein, and 10% Fat, which comes as a byproduct, so you don't need to actually add Fats to your diet.