The basic concept of the Atkins diet is that having a lifetime of nutritional philosophy which restricts the intake of processed and refined carbohydrates, and encourages the intake of nutrient-rich, unprocessed food, like meat while also using "vita-nutrient" supplements, will result in a healthier and slimmer body.
The Atkins diet is broken up into a series of dietary phases, which most people will go through sequentially. The first two weeks of the Atkins diet is called the "induction phase". During these first two weeks you are supposed to follow the directions as closely as you possibly can, this first stage gets your body ready for the new Atkins lifestyle. The point is to get the body into lipolysis/ketosis, this is done to "switch" your metabolism into only burning fat for energy.
In the second stage of the plan, the diet becomes a little easier, you are allowed to eat more foods and more tasty foods. It mainly increases the allowed amount of vegetables and allowing for a few more carbs. When you start to approach your desired weight, you establish your "critical carbohydrate level" for maintenance, this is basically the highest number of grams of carbs per day you can have without gaining any more weight.
Foods You Can Eat...
When you are on the Atkins diet you can eat, meats, cheeses, eggs, and fats, like butter and oils, without having to count calories.
Foods You Can't Eat...
Carbohydrates are restricted to about 20 grams per day during the "induction phase", after that it goes up about 5 grams per week until you reach your "critical carbohydrate level" for maintenance. In order for this diet to work you must change your diet for a long term basis, if you just lose the weight and then go back to the way you used to eat, the weight will come back. This means that you have to eliminate foods like, cake, potatoes, pasta, pancakes, and pie from your diet permanently. The intake of fruits and dairy are also very limited in this diet .
You don't need to exercise as part of this diet , but it is always a good idea to exercise a few days a week to stay fit. This diet is one of the most popular diets around. Restaurants are now offering low carb or no carb meals because this diet has exploded in popularity. Recent studies have shown that people on the Atkins tend to lose about twice the weight of those on the low-fat, high-carb diets recommended by most health organizations. The studies also seem to show that those on the Atkins Diet lose weight without seeming to drive up their risk of heart disease and that their cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure generally improve. Also, people on the Atkins diet statistically lose more weight then people who actually eat less calories, but more carbs. The Atkins diet is more like a lifestyle change, once you reach your goal weight you still can't eat a lot of carbs, you find the number of carbs you can consume each day without gaining any of your weight back, and that is the most amount of carbs you can eat in any day indefinitely.
If you think that this diet might be for you then I suggest you head over to a used book store or a second hand shop and you will most likely be able to find a copy of the Atkins Diet book for just a couple of dollars. The book will go into more detail about what specifically you can eat, and how the diet works on a scientific level.