Losing weight is never easy, and people often slip and give into temptation, abandoning their diets until they found something else that inspires them to start losing weight again. Inspiration is often found when a new diet program, that is receiving plenty of hype, comes along.

One of the most popular diet programs in recent years is the Atkins Diet. While there are many people who swear by the Atkins Diet, the diet itself continues to stir controversy about whether it really is healthy and effective.

Essentially, the Atkins Diet works on the premise that people gain weight, and thus become overweight, because they eat far too many carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are burned before fat, so Atkins allows dieters to eat much more fattening foods and proteins while cutting back on the carbohydrates. You don’t worry about, or even count, calories with the Atkins Diet.

Created by Dr. Robert C. Atkins, the Atkins Diet is much less restrictive than other diets. For example, unlike with other diets, you can eat eggs, meat, and cheese with the Atkins Diet. What’s more, you can use butter when you cook your food or even on your baked potatoes. Additionally, with the Atkins Diet, you don’t have to actually cut back on how much you eat. The key to the Atkins Diet is eliminating certain things, including milk, white flour, white rice, and refined sugar.

In fact, the Atkins Diet focuses on eating a lot of fat and a lot of proteins, one of the bones of contention for critics. In the first few weeks of the Atkins diet, you are required to eat very few, approximately 20 grams daily, carbohydrates, which means you can’t eat any fruit and you can only have minimal leafy green vegetables.

After the first two weeks of the Atkins Diet, you can begin to introduce foods rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. The bad news is there are some things that you will have to permanently cut from your diet, as long as you’re following Atkins, including white flour (that means you can’t eat anything that contains white flour, like bread and pasta), milk, white potatoes, and white rice. And, forget all of your favorite desserts if they contain refined sugar. Refined sugar is simply not allowed at all with the Atkins Diet.

But, is the Atkins Diet safe? Many doctors and other medical professionals say no, pointing to the fact that the high protein and fat could lead to kidney problems and heart disease. In addition, pregnant women on the Atkins Diet could inadvertently cause health problems for their unborn children.

However, there is good news for those who try Atkins. In addition to helping dieters lose weight, the high protein diet has also been shown to reduce cholesterol. But, do the health risks (i.e. increased chance of heart disease) outweigh the benefits or vice-versa? That’s a question only you and your doctor can answer.

If you decide that the Atkins Diet is something you want to try, consult with your doctor first to make sure you follow it in a way that all of your nutritional needs are met. Make sure you also discuss the health risks of the Atkins Diet with your doctor.