The Atkins Diet: On The Web And TV

When it comes to the Atkins Diet, computer salesman Steve Merens is already sold.

To find out why, just ask him to show you his old pictures. He'll show you how tightly his old shirts and pants used to fit and describe how his clothing sizes have significantly reduced. You may not even recognize him as the same person.

Pros & Cons: The Atkins Diet
Sounds Good...	But Wait!
Steak, pork chops and omelets galore! Know a good cardiologist? Rather rapid weight loss Are you losing the right weight? You won't feel hungry between meals But how will you feel?
Read This Diet's Health Warning

"I'm a completely changed human being," Steve says.

In a little more than a year, Steve's weight has dropped from 360 to 230 pounds.

While he's seen dramatic weight loss, he says the Atkins Diet has changed more than the way he looks: It's also changed the way he thinks about eating.

TODAY'S NEW ME Day 1: The Atkins Diet Experts Weigh In Pros & Cons How It Works Getting Started Paging Dr. Atkins... More High-Protein Diets TODAY'S DIETER Steve Merens Daily Diary: Today Bio: Who Is He? Debate: Join The Atkins Diet Discussion Vote: How Much Will He Lose? Quiz: Atkins History Exercise: Daily Dieter's Dilemma: What Will Be Difficult For Steve To Give Up? Slideshow: See An Average Atkins Diet Video: Meet Steve  'New me' updates  in e-mail, free >>

"I just don't have rice, pasta or bread. That makes it simple," he says.

Each of those foods contains carbohydrates, which serve as the "villain" in this weight loss plan. The diet's theory is that eating carbohydrates will stimulate a person's hunger and lead a person to eat more.

Steve agrees: "Because I don't eat pasta, rice, or bread, I don't get hungry and I don't get triggered into eating."

But staying away from carbohydrates means that the menu for an Atkins dieter consists of primarily protein. So while hunger-inducing foods are avoided, fatty foods like bacon, sausage and steak take their place. Some nutrition experts warn that Atkins dieters may be eating too much protein, which can harm the kidneys.

However, Steve hasn't seen any negative effects on his health. "All I can say is I've been the healthiest I've ever been and the smallest I've ever been," he says. "And I've been on every diet you can imagine."

Now Steve is hoping that the Atkins Diet will shrink him down even further. With the help of his wife, Rani, a gourmet chef who's also on the diet, Steve's hoping to drop another 30 pounds.

"I got the size that I was because of my wife, because she's a gourmet cook," Steve says. "Now I've gotten to the size I am with her help as well. And she might not like the first half of that, but I know she loves the second half."

VIDEO ON TV TODAY Watch Today's Video Segment TOMORROW ON TV: The Carb-Addict Diet lets you blame it on your body. 6:30 a.m. on WESH-TV.

Rani loves the challenge of coming up with new, low-carb versions of the old classics. For example, she's made low-carb substitutes for mashed potatoes, cheesecake and even chocolate kisses. In fact, she may be helping other low-carb dieters very soon, since she's compiling her own low-carb cookbook with more than 100 of her own recipes.

The Merenses have been through a great deal in their dieting and have seen the drawbacks and pitfalls of many other diet plans. Throughout it all, the one thing they've learned is that variety is both the biggest challenge and the biggest key to making it work.

"If you feel like you have a luxurious bunch of stuff, then you don't feel deprived anymore," Rani says.

As simple as that sounds, Steve adds, "It still has to come from a desire ... not just to lose weight but to get healthy."

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