Key to long-term weight-loss success is finding unique individual level of carbohydrate tolerance

Recent media coverage suggests that the reported wedding diet of Carole Middleton, mother of future British princess Kate Middleton, is something brand new. Yet the Dukan Diet is just another variation of the Atkins Diet™, but with some nutritional recommendations that simply don't make sense or are guaranteed to fail.

The Dukan Diet claims dieters can lose weight by eating as much as they want of 100 approved foods, 72 of which are high in protein. The idea that anyone can eat as much as they want of any food and still lose weight clearly defies reason. Once people stop following a weight-loss diet of any kind and return to their old way of eating – or continue to eat as much as they want of anything – they will regain any lost weight, as evidenced by millions of yo-yo dieters.

The Atkins Diet has been in existence for 40 years and has been supported with over 60 studies during this period. Nutritional science, which is at the core of the Atkins Diet, conclusively shows that reducing levels of refined carbohydrates and added sugars and focusing instead on whole-food carbohydrate sources, protein and healthy natural fats is a sustainable way to eat and lose weight.

Dr. Jeff Volek, associate professor at the University of Connecticut and coauthor of New York Times Bestseller The New Atkins for a New You, notes the Dukan Diet ignores the fact that there is wide variation in people's carbohydrate tolerance. Atkins, in contrast, enables individuals to tailor the diet to their own metabolism.

"Long-term success on a carbohydrate-restricted diet requires more than a casual approach and the Dukan Diet falls short," said Dr. Volek.  "Dr. Dukan's approach ignores the well-documented fact that people vary in their ability to metabolize carbohydrates."  

Dr. Volek stresses the key to long-term weight-loss success is finding your unique individual level of carbohydrate tolerance, as described in The New Atkins for a New You.

"The key to long-term success on a diet is not to 'eat what you want' as Dr. Dukan states, but rather to give people permission to find their carbohydrate tolerance level," said Dr. Volek. "Once a person discovers his level, be it 50, 75, or 100 grams of carbs per day, he is on the way to unlocking the powerful metabolic benefits of the Atkins Diet."

The New Atkins for a New You details how science has transformed the Atkins Diet from what was once considered a "bacon, egg, and cheese" diet to a lifestyle that encompasses a wide variety of whole foods. These include multiple protein sources, as well as vegetables, low-glycemic fruits and – as one approaches one's goal weight – whole grains. By gradually adding back different carbohydrate foods, individuals develop sustainable eating habits that allow them to maintain their new weight.

"A proper low-carbohydrate nutritional approach is not about subtle difference in fat grams; it is about controlling carbohydrate intake," said Colette Heimowitz, M.Sc., Atkins VP of Nutrition and Education. "And when it comes to that, Atkins is unparalleled in providing positive results in terms of weight loss and management."