I'm in a similar situation to yours.
I've had to modify the diet. I have been a strict vegetarian. When I went on the diet, I had to begin eating fish. I haven't eaten any other flesh. I've lost l4 lb and still have 8 to go. I feel better than I have in years.
I was one of those who are metabolically resistant; so I've stayed on the induction diet for 4 weeks and am still on it.
I have also been exercizing regularly. Today I spent 3 hours on the treadmill, burned up about 2,500 calories, and then lifted weights.
The combination of no carbohydrates and regular vigorous exercize has me feeling great! I look good, and I'm not hungry. I never have to fight with myself to keep from eating, and I don't have any craving for foods that I can't have.
I was one of the main ones who disagreed with Atkins. I tried it as a last resort. So far it's working for me; nothing else did.
I am still concerned about the effects of a diet high in saturated fats over a long period of time. I don't think it's a good idea. In maintanence, it would be a good idea, I think, to try to concentrate on foods that are low in saturated fats, such as fish, tofu, olive oil, etc.
Triglycerides are decreased and HDL increased on Atkins:
A randomized trial of a low-carbohydrate diet for obesity.
Foster GD, Wyatt HR, Hill JO, McGuckin BG, Brill C, Mohammed BS, Szapary PO, Rader DJ, Edman JS, Klein S.
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104-3309, USA.
fosterg@mail.med.upenn.edu N Engl J Med. 2003 May 22;348(21):2082-90.
BACKGROUND: Despite the popularity of the low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat (Atkins) diet, no randomized, controlled trials have evaluated its efficacy. METHODS: We conducted a one-year, multicenter, controlled trial involving 63 obese men and women who were randomly assigned to either a low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diet or a low-calorie, high-carbohydrate, low-fat (conventional) diet. Professional contact was minimal to replicate the approach used by most dieters. RESULTS: Subjects on the low-carbohydrate diet had lost more weight than subjects on the conventional diet at 3 months (mean [+/-SD], -6.8+/-5.0 vs. -2.7+/-3.7 percent of body weight; P=0.001) and 6 months (-7.0+/-6.5 vs. -3.2+/-5.6 percent of body weight, P=0.02), but the difference at 12 months was not significant (-4.4+/-6.7 vs. -2.5+/-6.3 percent of body weight, P=0.26). After three months, no significant differences were found between the groups in total or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations. The increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations and the decrease in triglyceride concentrations were greater among subjects on the low-carbohydrate diet than among those on the conventional diet throughout most of the study. Both diets significantly decreased diastolic blood pressure and the insulin response to an oral glucose load. CONCLUSIONS: The low-carbohydrate diet produced a greater weight loss (absolute difference, approximately 4 percent) than did the conventional diet for the first six months, but the differences were not significant at one year. The low-carbohydrate diet was associated with a greater improvement in some risk factors for coronary heart disease. Adherence was poor and attrition was high in both groups. Longer and larger studies are required to determine the long-term safety and efficacy of low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diets. Copyright 2003 Massachusetts Medical Society