My all-time least favorite diet books are a no-brainer pair, Doctor Atkin’s Diet Revolution by Robert C. Atkins, M.D. and The Pritikin Program by Nathan Pritikin. I hate the original (and most subsequent) Atkins books, because of the insane notion that you can freely feed on protein and fat (without carbohydrate) and lose weight. It just doesn’t work for most patients, especially men. All the weight lost freely-feeding on Atkins is in the first 2 months, then you jsut weight cycle, because your calories go to stupid. The average patient eats 700-1100 calories a day their first week, freely feeding on protein and fat. By week 8, the average patient is eating well over 3000 calories a day, and weight loss stops. You absolutely, postively cannot eat as much protein and fat as you want, and lose weight. The Pritikin Program pushes a high carbohydrate, low protein, very low fat diet. This also doesn’t work for most patients. Carbohydrates trigger insulin release and promote fat storage. Low fat diets make patients cranky and ravenous, and promote binging. Patients are far too hungry, and storing too much fat from almost exclusive carbohydrate intake. Energy is low and weight loss is too slow to sustain.