to be honest i've watched my parents go on diet after diet and nothing showed results quicker than atkins. problem is are you ready to give up donuts, fried chicken, pancakes and sandwiches forever? Most people aren't and they eventually fall off the wagon, or reach their goal and quit (quickly gaining back all that fat they worked so hard to lose.) Now my parents are eating healthy and exercising but allowing themselves a few guilty pleasures, in the long run this is the way to do it, they've each lost at least 40 pounds and they've stuck with it for almost 7 months now