Didn't they prove that the Atkins diet wasn't beneficial?
No. That was certainly claimed years ago. It's also claimed by every competing diet, and even hippie and government funded organization that want to eliminate meat as a dietary staple in an effort to "save the planet".
The latest research all suggests Atkins was right on the money.
German, I've never been a fat guy. And am probably a similar build. Six feet, about 189 now. I wear a 46 jacket and 34 pants if that helps. When I was younger, and pretty lean, I went on an Atkins to lower my body fat % even lower to get a certain look (I think I was single at the time LOL). I lost eleven pounds all off my waist in about six weeks or something like that. I had my blood work done (because everyone at the time (mid 90s) claimed it would kill me. All excellent.
Today I think the New Atkins has improved things (more emphases on vegetables).
https://www.amazon.com/New-Atkins-Y...TF8&qid=1493660666&sr=8-1&keywords=new+atkins
There's also a workbook and cookbook you might like that go with that.
My wife and I have followed these principles for years and both look great. But we follow them loosely -- we still eat some bread, and we do eat desert and sugared beverages. If you wanted to be ripped, you would not "cheat". Any kind of diet like this is not easy if you're eating out. Because things like sugar and other carbs, especially bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, etc. are generally no-nos. If you can prepare at home it's a lot easier. I haven't found any health downsides to this kind of diet. And I would check it out before I went on the Keto diet based on what I've read. New Atkins does trigger the burning of your body fat. There is an initial period that is more strict if you want to jump-start things. Maintenance is easier.
For other guys who may be, um, suffering from an inability to resist calories, I have a buddy who was short and fat. I suggested New Atkins to him and he lost a boatload of fat. He also, at my suggestion, went to his doctor to get his bloodwork done and an exam. A lot of doctors deride Atkins-type diets but I don't think it's based on anything more than bad press. IIRC his doctor was not keen on the idea of that kind of diet, but conceded he was in perfect health and all his numbers were outstanding so keep doing what he's doing.
In my opinion, once you get where you want to be, one of the great things about the general principles in New Atkins is that you can eat great gourmet food, and lots of it, without feeling like your denying yourself. There's really no calorie counting at that point. You can get stuffed if you like from time to time and as long as you're eating the right things you're not going to gain weight. Which means, this is a diet you can live with for the rest of your life. Not some sort of binge-boomerang yo-yo diet that you can't possibly live with long term.
For the super lazy, just cut out potatoes, pasta, bread, rice, (starchy carbs), and sugared drinks, and try to focus on protein and vegetables and you'll probably lose weight like crazy.
I do agree, based on what I've read and experienced, with the idea that people are different. Genetics is where it's at. I'm not a young man anymore, and I have a spinal cord injury, but when I was I was younger I could live on donuts and starch (10,000 calories a day when active) and I was ripped and very muscular -- a classic mesomorph. But I've known people who can't put on bulk muscle no matter how much they work out. And I've known people who tried to get lean with low calorie diets and constant work outs and still couldn't avoid being pudgy. I'm sure different diets work differently for different people as well.