Amazon.com (ISBN 0312315228, Hardcover)

It is bread and not butter that is the enemy in Dr. Atkins's popular and controversial low-carbohydrate/high-fat diet. In In Atkins for Life, he continues his decades-long crusade against low-fat eating. Atkins argues that low-fat meals are high-carbohydrate missiles, causing the body to produce excess insulin, which then produces fat, slows down metabolism, and tips the scale. Instead, he urges readers to stop counting calories and fat grams and start counting carbs to rev up their metabolism and burn fat as an energy source. The question of whether "ketosis," the fat meltdown he advocates, is healthy or harmful is a central question of this sequel to the bestselling Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution. Packed with recipes, menus, carbohydrate counters, and strategies for staying with the plan, this book is less clear than its predecessor. It veers back and forth between how to begin and how to maintain "a controlled carbohydrate lifestyle." It is also more promotional, with photos of satisfied slim folks and pitches for the branded Atkins products. Still, with its pages of testimonials and studies about weight loss, lowered cholesterol, and increased energy, it is hard to argue with Atkins’s results. He puts his proof in the pudding. --Barbara Mackoff