Gastric Bypass is not an option for me. (Tom)

I have had a few friends that have had gastric bypass surgery to loose weight. This isn’t an option for me. Gastric bypass surgery is a bad phrase in my vocabulary. I couldn’t imagine being cut open just to have my stomach smaller.
My mother had the surgery about 7 years ago and it wasn’t too successful for her. She initially lost 70 lbs in the first few months and then she actually started gaining weight. One reason I think she gained weight was that she didn’t go to any follow up appointments. I have seen success and failure with this approach.

So why am I doing the Atkins diet? I think it’s simple. The science behind it is incredible. If you deplete your body of carbs or sugar, the next fuel source for your body is fat. It’s the opposite of a marathon runner. A marathon runner doesn’t have a lot of fat to burn. Therefore, they have to load their body with lots of carbs for energy. That is why they have “carb loading” parties before a big race. As a big guy, I don’t want the carbs. Carbs will be used as energy in my body as long as I have carbs floating around in my blood. Take away the carbs and you take away the fat. This is why I like the Atkins diet.