In 1972, cardiologist Robert C. Atkins' book, "The Atkins Nutritional Approach," launched the popularity of low-carb diets. Others have since introduced more low-carb plans, such as The Zone Diet and the South Beach Diet. All restrict carbohydrates to a low or very low percentage of your daily calories, but they're all not exactly alike.
Carb Limits
The Atkins Diet limits the amount of carbs you can consume most strictly. It starts with only 20 g in its first phase and rises incrementally from there to approximately 100 g per day long term. The South Beach plan and The Zone take a somewhat different approach; it's not how many grams you consume but what percentage they contribute to your daily caloric intake. The South Beach Diet limits you to 10 percent of your calories from carbohydrates to start and that increases to 28 percent at the end of the plan for long-term weight maintenance. The Zone allows you the most carbs: 40 percent of your diet. According to MayoClinic.com, 45 to 65 percent of your calories should come from carbs on a balanced diet.
Phases
Atkins and South Beach diets involve phases; The Zone Diet does not. Atkins has four steps and South Beach has three. The first phase of each is two weeks long. With Atkins, you can add a few more carbs to your diet in Phase 2 until you're within 5 to 10 lbs. of your desired weight. With South Beach, you stay in Phase 2 until you reach your goal weight. Phase 3 of Atkins involves adding still more carbs to your daily diet until your weight loss stops. This is the amount of carbs you can safely eat daily without gaining weight. You can then move on to maintaining your weight in Phase 4. The maintenance phase of South Beach is the third and final phase.
Results
Reported weight loss for Atkins and South Beach diets are similar. Atkins makes claims of 15 lbs. in its first phase but acknowledges that individual dieters might not be quite that successful. According to MayoClinic.com, Atkins dieters lose an average of 9 lbs. overall. South Beach predicts you'll lose 8 to 13 lbs. in the first two-week phase, then taper off to 1 to 2 lbs. a week. On The Zone Diet, you may lose only 2 to 5 lbs. in the first two weeks, then drop off to 1 lb. a week or a little more after this point.
Risks
The health risks and side effects of all three diets stem from the way they restrict carbohydrates: constipation from lack of fiber in your diet, wooziness and ketosis, a condition brought on by your body having to break down fat for energy. Ketosis can cause kidney trouble and cardiac arrhythmia. The Atkins Diet doesn't make a distinction between trans fats and saturated fats, the bad kind, and monounsaturated fats, which are healthier. As a result, you can take in a lot of fat on this diet that could potentially be harmful to your health. The other two diets do promote good fats over bad fats, and The Zone limits fat consumption to 30 percent.
Difficulty
It may be easier to count carbohydrate grams on Atkins than to calculate what percentage of your meal consists of carbohydrates each time you eat. But The Zone doesn't involve having to remember to change your diet at periodic intervals.
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