Has any weight loss plan topped the Atkins diet when it comes to dividing opinion? While the medical profession decries it as potentially dangerous in the long-term, adherents say that nothing beats it when it comes to losing weight.

The Atkins diet certainly seems to run counter to much that we are usually told about weight loss - lots of meat, dairy and fat - yet the evidence is that when followed properly, most people lose weight using it. In an era of low carbohydrate eating plans, this is one plan which has proven effective for millions of people world-wide.