The Adkins diet is ok to go on for short term. You need a more balanced approach though. For men over 30 and esp. men in their 40's and 50's the best plan out there is called the gladiator diet. You can read more about it and get on their website at
www.gladiatordiet.com. Remember diet is only half of the story as well. You must be on a good exercise program as well. Most people don't want to hear this. But just eating well is not enough for most people. At a very minimum you need 30 minutes of cardiovascular work three times a week, more if you are wanting to lose weight. You also should be on a strength conditioning program twice a week. There is so much more to this than just eating right. You body fat percentage plays a huge role in your health. You can have two people both 5'10. One weighs 165 and has 20% bodyfat. The other one weighs 205 and has 15% bodyfat. The man that has 15% bodyfat is healthier as a general rule.
The timing of when you eat, how much you eat at one time, etc. etc. has a great deal to do with it. The one guy said he could eat all he wanted. Well from the standpoint of the diet yes. But from the standpoint of health absolutely not. Probably the biggest injustice we do to our bodies is overeating. Our bodies are extremely efficient at using the energy that our bodies need. However when we have to convert extra food to storage it is incredibly taxing and unhealthy on the body. Diet, exercise, etc. aside the biggest health benefit you can do for your body is to eat smaller portions of food. It takes 20 minutes for your brain to tell your stomach that you are full. We all eat very quickly and by the time we realize we ate too much it's too late.
Another important aspect is your metabolism. This is where exercise comes in. It takes 6-10 times as long to set your BMR, basal metabolic rate up as it does for it to come down. This is reset by 2 factors but only one causes it to go up and that is exercise. Increased food intake does not cause it to go up but decreased food intake below your BMR does cause it to go down extremely rapidly. That is why crash diets don't work. You go on a crash diet. The body responds very quickly and lowers your BMR. You lose a few pounds and then go off of the diet and gain it all back and more. The reason you gained it all back is because now instead of needing 2500 cal./day your BMR has reset to 1500 cal/day. Now when you go back to eating normally your BMR does not reset to 2500/day. It stays at 1500 cal/day. It will gradually start to rise slowly but never to the original number UNLESS you do exercise. Exercise will reset the BMR to a higher number.
All in all weight loss is complicated. There is no simple answer and there is no miracle diet. It's a combination of eating right and exercising, NOT FOR A COUPLE MONTHS, but for life. It's really a lifestyle choice and not a diet. No diet works only lifestyle changes work.
