some readers weigh in

In response to yesterday's plea, diet recommndations are coming in from various quarters. One reader indicated that they thought I would end up trying the Atkins because it offered "the easy way out," while another thought that I was being self-deluded in considering the Atkins becuase there is no way my flimsy willpower would be able to follow it. Here, however, was my favorite piece of reader advice regarding the Atkins diet:

I would advise against Atkins. First, it's hard to stick to in the long run (how long can you eat cheese sticks and tuna). Also, your mouth tastes filmy and you get keto-breath, which sort of tastes like sucking on a dime. Last, and please pardon my frankness here, but be prepared to never shit again. No amount of Metamucil can move 15 straight days of sirloin. I lasted like a week on it before I switched to South Beach.