LOL You guys would be surprised how close the typical bodybuilder's diet is to the Atkins diet in its later stages. Yes, the first 2 weeks is very low carb, but a REQUIREMENT of the diet is lean protein and minimum 3 cups of veggies daily. This is not negotiable. Most people who think Atkins is all meat, cheese, bacon & butter have not read the book. I started out with Atkins, & it helped me get over the habit of emotional eating and cravings for junk food. After the initial 2 week period, you begin adding more complex carbs back in, including sweet potatoes, whole wheat breads, pasta, fruit, and milk. Atkins is very easy to stick with for life - if you do it correctly. It is actually very high in vitamins, minerals and fiber. The fools that don't read the book & eat nothing but the aforementioned meat, cheese, bacon & butter are the ones who cannot stick with it for life. Atkins did wonders for my family b/c it shed some light on some food allergies that my husband and mother had no idea they had. As of right now, a bodybuilder's diet is parallel to the Lifetime Stage of Atkins.
Of course, the only significant difference is the Atkins encouragement of use of full fat products, and we all advocate fat free or low fat. That is the only reason I don't follow Atkins to the letter. I do believe fat should be limited.
Sorry for the long post, I just like people to know the truth about these so called "fad diets". (South Beach is extremely similar, the only difference is they encourage low fat & allow more fruits.)