The low carb diet is officially a fad.

Atkins Nutritionals Inc., founded by the late diet guru Dr. Robert Atkins, filed for bankruptcy protection in New York as consumer interest in low-carbohydrate foods faded.

``The low-carb fad has gone,'' said Michael Steib, a consumer-goods analyst for Morgan Stanley in London. ``Dieting habits are very short-lived. It came very quickly and disappeared very quickly.'

The concept of low carb isn't a bad one, but dieting is. You must make a lifestyle change if you want to be healthy including exercise. Incorporating concepts of the low carb diet isn't a bad idea but you certainly couldn't live that way since you would be missing a lot of nutrition and other things the body needs.