Our History

Atkins' History

Our story starts with a trailblazing cardiologist Dr. Robert Atkins, who challenged the status quo weight loss methods of his time by proposing a nutritional approach based on eating right, not less. Today, our story continues with a mission: to make eating right a part of everyday life through our advocacy, education, innovation, and products.

Reverse Timeline

2018

2018

Harvard study that shows that a low carb diet may help you burn more calories and maintain your weight after losing weight compared to a high carb diet. Read more…

Rob Lowe becomes Atkins Brand Spokesperson

“Life is too short to eat a bad protein bar, and Atkins has great tasting bars and shakes that satisfy my sweet tooth. Today’s Atkins focuses on foods that are rich in healthy protein and low in carbs and sugar. It’s a simple approach that tastes delicious and is a real way to live.” – Rob Lowe

rob lowe

2017

2017
Atkins Introduces Atkins 100™, an all-new, flexible and personalized plan for those who want to live a healthy lifestyle and maintain their current weight. Read More »
2017
Atkins Makes Impact on National Review Process on Dietary Guidelines

As a result of the advocacy efforts by Atkins, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine announced the formation of an ad hoc committee tasked with reviewing the Dietary Guideline for Americans scientific review process.

Read More »
2017
Atkins Success Story!

Stacey Bentley featured in People’s “Half Their Size” Issue!

2017
Atkins Success Story!

Tanisha Washington featured in People Magazine, Celebrating 100 Pound Weight Loss!

2017
Conyers Park and Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. complete business combination to form The Simply Good Foods Company Read More »
2017
Simply Good Foods Company is publicly traded beginning 7/7/17

2016

2016
Kim Kardashian Announces Losing 60 pounds on Atkins

After having her second child, Saint West, Kim Kardashian turned to Atkins to lose the weight she’d gained during pregnancy. In a few months, Kim lost 60 lbs. by following Atkins and eating right, not less. #Beastmode #Results

2016
Sugar Industry Research Scandal

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco revealed that the sugar industry’s influence on research studies down played the effect of sugar on heart disease. From the 60s onward, Big Sugar’s influence caused health officials to recommend a diet low in saturated fats, but not low in sugars. Recent research now widely shows that refined carbohydrates and sugars are risk factors for heart disease. Dr. Atkins first wrote about the dangers of a carb-rich diet in 1972. The New York Times writes about How the Sugar Industry Shifted Blame to Fat.

2016
Atkins Launches First Line of Meal Kits

Atkins Meal Kits cover a week’s worth of food and tools, with three different options to choose from for one’s needs and lifestyle. All Meal Kits are offered exclusively at Atkins.com

2016
Atkins Partners with Chef’d to Launch Low-Carb Meal Solution for Health-Conscious Consumers

Atkins and Chef’d teamed up to create a meal kit, home delivery service for fresh ingredients and low-carb recipes. Frozen or fresh, Atkins continues to search for new ways to make healthy eating an easy, everyday habit

2016
Atkins Success Story!

Austin Shifflett featured in People’s “Half Their Size” Issue!

Read More »

2015

2015
Atkins launches Change.org Petition to Demand that Quality Science Help Determine the 2015 Dietary Guidelines

The petition received 22,962 signatures supporting the cause.

2015
Atkins Carb Tracker Ranked Top 10 Diet Apps on iOS in the 2014 HealthTap AppRx Awards!
2015
Alyssa Milano Starts Her Journey with Atkins, Becoming Third Official Spokesperson

Looking to reach her happy weight and improve her health, Alyssa Milano partnered with Atkins. After following the Atkins lifestyle for a few years, by 2017 Alyssa had reached her happy weight and enjoyed the positive impact Atkins had on her life, from cooking family dinners to having the energy to keep up with her kids with her busy lifestyle.

2015
Atkins Introduces the New and Improved Mobile App and Online Community
2015
Atkins Introduces Atkins 40®: A Customizable Low-Carb Plan Offering Flexibility and Sustainability for Weight Loss Read More »

2014

2014
You Can Have Pizza On Atkins?

In 2014, Atkins released their first low-carb frozen pizza. With 11g net carbs, the Atkins pizza became one of the lowest carbohydrate options for pizza on the market and continues to be today.

2014
Superior Weight Loss and Cardiovascular Risk Factor Reduction with Atkins-Type Low-Carb Diet Vs. Low-Fat Diet

The Annals of Internal Medicine publishes results of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) trial titled “Effects of low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets,” in which a low-carbohydrate diet was found to be more effective both for weight loss and cardiovascular risk factor reduction than the low-fat diet.

2013

2013
The New Atkins Made Easy is published

Atkins publishes The New Atkins Made Easy by nutritionist Colette Heimowitz.

2013
Kim Kardashian Reveals Her Secret to Losing Weight – Atkins!
2013
New Research Demonstrates a Diet Rich in Healthy Fats Is Good for Your Heart, Beating Out Low-Fat Diets

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2008), written by lead author Iris Shai, RD, PhD, showed that a low-carbohydrate diet like Atkins had a more favorable effect on blood lipid levels than both the Mediterranean diet or a low–fat diet. More recently, a 2013 study showed that low-carb diets are just as effective as Mediterranean diets in improving cardiovascular risk factors in people with diabetes.

2013
New Meta-Analysis Demonstrates the Benefits of a Low-Carb Diet, like the Atkins Diet, in the Management of Type 2 Diabetes

Meta-analysis in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reviewed 20 randomized control trials on the effect of various diets on glycemic control, lipids and weight loss in individuals with type 2 diabetes. The results found that a low-carb diet, like Atkins, showed greater improvements in glycemic control biomarkers for type 2 diabetics and should be considered in the overall strategy of diabetes management.

Read More »
2013
Sweden’s Nutrition Advisory Panel Recommends Low-Carb, Low-Glycemic Food Diet to National Dietary Guidance Panel. Read More »

2012

2012
Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. Launches First Carb Tracking Mobile App Read More »
2012
Atkins Introduces Deliciously Different Low-Carb Meals to the Freezer Aisle Read More »
2012
Sharon Osborne Loses 23 lbs. on Atkins and becomes second official spokesperson.

In preparation for her 60th birthday, Sharon Osborn lost 23 lbs. on Atkins. She enjoyed the variety of foods she could eat and as a result introduced Atkins to other members of her family.

2011

2011
The New Atkins for a New You Cookbook is published

Atkins publishes The New Atkins for a New You Cookbook by nutritionist Colette Heimowitz, providing a new resource for low-carbers looking to cook healthy, homemade meals.

2010

2010
The New Atkins for a New You is published and becomes a New York Times Best Seller2010
2010
Atkins used in a study that found Low-Carb Diets improved heart health as reported in Annals of Internal Medicine

Conducted by Temple University’s Center for Obesity Research and Education and published in the August 3, 2010, issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The study concludes that a low-carbohydrate diet is associated with favorable changes in weight loss and cardiovascular disease risk factors. The Temple University researchers used the 2002 version of the Atkins Diet described in “Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution” as the model for the low-carbohydrate diet used in the study.

2009

2009
Courtney Thorne Smith becomes first Atkins Spokesperson

2007

2007
The All-New Atkins Advantage is published
2007
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) publishes “Comparison of Weight Loss Diets,” concluding weight loss was greater for women in the Atkins diet group compared with the other diet groups at 12 months, and mean 12-month weight loss was significantly different between the Atkins and Zone diets.

Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and LEARN Diets For Change in Weight and Related Risk Factors Among Overweight Premenopausal Women: the A TO Z Weight Loss Study: a Randomized Trial.

Read More »

2004

2004
Dr. Atkins Quick & Easy New Diet Cookbook is published
2004
The Atkins Essentials is published
2004
Atkins Diabetes Revolution is published

2003

2003
Atkins for Life is published
2003
The Illustrated Atkins New Diet Cookbook is published

2002

2002
Gary Taubes publishes New York Times Magazine Article, “What If It’s All Been a Big Fat Lie?” launching the momentum of the Low-Carb Movement.
2002
Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution is published

The concept of “net carb” was first introduced in 2002 when research demonstrated fiber had a minimal impact on blood sugar in the book Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution which remained on the bestseller list for 285 weeks, becoming the #1 Bestselling Avon paperback of all time. Dr. Atkins’ books reached the milestone of 15 million copies sold. More vegetables were permitted on Atkins once the net carb concept was introduced.

2002
Dr. Atkins’ New Carbohydrate Gram Counter is published, and remains one of the most useful Atkins tools to this day.

1999

1999
Dr. Atkins establishes Robert C. Atkins Foundation – to fund research and education chairs at universities Nationwide.

1998

1998
Atkins Nutritionals, Inc.

Complementary Formulations is renamed to Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. and focuses on expanding product line.

1997

1997
Dr. Atkins’ Quick and Easy New Diet Revolution Cookbook is published

Dr. Atkins and Veronica Atkins published the first Atkins cookbook, Dr. Atkins’ Quick and Easy New Diet Revolution Cookbook.

1997
The Original Atkins Bar

Complementary Formulations introduced its first controlled carbohydrate food product, the Atkins Advantage® Bar in Chocolate Macadamia Nut flavor. The first Atkins shakes were introduced in Vanilla and Chocolate flavors

1996

1996
Hello, World!

Atkins online is launched at www.atkins.com.

1992

1992
Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution is published

Dr. Atkins released an updated version of the original Atkins diet plan in Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution. In 1997 Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution became a New York Times bestseller and remained a bestseller for five years.

1990

1990
Dr. Atkins receives the World Organization of Alternative Medicine Recognition of Achievement Award

1989

1989
Providing Trustworthy Products

Recognizing the need for trustworthy and convenient nutrition at home, Dr. Atkins established Complementary Formulations (which would later become Atkins Nutritionals, Inc.), a mail order distributor of low-carb food and vitamin products.

1988

1988
Dr. Atkins' Health Revolution about nutrition and complementary medicine is published
1988
Dr. Atkins hosts first radio show on WOR in New York City, called “Design for Living.”

1977

1977
Dr. Atkins' Super Energy Diet about the effects of unstable blood sugar is published

1972

1972
Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution is published

In 1972 Dr. Atkins published his first book, Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution, to explain his findings on low-carb dieting. The book’s publication kicked off decades of research and debate within the medical community to determine whether a diet low in sugar and carbohydrates was better for the body than a diet low in fats and protein. After all that time, we now know Dr. Atkins was right; from Harvard Medical School to the American Heart Association, over 100 scientific publications have shown the benefits of an Atkins lifestyle.

1963

1963 – 1972
Finding a Better Way

Starting in 1963, Dr. Atkins immersed himself in medical research on nutrition and found studies that showed carbohydrate restriction, as opposed to calorie restriction, provided weight loss results, without significant hunger. After, Dr. Atkins experimented with a low-carb diet himself and then with 65 executives. Together, Dr. Atkins and the group of executives all achieved substantial weight loss.

1955

1955 – 1960
Treatment of Hunger as a Symptom

Dr. Robert C. Atkins received his M.D. from Cornell University Medical School in 1955 and after finishing three cardiology-focused residencies, opened a private practice in New York City. Throughout his residencies, Dr. Atkins became increasingly concerned by the practice of prescribing medications such as amphetamines to patients as appetite suppressants. Weight loss methods that needed medication to treat hunger just didn’t seem right. There had to be a better way.