1963: Dr. Robert Atkins is an overweight cardiologist in New York. He's tried standard low-calorie diets and failed like his patients fail. Weight comes off temporarily then returns.
He discovers William Banting's 1863 pamphlet and Alfred Pennington's 1950s research. Both described weight loss eating meat and fat while avoiding carbohydrates.
He tries it himself. Within months, loses significant weight without hunger. Energy improves, mental clarity increases. He starts prescribing the same approach to obese patients.
The results match Banting and Pennington's findings. Patients lose weight eating unlimited meat and fat as long as they avoid carbohydrates. No hunger, sustainable long-term, health markers improve.
1972: Atkins publishes "Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution." The book becomes a massive bestseller despite immediate attack from the medical establishment.
The American Medical Association calls it dangerous. Nutritionists say it will cause heart disease. Government dietary guidelines condemn it. But people try it and lose weight consistently.
Atkins continues refining the approach over 30+ years. Publishes updated editions, opens clinics, trains physicians. By the 1990s, millions have used his diet successfully.
2002: Controlled studies finally test the Atkins diet against low-fat diets. The results show Atkins dieters lose more weight and show better health markers than low-fat dieters.
Atkins dies in 2003 from head injury after falling on ice. His autopsy is leaked and misreported - the press claims he died obese and unhealthy. Later correction shows he had normal coronary health and his weight at death was from medical treatment, not obesity.
He spent 40 years being attacked for recommending exactly what Banting, Pennington, Donaldson, and others had successfully used. The evidence supported him but the industry opposed him.
Modern low-carb movements exist because Atkins refused to give up despite relentless criticism. He didn't discover anything new - he just popularized what older physicians had proven decades earlier.
