this is the sort of stupidity I hear from my friends, so it's nice to know the Mayor of our fine city is no bettah, ha haaa....



http://www.ny1.com/ny/NewsBeats/Sub...tentintid=36596

JANUARY 20TH, 2004


You've probably argued with your friends over whether the no-carb Atkins diet really works. Perhaps you've even tried Atkins yourself. Now Mayor Michael Bloomberg is weighing in, and he's not mincing any words. NY1's Michael Scotto has the exclusive story.

Was it really a slip and fall that killed diet guru, Robert Atkins? Mayor Michael Bloomberg isn’t so sure.

“Atkins is dead. I don't believe that bullshit that he dropped dead slipping on a sidewalk, yeah right,” joked Bloomberg.

Chowing down on huge plate of pasta, Bloomberg ripped into the man who told dieters to stay away from carbohydrates.

Atkins died last April when he hit his head after slipping on a patch of ice in front of his Manhattan office.

He became internationally famous by claiming dieters could shed pounds while still eating lots of beef and bacon.

While he's often watching his waistline, the mayor's not a fan of what the diet guru used to cook up.

“I actually went to his house out in South Hampton,” said Bloomberg. “It was for a fundraiser about two years ago. It was for Pataki fundraiser, and I went. The guy was fat -- a big guy – but heavy and the food was inedible. I took one appetizer and spit it out in the napkin. It was just terrible.”

As you can imagine, the people who work for Atkins' company aren't too happy.

“I knew Atkins in life and he wasn't fat. I've eaten Veronica Atkins' food and it was good,” said chairperson for the Atkins Physicians Council Stuart Trager.

The Atkins Physician Council is baffled the mayor even made the comments. It gave NY1 a letter Bloomberg sent to Atkins' wife, Veronica, telling her:

“Through a career dedicated to finding innovative ways to help others improve their health, Dr. Robert C. Atkins touched the lives of so many.”

“I'd like to hope at least that this is just a joke gone bad and carried too far,” said Trager.

Since taking office Bloomberg has trimmed down. He's an avid runner and tries to stay away from high-calorie foods.

Last week, the weight-conscious mayor said he loves low calorie sandwiches at Subway. The sandwich chain also sells Atkins-friendly wraps.

But it appears the Mayor's going to stay far away from those sandwiches.

– Michael Scotto