Diet gurus preach guidelines

By VIRGINIA ANDERSON and RICHARD L. ELDREDGE / Cox News Service

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ATLANTA - Arthur Agatston, the South Beach Diet guru who preaches on the evils of processed carbs and saturated fats, faced down an enemy line of biscuits, grits, bacon, banana and eggs Thursday morning. As eyes openly roamed over his breakfast plate, he scooped up only a small serving of scrambled eggs.

A few miles away, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York and Weight Watchers spokeswoman, stood next to platters of tea sandwiches of rare roast beef, egg salad and ham and Swiss cheese, and a tray of vegetables with dip. She smiled nicely, had a cup of Earl Grey tea with one-half teaspoon of honey, no cream, and declined everything but two grape tomatoes and a cucumber slice, explaining that the treats weren't worth it.

Such was the day for the apostles of two of the most popular diets in America, the South Beach Diet and Weight Watchers, who just happened to converge in Atlanta to spread their gospels.

Their timing was also good, as they stumped on the day of the release of a study that shows the national cost of obesity at $75 billion.

Agatston, a Miami cardiologist whose book has sold more than 5.5 million copies, swears that his diet of eschewing processed carbohydrates is not only a solution to America's growing obesity problem but also the best way to good heart health. He began his morning with a presentation to medical and clinical staff of Northside Hospital and the morning buffet in the doctors' lounge.

Ferguson, a mother of two and former wife of Prince Andrew whose struggle with weight was cruelly mocked in the British press for years, appeared before television cameras and groups of employees at Home Depot corporate headquarters, reminding people that "to err is human; to forgive, divine" and playing up Weight Watchers' famous point system and portion control.

Their appearance on the same day highlighted the confusing food and diet climate in which Americans live. Restaurants tout slabs of red meat with blue cheese as a weight loss option, and beer makers have made a drink marketed as beer to appeal to low-carb lovers. The nutritional academic community stresses that diets do not work. Yet obesity rates are not abating. What's a consumer to do?

Easy, Agatston said. Avoid processed carbohydrates like white bread, sugar, cakes, pies and sweets.

Easy, Ferguson said. Eat what you like, so long as it is within a point range devised by Weight Watchers. The 40-year-old business' enrollment has been lagging, overshadowed by the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets.

Agatston believes the obesity epidemic is due to low-fat guidelines promulgated in the 1980s, when science on the detrimental effects of high-carbohydrate diets was lacking. He separates himself from followers of the Atkins Diet by saying there are good and bad carbs. Good carbs include certain fruits and vegetables and whole grains.

"It was an experiment," he said while dining later in the day on a lunch of salmon and steamed vegetables. "There's never been a society eating the processed carbohydrates Americans eat."

He believes further research and increasing obesity have shown that diets high in processed carbohydrates are villainous. (He resisted the temptation of a large chunk of sourdough bread at lunch.)

Temptation was also lurking across town for Ferguson at Home Depot's corporate headquarters in Vinings, where she spoke to employees. After a nonstop morning of interviews, photos, autographs and speeches, she finally enjoyed a five-minute tea break.

Pointing to the stacks of tea sandwiches inches away, Ferguson said, "I could have any of those sandwiches if I wanted. That's the beauty of Weight Watchers. But at the same time, those points add up. Even on this plan, you have to be incredibly mindful of what you're doing.

"Last evening, not even thinking, I had eaten three cubes of cheese with biscuits [crackers]. It suddenly dawned on me, I had just had six points' worth of food for the day."

Ferguson, realizing that in a sentence she had completely crystallized the American obesity woes reported on newspaper front pages Thursday, said: "Here in the U.S., it's all sitting on the couch with that large bag of snacks, isn't it? Everything is supersized. I got thoroughly frustrated in a restaurant last night. I wanted two bits of fish and a side plate of asparagus.

"And they always want to bring you this massive portion with a potato and bread!"

Addressing about 600 employees, Ferguson reflected on her weight problems after divorcing Prince Andrew.

"I somehow managed to leave the royal family with my head still on my shoulders. Why I wasn't beheaded, I'll never know. Nine years ago when I arrived on the shores of the U.S., I was an empty vessel. You didn't care. You embraced me as I was. You people have given me back my life. I thank you, and so do my children."

A photo of Ferguson's daughters, Beatrice, 15, and Eugenie, 13, flashed on the large screen behind her.

"Nine years ago, when Weight Watchers asked me if I would be their spokesperson, then came the really annoying part. They told me, 'You'll have to do the program.' "

Virginia Anderson and Richard Eldredge write for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. E-mail:landerson~ajc.com,reldredge~ajc.com

He separates himself from followers of the Atkins Diet by saying there are good and bad carbs. Good carbs include certain fruits and vegetables


It pains me to read this

"Last evening, not even thinking, I had eaten three cubes of cheese with biscuits [crackers]. It suddenly dawned on me, I had just had six points' worth of food for the day."


Man is that a life? Counting food points for the rest of your life?

I count carbs in quite a similar fashion. I really don't see much of a difference in the counting. WW counts one way, LC counts another.

I love that! Yeah, that's pretty annoying, Fergie. I've tried WW and thought that same thing myself many times.

Once I learned what foods to avoid, literally counting carbs became a lower priority for me.

With WW I gather that the counting is eternal and non-optional.

It's true, I was on Weight Watchers and you can become neurotic counting the points in everything.

I agree that it's a lot easier with low carb. I still count carbs, but feel more relaxed, because there's lots of foods I can eat without counting, like proteins, fats and low-starch veggies (I am following the New High Protein Diet, by Charles Clark, an eating plan from the UK that is even out-doing Atkins in Scotland).

I believe ANY low carb plan is easier than WW. I just walked around hungry ALL the time on WW, not so with low carb. I believe low carb is here to stay and the membership at WW will decline even further!

Let's face it, if were paid several million a year from WW like Fergie, we'd probably grudgingly stick to that awful plan as well.

I must admit, WW is certainly more stringent in their point system than LC is with counting carbs. I learned, just as gotbeer, which foods to avoid.

I've also noticed when I'm in the middle of a stall, it helps to count up the carbs I actually am consuming since I tend to fall prey to carb creep. LC is certainly much easier than WW in that respect, but it's not entirely different, either.

I'd do WW for $7,000,000. I could survive for one year.

That's what it would take.

Then I'd take my $7,000,000, and build a mansion with a monster kitchen.

In public, anyway...

I'd be a secret steak eater -- sitting in my hotel room after appearances, going "OK, that's 2 points for the salad with ranch dressing -- and thirty points for the 2-inch thick ribeye! Bwahaha, count THIS, suckers!!!"

But, unlike WW...there are a number of decent foods we can eat that have ZERO carbs or so few carbs, you probably don't even need to worry too much about them. For example, I didn't count my carbs at all for the first few months other than having a basic understanding of what foods were High, Moderate, Low, or Carb-Free...and I didn't go over my carb limit very many [if any] times. I ate Meats, Cheeses, Green Vegetables, and drank Water and Diet Rite.

I think it is entirely possible to create a diet with NO Carb, Points, Fat, or Calorie counting at all. In fact, a few already exist. All you have to do is tell people eat certain foods frequently [lets say Fresh Meats, Seafood, Cheese, and Green Veggies]; eat others no more than once a day [let's say Low-Glycemic Fruit and Milk]; and others no more than once a week [let's say Tubers and Whole Grains]; and don't eat others at all [let's say Refined Sugar and Refined Grains.] No counting there, except the number of servings a day or week. All you have to remember is "Did I have some Fruit or Milk already today ?" and "Did I have a Potato or Bread already this week ?" A diet like this would probably work for a large number of folks who aren't severely IR.

I think it is entirely possible to create a diet with NO Carb, Points, Fat, or Calorie counting at all. In fact, a few already exist. All you have to do is tell people eat certain foods frequently [lets say Fresh Meats, Seafood, Cheese, and Green Veggies]; eat others no more than once a day [let's say Low-Glycemic Fruit and Milk]; and others no more than once a week [let's say Tubers and Whole Grains]; and don't eat others at all [let's say Refined Sugar and Refined Grains.] No counting there, except the number of servings a day or week. All you have to remember is "Did I have some Fruit or Milk already today ?" and "Did I have a Potato or Bread already this week ?" A diet like this would probably work for a large number of folks who aren't severely IR.


I agree...it's workable

"I wanted two bits of fish and a side plate of asparagus."

Looks like Fergie and Agatston could have had dinner together. Nice lo carb meal there, just needs hollandaise sauce for the asparagus.

2 grape tomatoes and a slice of cucumber.... she is starving herself and it can only last for so long before you go nuts or fool yourself into thinking that its satisfying.




I had a friend who did weight watchers that way. She would waste all her points on oreos. Exercise to get extra points. Eat more cookies! starve for the rest of the day and have this zero point nasty soup they have as a dinner.

She lost very little weight but stuck to the plan. It wasnt healthy at all.

Thank you, Christine, for pointing out the obvious. There are a LOT of things I would do for seven million dollars. lol

My sweetie was on weight watchers for years and folowed it religiously and went to meetings every week. She would come home say she had lost or gained a half pound 90% of the time. Now she is on Atkins with me and just LOVES not having the drudgery of having to count all those points.