I found this on the front page of my MSN home page this morning--Why are they always picking on Dr Atkins. I s it because they don't understand or are they jealous they didn't think of this WOE first??

Nutritionists and registered dieticians recommend against high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets like the Atkins program for many reasons. They tend to be high in fat and low in fiber and do not offer the five servings of fruits and vegetables currently recommended by the National Cancer Institute to ward off cancer. High-protein diets also set up metabolic ketosis; a harmful, unnatural state in which the body lacks insulin and must burn fat for energy. This condition can cause nausea, vomiting and stomach pain. In addition, these diets do not teach healthful, balanced eating habits that can be sustained over the long-term. That's the reason so many people gain back any weight they lose once they stop such strict diet programs.


I have not had any of these conditions, my conditions are feeling great , having more energy, and being more in controll of my life nad eating habits!!

Sonja

Sonja, this kind of thing actually amuses me now. All you need to do is a bit of rhetorical analysis to find such statements ridiculous.

Burning fat a harmful state? Not if you're 150 or even 50 or 10 pounds overweight. The only way to lose fat is to burn it--duh! This one always makes me chuckle.

I get five servings of vegetables--and people doing PP/Atkins right get more veggies on this WOE than they got on pyramid eating. And more than physicians, btw, have been proven to eat in recent studies.

"Balanced" eating is such a bizarre word. Balanced according to whom? God did not come down from the clouds and say that 2/3 of ones calories should be gotten from grains. Vaguely defined terms make for poor argumentation.

Since over half of people who are overweight have binged on carbs in the past, LC plans exactly DO teach better eating habits--three meals a day rather than snacking or skipping meals, vegetables at two meals (or three), eating to satiety...sounds like better eating habits to me!

I try to remind myself that naturally thin people whose logic is addled by too many grains/too much sugar write such things.

And, less amusedly, I ask, where were they when we all went on 500 calorie diets in the 70's and 80's? Were they talking about the "strictness" of those? In fact, they overtly or secretly thought that was a good idea for us "pigs" to restrict ourselves because, as "everyone knows," obesity is all about character and self-control and not at all about metabolism or genetics, blah blah blah blah. (Just as "everyone" once "knew" that leeches were good for fever and that psychosis was possession by a demon.) Fat people are damned if they do and damned if they don't--sometimes I think thin people hate Atkins because it can be successful, and then they can't run around and feel falsely superior to fat people any more. Fat burning does become dangerous, then--but not to the fat people.

You're right, razzle...it gets to be just plain funny...

...and then somewhere else on the MSN site there's probably another story about the horrific problem with childhood obesity that's making children mature years early or develop diabetes.

I also have experienced none of the problems mentioned related to LC eating. In fact, I've never felt better.

And yes, many people (the majority in fact) who lose weight gain it back. But it's because they haven't educated themselves about nutrician. I know more about the things I eat now than I ever have before. Not only what I should and should not eat, but in which combinations, how to cook, and what suppliments to take.

Reminds me of a note I received from my sister the other day. She mentioned that her hair stylist lost 200 pounds 15 years ago and has kept it all off. I asked her if the woman mentioned how she accomplished this...apparently by not eating breads, flour and sugar. She said it very matter of factly...just stop eating those things and your health improves.

Let's non of us forget that there are multi-billion dollar industries involved here. They hire PR people who plant and propagate stories just like the cigarette industry or any others that knowingly produce and prosper from products that are harmful to our health.

Trust your own insticts and listen to the experiences of others. Did we imagine the 70,000 pounds those of us who use this board have lost?

Donald

Glad to see someone caught the MSN article. I was furious when I read it. Has anyone on these boards mentioned those side effects? Granted the first few days of induction aren't fun but that passes and you feel great! These reports always say harmful state. Not to be harsh, but have there been any cases of severe side effects or death from this diet? Normally if something serious has happened to a person, the media loves to throw that info out there. I just can't figure out what is so wrong with a diet that gives you tons of energy, stops those crazy food cravings that strike even when you are full, permits you to eat until full, lets you have butter (I love real butter!) and helps you lose weight could be so bad. I love the way I am eating now. I don't miss the carbs and the sweet stuff. When I was low-fat I would constantly be hungry and craving sugar filled treats. Since I started this WOE I have not once said, "I must have something sweet."

I read another article on Excite about CA wanting to tax soda's because the sugar filled drinks are contributing to obese children. Now a logical extension of that would be that sugar (in all its deceptive forms) is contributing to obesity. What is wrong with removing sugar? The people who write these articles do not realize they set themselves up as hypocrites. "Eating sugar is BAD. Cutting out sugar is BAD" Geez, make up your minds. Better yet, quit trying to make my life so difficult. Every time one of these articles is released someone who knows I am now following a new WOE wants to throw it in my face. I have people claim that dropping dead in six months could be a possible fate if this WOE is continued.

I wonder if there is a way to get a real challenge (a public one) set up between the two camps. I would love to see how it came out. I would also like to see follow ups done every year or so to see who was able to make it a true WOL and who wasn't. I don't suppose we could convince any of the networks or magazines to put their money where there mouths are could we?

Ah, well. It is nice to dream.

Of course if LCing won the challenge then the farmers would probably sue for defamation of product.

H

As I said before the skinny people are afraid the normal people will take over the earth!! And then what???? THey couldn't possible feel superior anymore!!!

Today is day 5 I fell great so they can kiss my--getting smaller by the day--A~~ !!!!!


Sonja

I don't care what they say....... I ain't a waitin' for some idiot to discover that what I am eating is healthy for me.

Remember what your "balanced" meals use to be? I sure do.....

Breakfast; Pop tarts, cereal with milk, mmmm... now what.. Oh, a snickers bar and a Diet Coke.

Lunch: Diet Coke, and I found the one I opened 20 minutes ago.... so now I have two. Healthy homemade deli sandwich on an 8" roll.....all the fixin's, chips...... most of the bag. hmm..... now what.... oh..... stashed bag of m&m's. Lets see, need something healthy..... a couple of carrot sticks.

Afternoon: snacky.... hmmm...... peanut butter on white bread with sugar on top. Lets see.... that made me hungry, oven baked cheese melt on white bread. Diet Coke.

Dinner....... 16 Oreos and milk while cooking spaghetti and sauce, garlic bread, steamed frozen veggies and icecream loaded with goo. Diet Coke.

Everytime I read something nasty about Atkins I just laugh. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA. So there!
Libby

Just wanted to chime in on the discussion and actually make a confession . . . as a registered dietitian and practicing nutritionist (yes, I'm an RD . . .don't shoot me!), I just want to say that there are some of us out there who get it . . . albeit only a few!!

I was lucky enough to land in a position doing nutrition research early in my career, which looked at the causes of childhood obesity and hyperinsulinism and type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately, the research treatments at the time were pharmacologic and behaviorial using controlled-fat diets and exercise . . . now there is some interesting stuff coming out of Harvard by Ludwig, et al, that uses the glycemic index to guide food choices.

Anyway, I have to admit that I feel the LC WOE is not for everyone, but for me, and a lot like me . . . this is a great WOL!

I work in a clinical pediatric setting now, so the LC WOE doesn't really apply to my formula or breastfeeding patient population!!

Not enough fiber? Good grief! I put my daily intake in at Fitday and it showed that I'm getting 28 grams (on average) of fiber a day...far more than the average person following low fat, high carb. After all....how many grams of fiber does spaghetti, bagels and white bread have? Practically none. Burning fat is dangerous? LOL...how do they think it gets off our bodies? By magic? Not enough veggies? Excuse me...I get my 5 servings a day EVERY day. I just choose the lower carb veggies which are, by the way, far more nutrient dense than their higher carb siblings. Nausea, vomiting and stomach pain? Nope...never had any of those symptoms since I started low carbing...although I DID have those when I was following a high carb, low fat diet. Doesn't teach healthful eating habits? By whose standards? If the way I eat provides my RDA of vitamins and minerals, helps me loose weight, lowers my blood sugar and blood pressure along with my cardiac risk profile improving, this is not healthful? Give me a break! As for being unable to sustain over the long haul, perhaps they're thinking (mistakenly) that we stay on induction for life and they must have missed reading the studies that compared the retention levels of low fat to low carb (low carb won hands down). The only thing they got right is that my fat intake is high...and I'm enjoying every high fat bite of it.

omg, Libby, I feel like you were spying on my eating two years ago! only exception, I never put sugar on my PB sandwiches...just bought the highest-sugar brand available. But Diet Coke and M&M's within the same hour? oh yeah, been there!

Within the same hour? Hell, I would buy a Diet Pepsi (generally two) and a candy bar at the same time.

Libby...15 Oreos while making dinner? LOL...I'd eat the entire bag (low fat, of course) and then be too buzzed on sugar to eat the meal!
M&M's and a diet coke....hmmm...doesn't that fall in the category of "if you eat something high in calories and then drink a Diet Coke with it, they cancel each other out?" LOL
When it comes to these "scientific" articles, I just remind myself that an entire LARGE and powerful food industry is built around the "low fat" recommendation and if more people figured out that low carb is better for you, they'd all be looking for jobs. Pretty good motivation for these people to keep perpetuating the misinformation. It's kind of like the tobacco industry knowing full well that cigarettes were bad for people, but continuing to deny it until they were forced to do otherwise. I don't expect the low fat people to admit they were wrong any time soon, but at least their motivations are better than those of the tobacco industry; many of them honestly believe that it's the best way to go.

About these kinds of articles-
I just wish these people would READ about lc eating, instead of parroting some "facts" they heard elsewhere!!!

You guys are crackin me up!!! It seems so funny to listen to how we all used to eat. I can remember just before I started back up on Atkins My job sent me for donuts. So I oredered the 12 they orderd for the oofice and then ordered 2 more-seperate of course-for before I got back!! Then had one with everyone else!!

Thank Goodness I have seen the LC light!!
Sonja

"15 Oreos while making dinner? LOL...I'd eat the entire bag (low fat, of course) and then be too buzzed on sugar to eat the meal! "

AND THEN....... blame them being all gone on the KIDS!!


Libby

Oreo's nothing...how about sitting down for a "small" snack and eating the whone 1.5 pound bag of M&M's! <rofl>

I buy candy after the holidays because it is soooo cheap. I would buy 25 bags of candy bars and stuff and it would ALL be gone within a week to 10 days.

This year I bought 30 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies. I gave 10 boxes away...and have 20 boxes in my freezer. I now understand how people can still have them in October!!!

Dee