I 'm not sure if I'm posting this in the right place. I've read in the forums somewhere that Oprah is low carbing. Is this so? I was at my sister in laws over the week-end and she gets Oprah's magazine( Jan, 2003 issue)and there was an article in it on "diet fads and of course Low carb diets were included. It listed a check list on how you could tell that a diet was a fad that would not work. I don't have the article with me, but has anyone read it? We are all used to this WOE being slammed, but I was a bit disappointed that Oprah would go along with the status quo in her publication. Too, it was well written and it made me wonder (for several minutes) if I was deluding myself. Maybe calories are the bottom line, maybe most people cannot keep eating this way for a lifetime (goodness knows I've been off the wagon and People, it's not a lonely place!) Then I thought, but I feel great! my body can't lie!!! THis is not so much about losing weight as about being healthy and feeling good and energetic. Sure you can lose weight on Ultra low fat, high carb diets, but how would you feel? For some reason the article threatened my "beliefs" and I feel better now that I've expressed myself. Thanks!

I found the article you mentioned on Oprah's website:

http://www.oprah.com/health/omag/he...XMGFLLARAYHCFEQ

It is a well-written article but misleading in a lot of ways. For instance, in the first panel it says that any diet guru who poses as an unconventional genius is probably scamming, because "conventional wisdom is indeed wise." It is a good idea to be skeptical of off-the-wall claims. But assuming that conventional wisdom is true just because everyone believes it, well that's taking credulity a bit too far.

On the next panel they criticize plans that promotes weight loss through lowering insulin rather than controlling calories. I think that if there were nothing to weight loss except total calories, probably very few of us would need to be on this forum. Of course, calories consumed must be lower than calories expended. But there's obviously much more to it. It's kind of ironic that in another article on the website, Oprah completely undercuts this one, saying she dropped ten pounds not by counting calories, but by giving up high-glycemic refined carbohydrates.

Next they go after plans that are so extreme you can't stay on them for more than a short time ("a few weeks of eating only grapefruit or bacon"), and plans that promise quick results rather than a lifetime of better eating. Those are both bad things, but neither one of them describes Atkins.

So after reading that article, I think it was a pretty good argument against the horrible, unhealthy crash diet that people *think* Atkins is. But didn't have much to say about serious low-carb eating plans.

Just my two cents

Thanks Sarah, You made some good points. You know, I have yet to read a Atkin''s bashing article from someone who has actually tried it. I find low carbers are so informed about nutrition and body processes. We have to be to have rebuttals ready for the nay-sayers!

Let's not let the facts get in the way of a good story. Tons of people have been doing low fat dieting and such and look at how are obesity rate is sky-rocketing.