Atkins under fire
I recently ordered the Slim in Six series of dvds and the workout is great and the support on the message boards is incredible. However in the newsletter I got in my email this morning this subject was first. This was their insert:
[The most popular diet on the market today, Atkins, has come under fire recently in the major press. This is nothing new to members of the Beachbody Message Boards community, as we've been critical of this diet from the get-go. But the mainstream has been slow to scrutinize, perhaps wowed by the "all you can eat" lifestyle the diet seems to promote. The recent death of its founder, Dr. Robert Atkins, has spurred the media to take another look, which has uncovered some rather alarming facts and caused a major backtrack in the company's philosophy.
Last week, most major publications ran articles revealing that Atkins himself was obese, a fact that no one seemed to care much about while he was living. This story originated in The Wall Street Journal, which cited a report by the New York City medical examiner which stated that before his death, Atkins had suffered a heart attack, congestive heart failure, and hypertension. At 6 feet tall, he weighed 258 pounds, which is considered obese by his own definition.
The Atkins Physicians Council in New York was quick to say the examiner's report was false, claiming that Atkins' heart problems were due to cardiomyopathy, a condition thought to stem from a viral infection. His wife, Veronica Atkins, told the WSJ: "I have been assured by my husband's physicians that my husband's health problems late in life were completely unrelated to his diet, or any diet."
However, the fact that another Atkins revelation surfaced in the press just a few weeks prior lends an air of "smoke screen" to this report. Back in January, The New York Times reported that Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. was advising its clients to limit their intake of saturated fats by cutting back on their former staples: meat, cheese, and butter. This advice contradicts Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, first published in 1992, which states that beef, pork, lamb, and butter are "foods you may eat liberally."
According to The Times, Colette Heimowitz, director of research and education at Atkins, now says saturated fats should account for no more than 20% of their clients' calories.]
I'm rather disturbed by this misinformation on thier part and that they spread it so easily to their members, some of which (like me) are surely low carbing. I understand they have their own system and products to sell but I don't see the need to attack others. It's a shame that my exersise program is so violently opposed to my diet. Though I'm enjoying the workout and the discipline it takes to complete the program I'm thinking I should return the product and perhaps go with something different like the Firm that apparently isn't so critical of this WOE. Any thoughts?
|
Linear Mode
