Atkins

September 15, 2003

Dear Doreen,

I also am not a doctor but can tell you that in a brief, misguided attempt

at Atkins--eating mostly vegetarian at that--I developed gout, as well as a

host of other complaints. I have friends who are die hard Atkins and the

husband has recently developed kidney failure.

Nina

Years ago my mother had a friend who was severely overweight. He had

a history of kidney stones. He was a great lover of meat and

enthusiastically received the Atkins Diet when it first came out.

I am not a physician and cannot say if the Atkins Diet was the direct

cause, but although he did lose a lot of weight, he also lost

complete use of his kidneys and had to be put on dialysis permanently.

Doreen

September 15, 2003

I wanted to mention, and maybe this is obvious to everybody already, another

possible complication for people who choose Atkins over more Ornish styled

dietary

regimens. Behavior, lifestyle, mindset. Growing up in Iowa I have seen many

people

who lack the mental ability to see the pleasure in eating a salad and have been

raised on meat/dairy/fat. If it was good enough for grandpa then it's good

enough

for me, they would say to me. So when Atkins presented the option of

maintaining

the diet one was so accustomed to it was mentally easy, and physiologically

satisfying despite what they could not feel and what they failed to read with

respect to the nutritional and health consequences. Many of these people are

the

conservative mindset who deliberately choose to remain averse to change. They

also

have unhealthy coping mechanisms and tend to be prejudice of most everything

foreign. They remind me of lab rats who for lack of an involuntary

regurgatation

system are extremely averse to new foods for fear that it could poison them and

they

wouldn't be able to vomit it out. Anyway, the point is that people have complex

influences on their health and I would suspect many Atkins individuals have

compromised health for reasons other than the diet, which contribute to the

results

associated with the diet.

Marcus

PS- Lychees are a wonderful fruit and fun to open. Ask for them in your produce

section at natural foods stores or Indian/Asian markets because I know suppliers

can

get them in the US, just not a super high demand for 'em.

--- Nina Dunham <ndunham wrote:

> Dear Doreen,

>

> I also am not a doctor but can tell you that in a brief, misguided attempt

> at Atkins--eating mostly vegetarian at that--I developed gout, as well as a

> host of other complaints. I have friends who are die hard Atkins and the

> husband has recently developed kidney failure.

>

> Nina

>

> Years ago my mother had a friend who was severely overweight. He had

> a history of kidney stones. He was a great lover of meat and

> enthusiastically received the Atkins Diet when it first came out.

>

> I am not a physician and cannot say if the Atkins Diet was the direct

> cause, but although he did lose a lot of weight, he also lost

> complete use of his kidneys and had to be put on dialysis permanently.

>

> Doreen

>

April 23, 2004

ok, just my .02 as a trainer and nutritionist:

the atkins diet works simply because it will cause the dieter to eat fewer

calories. this is how ALL diets work. you could eat nothing but butter and

still lose weight if you were eating fewer calories than you expended. is

this a HEALTHY way to lose weight? no. does it work in the long run? no,

and in fact, the weight will come back and then some because as soon as the

dieter gets off the diet, the calories go up. during the diet the metabolism

will drop to match the reduced number of calories. the metabolism will not

come

up as quickly as it went down, so the body's fat-burning mechanism will not

be as efficient as it was before. this is what causes the " yo-yo " effect we

all know and love.

the atkins diet also causes significant fluid loss due to the excess protein

consumed. it is, in essence, a pre-contest bodybuilder's diet.

bodybuilders try to eliminate excess fluids before contests so that their

muscles show to

the fullest extent. protein uses a lot of water in the digestive process,

so it will cause a dehydrative effect. this also factors into the " weight loss "

on the atkins diet.

the average person uses anywhere from .4 - .8 grams of protein per kg of body

weight. the average athlete uses about .9-1g/kg. anything above this is

simply not used by the body, and is excreted. all this excess protein can

bind with calcium in the kidneys and cause stones; it can also cause edema and

other fun things.

carbs are not the evil entities that they are made out to be. carbohydrates

are very important sources of energy, fiber, vitamins and minerals, and

without them the body does not function as it should. complex carbohydrates,

such

as whole, unprocessed grains, fruits, and vegetables, are processed much more

slowly in the body than are processed, " white " carbohydrates, and are not

converted to fat as quickly. " white " carbs don't have much nutritional value,

and can be safely eliminated from the diet. however, complex, " brown " carbs

should make up 40-50% of your diet, unless you have a diabetic or similar

condition that would require you to eat less.

hope this helps.

melody

http://www.melodysmusic.net

April 24, 2004

Like like your 2¢.

Move more+ eat less= losing weight.

It works!

~ PT ~

No snowflake ever falls in the wrong place.

~ Zen saying

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~>

, nadiana1@a... wrote:

> ok, just my .02 as a trainer and nutritionist:

>

> the atkins diet works simply because it will cause the dieter to

eat fewer

> calories. this is how ALL diets work. you could eat nothing but

butter and

> still lose weight if you were eating fewer calories than you

expended.

April 24, 2004

Melody,

Thanks for giving the *real* low-down on Atkins. I work in a

bookstore and if our booksales are any indication, Dr.

Atkins' " corporation " has made more than than its fair share on the

current dieting obsession. And they still keep cranking out " new "

books to encourage people to spend, spend, spend. It drives me crazy,

but there isn't much I can do about it since the higher-ups decide

what to sell, and it's all about profits. *sigh*

More than once I've been asked what I think about the diet (no

comment, or I'll just start getting mad) and whether it works or not

(not a clue, hey, I'm just a bookseller!). Your summary of the

reasons why this diet works, and why it's not healthy, will give me

some quality " fuel " to feed those poor hapless souls looking for a

quick way to lose a few pounds. Then I'll direct them to some more

reasonable dieting advice (Dr. Weil and Dr. Art Hister for the

Canadian folks, both who lean towards the Veggie Way).

My 2 cents well spent!

Cheers,

Kathy

--- Melody wrote:

> ok, just my .02 as a trainer and nutritionist:

April 26, 2004

Good for you, Kathy.

Just for curiousity sake, what bookstore do you

work for; is it a large chain like Waldenbooks or

B & N?

~ PT ~

Month of April - aerial is the horizon;

Fatigued the oxen; bare the land;

Common is the visitor without an invitation.

~ anon. Welsh poem

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~~~>

, " Kathy " <treegrrl29>

wrote:

> Thanks for giving the *real* low-down on Atkins. I work in a

> bookstore and if our booksales are any indication, Dr.

> Atkins' " corporation " has made more than than its fair share on the

> current dieting obsession. And they still keep cranking out " new "

> books to encourage people to spend, spend, spend. It drives me

crazy,

> but there isn't much I can do about it since the higher-ups decide

> what to sell, and it's all about profits. *sigh*

>

> More than once I've been asked what I think about the diet (no

> comment, or I'll just start getting mad) and whether it works or

not

> (not a clue, hey, I'm just a bookseller!).

May 14, 2004

Actually there are numerous studies that show those on Atkins and

other controlled-carb plans eat more calories than those on other

diets. All I know is that all the rich foods I eat are hardly low in

calories. I really believe that once I got all the sugar out of my

cells, my metabolism was reprogrammed. I can eat more and still lose

weight. I have also read that we metabolize the calories from

proteins and carbs differently, that " a calorie is not a calorie " .

Has anyone read The Schwarzbein Principle? Dr. Diana Schwarzbein is

a leading endocrinologist and wrote the introduction to the

Somersize books (the plan I am on). She devotes a chapter to how " a

calorie is not a calorie " . She says low-calorie and low fat diets

are unhealthy. Her books is an eye opener and I highly recommend it.

I believe this books contains vegetarian recipes, and she has a

cookbook which includes vegetarian recipes, too, if anyone is

interested.

Also, as far as moving more and eating less, that certainly didn't

work in my case. Before I started the lower-carb plan I'm on, I

exercised like crazy. I tried to cut back on fat and portions and

all the traditional diet tricks you hear of, but I only got bigger.

I yo-yo dieted myself up to almost obesity! But once I got all the

sugar out of my system and ate real food, the pounds melted off. I

still exercise, but what I lost was due to what I ate, not how much

I moved.

Cindy

, " ~ PT ~ "

<patchouli_troll> wrote:

> Like like your 2¢.

> Move more+ eat less= losing weight.

> It works!

>

> ~ PT ~

>

> No snowflake ever falls in the wrong place.

> ~ Zen saying

> ~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~>

> , nadiana1@a... wrote:

> > ok, just my .02 as a trainer and nutritionist:

> >

> > the atkins diet works simply because it will cause the dieter to

> eat fewer

> > calories. this is how ALL diets work. you could eat nothing

but

> butter and

> > still lose weight if you were eating fewer calories than you

> expended.

May 14, 2004

, " Cindy " <cindybin2001>

wrote:

Dr. Diana Schwarzbein is

> a leading endocrinologist and wrote the introduction to the

> Somersize books (the plan I am on). She devotes a chapter to how " a

> calorie is not a calorie " . She says low-calorie and low fat diets

> are unhealthy.

well, yes and no. i do agree that a calorie is not a calorie-- the

body processes certain foods differently from others. for instance,

processed ( " white " ) foods, such as white flour, sugars, white rice,

and even white potatoes to some degree, are very easily processed by

the body-- most of the digestive work has been done already, so the

body doesn't have to do much to break this stuff down. in simplest

terms, without going into digestive science, whatever isn't used up

right away gets stored as fat.

fatty foods are also more easily stored as fat, and in addition are

higher in calories per gram than other foods.

however, i do not agree that a lower-calorie, lower-fat diet is

unhealthy. VERY low-calorie diets (i.e., a diet that does not provide

enough calories to fuel the person's weight, metabolism, and activity

level) are bad-- they cause the metabolism to drop and the body to use

muscle as fuel. VERY low-fat diets, i.e. diets that are under 20%

fat, are also unhealthy and do not provide the body with the proper

balance it needs to absorb nutrients.

here is my bsaic food lecture. it should be pretty straightforward,

but it's what i use as a tool to discuss with my clients, so if

anything is unclear, let me know:

MELODY'S WORLD-FAMOUS FOOD LECTURE

Part One: Basic Calories

The following is a BASIC formula for determining how many calories per

day your body needs. BASIC means that your body is NOT a formula, and

cannot/should not be summarized as such. The number you get from this

formula should be a STARTING POINT. It may be perfect for you, or may

need some tweaking in one direction or another. Do NOT, as a general

rule, allow this number to drop below 1400-1500 calories per day.

(WEIGHT * 11) * (your activity level—see below) + (WEIGHT * 11)

ACTIVITY LEVEL:

20% = Sedentary

30% = Light Activity

40% = Strenuous Activity 3x/week +

50% = Olympic-calibre training

Part Two: Melody's Rules

1) Know what you're eating!!! (read labels, buy organic whenever

possible)

2) Minimize processed ( " white " ) foods

3) Be aware of portion sizes

4) Don't drink your calories!!

5) Aim to eat 5-6 small meals per day (every three hours). Each meal

should have some complex carbs, some protein, and some fat. Examples:

whole-grain bread with 1 tbsp. peanut butter, apple with string

cheese, edamame

6) Avoid the evil High-Fructose Corn Syrup!

7) Eat like an angel 6 days, give yourself a cheat day.

Part Three: Okay, So What Do I Eat?!?

COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES: 40-50% of total calories (less for

diabetics/carb sensitive)

DON'T NEGLECT YOUR CARBS!!!

¸ WHOLE GRAIN (or sprouted) breads/pastas (It must say " whole " )

¸ Brown rice

¸ Amaranth, quinoa, barley, spelt, teff, etc.

¸ VEGETABLES

¸ FRUITS

PROTEIN: 30-40% of total calories

¸ Lean meats (white meat poultry, fish)

¸ Egg whites

¸ Non/Lo fat dairy

¸ Soy products

¸ Beans

¸ Whole grains

¸ Nuts/seeds (in moderation)

FATS: 20% of total calories

GOOD FATS

Mono/Polyunsaturated

¸ Olive oil

¸ Canola oil

¸ Grapeseed oil

¸ Nuts/seeds

¸ Avocadoes

BAD FATS

Saturated/Hydrogenated (trans fats)

X Solid fats (margarine, shortening, butter)

X Animal fats of all kinds (lard, dairy, meat)

X Palm oil

X Coconut

hope this helps...

melody

May 24, 2004

You mentioned that fatty foods are more easily stored as fat, but

from what I've learned through controlled-carb plans is that this is

not necessarily true. It's only when you combine fatty foods with

carbs, as in a donut or cookies, that they have the potential to

pack on pounds. Insulin must be present for fat to be stored, and

fat alone does not cause an insulin response. On Somersizing, the

lower carb plan I'm on, you don't have to worry about calories, and

you eat fat and protein alone, separate from carbs, so you don't

raise your insulin level.

, " nadiana01 "

<nadiana1@a...> wrote:

> , " Cindy "

> wrote:

> Dr. Diana Schwarzbein is

> > a leading endocrinologist and wrote the introduction to the

> > Somersize books (the plan I am on). She devotes a chapter to

how " a

> > calorie is not a calorie " . She says low-calorie and low fat

diets

> > are unhealthy.

>

> well, yes and no. i do agree that a calorie is not a calorie-- the

> body processes certain foods differently from others. for

instance,

> processed ( " white " ) foods, such as white flour, sugars, white rice,

> and even white potatoes to some degree, are very easily processed

by

> the body-- most of the digestive work has been done already, so the

> body doesn't have to do much to break this stuff down. in simplest

> terms, without going into digestive science, whatever isn't used up

> right away gets stored as fat.

>

> fatty foods are also more easily stored as fat, and in addition are

> higher in calories per gram than other foods.

>

> however, i do not agree that a lower-calorie, lower-fat diet is

> unhealthy. VERY low-calorie diets (i.e., a diet that does not

provide

> enough calories to fuel the person's weight, metabolism, and

activity

> level) are bad-- they cause the metabolism to drop and the body to

use

> muscle as fuel. VERY low-fat diets, i.e. diets that are under 20%

> fat, are also unhealthy and do not provide the body with the proper

> balance it needs to absorb nutrients.

>

> here is my bsaic food lecture. it should be pretty

straightforward,

> but it's what i use as a tool to discuss with my clients, so if

> anything is unclear, let me know:

>

> MELODY'S WORLD-FAMOUS FOOD LECTURE

>

> Part One: Basic Calories

>

> The following is a BASIC formula for determining how many calories

per

> day your body needs. BASIC means that your body is NOT a formula,

and

> cannot/should not be summarized as such. The number you get from

this

> formula should be a STARTING POINT. It may be perfect for you, or

may

> need some tweaking in one direction or another. Do NOT, as a

general

> rule, allow this number to drop below 1400-1500 calories per day.

>

> (WEIGHT * 11) * (your activity level—see below) + (WEIGHT * 11)

>

> ACTIVITY LEVEL:

> 20% = Sedentary

> 30% = Light Activity

> 40% = Strenuous Activity 3x/week +

> 50% = Olympic-calibre training

>

> Part Two: Melody's Rules

>

> 1) Know what you're eating!!! (read labels, buy organic whenever

> possible)

> 2) Minimize processed ( " white " ) foods

> 3) Be aware of portion sizes

> 4) Don't drink your calories!!

> 5) Aim to eat 5-6 small meals per day (every three hours). Each

meal

> should have some complex carbs, some protein, and some fat.

Examples:

> whole-grain bread with 1 tbsp. peanut butter, apple with string

> cheese, edamame

> 6) Avoid the evil High-Fructose Corn Syrup!

> 7) Eat like an angel 6 days, give yourself a cheat day.

>

> Part Three: Okay, So What Do I Eat?!?

>

> COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES: 40-50% of total calories (less for

> diabetics/carb sensitive)

> DON'T NEGLECT YOUR CARBS!!!

>

> ¸ WHOLE GRAIN (or sprouted) breads/pastas (It must say " whole " )

> ¸ Brown rice

> ¸ Amaranth, quinoa, barley, spelt, teff, etc.

> ¸ VEGETABLES

> ¸ FRUITS

>

> PROTEIN: 30-40% of total calories

>

> ¸ Lean meats (white meat poultry, fish)

> ¸ Egg whites

> ¸ Non/Lo fat dairy

> ¸ Soy products

> ¸ Beans

> ¸ Whole grains

> ¸ Nuts/seeds (in moderation)

>

> FATS: 20% of total calories

>

> GOOD FATS

>

> Mono/Polyunsaturated

>

> ¸ Olive oil

> ¸ Canola oil

> ¸ Grapeseed oil

> ¸ Nuts/seeds

> ¸ Avocadoes

>

> BAD FATS

>

> Saturated/Hydrogenated (trans fats)

>

> X Solid fats (margarine, shortening, butter)

> X Animal fats of all kinds (lard, dairy, meat)

> X Palm oil

> X Coconut

>

> hope this helps...

>

> melody

July 22, 2004

oh, and don't even get me STARTED on how i feel about the atkins diet...

blah.

melody

http://www.flawlessfitness.com

http://www.melodysmusic.net

July 22, 2004

Women can die from it! It is totally unrealistic. It causes depressian in women.

Men already complain of our " PMS " so why make it worse?

Little laugh time for you,

Coco

>

> nadiana1

> 2004/07/22 Thu AM 10:43:05 EDT

>

> Re: atkins

>

July 22, 2004

You know I find it funny how everyone finds Atkins so healthy but

always leave out the fact Dr. Atkins himself died an OBESE unhealthy

man. Hmmmm...makes you wonder eh? Cheers

-Jawsh

July 22, 2004

Coco... never heard that women can be depressed from the Atkins Diet

though I think it's proven to be ineffective nonesense. My wife and I

were on it in the late 70's and she became severely depressed and

unbalanced with PSM but didnt relate it to the diet. She actually

didn't snap out of it while we were together, which was a difficult

situation. I ended up with custody of my 3 sons whom I raised as

vegetarians. They are now adults and still practicing vegetarianism.

DS

, Coco <squinkabink@b...> wrote:

> Women can die from it! It is totally unrealistic. It causes

depressian in women.

> Men already complain of our " PMS " so why make it worse?

> Little laugh time for you,

> Coco

> >

> > nadiana1@a...

> > 2004/07/22 Thu AM 10:43:05 EDT

> >

> > Re: atkins

> >

>

July 22, 2004

That is exactly what I tell people. They say, " Well, uhhh... "

Stupidity is the trend these days. It's called stop eating a humungous portion

of food and eat what you know is good for you. Everyone knows what is good for

them. Little kids know that hamburgers are bad for them. Only 30 minutes of

exercise a day is needed to keep you in shape. Why follow trend diets that ask

you not to eat fruit for an extensive amount of time. Not eating fruit...sounds

totally healthy to me.

Ranting Coco

> " Jawsh Wright " <degenr869

> 2004/07/22 Thu PM 02:51:20 EDT

>

> Re: atkins

>

July 22, 2004

David,

It reduces a hormone that regulates depression in women. Women already have 50%

less of this hormone compared to men.

It was in Reader's Digest. I was waiting in the Doctor's office. THey had two

articles in favor of vegetarians. One on all of the deadly disease animal flesh

contains and one on bashing Atkins. Not once did they say vegetarians avoid any

of these deadly diseases. They jsut say wash this, wash that.

Coco

> " David Star " <hempprince

> 2004/07/22 Thu PM 03:29:55 EDT

>

> Re: atkins

>

July 22, 2004

PS: That is wonderful that you raised your children to be vegetarians. Many

people think its cruel to do so. I don't think so. I never thought so. It will

make them live longer, appreciate animals and the enviorment, learn to cook(!),

and be self relient.

Coco

> " David Star " <hempprince

> 2004/07/22 Thu PM 03:29:55 EDT

>

> Re: atkins

>

July 22, 2004

According to his hospital records, he was not obese. Here's a quote from the

Snopes article on the subject:

" Thanks to his death certificate (as displayed at The Smoking Gun), we know

Atkins was 258 pounds at the time of his death. Yet according to a copy of his

medical records, as turned over to USA Today by the diet guru's widow, Atkins

weighed 195 pounds upon admission to the hospital 8 April 2003 following his

fall. He died on 17 April 2003 after having been in a coma for more than a

week.?

I don't think Atkins is a healthy diet, but let's not give in to urban legend

hysteria, mmmkay?

Jawsh Wright <degenr869 wrote:

You know I find it funny how everyone finds Atkins so healthy but

always leave out the fact Dr. Atkins himself died an OBESE unhealthy

man. Hmmmm...makes you wonder eh? Cheers

-Jawsh

July 22, 2004

Coco <squinkabink wrote:

>Everyone knows what is good for them.

Who are you calling " everyone " ? In fact, the majority of people in the US do

not know what is healthy, either in diet or behavior.

>Little kids know that hamburgers are bad for them.

Not unless their parents tell them.

>Not eating fruit...sounds totally healthy to me.

Fruit is pretty high in sugar. It's better to eat fruit than fruit juice, but

it's better to eat vegetables than to eat fruit.

Vote for the stars of 's next ad campaign!

July 22, 2004

What hormone is this? Depression is a complicated illness.

And frankly, I've read a lot of Reader's Digest, and they aren't a very reliable

source. They print what is popular, not necessarily what is factual. They also

have a very narrow political bias: they are a conservative Christian publication

(they are open about this, it's not something I'm inferring.)

Coco <squinkabink wrote:

David,

It reduces a hormone that regulates depression in women. Women already have 50%

less of this hormone compared to men.

Mail - You care about security. So do we.

July 22, 2004

Did anyone laugh at the mmmk? That cracks me up everytime. Does anyone know

what show that's from?

Coco

Oh, the weight was all lies. He wasn't either one, but he wasn't exactly at

a healthy weight.

reptile grrl [reptilegoddess]

Thursday, July 22, 2004 3:48 PM

Re: Re: atkins

According to his hospital records, he was not obese. Here's a quote from

the Snopes article on the subject:

" Thanks to his death certificate (as displayed at The Smoking Gun), we

know Atkins was 258 pounds at the time of his death. Yet according to a copy

of his medical records, as turned over to USA Today by the diet guru's

widow, Atkins weighed 195 pounds upon admission to the hospital 8 April 2003

following his fall. He died on 17 April 2003 after having been in a coma for

more than a week.?

I don't think Atkins is a healthy diet, but let's not give in to urban

legend hysteria, mmmkay?

Jawsh Wright <degenr869 wrote:

You know I find it funny how everyone finds Atkins so healthy but

always leave out the fact Dr. Atkins himself died an OBESE unhealthy

man. Hmmmm...makes you wonder eh? Cheers

-Jawsh

July 22, 2004

I'm sorry I'm not sure exactly what it was. It started with a S that is all

I am positive about. I was not able to recall much, so just ignore what I

said.

reptile grrl [reptilegoddess]

Thursday, July 22, 2004 4:02 PM

Re: Re: atkins

What hormone is this? Depression is a complicated illness.

And frankly, I've read a lot of Reader's Digest, and they aren't a very

reliable source. They print what is popular, not necessarily what is

factual. They also have a very narrow political bias: they are a

conservative Christian publication (they are open about this, it's not

something I'm inferring.)

Coco <squinkabink wrote:

David,

It reduces a hormone that regulates depression in women. Women already

have 50% less of this hormone compared to men.

Mail - You care about security. So do we.

July 24, 2004

Dr. Atkins did not die an obese an unhealthy man. He had a heart

condition that was totally unrelated to his diet, and was on

medication that caused weight gain at the end of his life. His

doctors told him to continue eating just the way he always had.

Atkins is not about sitting around gorging on bacon all day as the

media portrays. It is mostly vegetables! It's all about balance,

adjusting your intake of healthy, whole-grain carbs to your

metabolism and activity level. You also cut out sugar and refined

carbs, and eat a normal amount of healthy protein and fats. It has

worked for a lot of people. I am not on Atkins but I have read the

books and have used the recipes. I have been on Somersize, a lower

carb plan, for the past 3 years. It is simlar to Atkins but no

induction period, so I did eat some fruit all along. It is true that

you don't eat fruit for a while on Atkins, but it is not forever.

Many people need to cut out carbohydrates like that which will spike

their insulin level, in order to jump-start their weight loss. It is

only for a short time though. As I said, Atkins (and Somersize)

incorporates lots and lots of vegetables and I believe these plans

are very healthy. You can even do Somersize as vegetarian.

~Cindy

, " Jawsh Wright "

<degenr869> wrote:

> You know I find it funny how everyone finds Atkins so healthy but

> always leave out the fact Dr. Atkins himself died an OBESE

unhealthy

> man. Hmmmm...makes you wonder eh? Cheers

>

> -Jawsh

July 24, 2004

Ok, I have read Dr. Atkin's book too. I read it when my SO went on the diet.

Although I cannot speak as to the healthiness of the diet itself (I myself try

to eat in a low-processed carb way; i.e. very little breads, pastas, sugar, and

other processed carbs; I prefer to get my carbs from vegetables), the book was

full of misinformation. Dr. Atkins was a medical doctor, but I strongly suspect

that the book was ghostwritten, because some of the assertions in the book are

not at all true, and in fact are medically irresponsible.

For instance, the book discusses carbohydrate cravings or addictions. The book

says that a craving for or addiction to a certain food or food group is " food

intolerance. " This is obviously not true- a food intolerance is an allergy or

inability to digest a food. It's not a craving! Any doctor, especially one who

has come to specialize in diet, would know that.

The book also claims that death due to myocardial infarction was unknown before

the 20th century. This is also untrue! In fact, people (mostly men, because

they ate more) very often died of what we now know as myocardial infarction.

They just called it by a different name! If someone had lots of chest pains,

and then died of what appeared to be a " heart attack " , the popular term was that

" his heart burst " . So while it's true that death certificates didn't say things

like " heart disease " in the 19th century, it is blatantly not true that heart

disease did not occur very much.

It's true that the book does advise that one eventually eat many vegetables.

However, the initial induction phase is very low-carbohydrate, and one can eat

almost no vegetables while on induction. My SO was allowed to eat a spinach

salad every day. That was it.

I've heard really good things about Somersize. I'm just not interested,

personally, in following a strict regimen of " can eat this, can't eat that " . I

like to eat what I feel like eating when I feel like it- I think it's good to

listen to my body.

- priscilla

Cindy <cindybin2001 wrote: