Atkins Diet Founder Called 'Obese'

http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/02/10/atkins.widow.ap/index.html

I just noticed this article this morning. I thought it was interesting enough to post a topic here. I haven't tried the Atkins Diet myself. But I was wondering if his widow makes any money off the Atkins name and that's one of the reasons she was so pissed off? I don't know, it just says she's mad that they called her husband 'fat' (Mayor Bloomberg).

My first thought when I read that article this morning was, "Told ya so...." Needless to say, I wasn't surprised.

When my fil told me he was going on atkins I was rather concerned -- he has serious heart problems. So I read the atkins book from cover to cover. I think that when you actually follow it correctly it is not TOO unhealthy, but who can actually eat like that? And that's the point: many don't do atkins correctly.

That's the problem with wanting to have quick fixes. People can't accept that things take work -- they want everything to be free & easy....

I know that I should be doing the correct and healthy eating habit now, but it's just so hard to follow through on. Especially since my metabolism isn't ever going to be this high again after my 20's, I feel like I should eat what I want now and get it out of my system, but I know that the healthier I eat now, the better my body will be later on. It's just such a hard thing to do. So I try to buy wheat bread and eat a lot of dairy and fruit to balance out too much salt intake (we always make the easy things that are loaded with salt). And I don't think that it's diets that make you thin, it's exercise (which I should also be doing now) combined with the healthy eating. I could care less about trying the atkins diet as I don't really gain weight no matter what I eat... yet.

Have you tried it at all Tempest? Or just your husband?

It was my father in law, actually, and he's had a lot of weight loss on it, and also lowered cholesterol. But I don't know how... for example, in the beginning (induction) you can have like 3-4 oz of cheese per day. But he (my fil) tells you that you can eat as much cheese as you want, all that you can, really. And that's not true.

Besides, the body can only process so much protein -- excess gets converted to carbs. If I remember my physiology correctly, that is!

I agree with you -- healthy eating & sufficient exercise are the keys to a healthy weight & body. I do yoga 3x/wk & some sort of cardio 3x/wk, and I try to eat healthy. Plus I'm active with the kids. I do limit the amount of sugars & fats we consume, which took awhile to adjust to. But now even the kids have a hard time with heavy syrups & oily or greasy foods. It's just too much. I actually cook a lot of Weight Watchers recipes, not to lose weight, but because they limit fats & sugars without compromising taste.

Yeah, I know what you mean about the oils being too much once you change your intake. We never really get fast food, except for once a month off the dollar menu. But we ordered Pizza Hut last weekend and just touching it would produce grease on your fingers. It was hard to eat, but a long time ago when I worked at Pizza Hut I ate it all the time (on breaks) and I didn't notice the grease, but now I don't think I'll ever order it again, I don't like grease all over the place and when my kid eats it, he gets his food everywhere. So I have to try and find stuff that isn't so messy, like fruit!

My stepfather's older brother died of a heart attack in 99 or around there and he was only 42. So my stepfather had his cholesterol checked and it was through the roof (I don't know the numbers). And my stepfather is a person who would run almost every night miles around our neighborhood, and he had a soloflex that he used and a whole room for just exercising. He was healthy and not at all overweight, but he had cholesterol problems. He's on lipitor right now I think. So it happens to everyone, and I think, "What is the point of exercise when your genetics could kill you anyway?" The whole key to it I guess is make sure you go to the doctor regularly, easier said than done based on our busy lifestyles.

Well, not to be mean or anything, but if a country has such ratings of obesity, don't you think it's time for a government to do something about it?

Personally, I don't see why the government could give people a motivation to buy proper food. Isn't the existence of a population neccesary for a government? If so, I wonder why the government doesn't make sure people live healthy.

I for one, and my family live happily, and none of us, thankfully are obese.

I don't see the problem with that diet founder being obese, it may be hypocrite, but how does that vary from any other human? Are we not all hypocrite?

Plus, I don't see how this private information will aid the American society. The only effect I see is people stopping the diet people were one, and making those people "go obese". I wonder how that reporter sleeps at night ;).

HU

I've been on an english diet over the past two year, and i got to understand why people are fat. they eat crap in fact.

I've seen that diet performed by a mate at work, and that's gross.I could never suffer eating all the greasy food he had to assimilate.

Yes, Valasher, that's very true, regular physicals are best. My husband is very lean, doesn't smoke, rarely drinks, eats well, and has never had health issues -- but his cholesterol is actually too low. In a person with his other stats, this can signify that he is pre-disposed to heart disease. And who would've known?

HU, the main problem I see with atkins is that it falsely presents a "lose weight fast without ever feeling hungry" mentality. Losing weight fast without feeling hungry is counter-intuitive to the way the body actually works. The fact that the actual founder of this magical diet plan couldn't follow it successfully himself is important information that the public has a right to know. The fact that not only was he obese, but also that he had heart disease (which atkins supposedly distinctly lowers the risk for) is vital information for anyone who is following his plan specifically to decrease their own high risks.

The problem is not with the debunking of a sham, it's with people who don't want to take responsibility for themselves. People in the US are overweight because the food is easy & plentiful and our lifestyles are highly sedentary. This is all about personal choice.

As one last point, Dr. Atkins was a public figure, and information directly related to his public life (as his health issues & weight would be, considering that he is a "health guru" and a "weight loss expert") are part of the public domain.

I do agree that it is time for the govt to do something about the obesity issue in the US..... but that means dealing with the HMO's, and I seriously doubt that will happen any time soon.... :(

Now, one other point... Valasher, I didn't read your link until just now because I read the news elsewhere this morning. If the facts of the matter are that he wasn't actually obese, and his heart disease isn't actually obesity related, then the reports are defamation, and someone will be slammed for it eventually. But it's hard to know what the truth is: is the atkins foundation struggling to cover things up so that they don't a) lose money when people begin to doubt whether their plan works, and/or b) get sued for misrepresentation, or are they actually telling the truth?

Who can tell?

There have been several enquiries that lasted over a year in england, france, and none of them have been able to demonstrate that a low calory diet was healthier. Atkins do increase cholesterol, but the good one, on other words the diet doesn't increase the risks of heart disease. Not over a year, at least, and you'd have lost enough weight by that time, really.

Well, to be honest, I had never heard of dr. Atkins before, just of Atkinson, but he probably has nothing to do with this.

The whole problem with this Obesity problem, at least on the side of the Government, is the huge money companies like Coca Cola, Pepsi, McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, et cetera, et ceterta can spend on lobbying.

When anyone makes a proposal to inform, or create laws against the "Fat industry" (It's not fast food anymore), these companies put their weight in the game, by offering big bucks in return.

It seems that in our Democracy, corporations and big bucks mean more than public health. The problem with this whole process is that we can't do a rat's ass about it. It's entirely beyond our control, since the US constitution approves.

I'm not lovin' it,

HU

Yeh in America money can do anything even if its against the right thing, I have a feeling in a few years the country's population will go down because of the 'obesity' problem.

Well, I agree with everything you said Tempest. The article just says that he was healthy for most of his life, but suffered from obesity later in life, and that his wife was pissed about the claims.

And I do agree that something should be done in this country to somehow change the medical insurance and HMO's and the whole medical system to give people a reason to go to the doctor more often. We don't have medical coverage at all, and I don't know whether my husband's job offers it or not, he just started a new job early this year. We're not looking too pretty right now, we both smoke, he drinks all the time and we don't exercise or eat right, so I would expect that we have terrible health problems later on. But do I want $200+ coming out of our diaper and rent money every month? NO. So we didn't get it even when it was offered. I have a feeling I'm going to suffer a lot on my death bed, and it'll probably get stretched out too. Not to be morbid, but I'm always going to be scared of death, even if I live to be 100 or more years old.

This is going to sound weird and rather frightening, but i used to work at McDonalds and i pretty much ate there everyday that i workes, and i worked there at least 4 times a week for a year and a half. trying not to brag, i probably gained 10 pounds over the course of that employment. and for one, i really didnt exercise. my philosophy is, some people cant help it and others just want to be obese. some have a genetic predisposition to be obese and they cant help it. the people i saw at mcd's really were the obese people in america, not caring fot their personal well being. and as a conspiracy theorist, mcd's food is very addicting as i think it is something in the oil that they cook the food in, man i love mcd's food. for a country of fat people, there still is an image of the uber-thin supermodel, and that leads the population to be skinny. its a vicious cycle and a horrific catch-22

I think if you watch Dr. Phil about the obesity issues he has the most insight. I don't usually watch those ones because they don't apply to me... yet. I expect that I'll get big when my metabolism slows down, but I'm not sure. I ended up with a petite frame somehow, even though most of the women in both sides of my family are big boned, I'm not, or are obese, and I'm not. I'm very short and my frame is just smaller. The only time I put on a lot of weight was during pregnancy, and at that time I just ate and ate and ate at first to fight nausea, but also because I quit smoking and needed a substitute habit. I ended at about 176 lbs, up from 110, and I felt like my skin was going to explode it was so tight. But then that weight came off, and now I'm normal again, I wasn't sure if I would ever be this size again, but eating isn't my drug of choice anymore, I smoke cigarettes now and that's my worst habit. But smoking raises metabolism too. I'm blathering, forgive me.

I like Burger King food better than McDonalds. But my favorite sandwich of all time is the Hardees smoked chicken with bacon lettuce and tomato, Mmmmmm!

Originally posted by Valasher
I like Burger King food better than McDonalds. But my favorite sandwich of all time is the Hardees smoked chicken with bacon lettuce and tomato, Mmmmmm!

well, if you work at McDonald's for a year and a half, then you get addicted. You might think you get sick of it, but it is just the opposite.

Originally posted by NeoMeansNew
You might think you get sick of it, but it is just the opposite.

Here here. I've done that at Burger King and Pizza Hut. ;)