Why, oh why can't people just let us be!

[APanthesilia]

Grrr... I was just watching Penn and Teller's show on Showtime. This episode was about weight loss. I like Penn and Teller but they got this one wrong. They were talking about how dangerous diet pills and crash diets are but then they brought up atkins! Putting scary diet pills in the same category as this WOE is just wrong. The voice over said "On atkins you can pig out on fatty foods." No you can't! You can have fatty foods but you shouldn't pig out ever! And then they had a doctor on saying how atkins is so wrong because it is a low carb, high fat, high protein diet and having such high protein is dangerous. Atkins isn't a high protein diet. Do these people even read the book before starting to bash?

It's like people don't want it to work! Why is that? And why do they feel the need to either bash us or save us? Just let us get on with being healthy and doing it in a way that works for us!

Sorry for the rant, I'm just tired of people thinking the Atkins Diet is evil. Trying to explain how it actually works to people when doctors and tv shows are saying something else is sometimes like: .

[susan423]

Re: Why, oh why can't people just let us be!

There's actually very few people that know I'm on Atkins. My husband and his sister. I don't pay any attention to people that feel the need to bash (by the way, if it breaths or walks, Penn and Teller are going to bash it).

[APanthesilia]

Re: Why, oh why can't people just let us be!

(by the way, if it breaths or walks, Penn and Teller are going to bash it).

I didn't know! I expected their show to be about magic!

[Katie_1985]

Re: Why, oh why can't people just let us be!

It's difficult! It's great when people say "Man you look great! What are you doing?". When I reply that I am on Atkins I always get a look of judgement and a lecture. It's discouraging and my thoughts are "would you be more proud if I did it on WW"? I don't know why people worry about how i am losing the weight if I am still eating good foods and not starving myself!

[blue996]

Re: Why, oh why can't people just let us be!

I tell everyone I am on Atkins. I feel I have a responsibility to educate people on the diet. Some listen, some don't but they can't deny it is working and that I eat healthy (everytime they see me I'm eating veggies).

Trust me...results speak volumes and go a long way. Last time I did Atkins a woman I worked with went off every day about how unhealthy it is. Imagine my surprise a year later when she called me up at my new job to apologize since she was on Atkins, lost a bunch of weight, and felt great.

[sadie147]

Re: Why, oh why can't people just let us be!

There's actually very few people that know I'm on Atkins. My husband and his sister. I don't pay any attention to people that feel the need to bash (by the way, if it breaths or walks, Penn and Teller are going to bash it).

I'm the same, I just say I'm eating a healthy diet and exercising. If I think someone is genuinly interested I'll tell them I low carb..if they want more I might tell them..usually I can tell who is going to go off on a rant and who isnt'.

I tell everyone I am on Atkins. I feel I have a responsibility to educate people on the diet. Some listen, some don't but they can't deny it is working and that I eat healthy (everytime they see me I'm eating veggies).

I don't feel a responsibilty to educate people on Atkins..unless they really seem genuinely interested after I mention i'm on low carb. I have a friend on WW who's done really well who keeps trying to educate me on 'her' plan (despite the fact i'm at goal ) and how healthy it is. I just ignore it but it's annoying. I don't want to become that person. To each his own.

[FunnyActressInLA]

Re: Why, oh why can't people just let us be!

I don't get it either. I remember when they'd have news stories on Atkins they would show a pan frying with tons of butter and 4 eggs in it and next too it a pan FULL of frying bacon and that must've been some sort of news stock footage because over the years whenever there was a story about Atkins, there were those same two damn frying pans with eggs and bacon. So I think people don't really KNOW what Atkins entails, they think it's the fried eggs and side of bacon diet which looks unhealthy to people who have the low fat diet engrained in their brain! They don't know that we eat lots of veggies! The only people who know I'm on Atkins are my husband and my best friend and anyone else I just say I've given up sugar, white flour and processed foods.

[Porcelain]

Re: Why, oh why can't people just let us be!

I actually had one of my friends say to me that she wanted more information about my diet because of what she sees me eating. She doesn't even need to lose any weight and she can tell it is healthy just by watching.

People get these things in their head and it is almost impossible to shake. My mother said to me "You know, they talk dirty on that internet." and I replied, "You know mom, they talk dirty on the phone too....and before that, they wrote it down." Yet she doesn't think anything but the internet is evil.

[mystic]

Re: Why, oh why can't people just let us be!

This one is simply a "consider the source" Penn & Teller make their living purposely distorting facts in order to get a rise out of people. It's good for nothing but ratings. Enough said.

[Chicklady]

Re: Why, oh why can't people just let us be!

I don't get it either. I remember when they'd have news stories on Atkins they would show a pan frying with tons of butter and 4 eggs in it and next too it a pan FULL of frying bacon and that must've been some sort of news stock footage because over the years whenever there was a story about Atkins, there were those same two damn frying pans with eggs and bacon.

that's because noone on Atkins ate those damned eggs and bacon

[Desihue]

Re: Why, oh why can't people just let us be!

I have stopped telling people what I'm doing because I get so darn tired of a conversation turning into a debate. I get asked a question about my weight loss and then folks want to gang up on me about how dangerous it is. Or...they compare Atkins to South Beach. That right there REALLY agitates me to no end!!! In general, people have no earthly clue about the details of Atkins. They "hear" things and so that becomes the gospel. Then the people who have taken a minute or two to skim over the book, are just too friggin uncommitted so it's much easier to bash the plan than do the work to lose the weight. I can't stand Atkins bashers.

I equally get miffed by those who try to alter this WOL and then when they don't lose nothing they proclaim Atkins doesn't work! I know a woman who actually called herself following a low-fat version of Atkins. WTH????

[IrishSarahHB]

Re: Why, oh why can't people just let us be!

I think its just a misconception.. They would rather just assume and believe that its bad rather then do some actual research and decide for them selfs ..

Its true that most people that have not read the book or tried this woe assume that we pig out on fat and cheese all day long ... but thats not the case nor is that what Dr. Atkins taught us in the book ..

sometimes ignorance and assumption go hand and hand ..

but i say oh well .. let them think what they want ..

[DigitalMocking]

Re: Why, oh why can't people just let us be!

Atkins is a target for a lot of reasons, the quick rise in popularity... it became a fad, the incredible results for people who really follow the plan and the fact that atkins flies in the face of everything that's been preached to us for 20 years now... it doesn't matter that what's been preached to us is OBVIOUSLY wrong since we're just getting fatter and fatter as a nation.