IT IS THE CARBS THAT ARE KILLING YOU.

[Koko]

Bill, this is such a fantastic thread. Thank you!

I wanted to share a story that my father shared with me. He was diagnosed with diabetes two months ago and has been attending meetings sponsored by the ADA to learn how to control his diet. At his first meeting, after the person leading the class had discussed the importance of controlling the intake of carbohydrates, a member of the class raised her hand. "Excuse me," she said, "but isn't controlled carbs similar to the Atkins diet?"

"Next question," said the teacher.

It sounds like the ADA won't even let their representatives DISCUSS Atkins. What a shame! So far the ADA guidelines have worked well for my father, but I think that's because he was consuming way in excess of their carb guidelines per day. I just hope it continues to work for him and that he doesn't stall... or worse, change course.

~jubs

That SERIOUSLY ticks me off! How can anyone with a conscience NOT recommend that their patients low carb??? How many thousands, millions of people are suffering needlessly because these folks wont pull their head out of their butt?! Really ticks me off!

[Bill T]

The Commandos Get Dirty

This morning's New York Times has an article that contains a brief paragraph that should make your blood boil. Allow me to set the stage.

You've probably read about David Blaine, the magician in England who has grown wealthy by doing crazy stunts like spending 62 hours in a giant cube of ice and being buried in a coffin for a week. He has become wealthy and has babes draped all over him. Agents, network deals . . . the whole thing. Good for him. All this guarantees news stories about the guy will get plenty of attention by the public. This brings us to today's New York Times.

In Blaine's latest planned stunt, he will be suspended over the Thames River in London in a Plexiglas box for 44 days, living entirely on a diet of water.

The article quotes an apparent anti-Atkins commando by the name of Dr. Alexander E. Kuehl. The following two short paragraphs are copied directly from the article in this morning's New York Times.

Dr. Alexander E. Kuehl, an expert in emergency medicine and the director of public health in St. Lawrence County, N.Y., said that 44 days was close to the limit that a human body could last on only water.

"It's sort of an extreme Atkins diet," Dr. Kuehl said. "Certainly there are cases of relatively well-nourished people surviving for long periods, up to several months, with just snow or water. Hopefully he needs to lose a little weight."

Sort of an "extreme Atkins diet." ?

In my opinion, there is little chance this doctor lacked premeditated thought and intent in attaching the word Atkins to the concept of extreme and to the insanity of a 44-day water diet. In my opinion he seized an opportunity to demonize Atkins. Since a 44-day water diet has zero to do with the bountiful nutrition of the utterly natural Atkins diet, one would assume that Dr. Kuehl's apology will be immediately forthcoming.[/b]

[Koko]

Ah Bill, it's yet another horrifying misinformed medical professional....pretty frightening, isnt it. I used to hold doctors in high esteem but the fact that so many of them or so ignorant pretty much blows that.

[Bill T]

Anti-Atkins Commandos get dirty II

(I consider my views within the context of my opinions on diabetes and diet to be accurate in the sense that subsequent to my diabetes diagnosis approximately two years ago I have extensively studied diabetes, dietary plans and the effects on the human body of the American way of eating. The majority of this research has focused on the biomechanics of diabetes, and its effects, as well as the nature and effects of the medical-profession's commonly recommended treatments for the disease and its symptoms. But much of my research has also been focused on diet and dietary plans, such as Atkins and Bernstein, which are more properly referred to as a way of life (WOL). I am, of course, not a doctor, so my views should not be taken as dietary or medical advice. That's what we have Atkins for.

I have recently witnessed three small vignettes that deserve mention here because, once again, they illustrate a devastating American cultural problem, a problem with as many deadly heads as the Hydra, and like the Hydra, every time you cut off one of the heads, two more seem to grow in its place. But there is hope -- Hercules, in the form of Atkins.

The problem is, America is dangerously obese and the situation worsens by the day. Our teenagers are hurtling toward a terrible disaster at about a thousand miles an hour. Depending on which expert you believe, up to 1/3 of the American population is clinically obese. And if that's not convincing enough, look around next time you're in a crowd. As a result of this, American medical professionals, and the pharmaceutical companies and professionals and retailers stand to enrich themselves even more than they currently are because of America's eating habits. In my clothing-store-owner opinion, the advice the AMA and the ADA are giving out regarding what they claim is a healthy diet is utterly absurd. A travesty. In my opinion, their recommended dietary guideline of 50 - 60% of calorie consumption in the form of carbohydrates is a certain recipe for life-long obesity, life-long consumption of expensive medications, life-long frequent visits to the doctor, life-long lab tests, terrible illness, typical diabetic amputations and organ failure and early death. All of this, of course, is accompanied by huge money transfers to the medical, pharmaceutical and carb-selling industries. Much of this applies to the nondiabetic-population industry as it does to the diabetic-population industry.

In my opinion, if America generally converted to an Atkins style LC way of life, the natural way for humans to eat, in my opinion, most of these problems would greatly diminish, just as they have in my own life and in the lives of countless other low-carbers, diabetic and nondiabetic.

Oddly . . . the mountains of evidence in support of the tremendous health benefits of Dr Atkins' and Dr. Bernstein's low-carb approach are, for the most part, greeted with one of three sentiments by the medical profession: 1) ridicule 2) denial 3) "Atkins will kill you."

Incident #1:

"Atkins will kill you" was told to my obese mother by a doctor after she informed him of my spectacular success on the Atkins plan. "Atkins will kill you" has been told to countless others. And this dramatic untruth worked on my mother, even though she can see that I have lost 50 pounds, am now in great shape and look 20 years younger, not just because of the weight loss but also because of my great health improvement, including all lab numbers, which are now in the normal range. Pre-Atkins most of them were off the chart, and I was in serious trouble.

My mother is nearly 80 and the doctor used that angle to convince her she was in different circumstances than I am. At her age, he said, "Atkins will kill you." He actually said that. So while his scare tactic worked, we then got my mother excited about an Atkins rip-off plan to which the creators have attached a famous celebrity's name. We'll see.

I have yet to meet a doctor who has as much apparent knowledge in this area as I do. Surely there are countless doctors out there who have more knowledge in this area than I do, but I haven't met one. I believe my mother and most other obese 80-year-olds would benefit by adopting an Atkins-style WOL. Of course, if all those obese 80-year-olds lost a lot of weight and their related health problems were greatly diminished, the docs' yearly income would be badly reduced. Might have to sell that villa in Italy. Or, more likely, take his millions to Italy and live in the villa. And, of course, those formerly obese 80-year-olds might be getting around and enjoying life. This in contrast to the shut-in lives of illness and discomfort they presently suffer.

I would like to mention again that I am not a doctor. I own a clothing store. My views are lay views and should not be taken as medical or dietary advice.

Incident #2: I was recently out of town on a buying trip. Another store owner was seated at the table next to me in a vendor's display suite. One of the sales reps walked into the room, looked at the other store owner and said, "Sally, you look great!" (Sally is not her real name.) Sally said, "Thanks, I've lost 20 pounds!"

I turned to Sally, just a few feet away, and said, "Really? Are you on Atkins?" Remember, as I have posted previously on this thread, because I see so many people in my business, these sorts of conversations happen frequently, and usually the really successful weight-losers turn out to be Atkins WOL people. This woman was not on Atkins. In fact, with sudden mild scorn in her voice she said, "No! I'm on ____ ____. (The number of blank spaces does not correspond to the actual number of letters in this plan's name.) They told me Atkins doesn't work. It will kill you!"

Then she said something astonishing: "Actually I took 30 pounds off, but have regained 10." This is astonishing because while she is in the early stages of what will certainly be a gigantic rebound into obesity, she is still strongly defensive of her program.

Once again, the brainwashing by the anti-Atkins commandos. I have bad news for Sally. A woman friend of mine went on Sally's diet a couple years ago and lost 40 pounds and looked really great. Then she put every single pound back on and much more. She is now heavier than ever. Really, truly obese.

The reason my friend failed on a low-fat, low-protein diet is the same as the reason I failed many times on such diets. It's also the reason you probably have. They don't work. They are, in my opinion, unnatural. They will make you crave more and more carbs, and you are virtually guaranteed to fail. (Why would you be part of the 1 - 5% that keeps it off over the long term?) They set up entire support groups and meetings that you have to attend in order to obey the basic philosophy of the program. Who in the heck can live with that? Constant deprivation. Constant cravings. Constant rah-rah meetings. CONSTANT PURCHASING OF THEIR FOOD. I have spoken with followers of this diet who have been on the program multiple times and failed multiple times. Doesn't that tell them something? If you want, you can do Atkins without spending a penny except about six bucks for DANDR and then a modest amount for the generally inexpensive foods which will make up your new WOL. You have to eat something, and the Atkins WOL is the least expensive way to do so.

Everyone knows low-fat, low-protein diets fail. Everyone talks and writes about this: The Yo-Yo effect. The starvation response. On and on and on. They just don't use the words, "low-fat." But all those failed diets they talk and write about are low-fat. Then they turn around and say Atkins doesn't work and will kill you.

And count on this: next month's issues of many women's magazines will splash a blurb across the cover touting the latest guaranteed diet. It will be low-fat and it will cause countless failures, just as have all the rest which have been splashed across magazine covers for so many decades.

Incident #3: I recently traveled to a very large city to run an errand in the county-capitol complex located in that city. Had to stand in a long line for a long time. The building was full of people. This is, after all, a huge county. I suddenly realized how fat everyone was. Many were just plain obese. There were some exceptions, and most of the exceptions were obviously foreign born, in the building to obtain some official paperwork or other. They hadn't yet had time to adopt the American carb-orgy way of life and were thin and, frankly, attractive people. Then I noticed something else. There were numerous county employees and "customers" who were of the same two racial groups as were the thin, attractive foreign-borns, but who had been in this country for some time, maybe a generation or two. They were very Americanized. These people were overweight. Welcome to America. Land of the ugly carb-gorgers.

And it is, of course, the carbs. If you don't believe that you simply don't want to. Americans snack endlessly and it has made us fat and ugly. And ask yourself, do we snack on steak? Eggs? Fish? Chicken? Olives? Cheese? No. Oh, to a limited extent, but let's be honest, most of the snacks are carbs. Tons of them. And let's not forget the biggest evil of all -- sweet drinks. Oceans of them.

A final note: My wife, who considers herself to be about 15 pounds overweight, is in her 5th day of Atkins and has lost three pounds.

It's the carbs that are killing you.

[Becky Sue]

Welcome, Mrs. T,
You are so smart . Getting the weight off while it is just 15 lbs, but now 12 lbs.
My husband and I are both on the atkin's WOE too. He is within 10 lbs of his goal. Now me that is another story , but I am going to get there, just take a bit longer.
Much success to you.

[Bill T]

Thanks from Mrs. Bill T

Becky Sue,

This is Mrs. Bill T, and thank you for such kind thoughts!

After six days my jeans have gotten a little lose! Now down 5 pounds. I'm not amazed because I saw what Bill did.

One thing Bill said I should mention - I was "cheating" in reverse. I was doing just 15 grams of carbs a day and on day 5 I felt a little weak. Bill took my blood glucose with his diabetes tester and it was 61! Hypoglycemic. I drank 4 oz. of orange juice, and within several minutes I felt okay. Bill said that during induction a dieter needs every one of those 20 grams of carbs. I figured if 20 was good, 15 was better, but I was wrong.

Thanks, again, Becky Sue, and keep up the good work!

[Bill T]

The Elitist Commandos Strike

The anti-Atkins commandos take on many subtle forms, but this latest one is a real pip. Why do I throw the following naive fasters into the anti-Atkins gang? Common sense. Anyone out there think these folks would support an Atkins way of life? Somehow I can't see them throwing a group steak fry.

The news article which has caught my eye is in today's New York times and tells us more than we want to know about a bunch of snobs who have fallen into the latest fasting fad. Be assured these same starry-eyed elitists would be the first to refer to the Atkins WOL as a fad.

And be assured none of them will come within a few universes of a real fast. But they call it a fast so they can be socially acceptable in their microscopic world of Manhattan pop-culture. Somehow they have convinced themselves that slurping down a couple thousand calories a day in apple-juice carbs is a fast.

Frankly, this latest group of practitioners of the art of dietary self-delusion and effetist "body cleansing" would have been of no concern to me if they hadn't taken the typically gratuitous swipe at the Atkins WOL . . . a WOL that has saved my life and countless others. And it will save yours if you make that easy-to-make commitment, and it seems as if most on this board have.

The following paragraph is the quote from the article. As you know, the word Atkins is not always used by the commandos when they insult you and me and demonize the Atkins WOL, but the intent is clear. Bear in mind, and as the article makes clear, these sillies are not talking about doing a 4 to 30 day "fast" one time. They claim this is a way of life and the fasting will be frequently repeated forever. Right. The quote:

"While millions of high-fat, low-carb devotees are gorging themselves on steak and butter, a small group of the body-conscious have opted to eat nothing at all. In the name of detoxifying their polluted bodies, these new believers — including mortgage brokers like Ms. Koen, fashion designers and Manolo-obsessed socialites — have joined a fasting corps formerly made up of the devoutly religious, raw-foodists and the chronically ill. They say 4 to 30 days or more of a regimen of fruit and vegetable juices, herbal teas, blended soups and laxatives can cure what ails them — whether it's an excess of weight, a pasty complexion or the vague stresses of everyday life."

Have you ever heard such ridiculous, laughable nonsense in you life? Anyone want to guess how long these egotists will stay with this lifestyle, living on juice and Ex-Lax? Does anyone think nature created our bodies to subsist exclusive on that? The colossal stupidly here is so spectacular as to be pretty much in a class of its own. Something really funny just popped into my head: If one of these Tinkerbells was to read my reference to living on juice and Ex-Lax . . . know what the very first thing they would angrily counter with would be? "We don't use Ex-Lax, we use *natural* laxatives." You know I'm close on that.

But like I said, who cares? There is just one favor I ask of these new-age cleansers of the body: On the rare occasions when you take you head out of the sand and squint at the world through your momentarily fashionable $300 shades, refrain from referring to the WOL that is natural and which has saved my life, and which likely would have saved the lives of my cousin, my best friend and millions of other diabetics . . . please refrain from referring to that lifesaving way of life as one followed by "high-fat, low-carb devotees 'gorging' themselves on steak and butter."

Again, this will be said slowly so even an elitist can understand it. Atkins is a full-spectrum way of dietary life and includes the consumption of fruits and veggies.

Anyone care to guess how long these wildly cool body-cleansing insecure-up-to-here fasters will stay with the lifestyle? You know what's really ironic in the most hilarious way? When these 30ish hipsters are 50 and badly overweight, and their blood sugar and blood pressure are on the moon, many of them will turn to Atkins to regain health. And the reason they will do so is because we 2003-era Atkonians are making a difference -- very slowly, but we *are* gaining ground a battlefield at a time -- and 20 years from now many doctors will be insisting their obese patients adopt an Atkins WOL. Just typing the prior sentence sent a little shiver through my formerly fat and diseased body.

P.S. I just coined the word Atkonian, will use it again -- undoubtedly overuse it -- and I claim the creation of the word in the name of long life and good health.

[suedehead]

"Atkonians" of the world unite and take over ...

Bill,

As usual I have enjoyed reading your well written and informative posts over the last few days. Just one question, when can we expect your book? All joking aside, you ought to consider it. Something like "Diary of a Low-Carber", or "Atkonians - Winning the Fight Against the Anti-Atkins Commandos". I'd be the first one in line to buy it.

- doug

[Bill T]

Book, eh?

Doug,

Book, eh?

About the word Aktonians. Think I'm off on that a little. I type all this stuff off the top of my head and don't really go back over it much.

What I was trying to say with Atkonians was "At-konians". Does it read that way?

Here's another one: Atkinians, reading At-kinians. That may be better. Whadaya think? The word Atkins is odvious. Whichever, I claim coinage of both. Will settle on the one that naturally takes over. Thoughts?

[Iapetus999]

I believe "Atkineer" is currently the favorite.

[Bill T]

Atkineer Probably Better

Iapetus999,

Atkineer is probably better. Thanks. Is that in any of the books? Don't remember it. I'm new to the Atkins boards, so forgive the oversight.

Update: 7/11 stores will be providing a 22 oz. calorie-free Slurpee in addition to their traditional 22 oz. carb-bomb Slurpee, which has 330 cals.

That's a lot of Aspertame but it's also a lot better than sugar. Or maybe it will contain one of the acceptable artifical sweetners.

I am going out of town on business for a week and may not be back on this board during that time. Of interest is a little Atkins-related thing I will also be doing.

[Bill T]

Marie, Lupe and Dr. Atkins

I am not a doctor. None of the below is medical or dietary advice. I am not qualified to give such advice.

I arrived in Las Vegas last Sunday afternoon to spend the week at two large retail-industry trade shows, as I do every February and August. On this particular trip I had also planned to speak informally with a small number of diabetics who would also be there, and I did that. But oddly, out of the blue, the most important meeting I had was unplanned.

I'll call the person I met unexpectedly soon after arrival Marie. That's not her real name. She was my waitress in a restaurant in the hotel I was staying at. I usually go on these buying trips alone and so I was seated alone. There is little doubt that had my wife been with me the conversation with Marie would not have occurred. My wife and I, as is always the case at these things, would have been engrossed in conversation related to our upcoming buys at the shows. As I usually must, I custom tailored my meal to accommodate my dietary requirements: Hold the rice, go ahead and give me the black beans but I'll eat just a couple bites, and bring me a side of green beans. Please take the basket of corn chips away but do bring the tortillas, although I will eat only half of one. You can have the cook put just one tortilla in the round tortilla thing if he wants.

Marie looked at me knowingly and said, "Do you have diabetes?"

"Yes. Do you?" (From the first moment, I recognized Marie's diabetes-pudge, as I call it. I am not referring to her obvious obesity. In addition to extra body fat, diabetics often have, in my nonprofessional opinion, what I call the diabetes pudge. Even diabetics who have done a great job of losing weight and keeping it off often have the diabetes pudge. As I have spoken with diabetics over the past two years I have come to recognize this look. I have it. Just about every diabetic I know has it. I see total strangers on the street and know they probably have, in my opinion, a diabetes problem, even if it is not yet diagnosed, because they display the diabetes pudge. It is a pretty subtle thing but it is often there. Incidentally, in an earlier post I explained in a reply to suedehead [Doug] why I believe Type I and Type II diabetes are essentially the same disease, meaning the Type II genetic predisposition to get diabetes is present, in my nonprofessional opinion, at conception, just as is Type I, in my opinion. The difference is that Type IIs blossom later in life after carbohydrate abuse over a period of years finally wears out the ability of the cells' receptors to work in conjunction with insulin to accept blood glucose into the cells. In a later post I really have to mention, as I said I would, what some of the bodily reactions are that I believe Type II diabetics experience many years before they are eventually diagnosed.)

Marie looked side to side and was cautious in your response. "Yes, I do have diabetes."

This is often the way I connect with other diabetics. Happens all the time. Since in our business I meet so many people, this sort of conversation is a frequent part of my life. I'm sure you have experienced the same thing: Somehow, Atkins people seem to connect all the time. Marie and I bonded immediately and I learned a great deal about her and her problem. She provided a lot of detail about her condition, lab numbers and diabetes health problems.

Marie is in her 30's, legally in this country from Mexico and is the single mother of a 12-year old girl, who I will call Lupe, which is not the girl's real name. Marie is a hard worker, very intelligent and 50 pounds overweight. She has stinkingly pretty features, which her obesity can't hide. She has Type II diabetes. Her morning blood glucose readings average about 240, in spite of the fact her doctor has her on three medications.

Marie has tried hard to follow the doctor's advice. She has developed menus and carefully tracks the content of all food she consumes and does exactly what her God-like doctor tells her. Of course, her doctor is, in my clothing-store-owner's opinion, sentencing Marie to death.

Now . . . Lupe has been diagnosed with Type I diabetes.

Lupe is 12 years old, and like her mother faces the only thing worse than early death -- slow early death, a body part at at time. My heart broke right there at that table in that fancy-smancy Vegas hotel restaurant, where, as is the case in most restaurants in this country, huge portions of carbohydrate poison are served and consumed with gusto, while everyone's is attention is diverted through AMA slight-of-hand to watch for evil dietary-fat, which, in my experience and opinion, is not a problem and actually triggers the body-fat reduction process.

Marie understands written English fairly well, and Lupe has no problem with it at all. I wrote down the names of Dr. Atkins' and Dr. Bernstein's books and insisted she buy them the next morning. Turns out there's not a penny to spare in their lives. To you and I, not having 6 bucks to buy DANDR seems absurd, but that's reality in Marie's life.

In the course of our conversations, Marie became, I believe, a convert to the Atkins WOL. She had known of Atkins and had asked her doctor about it. You probably know verbatim her doctor's four-word reply. "It will kill you." In Marie's case the good doctor, stout AMA hardcore professional and anti-Atkins commando he apparently is, added some detail: "Atkins will destroy your liver."

Ah . . . now there's an educated man seeking only what is best for his suffering patient. See, that's the beauty of diabetes. Your patient dies over a span of decades while they come back for an office visit every three months, each time resembling more and more a walking dead person. You can't call them actual zombies because zombies have more color. Of course, it would be nice if they lived longer because that would mean even more office visits, but, what the heck, if they all adopted Atkins, the most natural way of eating for human beings, most of them wouldn't be in the doctor's office very much. Just like was the case before America signed its carbohydrate suicide-pact in the 1950s. There's a reason, folks, that this 57-year old knew exactly two diabetics growing up and now there are 17 million of us, and lots of my friends, relatives and acquaintances have it. As you are aware, both of those diabetics I knew growing up are dead of diabetes complications. Died in their 40s. Slowly. Ugly.

I told Marie I would have the books sent to her at the hotel from Amazon the following day. She was appreciative but said she couldn't do that -- she was afraid for the hotel people to know she is sick. Afraid they will fire her. I felt she would be alright, that the hotel would not know what was in the package, but she thought it might be opened, and she desperately needs the job. Since she has no company health coverage, her employer is unaware of her condition. I did not want to ask for her personal address, so I gave her a large enough tip to cover the cost of the books, which I think she can get in the big bookstore she said she has access to. Since Marie does not work in the evening, and since my buying schedule keeps me moving nonstop until 6:00 each evening, I was unable to speak again with her. But I will go to the same restaurant on the Sunday afternoon preceding market week in February. . . .

"Market," as we call the shows where the manufactures and reps go to display their wares ends Thursday evening. I spent Thursday night at the hotel because I had an 8:00 a.m. tee time at a prestigious Las Vegas golf course. Magnificent scenery. Hooked up with a gentleman from Vancouver, B.C. and we had a fine time. Later, while standing on the 15th tee, I looked at the gorgeous scenery and just soaked it all in. The temperature was maybe 85 degrees, the sky was crystal clear, and the dramatic moutains rose up on every side and stood so clearly against the sky they looked like someone had cut them out of paper and pasted them there. There was a forest of low Yucca plants that must have numbered in the millions that stretched clear to the mountains, miles away. Really fresh air has a glorious smell, and we could smell it. These odd little chipmunks were scurring here and there. I felt so healthy and . . . lucky. I turned to my new Canadian friend and said, "Bob, we're awful lucky. Think of all the people in this world who will never be able to do this."

Bob had no way of knowing that two years earlier I could hardly have swung a golf club. Over the first 14 holes I had come to know something of Bob and had learned he is a thoughtful man and one given to reflection. He replied, "Yes, we are blessed. Being out in this wilderness on this golf course is Zen like. I can't help thinking of my trip to India, where I saw unbelievable poverty. Yes, we are blessed."

Now this will sound odd to you, and there is no explaining some of the mental connections I come up with some times, but as soon as Bob said the thing about India, I flashed on the idea that in India, I'll just bet, where there is no AMA and no ubiquitous carb-poision problem, and with the utterly devastating poverty and disease which runs rampant and which Bob graphically described . . . I'll just bet they don't have much of a diabetes problem. I have not researched that, so I don't know for sure, but I'd bet on it.

And Bob had no way of knowing that when I mentioned how blessed we were I was not thinking only of the world's generally unblessed, but I was also thinking about Marie and Lupe specifically, and I was remembering that two years ago I was a wreck who couldn't walk up the front steps to the house. Today I am 50 pounds lighter, all my lab numbers are outstanding, I have great endurance and I walk my local golf course multiple times weekly. Our business is doing well, and life is great.

I have my life back and Atkins and Bernstein gave it to me. And as I stood there on the 15th tee I was thinking that my life really has been blessed because here I was, standing on a spot that was so breathtakingly beautiful, doing something I love and having the honor of doing it with a new friend who was enjoying it as much as I was. But I also selfishly felt lucky to no longer be in Marie's shoes, who at that very moment was just 20 miles down the road, hustling tables. And I also thought about how if Marie and Lupe continue in partnership with the AMA and the ADA, they are walking the path to tragedy, but if they break off and go with Atkins as a way of life they can, with a little work, pull themselves back into health and the happiness that only health can bring.

I'll be in that hotel restaurant in February and am hoping to see Marie. Here's hoping it'll be good news.

[Desertthorn]

Thanks again. Last year, I buried a friend who was just one year older than I. She first lost toes, then a leg and finally her life. She ate like a bird and was alway so miserable because her doctor never believed she was trying hard enough. The medical establishment always blames the patient and never looks beyond that to see if maybe its their advise that is killing them.
I don't know what the answer is for the Marie's and Lupe's in the world, but its not hopeful. High carb food is cheap and our poor eat mac and cheese and beans and totillas, and gain weight, and lose health. White bread is a staple. Kool Aid is cheaper than milk or fruit juice. Atkins doesn't have to be an expensive meal plan but it generally is more expensive than a diet rich in carbs. So, they not only can't afford the book, but they can't afford the food. They are sentenced to a short, unhealthy life, and because they are poor, no one cares.
I live in Japan where obesity is very rare, (except with the Sumo). Last night I was at a baseball game and the family sitting in front of me ate rice balls, potato chips, a rice chip with sesame seeds,and coke, all high carbs, low nutrition foods. We have imported our nasty eating habits to them. The only thing that had any nutrition at all was the seaweed the rice was wrapped in.
Lynne

[Iapetus999]

Hey, Bill, wondered if you heard about this parable/Urban Legend. It might inspire you a little bit. It's about changing the world (super condensed version)
I did an internet search on this, and came up with 100 different versions, so here is the way I originally heard it:

"100 Monkeys"
A group of researchers were trying to teach a group of monkey simple sign language. The wanted to see if they could create a signing-monkey community. At first they had no luck, trying to teach them in lecture-type classes.
At last one of the researchers had success! One day, all the monkeys began using the sign for "give me a banana". How all 100 monkeys learn it? The research simply focussed on 3 monkeys. Once the 3 monkeys learned the sign and used it, they taught it to the other monkeys. They tried different variations, but it always seemed to take 3 monkeys using a new sign before the entire tribe adopted it.
The moral here is that you don't need to change the entire world at once, but it you can get a "critical mass" or "awareness." of something new and better, soon the whole world will know.

Or from Ken Keyes Jr: (the original author)

Thus, when a certain critical number achieves an awareness, this new awareness may be communicated from mind to mind. Although the exact number may vary, this Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon means that when only a limited number of people know of a new way, it may remain the conscious property of these people. But there is a point at which if only one more person tunes-in to a new awareness, a field is strengthened so that this awareness is picked up by almost everyone!

Of course, there's also the movies Pay It Forward , and Six Degrees with a similar message.

If enough people are healthy doing Atkins, it will have a life of its own. Soon it will get to the point where everyone knows someone who's had success with Atkins, and then we'll see what the establishment does.

[Bill T]

Sally and Harry and the AMA

As usual, I am not a doctor. I own a clothing store, and am, therefore, not qualified to give medical or dietary advice. The following is my opinion based on experience and intensive research.

Also, please bear in mind that the reason I keep up this diabetes diatribe on an Atkins BB is because it is all related. Statistics say that many of you who read this will end up diabetics. Regardless, effects that carbs, fat and protein have on diabetics is an indicator of what they will do to nondiabetics, in terms of weight, cholesterol and so on.

Once again, a heartrending story has surfaced in the form of a customer in our store. Happened yesterday. And once again, I hope the message is clear, and the message is this: The wholly stupid official dietary guidelines offered by the AMA and the ADA -- the guidelines which say that 50 - 60% of your caloric intake should be in the form of carbohydrates -- is worse than stupid. It is slow-death.

A woman who I'll call Sally, not her real name, and her friend came into the store to shop. My wife worked with Sally, who is attractive and about 50 years of age. She is also perhaps 40 pounds overweight. She looked at a number of outfits and then settled on a couple to purchase. Then, Sally mentioned to my wife that she really would like to lose some weight but she had been fighting one diet after another for years and all she ever did was gain more weight.

My wife mentioned my great success with Atkins, as well as her own success. (She just finished induction and is down almost 10 pounds, and she doesn't need to lose much more.)

My wife also mentioned to Sally that I have diabetes and the Atkins/Bernstein WOL has drastically reversed my desperately bad physical condition and given me my life back. In fact, she told Sally, it has really given US our life back.

Well . . . that opened the floodgates. Turns out Sally's husband, who I'll call Harry, was diagnosed with diabetes 20 years ago and has been carefully following his doctor's advice, which is the standard AMA/ADA profit-driven stupidity. Harry's condition has gone downhill every day since his diagnosis, and all the bad stuff I have been ranting about is happening. Within the last several months Harry has made a horrible decision, and I hope the boys at the AMA and ADA are pleased. Harry decided to give up. He made the decision that he was getting old, and life was miserable, and he felt awful all the time, and his extremities were getting numb as pieces of wood, half his organs were gasping for breath, and not much of anything was working right. Decided he would just rather spend a couple years eating and drinking whatever he wants, and to **** with the dietary regimen he has been following. It's gonna be booze and sweets, and screw the world. It's time to get off. Time to check out with bang.

Harry is right -- the AMA/ADA dietary regimen does stink. But the supreme irony is that it doesn't stink just because it . . . you know . . . stinks. It stinks because for most people, in my opinion, it is just about the worst, most destructive diet you can follow, especially for a diabetic. 60% of your calories in freaking carbohydrates? ARE YOU FREAKING CRAZY?

This will be said so even the AMA and ADA can understand it: It's the carbs that are killing us. There is a mountain of science behind this statement, and you boys know it. You have blackballed Dr. Atkins and Dr. Bernstein because you know they have it right, and that conflicts with your income statement.

So . . . guess what? Harry's decision to toss in the towel led to one thing after another. The horrendous family strife that is so much a part of so many diabetic's lives boiled over after years of trying to deal with the seemingly impossible-to-deal-with. Harry and Sally separated. God. The family structure -- gone. The lifetime of shared experiences -- gone. The love -- gone. Harry's gonna die before long, and it ain't gonna be pretty, and the entire familial history has been torched and goes to the grave with him. Bitter, lonely painful death.

There is, I truly hope, a slight chance. This post is long enough already and getting longer, so I won't go into detail about the education of Sally. Let's leave it at this: After speaking with Sally for an hour or so, my wife (I wasn't there) really opened Sally's eyes. Sally has become an instant Atkins convert. She IS going to lose the weight, there is no doubt about that. But here's the best part -- she is going to Harry and she is going to pitch him on the whole Atkins deal, and she is going to use me as an example. Sally, unfortunately, feels Harry has gone too long with too much misery and is too bitter to try the Atkins approach. But, she says, he just might. At one time he was a fighter, capable of anything. I sure as **** hope Harry has one more fight left in him. Know why? Because if he hops on board Atkins, his life will change, and it will really change. His diabetes symptoms will greatly improve. His blood sugar can be gotten under control. He can get his life back and his family back. Could have happened years ago if his doctor wasn't an anti-Atkins commando.

Sally was so appreciative of the information. Most of all she was appreciative because, as she said, she saw a slight chance to put a family back together and to return Harry to health and happiness.

Then, Sally, a tourist who had never been to our little town before, said an amazing thing to my wife, "It was fate that brought me here today. I know it was. We weren't going to come here at all but decided to at the last minute. I really believe it was fate."

I hope so, Sally.

Here is the scary-good part. Marie said almost the same words to me in Las Vegas in our discussion previously related on this thread. She said it was fate she was working that shift, that day, and that I was seated at her table.

I hope so, Marie.

Am going to ask those of you so inclined to say a little word for Harry and Sally and their family. And as long your head is bowed, maybe a word for Marie and Lupe.