Looks like Dr. Atkins will finally meat his maker... http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030417/ap_on_re_us/obit_atkins_7 By LUKAS I. ALPERT, Associated Press Writer NEW YORK - Dr. Robert C. Atkins, whose best-selling low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet was dismissed as nutritional folly for years but was recently validated in some research, died Thursday, his spokesman said. He was 72. Atkins died at New York Weill-Cornell Medical Center, surrounded by his wife and close friends, said Richard Rothstein, his spokesman. Atkins had suffered a severe head injury April 8 after falling on an icy sidewalk while walking to work. Atkins first advocated his unorthodox weight-loss plan — which emphasizes meat, eggs and cheese and discourages bread, rice and fruit — in his 1972 book, "Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution." Its publication came at a time when the medical establishment was encouraging a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet. The following year, the American Medical Association dismissed Atkins' diet as nutritional folly and Congress summoned him to Capitol Hill to defend the plan. Labeling it "potentially dangerous," the AMA said the diet's scientific underpinning was "naive" and "biochemically incorrect." It scolded the book's publishers for promoting "bizarre concepts of nutrition and dieting." Despite this, his books sold 15 million copies, and millions of people tried the diet. Atkins' philosophy enjoyed a resurgence in the 1990s with "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution," which sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and spent five years on The New York Times best-seller list. But criticism of the diet lingered, with many arguing that it could affect kidney function, raise cholesterol levels and deprive the dieter of important nutrients. Atkins said no study showed that people with normal kidney function developed problems because of a high-protein diet, and he never gave in to his detractors. Defending his plan at the American Dietetic Association's convention in 2000, Atkins quipped, "I'm very happy to be here. Not as happy as Daniel in the lion's den." This year, his approach was vindicated in part by the very medical community that scorned him. In February, some half-dozen studies showed that people on the Atkins diet lost weight without compromising their health. The studies showed that Atkins dieters' cardiovascular risk factors and overall cholesterol profiles changed for the better. Still, many of the researchers were reluctant to recommend the Atkins diet, saying a large new study now under way could settle lingering questions of its long-term effects. On the Atkins diet, up to two-thirds of calories may come from fat — more than double the usual recommendation, and violating what medical professionals have long believed about healthy eating. Carbohydrates are the foundation of a good diet, most say. Eating calorie-dense fat is what makes people fat, they say, and eating saturated fat is dangerous. To Atkins, the key dietary villain in obesity was carbohydrates. He argued they make susceptible people pump out too much insulin, which in turn encourages them to put on fat. Fat in foods can be a dieter's friend, Atkins said, in part because it quenches appetite and stops carbohydrate craving. Atkins, a graduate of Cornell University's medical school, first tried a low-carbohydrate diet in 1963 after reading about one in the Journal of the American Medical Association (news - web sites). He said he lost weight so easily that he converted his fledgling Manhattan cardiology practice into an obesity clinic. Besides his work on nutrition, Atkins also argued that ozone gas can kill cancer cells and HIV (news - web sites), the virus that causes AIDS (news - web sites), and he claimed to have treated more than 1,000 patients with ozone therapy. The ozone treatment is a common alternative therapy in Germany and some other nations but has not gained acceptance in the United States. In 1999, Atkins established the Robert C. Atkins Foundation to finance diet research. It has sponsored research at Duke University, the University of Connecticut and Harvard. Last April, Atkins was hospitalized for cardiac arrest, which he said was related to an infection of the heart and was not related to the diet. Besides his wife, Veronica, Atkins is survived by his mother, Norma, of Palm Beach, Fla.
Ditto, I lost 60 pounds (and kept if off) 2 years ago. I think the people who criticize his program assume that he tell's people to eat beef, eggs and bacon 3 times a day. If you did that, of course you'd have a heart attack. Truth is, he told people to get their protein from fish and chicken more than beef or bacon.
3 years ago, I lost 80 lbs and have kept off about 65 in a loose interpretation of his suggested eating style. As far as physiological health, my last blood results were spectacular. I think I posted them on here last year. Speaking of, it's almost time for my annual bloodwork again.
RIP. I was on his diet a few years ago because of amazingly high cholesterol, etc., and I lost 20+ lbs I didn't know I had to lose. I've kept the weight off, my blood work keeps coming back looking good, and I haven't been on the diet for a very long time. The guy helped me out a lot. A friend of mine was diabetic (type 2), taking insulin shots every day, and being on the diet "cured" him. In his case, it works if he stays on it. He lost a ton of weight as well. You'll be missed, Dr. Atkins.
I am against the Atkins Diet. For those who exercise daily and rigorously, it has led to many injuries and illnesses. Carbs are good and essential for those who are physically active. The way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume. It's that simple. Whether those calories come from carbs, fat, protein. or whatever... just burn more than you consume. Personally, I think the best way to lose fat properly is to burn it off with extended periods of exercise. But to each his own. If people are happy with their results, more power to them. But I'd like to see if people can continue on these diets for years and years at a time. 10 years from now, can people still limit they're carb intake? I know it can't be as easy as implementing a fitness routine into your daily schedule.
I have never experienced that or known anyone that has experienced this...i worked out aerobically and anaerobically, as well as playing in many pickup games. I was never ill or injured...or rather less ill than normal, and the weight loss put a lesser strain on joints and tendons... You sytematically increase carb intake until you stop loosing. Eventually, if I recall correctly, you are eating from 90-120 carbs daily. As you increase exercise at that point, you can increase your carbs...most man made carbs are fillers and bad for you anyways...flours and sugars...how are those good for you again?
Yup, when you first start the "diet" you hardly have any carbs but after you lose the weight you can have more because you're maintaining instead of trying to lose. I wouldn't recommend you limit yourself to 7 carbs a meal for the rest of your life. I'm also following a "loose" interpretation right now. I get all the healthy carbs I need while still getting all my protein. Just drinking (lots of) water instead of coke really makes a difference.
Hehe, I do that too. But not to lose weight or anything. One day, my dad said, "Quit drinking coke. (Or RC Cola to be specific.) Drink water." And then I drank water ever since. However, I have had some dreams where I find myself drinking a nice, cold glass of RC Cola...ohhhh.....wait...those were just dreams...good dreams. Anyways, I'm still pretty young so I don't really have to diet to lose weight or maintain it. I eat pretty much whatever I want and not have to worry about gaining 20 pounds or whatever. (I know many people will hate me now.) However, I kind of want to gain some weight and add muscle, but that's more of me going to the weight room instead of dieting. I did see the Atkins diet on some news show one time. Seemed pretty cool. If I ever had to diet, I would at least try it. RIP Dr. Atkins.
I have been toying around with trying this diet for awhile now. Could someone please provide me with a link that would provide the specifics of what my diet should be. I'd like to drop about 20 lbs.
No way, maintaining a long term fitness routine is right there with quitting smoking as one of the most challenging health behaviors to get people to do. Atkins and related diets may not be the ideal healthiest diet/lifestyle--but they work because they are lower calorie diets more easily maintained in the "real world" for most Americans. So if you can, yes, maintain a vigorous exercise plan and eat a moderate to low fat (get monosat fats if possible), moderate protein and low (for American standards) carbo diet. But such a diet and lifestyle is 10x as difficult than the Atkins approach--so if the former doesn't work, an Atkins like approach is better than keeping the weight, IMO. BTW I went on the Zone diet--kind of like a milder version of the Atkins diet where what fat you get should be predominantly monosaturated. I didn't do it to lose weight--though I did lose around 12-15 pounds and am down to around 15% body fat, but more importantly my good cholersterol went up and my tryglicerides went from 320 to 80 with no medication. Basically this diet will keep me off Lipitor or other statin drugs for probably an extra 20 years--which you would rather not take drugs like this if you can do the same effect with lifestyle changes. It is clear to me I was getting far too many calories from refined carbos (what Atkins has been saying all along)--and I have maintained my condition at this point (7 months later) and have been on autopilot a few months. In other words I eat when I am hungry, and no longer have to be very concious about it and I have little trouble selecting reasonable things to eat. In my case I startted pretty strictly (extreme)--but now it isn't so much a diet I have to work at but just my regular modest routine. I also still eat whatever I want--just smaller portions (or less frequent portions)of the desserts, sweets, pastas, potatoes & breads than I used to--that's all I do now. RIP Atkins--you were ahead of your time and went against the grain (and took a lot of flak) to a lot of people's real benefit.
I work on the street where The Atkins Center For Complimentary Medicine is located, this is the street he slipped on last week. I never knew that was him. the tv crews were in front of the building today. RIP
