weird cartoon.. truth? bs?

[seluratep]

I know people tend to jump on your case pretttty quickly in the WZ, so let me make it clear that Im not endorsing this video by putting it here. But this

cartoon (http://www.illwillpress.com/fatkins.html) (warning- bad language)

was sent to me by one of my friends that knows I've recently been low-carbing. She's quite obviously against Atkins and thinks its unhealthy, so I take it with a grain of salt (as we should with any cartoon :p ) but I was just wondering... is there any truth to it?

Not most of it, but towards the end... should we just accept ourselves and stop with the diets and all? I dont know. I guess Im just confused and wondering whats best... trying for a healthy, alternative lifestyle like low-carbing... or just eating and trying to keep it healthy. The "in Rome" approach. I guess Im wondering if Im messing with my mind even more by being on a diet that most people arent on.

I dont know if this is the right place to post this... but since there is controversial material and all, I figured I should. Also, people sometimes get offended by how... honest? I am about my curiousity. Thoughts?

[VickiR]

I don't have the nerve to watch the cartoon, sorry, but I get the general drift. I'm around people all the time who slam Atkins and any LC approach. I just sit there, quietly eating my salad, and rarely if ever, say anything.

As a vegan friend (with an open mind) pointed out to me, you can be a perfectly good vegan and live on unfrosted poptarts (which are vegan), but that doesn't mean you have a good diet. It's possible to do any diet wrong, IMHO, even mine. It's also possible to do any diet in a healthy way. It's a very personal choice, either way.

My body doesn't seem to cope very well with a diet of whole grains and steamed veggies, but it does seem to work for some folks. Instead, I like a couple of eggs for breakfast, a large salad at lunch (w protein and dressing), and a large meal with meat and veggies of all kinds at dinner works best. I don't eat 20 oz of animal protein at a meal. Snacks are veggies, nuts, and cheese. This is just me, results do vary!

[seluratep]

Yeah, you dont really need to watch the cartoon to understand what Im talking about... I only posted in case someone was curious as to what spurred this thought process.

Im not doubting the physical parts of the diet. I know it can be a perfectly healthy way of living, as well as horribly unhealthy if done wrong.

But what about the mental effects? I guess what Im asking is... does anyone else ever feel like an outcast? Sometimes I feel so burdened with my "different-ness" that I just want to give in or be whatever I end up being when I just let myself go. Diet, included. Would that be healthy or is restriction (not just dietary, but restriction of what you want) just part of life?

[VickiR]

I think I feel strong and fit, and mentally clear, on this way of eating. If I didn't, I'd do a different plan. Results do vary.

Have you spoken to a medical professional regarding weight loss? I got this WOE from my doctor.

[mrfreddy]

well first of all, we shouldn't be getting nutritional information from fowl mouthed angry helium voiced bagel eating squirrels, should we? that aside, I thought was kinda funny.

As for the squirrel's arguments, he seemed to be running though some of the usual litany of anti-low carb nonsense you every day. I'm afraid squirelly is no more informed on this topic than any boob on the street or most nutritionists...

[ManoOPUS]

i watched it....and i think it's BS! i think i've gotten to the point where i'm pretty sick of seeing every food corporation jump onto the No Carb bandwagon just to make a profit! i thinks it's definitely gotten out of hand.....and to someone who DOESN'T know how LC diets work, like the artist of the cartoon, i can see where he or she maybe coming from BUT i think it's BS!

refering to your "different-ness" thoughts, being is different is a GOOD thing! don't listen to what some dumb*** is venting through a cartoon! i think restriction is a part of life....we have "checks and balances" to keep us from letting go completely. i'd be pretty scared to see what i could be like if i let go! :lol: but at the same time, if you want to do something you like, do it, just don't over do it! ;)

[tamarian]

I thought it was funny :)

While the theme is anti-Atkins, it's sort of anti any diet.

The ironic thing, since the "speaker" is squirrel, it says be like me, that as a squirrel he exercises, jumps from tree to tree and "I just eat nuts". So it's a high-fat, low-carb squirrel talking :)

Wa'il

[Steve175]

I did watch the cartoon, and I think it is hilarious! To me the ranting mocks the critics more than the WOE. I've heard many of those gripes before, just not in such a high-pitched voice. And most people with that attitude are about as easy to reason with as a bagel-eating squirrel anyway...

Let them eat cake...

[westerner]

Do squirrels have carbs? Can you eat them on Atkins? :yum:

[mcsblues]

Oh for goodness sake!

Its a joke - (whether you think it is funny or not).

It is a satirical look at the sort of hysterical nonsense spouted by the ANTI low carb fraternity. Thats right - it is a humourous send up of people we have all encountered who say things like "you are all going to die!" "your kidneys will explode!" etc etc.

If anyone should be offended its the PCRM! :)

Cheers,

Malcolm

[mps]

But what about the mental effects? I guess what Im asking is... does anyone else ever feel like an outcast? Sometimes I feel so burdened with my "different-ness" that I just want to give in or be whatever I end up being when I just let myself go. Diet, included. Would that be healthy or is restriction (not just dietary, but restriction of what you want) just part of life?

I don't think this is what you meant by 'mental effects' but the bushy tailed rodent mentioned something about our brains needing carbs to function. This is soooo not true. After a person has successfully made the metabolic shift to being a fat burner instead of a sugar burner our brains work perfectly well using ketones, glutamic acid (from protein), and glucose (from blood sugar produced by protein->glucose conversion or from the limited carbs we eat)
In fact, a 'fat burner' will have more stable blood sugar levels than a 'sugar burner' and will therefore probably have more consistantly good mental function.
As for the other interpretation of 'mental effects'... Who cares? It's all about health and feeling good. I'm not going to eat like everyone else when eating like them is not the best thing for me. So the rodent's creator doesn't care what he/she looks like or feels like... It's not a problem.

[Lisa N]

I guess Im wondering if Im messing with my mind even more by being on a diet that most people arent on.

I think that depends on where your comfort zone is. If your comfort zone requires being like everyone else, then going against the grain and doing something that the majority of those in your circle of friends aren't doing could make you uncomfortable. OTOH, if you're the type of person that chooses your lifestyle based on what you think and like and not what the rest of the "herd" is doing, it wouldn't be much of an issue.

should we just accept ourselves and stop with the diets and all?

I think it's something of a fallacy that "accepting yourself" means that you have to stay with the status quo or you aren't accepting yoursef. ;)

[jagbender]

Funny! Not true but Funny.
Jag

[jonthepa]

Wow! Maybe my problem is my "brain and liver are rotting." And here I thought I was just lazy. Ridicule is the last step before acceptance.

[Samasnier]

should we just accept ourselves and stop with the diets and all?
Better cholesterol ratios, lower triglycerides, lower blood pressure...low carb isn't just about being thinner.

[easylyvin]

I thought the squirrel's screechy, fast, high pitched voice was more annoying than anything! I couldn't take it anymore! I only watched half of it.

[gotbeer]

I watched the cartoon all the way through. I thought it was hilarious - way off base, but still funny.

The soundest points the cartoon makes (and I'm paraphrasing here):

"We squirrels are thin because we eat nuts and exercise a lot."

"Just because you've hit your goal weight doesn't mean you can have an extra piece of cheesecake."

And while we shouldn't be judged on our weight - the truth is we are, every day, and I'm much happier to be thinner because of it.

[MisterE]

I think it is hilarious. Personally, I know about the health benefits of the diet. I can also appreciate that some might find humor in the overkill that everything from COKE to c andy is now on the LC trip; oh, and potatoes, too!

A little sarcasm...if not for the profanity, I think more could see the humor.

[gotbeer]

Oh, seluratep - good to see you posting again. I hope all is going well with you. Any news? ED? GF?

[LilaCotton]

does anyone else ever feel like an outcast?

I've been an outcast my whole life, so why change now? :D

I have to do what's right for me--not what's right for someone else. I can't live on a high-carb, low-fat, low-protein diet. I tried it--it makes me feel like crud all the time.

[322432]

I think the whole food establishment is a big cartoon; might as well include most of the medical community too. Lets tak diabetis--the only thing that is associated with diabetis is carbohydrates or sugar--same thing to our bodies. Now let's see--it's O.K. to eat some carbs, even a little sugar or lots of sugar substitutes, but OH MY GOD watch the fat and protien. Drink no fat milk or some other kind of unnatural concoction. Give me a break; I will continue to eat as my ancestors did when 95% of them were healthy not as we're told now when so many people are obese, have diabetis, heart trouble, plugged up veins, bad teeth--why go on, these people are idiots.

[seluratep]

I've been an outcast my whole life, so why change now? :D

I have to do what's right for me--not what's right for someone else. I can't live on a high-carb, low-fat, low-protein diet. I tried it--it makes me feel like crud all the time.

Good point. :lol: I guess I was just wondering what other's thoughts were on how evvvveryone seems to have the stereotype that low carb is the DEVIL. At least around here, they do. I mean, heck, before I was educated here, I pretty much had only heard bad things about it and had some serious misconceptions.

You guys are awesome, the way other people dont effect you. :) Seriously, I wish I had thicker skin like that.

[seluratep]

Oh, seluratep - good to see you posting again. I hope all is going well with you. Any news? ED? GF?

Hey! :wave:

As for the ED, Im doing pretty well right now and actually believe the low carbing is great for me. I'm slowly, very slowly, gaining weight back and Im trying to end up around 110 lbs. It seems like a good goal to me, since I think I looked best and felt best around there. Low carbing seems to help elevate my mood and helps immensely with ending the b/p cycle, so it's definitely been a big help, you seem to have been right on the money with your suggestion.

Sorry I was gone for a while! Busy with college stuff and I just turned 18 yesterday, how cool is that? :) Im still with my girlfriend, and we're both incredibly happy. She's so supportive and blesses low carbing, since it's what helped me get into recovery. Thanks for asking!

[DABIGDAWG]

Hello all!
just a little note on this topic....
do any diet thats works for you and your body.
happen to luv low carb it works for me and now that i hit da weights i do a tkd diet on my w/o days(tarrget ket.diet)
long story short you have to luv you and how you look !

dabigdawg.

[gotbeer]

Sounds fantastic, seluratep. Isn't it just the coolest finding something that actually works for you?

Keep up the good work, and best regards to your GF.

[KetoOwnsMe]

LOL. I love that video. And I agree with it. I'm sick of hearing ATKINS ATKINS ATKINS everywhere. I don't feel like doing addition and subtraction to know if I can eat a friggen meal either. Thankgod for real food.