Peg,
I know this was directed towards Gregory, but since I have read his book I would like to reply to some of your comments.
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Originally posted by pegm
Gregory,
I don’t need to be an electrician to know that when I push the power switch the television turns on – even my 16 month old granddaughter can turn on the television. We don’t need to be scientists or engineers and know all of the intricacies of the why and how the television works – we just know that it does.
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Your absolutely right you don't need to know how a TV works to turn it on. But what if your TV is broken? How can you fix it if you don't know how it works? It's the same thing with wieght control. If you want change (fix) your body, you must understand how your body uses food.
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The same applies to each person’s personal health plan. Every scientist and diet guru can cite some portion of some study to support their view – everything is subject to interpretation. Remember, there’s a good reason why it’s called Medical ‘Practice’!
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I agree with you on this point as well. People are always going to have different interpretations of things. I'm sure Dr. Ellis agrees with this point too. But should that stop him from sharing his view? After all, isn't Atkins and all the other authors simply sharing their interpretation of the data as well?
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I do know that I, along with many others on this board, have found a way to take control of my life. This is a support forum. We support each other in our quest for a better, more healthy lifestyle, and many of us have never felt better in our entire lives. I know that I may never be Twiggy, but I am thinner, more fit, and healthier than I was a year ago, and I continue to improve. I no longer need meds for high blood pressure or acid reflux, and I had my 8 year old hyperactive grandson on roller blades tell me to slow down because I was walking too fast for him. Others here have seen similar, or even much more dramatic improvements in their health and the way they feel, yet we are using many different plans and a multitude of variations of those plans.
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If you had actually read his book, you would know that Dr. Ellis doesn't force anyone to follow a specific way of eating. He only has one rule, and only one rule. That rule is to burn more calories than you consume. Outside of that, it doesn't matter if your following Atkins, Weight Watchers, Richard Simmons or your own specialized diet - you will lose weight. Dr. Ellis does give specific (and very useful) ways to optimize your weightloss and control hunger. This is primarily done through a low carb diet. This website is a resource for people on a low carb diet - not just Atkins. I don't think that Dr. Ellis is wrong in sharing his "version" of this diet and trying to explain his research.
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No single plan is best for all people – when it comes to health plans there is no ‘one size fits all’. We each need to find the plan that works best for us – whether it’s Atkins, Protein Power, Weight Watchers, or even your plan. But I have never been convinced by someone who spends all of their time condemning other people’s plans rather than telling me why theirs is good. The negativity is a turn-off, and it smacks of someone who is trying to distract me from looking too closely at their plan. If someone wants to convince me that they have a good idea, then tell me why it’s good – don’t spend all of your time telling why everyone else’s is bad.
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What you are arguing is the way in which Dr. Ellis has chosen to market his plan - not his plan itself. I can see why you might be wary of examining it because of the way he has chosen to present it. Unless you read the book, there really is no way to convince you.
I followed the Atkins diet for about a year - and I had great success. I only needed to lose about 10 pounds - so the main reason I did it was to maintain my body weight. I am certainly not anti-Atkins. His program is great, as long as one understands that it isn't a license to stuff your face with as much food as you want.
In addition, I ultimately found it difficult to stick to extremely low carb eating for extended periods of time. I think most people on a low carb diet would agree with me.
After reading Dr. Ellis book, I know I can be much more flexible in how many carbs I eat and still maintain my weight very easily. In fact - I have such a strong understanding of how the body regulates it's weight that I know exactly what I need to do if I want to lose more weight.
If you can afford the book - buy it. Even if you don't agree with everything he says, you will gain incredible knowledge on how your body works.
If following Atkins plan is working for you and you are happy with it, by all means don't stop doing it. In fact, if it is working for you then you are already following Dr. Ellis' recommendations.
However, for those who have tried Atkins and didn't lose, or have stopped losing weight, he offers a solution.