Why do you think he thinks people are stupid?

Very true. The biggest difference is in the frustration level of the person passing along the recommendations.

I agree that he's intelligent, and the fact that he said that about saturated fat does signal an inquiring mind, which is good (which I like about Dr Davis of heartscanblog fame, also).

Now, I think he's wrong about some things, including his deep embracing of statins, but, in the small scheme of things, also known as the little corner of the world that is my life, it doesn't matter so much

I think it is a very small point, not that I embrace statins either. Most people choose diets because they feel they can eat and enjoy the food. That's why Weight Watchers is so popular. He made a plan that appeals to a large number of people. If you cut off entire food groups, the appeal goes down.

I disagree that it's a small point, considering statins are so widespread, and frankly, if "the establisment" had its way, they'd be even more so. Agatston seems to be leaning in support of the "put it in the drinking water" theory.

I agree that he makes a moderate carb/reasonably healthy way of eating more acceptable to the general public, which isn't a bad thing.

Sorry, I wasn't specifically addressing Dr. A, my post just ended up in the middle of that debate because I was waiting on a customer

It was a general observation based on comments made by medical professionals. A few instances of this were listed in GCBC and I also stumbled on some recently online. I think I will have to start book marking these.

And that's another problem. People don't *know* what the correct info is anymore. So many studies come out with contradictory results. So many media reports exist with contradictory information. Fat is bad. Fat is good. Carbs are good. Carbs are bad. Some carbs are good, some are bad. Eggs are good. Eggs are bad. What's the average person supposed to believe? People don't always have the time or resources to research everything. They rely upon the disseminated information. I'd wager that this is another reason people don't follow a plan for long.

And yes, giving recommendations to have them ignored is difficult and annoying. But people are independent creatures. They ask for advice, stew on it and mix it with other pieces of information. Eventually, they may follow the advice given, or they may not. I do that - I solicit opinions, evaluate the info received, figure out if the info fits what I need out of life and make a decision. Sometimes the decision I make is shortly after receiving the advice/opinions; sometimes it's years later, possibly after I've followed other advice. And yes, when I finally figure out what works for me and realize someone gave me that advice/opinion/idea years before, I kick myself. But, being independent and stubborn, this is what I do. So, while it seems I ignore opinions/advice/etc., in reality, it is stewing in the back of my mind. I can't be the only person that does this.

A lot of doctors take this tact (and the ADA, too). In my experience, in my neck of the woods with some pretty sophisticated food types, low carb or moderate carb is pretty normal. Most people do a moderate carb diet, maybe still low fat if they haven't caught the "fat is Ok" train but most do eventually. Lots of people we know at least attempt a no sugar/no grains diet at some point. Most don't keep with it. Most people I know are extremely impressed with the way I eat and do think it's the healthiest way to eat. There is a generational divide on this one to a certain degree - very young people are usually still on the vegan track and older people might still be on the high fiber track. Unfortunately, many people think it's just not possible for them. People do think it's odd that we don't feed our kids lots of carbs, but that's about it.

We are also in the part of the country that never gave up butter, so there you go.

Janine

I tend to see it your way too.

The man got people thinking.

I still find the thought that other doctor's didn't like him because he was out to make a buck, a bit hysterical.

It's not like they adverse to that idea either.

He led the way. HE led the way in such a way that people DID play attention. They may not have liked him for him.. or their own jealousy and bad personalities, but they were talking.

I don't know whether the man was the most personable human to walk the planet or an insufferable ass. What I do know is that people who reject an idea due to the person who is advancing it have a real problem. Blaming Atkins for the lack of LC acceptance is absurd.

Other doctors have promulgated the idea that Atkins was disliked by doctors. His ideas were much more accepted by the public than by other doctors.

It is my understanding that several years ago, Atkins was very popular and then fell out of fashion. I don't really know why that happened. I'm not convinced that the medical community's disapproval was the reason. People do all sorts of things to lose weight, many of them not healthy.

While Atkins was outspoken and uncompromising, and certainly wasn't the first to discover that lo-carb was the most effective way to lose weight, he was the first one to buck the then fairly recent dogma (in the 60s/70s) that dietary fat caused heart disease.

This was why he was pilloried... here was a cardiologist telling the world that you could consume fat without risking long-term heart health. The contrast here is that Bernstein was a layman when he theorised about lo-fat/lo-carb. His stature in the medical community was non-existent... he came into the game later, in a much less intrusive way.

Bernstein is a high fatter. He's a low carb, controlled protein advocate. There is not much left but fat. He wasn't concerned about weight. His only concern was blood sugar control.

Bernstein is probably more high fat than Atkins. Bernstein didn't write about fat in terms of making love to your butter and lobster the way Atkins did.

I meant "lo-fat vs lo-carb". Sorry.