I am hugely cynical too. I've managed people and know that it is extraordinarily difficult to convince people to make changes - even when you pay them.

Well, I would agree with that, in that Atkins was hardly the first to arrive at low carb. He was just the first to articulate it in a way that brought it to the public's attention. He brought it to tens of millions where Bernstein brought it to a fraction of that...and quite probably had help due to the fact that Atkins created a context where Bernstein's conclusions could find some oxygen in the debate.

My original issue was with your patently ridiculous statement that the man most responsible for the prevalence of low carb is somehow responsible for retarding its growth. He is actually the man most responsible for its acceptance -- in the public, and yes, in the medical community. He took a tremendous amount of abuse for it. He was no saint, but most people who eat low carb, most doctors who accept it, most researchers who are doing study after study that confirm its benefits are doing it because of, not in spite of Atkins.

Is low-carb prevalent? I don't know a single person IRL who is low-carbing.

Bernstein became an MD in the early 80s. Atkins' first book was published in 1972, at which time, I believe, he was already a practising successful cardiologist.

Bernstein was an engineer first and was married to an MD. He began his work on LC in the 70s when he bought a glucometer. He was so frustrated that he wasn't taken seriously, he went back to school and got an MD when he was in his 40s.

Well said, Kyrasdad!

I don't disagree with that. But some percentage *are* going to try it and see for themselves what happens and make either permanent or very long term changes that could change their lives. Even if those changes are difficult to implement, at some point some of us do it and look back and go, "Hey, that wasn't so hard after all".

I like the way the Eades went about it. They presented multiple plans to their readers and explained the advantages of them all. Then you can pick how purist or hedonistic you want to be.

There's a lady that posts on a forum I frequent who runs a gluten free food booth at a farmer's market. The vendors next to her kept overhearing her stories and decided to try the diet themselves, even though it is "hard" and had wonderful results. So people sometimes are willing to try to do what is hard and sometimes choose health over convenience, habit or addiction.

Quitting smoking is hard too, but we don't call doctors who advocate it extremists and quacks.

I believe part of the reason low carb has been in the closet so long is because of the reaction received when a person says they are following a low carb plan. I do not know many people who want to be looked at funny, chastised or flat-out told they are doing their body harm by following low carb. There are plenty of threads in this forum of people asking how others respond when confronted with the 'low carb is bad' mantra. As much as we may believe it doesn't or shouldn't matter what others think of us, the fact of the matter is, for most of us, it does.

I believe low carb is more prevalent than we might think. I know of three people who've adopted a low carb plan (maybe not formally following one plan over another but they've eliminated breads/pasta/most sugar). And one more friend of mine has eliminated sugar. Four is not a large number, but I don't ask people if they follow low carb, I deduce it from time spent with them around food. A couple of times it's come up in conversations but that is rare.

I saw that, and saw that she sidestepped answering your sterling reply

Egg-zactly!

You gotta hang with better friends <joke> LOL

Personally I wouldn't call it "prevalent" - but since moving here to MO, I know a heck of a lot more folks who actively do low-carb as their way of eating because they want to do low-carb, then there are some who eat this way without even thinking about it (believe it or not, it's just how they eat and they're not aware it's low/controlled-carb).....there is definitely a growing number of doc's in our area who are taking the time to re-evaluate the evidence and quite a few in the area are now, if not outright recommending carbohydrate restriction (at least a half dozen now do in some form), at least not hostile to it if patients want to give it a try.....even the medical society here is buzzing about carb restriction and they're co-sponsoring (with MU school of nutrition) Gary Taubes to present to the medical society and school of nutriiton over at the university in November. (get your seats reserved if you want to see the public presentation 11/13)

And evidently he isn't all that sure saturated fat is as bad as some make it:



http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRI.../27/lkl.01.html

South Beach is very popular in southern Florida because Agatston is on TV frequently. People aren't going radical though and giving up all grains and dairy. Yogurt is enormously popular and I don't see that changing. One of the busiest stores around is Whole Foods and people are buying a lot of whole grains. Agatston has been influential in this part of the country. Most of my friends IRL are not overweight. They are more the diving and rollerblading types. No one I hang with is really dieting, but watching the processed foods.

He's very intelligent and open minded. That's why I like him. Personally, I eat what I like and what makes me happy. I want good BGs without getting obsessive-compulsive about it.

There is a world of difference between giving people good solid information and then having some not follow recommendations due to personal choice -and- not giving people the right information because you ASSUME they are too stupid, lazy or unmotivated to follow it.