you,ve hit the nail on the head sylvia.thats why the grain and potato industry is banding together and slating this WOE.they are terrified they,ll lose their profits.in my opinion,they,ve had their day.now its our turn.

ITV news tonight the report wasn't all bad, it had some good points about Atkins, it finished on a downer suggesting saying that Dr Atkins made more money 'on the supplements missing in the diet than on book sales'

I'm sick of being slated by the people I work with. We all have to eat together so they found out I was doing Atkins. Now they keep telling me how stupid I am and how dangerous it is but all they've read is the newspapers! Since when does anyone believe everything they read in the papers?? I keep saying, "go away and read the book, THEN come back and winge at me, once you've got a valid point" None of them have yet and I know for a fact, none of them will. They prefer to moan at me instead about things they don't understand. It makes me so mad. I can't wait for the day when they're all proved wrong! It's gonna be a sunshiny day whatever the weather!!!

For those who want the diabetic answers avoid Atkins and have a look at "Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution". He is a doctor who controls his diabetes using low carb.

I just tell people I am restricting the sugar in my diet and that I am insulin resistant which canlead to diabetes (true). Most people don't seem to associate Atkins and restricting sugar if you do not mention the word carbohydrate. If they do ask I refer them to this book (which I got from Amazon UK) - as they have never heard of him no horrid associations.

I also have Barry Groves book - again restricted carbs but British. Have a look at his site (second-opinions) as he teaches doctors in the UK about weight management and diabetes in this country and his phd is nutrition.

People hear what they want to hear and at the moment Atkins is being bashed, mostly by those who do not get beyond reading about induction. We've had nearly 40 years of low fat indoctrination and I reckon this is also part of the lobbying by those losing profit - Slimfast and their ilk; Wheat lobby in the US; et al, whose media people prepare press handouts that most journos do not have the time or inclination to go beyond. One notable exception is Dr John Briffa (Observer)

SL

I've just ordered Dr Bernsteins book from Amazon for my mam. She's desperate to loose weight but is a diabetic taking shots of insulin and her doctors said NO to Atkins. Once I get Bernsteins book I'm going down to the clinic with her to give them what for!

kelly,
i see your mams on insulin.so was i till i started low carb and now i,m insulin free.she must be careful however,when she starts l-cing,she may need help from the hospital about the dose adjustment if shes not used to altering it herself.personally, i found it better to ease into it,but i was used to dosage changing.

Kelly: Anyone on insulin must only reduce under the doc's or hospital's supervision. But at the end of the day we are responsible for our own destiny so if the doc your mam is seeing still does not want to go with what his patient wants to do then ask to be referred to someone who will supervise it. I feel sorry for GPs as we expect them to be experts on everything when they are generalists, but low carb is actually recommended in - I think - the north by one of the health authorities up there.

SL

Ignore it I say...
If you read them all they are pretty much the same these taken from other articles.
It's normally written by some snotty nosed skinny little stuck up London journo' that wouldnt know the first thing about dieting and the problems pre-atkins we have faced.
Look at the scales - the results are there.... I cant believe some journo's scoop so slow and blame Dr Atkin's death on the diet.... Sums up the society we live on though I guess eh !!!

I listened carefully to Dr Susan Jebb, waiting to hear her quote new research information to support her position, and there is none. She is simply saying they cannot recommend it cause they don't know the long term effects. I was very unimpressed - I think she may be looking to make a name for herself and picked the silly season when Tony Blair is on holidays and the media are desparate for copy. I've only been going three weeks but I feel so much better; I have energy for the first time in years; my diet has far more fresh veg and real food and no convenience foods; I am drinking lots of water and taking a range of supplements. The positive changes that Atkins has brought, plus the weight loss which is slow but coming, has to be a good thing. My GP will be opposed I am sure. I had Chronic Fatigue/ME for year and it took me two years and numerous other referrals before he would refer me because he said "I don't believe in ME but even if I did you don't have it" - work the logic of that out. I am sure despite the fact that he tells me to lose weight he will think Atkins is a bad thing. I think conventional medicine encourages a very restricted view and both doctors and dieticians get locked into their ideas - very afraid to respond to new ideas etc. I agree with Pepsi Max - that you have to take responsibility for yourself and if your doctor can't help - find one who can or work round the one you have. That's what I did with ME - in the end I realised I knew most about my health and I learned to manage the problem and make changes and gradually it improved. Atkins has made a radical improvement in my energy levels which "proves" it works for me.

That's why I'm taking the Bernstein book to her diabetes clinic. She knows not to start doing this without their aid which is why it really gets to me cos she's so desperite to start and they won't let her.

Thanks for the advice Pepsi Max. I will definitely tell her about refferring if they say no again.

I'm really pleased you are off insulin!!! That's such fantastic news!!Something else I can tell the docs at the clinic!

kelly,i hope your mam,s doctors helps her,she,ll feel so much better once she starts l-cing.has she been on insulin a long time and how much weight has she got to lose?has she ever adusted her insulin herself or does she rely on the doc for advice.i always adusted my own dosage,i was told to do this at dx.how many units is she on?

My mam has been on insulin for 3 years, almost. She takes 10 units in the morning and 10 units at night. Shes 14stone and wants to get down to around 10 stone...sorry don't know how much that is in pounds and haven't got my calculator handy!!!

Thanks for all your advice Christine!

thats not too bad considering i was on 8 units am and 7 units pm and i weighed 81/2 stone.just shows how many carbs i ate in a day.only 1 stone lighter and with l-c,no insulin.try not to worry kelly and go to the clinic "fully armed"with dr bernstein.

Just realised I hadn't answered all your questions!

I'm not sure if mam adjusts the insulin herself. She once asked if she could be put on tablets for a trial and they let her, kept a close eye on her, but her BS levels were all over at night and she started suffering from severe depression and anxiety so they put her back on injections.

She also has IBS possibly caused (she's been told) by the insulin and she's had a underactive thyroid for as long as I can remember (she's on medication for that). So she feels as though all the odds are against her, which, in a way, I suppose a lot of them are.

One of the main reasons she was so interested by Atkins was because he mentions all three of these problems in his book so she felt like she had an ....(how do you spell alliy?!)

Anyway, I think the Bernstein book has arrived cos I got a "called while you were out" card from Royal Mail today and I don't know of anything else I'm supposed to be getting!

When the appointment arrives for the clinic, I'll let you know how we get on. Keep all your fingers and toes crossed for her!!

we,ll keep everything crossed kelly,happy reading.