Another member asked me what I had said in my email to ITV. So, for those who are interested.
I, like many other viewers, found this programme very unbalanced. Whilst there was truth in what was said, some of it was taken out of context whilst others omitted basic facts.
I had not heard of Atkins before July 2001, but I now see it as my saviour. I am 47 and was 10 stone over weight. I got that way by yo-yo dieting and for over 10 years being on a very low fat diet. Low-fat is not a healthy lifestyle for many and deprives the body of the essential fats it needs. Now, 15 months later I have lost 3 stone and expect to eat this way for the rest of my life. I now eat 50 g of carbs a day and include fruit with that. Beside the weight loss, the other benefits are that I need less sleep, I am more alert, and am fitter than I have been for many years.
The programme omitted to say that the 20 g of carbs in induction should come from vegetables, they were totally ignored and almost put in the same category as fruit. Whilst you can nominally eat as much meat and fat as you like your body will not allow you to do so endlessly. It is this increase in protein which triggers an apparent loss off appetite, meaning that you eat less. The 20 g is just for induction and there were no indication that you should then increase your carb level each week until you do not loose weight.
The Atkins diet is based on UK research, it is interesting that that fact has completely been ignored.
Whilst in the US there is a major industry in low carb products, these are only available online in the UK . Look at the amount of Weight Watchers and other low calorie, low fat products in our stores. One thing that Atkins and the other low carb lifestyles promote is a return to traditional eating using fresh produce. This is of course has a negative effect for the food industry, particularly the sugar industry. So, of course they would be against this lifestyle.
Obesity is a major problem within the UK. There are many deaths each year related to obesity and the increase in type II diabetes is staggering. The low carb lifestyle, as it controls your insulin levels, will prevent you getting diabetes far more so than cutting out saturated fats, as the programme implied. For anyone who has put on weight around their stomach, then they have done this because they have eaten too many carbohydrates for their body to use effectively and hence the storage as fat.
I would be interested to know what the woman who had had such negative symptoms suffered from. My blood profile is brilliant and my cholesterol and triglyceride levels are very good. If saturated fats were a problem then these results would not be as good.
I noted that your reporter liberally added salt to his breakfast on the Atkins cruise. There is no need to add salt, we are encouraged not to, adding salt only increases water retention. Not a good sign, unless it was LoSalt (potassium chloride).
There are usually some negative symptoms experienced when you change to a low carb way of life, your body needs time to change however, drinking sufficient water and not totally cutting out caffeine, means that these symptoms quickly pass. There was no indication that you need to drink plenty of water to maintain your body fluids and process the food that you eat. It was interesting that both 'guinea pigs' did not like what they did during induction, but were very pleased with the results! Most people do not particularly like going on a diet, but I love this lifestyle and do not miss pasta, potatoes, bread, etc. All diets restrict sugar in the form of sweets, cakes and biscuits. In no way do I feel deprived and I eat a much wider range of protein and vegetables than I did before.
I found the information on your body needing around 100g carbs a day to survive very helpful. So we do not need the 200-300 g carbs that most of us eat. Therefore a lower carbohydrate intake for almost everyone one would be a good idea!! It was not said that our bodies can also turn protein into sugars and so we do have a second source. If we don't eat protein either then our body attacks our muscles to get the necessary sugar.
The information on too much saturated fat was not in context. The problems outlined may occur when combined with carbohydrates, but tend not to be the case when very low levels of carbohydrates are eaten. There may be no long term studies on low carbing, only the people who have eaten that way for the past 30 years. In the same way there are no good studies on low fat lifestyles. In Dr Atkins book he does indicate that you might want to reduce the level of saturated fats and increase the level of mono-unsaturated fats in what you eat, so again, the full story was not told.
I would encourage readers interested in the low carbohydrate way of life, because that is what it is, not just a quick fix diet, to join one of the online forums on the topic for information and advice. I belong to
http://forum.lowcarber.org where I am now a mentor.
Perhaps you would consider having a second programme to build on the first and include real people who have experienced this way of life for long periods of time. As a scare mongering programme I would give it 7 out of 10.
I know it was read at 8 45 pm last night, wonder if they will update their website with some more of the comments they have received?
Anne's Comments to ITV's Tonight
ATKINS ON TV
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