Baa! People are Sheep (was Re: Krispy Paging Dr. Atkins)



B

Benjamin Weiner

Guest
Okay, forget Lafferty's obsession with LANCE.
Americans' obsession with the Atkins diet has gone overboard
to the point where even people who don't need to diet are
avoiding carbohydrates as if they were cholesterol or PCBs
or something. Here's an article from the NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/19/health/19CARB.html

Low-Carb Boom Isn't Just for Dieters Anymore

Marc and Connie Foreman are not on the Atkins, South Beach, Zone, Lindora or any other low-
carbohydrate diet.

Yet here they were, waiting for a table at T.G.I. Friday's, a restaurant they have only driven
past for 25 years, because
Mr. Foreman had seen a commercial earlier in the day advertising one of its Atkins-approved menu
items, a New York strip steak with blue cheese (broccoli, no fries).

"I won't cut out carbs completely," said Ms. Foreman, a teacher, "but when you think about your
diet the bread, the potatoes, the pasta it makes sense to cut out that stuff."

Low-carb mania has spread beyond the millions of low-carb dieters. Food industry analysts say a
far greater number of people are now "carb aware," even carb-phobic, cutting out those foods not
as a way to lose weight, but because of a general sense that they are unhealthy. ...

The article goes on with more in this vein. (More arteriosclerosis in this vein?) If this trend
continues, we'll have a whole new generation of Fattie Masters to look forward to. Maybe it's a plot
to keep Social Security solvent by insuring all the dumbasses kick off early from heart disease.
 
In article <4037fefd$1@darkstar>, Benjamin Weiner <[email protected]>
wrote:

> Okay, forget Lafferty's obsession with LANCE. Americans' obsession with the Atkins diet has gone
> overboard to the point where even people who don't need to diet are avoiding carbohydrates as if
> they were cholesterol or PCBs or something. Here's an article from the NY Times:
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/19/health/19CARB.html
>
> Low-Carb Boom Isn't Just for Dieters Anymore
>
> Marc and Connie Foreman are not on the Atkins, South Beach, Zone, Lindora or any other low-
> carbohydrate diet.
>
> Yet here they were, waiting for a table at T.G.I. Friday's, a restaurant they have only driven
> past for 25 years, because
> Mr. Foreman had seen a commercial earlier in the day advertising one of its Atkins-approved menu
> items, a New York strip steak with blue cheese (broccoli, no fries).
>
> "I won't cut out carbs completely," said Ms. Foreman, a teacher, "but when you think about your
> diet the bread, the potatoes, the pasta it makes sense to cut out that stuff."
>
> Low-carb mania has spread beyond the millions of low-carb dieters. Food industry analysts say a
> far greater number of people are now "carb aware," even carb-phobic, cutting out those foods not
> as a way to lose weight, but because of a general sense that they are unhealthy. ...
>
> The article goes on with more in this vein. (More arteriosclerosis in this vein?)

Humor in a jugular vein (as Mad Magazine once said)? Actually, I want to know -why- it makes
sense to cut out that stuff? Where the hell does anyone get the idea that carbs are unhealthy? I
see people doing some incredibly strange things with food, like taking some pill that's supposed
to "rearrange how your body deals with carbs", then ordering a burger with no bun (but with
cheese and a double, to boot) and a large order of fries (then finishing someone else's fries).

--
tanx, Howard

"We're not laughing -at- you, we're laughing -with- you..) "But... I'm not
laughing???" Happiness

remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?
 
a low carb diet isnt bad- a NO carb diet is stupid... consider that most americans are on a MEGA
carb diet making a normal carb diet seem like a low carb diet... soda and chips all day is stupid
and so is a plate of pasta with a side of potatos as the vegetable... high carb diets are good for
athletes, we need carbs, but normal people just eat a starch on starch diet with no veggies and get
fat.. i am glad that people are starting to think about what they are doing to themselves, even if
some of them will go to the other end of the spectrum and go no carb...
 
[email protected] (erik saunders) wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> a low carb diet isnt bad- a NO carb diet is stupid... consider that most americans are on a MEGA
> carb diet making a normal carb diet seem like a low carb diet... soda and chips all day is stupid
> and so is a plate of pasta with a side of potatos as the vegetable... high carb diets are good for
> athletes, we need carbs, but normal people just eat a starch on starch diet with no veggies and
> get fat.. i am glad that people are starting to think about what they are doing to themselves,
> even if some of them will go to the other end of the spectrum and go no carb...

Those who slam the Atkins diet are ignoring the fact that it works. Like human evolution, this diet
rose to the top of the heap through performance.

My father and uncle are on the diet. The former has lost 40lbs. and the latter 70lbs. Prior to this
I'd never seen my dad successfully lose 5lbs and keep it off for any substancial amount of time. But
they both read the Atkins book and understand how and why it works.

They are planning on doing the Ride Across Kansas this summer; I think its great.

What I think is funny is those who don't really know how to do the diet properly. They don't know
the carb counts of common foods nor do they know a target maximum daily carb allowance to shoot for.

- BS
 
"Boyd Speerschneider" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> [email protected] (erik saunders) wrote in news:[email protected]:
>
>> a low carb diet isnt bad- a NO carb diet is stupid... consider that most americans are on a MEGA
>> carb diet making a normal carb diet seem like a low carb diet... soda and chips all day is stupid
>> and so is a plate of pasta with a side of potatos as the vegetable... high carb diets are good
>> for athletes, we need carbs, but normal people just eat a starch on starch diet with no veggies
>> and get fat.. i am glad that people are starting to think about what they are doing to
>> themselves, even if some of them will go to the other end of the spectrum and go no carb...
>
> Those who slam the Atkins diet are ignoring the fact that it works. Like human evolution, this
> diet rose to the top of the heap through performance.
>
> My father and uncle are on the diet. The former has lost 40lbs. and the latter 70lbs. Prior to
> this I'd never seen my dad successfully lose 5lbs and keep it off for any substancial amount of
> time. But they both read the Atkins book and understand how and why it works.

You can loose weight on any diet, I have heard of people loosing weight on a diet of only olive oil!

How long they will live is another question.

Dashi

> They are planning on doing the Ride Across Kansas this summer; I think its great.
>
> What I think is funny is those who don't really know how to do the diet properly.

Yep, that's pretty funny.

> They don't know the carb counts of common foods nor do they know a target maximum daily carb
> allowance to shoot for.

But you do?

>
> - BS
 
Boyd Speerschneider wrote:
>
> What I think is funny is those who don't really know how to do the diet properly. They don't
> know the carb counts of common foods nor do they know a target maximum daily carb allowance to
> shoot for.

this is only obliquely related to your post, but what i think is funny is my boyfriend works with a
bunch of people who are all on a variety of diets (including atkins) and have been ever since he's
worked there. they are all over weight and very out of shape. they think i'm a complete and total
freak because i won't eat fast food or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil or fd&c# dyes. it's like
at least once a week they make some comment about how weird my choice of food is. last week they
could not get over the fact that i won't eat jello. once, one of them said that white wonder bread
is sooooo good it should be outlawed (???!?). yuckie. and they thought it was strange that someone
would make rice pilaf from rice. why don't we just buy "rice a roni?" they ask....to them, food is
just something that makes them fat, not something that makes them live.

heather
 
In article <[email protected]>,
h squared <[email protected]> wrote:

> Boyd Speerschneider wrote:
> >
> > What I think is funny is those who don't really know how to do the diet properly. They don't
> > know the carb counts of common foods nor do they know a target maximum daily carb allowance to
> > shoot for.
>
> this is only obliquely related to your post, but what i think is funny is my boyfriend works with
> a bunch of people who are all on a variety of diets (including atkins) and have been ever since
> he's worked there. they are all over weight and very out of shape. they think i'm a complete and
> total freak because i won't eat fast food or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil or fd&c# dyes.
> it's like at least once a week they make some comment about how weird my choice of food is. last
> week they could not get over the fact that i won't eat jello. once, one of them said that white
> wonder bread is sooooo good it should be outlawed (???!?). yuckie. and they thought it was strange
> that someone would make rice pilaf from rice. why don't we just buy "rice a roni?" they ask....to
> them, food is just something that makes them fat, not something that makes them live.
>
> heather

I used to work down the street from a place that made Wonder Bread - the smell from that place
was horrendous. Not like any bakery I ever have been by. You're right that people do have some
strange ideas about what constitutes "mmm, that's good eatin'". Sometimes convenience does play a
big part. Not many people want to get home and spend up to an hour doing prep on a meal.

--
tanx, Howard

"We're not laughing -at- you, we're laughing -with- you..) "But... I'm not
laughing???" Happiness

remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?
 
"Dashi" <[email protected]> wrote in news:KOZZb.380392$na.570457@attbi_s04:

> You can loose weight on any diet, I have heard of people loosing weight on a diet of only
> olive oil!
>
> How long they will live is another question.

When I first learned of the concept of Atkins, I was concerned that one's cholesterol levels would
go through the roof.

My dad just had his cholesterol levels checked and they are below normal. He also has below normal
blood pressure and a resting heart rate in the low 50s (he's in his early 60s).

It should be noted that he rides a trainer about 1 hour per day.

Who knows if some other aspect of the diet is slowly killing him. He has said that he will switch
over to a more balanced diet once he reaches his target weight.

>> They are planning on doing the Ride Across Kansas this summer; I think its great.
>>
>> What I think is funny is those who don't really know how to do the diet properly.
>
> Yep, that's pretty funny.
>
>> They don't know the carb counts of common foods nor do they know a target maximum daily carb
>> allowance to shoot for.
>
> But you do?

No. However, being a 5'9" and 145lb. racer, I don't really need to watch my carb intake. I just eat
a balanced diet, take vitamins, get plenty of sleep, and ride lots ;)

But, yeah, when I see someone sitting down to eat a "low-carb" meal while sucking down a soda that's
full of sugar, I just have to shake my head and laugh.

- Boyd S.
 
On Sun, 22 Feb 2004 18:27:29 GMT, Howard Kveck
<[email protected]> wrote:

> I used to work down the street from a place that made Wonder Bread - the smell from that place
> was horrendous.

Hmmm. I actually like Wonder whole wheat bread...

JT
 
"Boyd Speerschneider" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Dashi" <[email protected]> wrote in news:KOZZb.380392$na.570457@attbi_s04:
>
>> You can loose weight on any diet, I have heard of people loosing weight on a diet of only
>> olive oil!
>>
>> How long they will live is another question.
>
> When I first learned of the concept of Atkins, I was concerned that one's cholesterol levels would
> go through the roof.
>
> My dad just had his cholesterol levels checked and they are below normal. He also has below normal
> blood pressure and a resting heart rate in the low 50s (he's in his early 60s).

That's great, I guess that a modified Atkin's diet would be ok if one watched their fat intake also.

Dashi
 
In article <[email protected]>,
John Forrest Tomlinson <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Sun, 22 Feb 2004 18:27:29 GMT, Howard Kveck <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
> > I used to work down the street from a place that made Wonder Bread - the smell from that place
> > was horrendous.
>
> Hmmm. I actually like Wonder whole wheat bread...
>
> JT

Well, just because the factory stinks doeesn't mean the bread has to taste bad, right? Although
one would hope there would be a direct correlation between smell and taste. The place I get my
bread from makes it on site, and it smells pretty good.

--
tanx, Howard

"We're not laughing -at- you, we're laughing -with- you..) "But... I'm not
laughing???" Happiness

remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?
 
"Howard Kveck" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Well, just because the factory stinks doeesn't mean the bread has to taste bad, right? Although
> one would hope there would be a direct correlation between smell and taste. The place I get my
> bread from makes
it
> on site, and it smells pretty good.
>
I remember making esters in chemistry. You'd start with some very foul smelling and lethal products
e.g. butyric acid (rancid butter), methanol and concentrated sulfuric acid, reflux them for a while
and end up with something that smelt like bananas :)

Jeff
 
Jeff Jones wrote:
>>
> I remember making esters in chemistry. You'd start with some very foul smelling and lethal
> products e.g. butyric acid (rancid butter), methanol and concentrated sulfuric acid, reflux them
> for a while and end up with something that smelt like bananas :)

How appropriate. Most cyclists turn bananas into something foul smelling and lethal.
 
erik saunders <[email protected]> wrote:
> a low carb diet isnt bad- a NO carb diet is stupid... consider that most americans are on a MEGA
> carb diet making a normal carb diet seem like a low carb diet... soda and chips all day is stupid
> and so is a plate of pasta with a side of potatos as the vegetable... high carb diets are good for
> athletes, we need carbs, but normal people just eat a starch on starch diet with no veggies and
> get fat.. i am glad that people are starting to think about what they are doing to themselves,
> even if some of them will go to the other end of the spectrum and go no carb...

I got all sympathy for people trying to lose weight, whether or not the low-carb diet is the best
way to do it. What bugged me is the people who _aren't_ on a diet, yet are still freakin out about
pasta being bad for them, while they go to TGIFriday's and order the strip steak with a side of
cheese. Something tells me these people aren't gonna remember to cut out the sodas, either. As far
as I know, _if_ you're not overweight, eating lots of starch isn't bad for you; but eating lots of
saturated fat can be.

Boyd, re: the Atkins diet, I didn't say anything about it one way or the other. If it helps people
lose weight, fine. (What your dad really deserves credit for is an hour a day on the trainer. I
don't like trainers.) The rest of the Times article went into detail about the people in the food
industry who are ready to make bank off selling overpriced low-carb food to everyone, not just
dieters, though.