Judge Tosses Man vs. Atkins Suit
Okay, so this one kind of annoys me. It’s been said by doctors for years that a high-fat, high-protein, low dietary fiber diet can, and will, clog arteries and has the potential to cause heart attacks. Yet the Atkins craze bubble continued to grow. Once Dr. Fatty Food croaked, the bubble burst (like we all knew it would).
How many times do people have to get burned by fad diets before they realize that if they would just listen to what thousands of doctors and nutritionists have said for years, they’d be better off?
Basically what happened is that this 53 year old man in Florida went on Atkins in 2001. Apparantly he admitted to eating mainly cheesecake and pastrami (ew, let’s hope not together). While these two foods are on the “approved” list, his cholesterol shot up to 230 from a low 146 after only 2 months.
Well, duh.
In 2003 he felt a pain in his chest and went for an angioplasty to unclog one of his arteries.
Poor guy. Too bad he’s a little too dense to think for himself in the first place.
“The average consumer surely anticipates that these and other high-fat or high-protein foods may increase cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease,” [Judge Denny] Chin wrote of the salty deli meat and cream cheese-based dessert.
The diet consists of only “advice and ideas” that are protected by the First Amendment, Chin wrote.
Um. “Advice and ideas” that cost $5 each at the supermarket? Atkins sells bars, shakes, and meals… plus a book. I was understanding why he tossed it until he said crap like this. This guy’s an idiot too. He should’ve done his research on the damn diet before making stupid statements like that and handing out a dismissal based on a lack of his own personal knowledge.
It’s highly likely that the guy who sued Atkins did everything he did in an attempt to get to the point where he could sue them and make millions… sure, I buy that. But considering the fact that Atkins Nutritionals was a sliver away from complete bankruptcy back in January, who in their right mind would try to sue them? They had NOTHING to pay with.
I wish that people would seriously get their overly commercialized brains out of their stomachs and just take a step back, think, and focus their finances on learning how to be more willful and determined. Buy a self-help book if you need one, but don’t blow your retirement on fad diets (OR frivolous lawsuits)!
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Categories: Weight Loss
I don’t get how cheesecake is allowed on Atkins? Yea, it is cream cheese based, but it has loads of sugar too, doesn’t it? Atkins is low carb so cheese cake wouldn’t be allowed. So it seems to be the guy took the parts of the “diet” that he liked and ran with it.
You are right, though, idiots both of them!
You know, I was thinking about that too afterward - but doesn’t Jell-O make a sugar free, no bake variety?
I dunno - for all we know, this guy’s idea of cheesecake is a hunk of cream cheese cut into a circle. LOL
Also, I can’t say for sure, but I believe that while the Atkins diet allowed for eating fatty meats, it also encouraged eating lean chicken and fish too. This guy probably didn’t read that part of the book and took the idea of eating the “bad” foods and ran with it. I think Atkins is like any other diet - if you REALLY follow it, you will lose weight, but like any other diet with strict rules, it’s not realistic in the long run.
I think you have to have sugar-free (with splenda), crust-free cheesecake in order for it to be “Atkins Approved”. But where’s the fun in that?
“Living on large amounts of pastrami and cheescake is not in keeping with the “Atkins” diet.”…………..
I have read Dr. Atkins’ book and his references to fats (and his recipes) include heart healthy oily fish and healthy oils like olive oil as salad dressings, etc. Carbohydrates are limited to around 3 cups of vegetables for the first two weeks of the diet only, after which Dr Atkins advises that carbohydrates (in the form of vegetables) should be added in increments of 5g to ascertain at which point the body will stop losing weight, then cutting back 5 carbs in order to continue reducing. After reaching the desired weight, carbohydrates are kept at an appropriate level for maintenance of the weight. Dr. Atkins’ constant advice is to choose the best quality carbohydrates with the lowest sugar (which will enable people who struggle with their weight to eat far more vegetables). Once people reach their goal weight, the foods which are forbidden are refined carbohydrates, especially sugar, plus caffeine and other obviously unhealthy foods. Even at this stage, Dr. Atkins advises limiting sugary fruits, and gives lists to show which are better for avoiding blood sugar problems, which can be a major factor in obesity and compulsive eating.
Living on large amounts of pastrami and cheescake is not in keeping with the “Atkins” diet. The man became ill when he was sitting in a delicatessen eating pastrami and deli cheesecake. Deli cheescakes contain refined sugar in the cheese part, plus sugar and refined flour in the base, plus sugar in toppings, and this type of sugary food is completely banned by Atkins at all stages of his diet, Pages of the book are devoted to eating out, including dinner parties, and Dr. Atkins gives plenty of advice about suitable foods, which in this case would been have the meat plus a big salad with olive oil to dress it, or other vegetables, plus he would probably have been able to have some wholemeal bread, depending on his metabolism. Given that Dr. Atkins advises people to stop eating as soon as they are satisfied, then he might not have had room for anything else, but if he was still hungry, then he could have eaten more food, including certain cheeses, but not deli cheescake. Dr, Atkins does not advocate stuffing oneself with unhealthy food.
The man who mounted the lawsuit had lost his weight in a matter of weeks, some years before he became ill, and he was very thin, so he should therefore have been following the “maintenance” level of the diet, and been eating a diet containing a variety of protien, fat/oil foods, plus a wide range of healthy vegetables and whole grains, and excluding sugar. Finally, he stated that his cholesterol was raised after 2 weeks on the diet, so if he had been following the advice that Dr. Atkins gives in the book, he would have either come off the diet, or had regular cholesterol checks and discussions with his physician regarding his abnormal cholesterol findings. This advice safeguards everyone who might be too lazy to read the book thoroughly or too silly to follow the diet properly. It also safeguards those with a medical issue inhibiting weight loss, those for whom the diet is inappropriate, in addition to those who might for different reasons struggle to understand the diet. What makes me really angry is that the adverse publicity that this man created has discouraged many morbidly obese people from trying the diet. Before you criticise, please read the reviews on Amazon, written by over 1,00 people who have followed the diet, including physicians who cannot say enough good things about it, Then check out the findings of the growing number of clinical trials which prove that Dr. Atkins was right! Then read the book yourself.
K Niven, thank you for your great comment, but I disagree with some of your statements. There have been PLENTY of physicians who can’t say enough BAD things about the Atkins diet, too. And I know that the diet has been more effective for men than women, but I also know that once you stop eating that way, you gain all the weight back. It happened to 4 male friends and 2 female friends of mine.
It’s a diet, and not a lifestyle, which is why I hate it. It’s a “quick fix” that doesn’t teach the dieter anything about proper nutrition, balance, and effective eating habits. And let us PLEASE PLEASE not forget that Dr. Atkins died of several problems, mostly heart related: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/atkinsmed4.html (That’s the medical examiner’s report.)
Dear Lara, thank you for your reply. Dr. Atkins states repeatedly that his diet is a life-long choice for a healthy heart, and the pre-maintenance phase of the diet prepares people for long-term weight maintenance through continuing with Dr. Atkins protocol. If your friends regained weight by viewing the diet as a “quick-fix”, and resuming the unhealthy eating habits which led to their needing to diet in the first place, then it is not surprising that they put the weight back on,
I lost 14 pounds in a month easily on a low-carb diet in 1990, and, and I maintained the weight loss even after I had resumed my normal eating habits. Any time I felt that I had gained a few pounds, I cut out my occasional tipples, and that was sufficient to get my weight back on track. Recently, I gained a lot of weight through serious illness and disability, and because of all the misconceptions and lies about low-carb diets, plus the fact I can’t exercise at all, I was scared to try another low-carb diet. I therefore tried other diets, including Weightwatchers, where I gained more weight and a low-fat, almost vegan diet which sent my body into shock for 36 hours. I have now opted for Atkins, and have already lost 10 pounds. Within three days of going onto the diet, my blood sugar problems melted away and I was able to get out every day after 2 years of being bedridden by debility, which I now realise must in part have been caused by my extreme hypoglycaemic tendencies. I realise it is not a diet which would suit everyone, but I think it is definitely worth trying. Dr. Atkins was a caardiologist, with many years of clinical experience under his belt.
I have been told that Dr. Atkins had a heart infection unrelated to diet when he died. I believe that he was in his 70’s and had incurred the infection while travelling abroad. Many obese people will not live to see their 70s, and already unable to travel because of weight related health problems. I would advise anyone struggling with their weight to pick up a copy of Dr. Atkins’ book, carefully read it and make up their own minds,
Thanks for responding, K… I agree that if someone’s truly interested in trying it, they should make their own decisions, but that’s kind of the point of having a blog… to share your opinions and decisions with others.
You said you lost 14 lbs. in a month in 1990, I typically lose 10-12 in a month, easily, when I’m following a well-rounded, healthy diet.
As you are entitled to your opinion, please don’t shun mine, or that of physicians like Dr. Dean Ornish, or that of my 6 friends who all had issues after they stopped “dieting”.
My point made was that I don’t believe in “dieting” because it doesn’t create a lifelong, positive change in habits. As far as I’m concerned, the Atkins diet and the Hollywood diet and the grapefruit diet can all be considered one in the same simply because once you stop them, you gain the weight back, and then some, and FAST. One of the guys I mentioned in my previous comment had lost over 100 lbs. on Atkins. He felt “finished” with his dieting, and because he hadn’t created real CHANGES (he ate bacon and eggs all the time) when the time came to eat like his wife and kids did, he gained back over 150 lbs. in less than a year. That’s another WHOLE HUMAN BEING!
No one EVER gained weight eating a well-balanced, calorie-moderated diet of fruit, veggies, lean proteins (not fatty ones), and yes, the occasional (as in, once a week or so, not once a day) slice of deli cheesecake. Find me one person who has (without medical issues that contributed to the weight gain), and I’ll give the Atkins diet a serious try.
Dear Lara,
Thanks for your reply.
I’m so sorry you felt that I wasn’t hearing that you were saying. Of course you’re entitled to your opinion - and everyone needs to find what works best for them.
I would, however, like to point out that many people, including your bacon and eggs friend are saying they are on the Atkins diet, when in fact they are not. As I explained before, for the first two weeks, Dr. Atkins’ diet includes 3 cups of vegetables every day, and thereafter further veggies, nuts, and complex grains are added as appropriate. Because I have only been on the diet for 6 days, I am still at the strict level, so as an example, my meals today were a poached egg for breakfast, pate made by mixing cottage cheese and smoked mackerel accompanied with a mediterranean salad for lunch, and chicken curry with home-made coleslaw for dinner. I could happily stay on this strict level for a lot longer than two weeks, because I feel so much better and it’s great exploring all Dr. Atkins’ recipes and the lists of suggested foods - I ate sea bass and fresh sardines for the first time a few days ago, and they were fantastic. (I too have eaten bacon and eggs on this diet - a salad of boiled egg, lean bacon and organic lettuce, with a mustard and mayonnaise dressing - a delicious variation of one of Dr. Atkins’ recipes.)
Thanks for your blog - it’s always good to read of other people’s experiences and opinions. I’m very much hoping that if my energy and fitness continues to improve, I might aspire to raise my own glamour levels in the direction of yours. You’re so beautiful and inspiring.