Detroit Free Press Columnist Should Get His Facts Straight About The Atkins Diet
After a brief reprieve on Monday, it looks like the low-carb bashing continues again in full force today in this Detroit Free Press story.
An op-ed writer named Bill Laitner discusses the latest health news from the past two weeks and thumbs his nose at anything that has to do with limiting your carbohydrate intake or the Atkins diet specifically.
I should have known this was going to be a negative piece when the first sentence in the article read, "I'm on my fourth banana." Yep, this definitely isn't going to be good!
Laitner said he's so confused by all the news reports lately about nutrition and has decided that a low-fat/low-calorie way of eating is his best option to stay healthy.
Admitting his own "blatant bias" against the Atkins diet, Laitner said he chooses to eat in the manner recommended by the government (we know it as the U.S. Food Pyramid) so he can get to the "finish line" in an upcoming charity run.
And he thinks bananas are going to make him healthy. At nearly 30 carbs a pop, they may taste good and he may think he's eating right. But the sad reality is he is consuming much more sugar than his body needs for energy. Instead of realizing this, he chooses to mock the Atkins lifestyle and embraces the low-fat lie hook, line and sinker.
Here's proof:
"That goes for all fruit. And rabbit food. Ditto, whole-grain breads and pasta, oatmeal, veggies and anything from that unsung cache of long-burning, fat-free running fuel called legumes. You know. Bean salads. Hummus. Lentil soup. Heinz vegetarian beans, 99 cents a can.
Can you think of any more disgusting foods that those?! Imagine for a moment that the foods he mentions in that paragraph are the only thing you could ever eat. EEEEEEEKK! Okay, you can wake up from that nightmare now.
While he does make a valid point regarding the need to exercise ("If you don't run or otherwise exercise often, you're in a box"), he says people who are livin' la vida low-carb are just a part of the "craziness" regarding weight loss methods.
"As for Atkins and other low-carb plans? They're for short-term use only, and studies show that the success rates aren't good, warns the [Consumer Reports] magazine. I'd add this: I wouldn't go running on the Atkins diet. At around 60 percent fat calories, I'd run from it."
I knew it wouldn't take long for the media to start quoting the recent Consumer Reports report that ranked the low-carb lifestyle dead last on its list of diets. Laitner gleefully celebrates this in his rant, but doesn't stop there. He boastfully (and incorrectly, I might add!) opines that you can't go running when you are on the Atkins diet.
Let me tell you something, Mr. Laitner. You don't have a clue what you are talking about. I have been an active low-carber for a year and a half and daily rigorous cardio workouts are the norm for me. Usually I get in at least 45 minutes and sometimes even as much as 2 hours of physical activity on the treadmill, elliptical and/or stairmaster every single day. Don't tell me it is impossible to exercise when you are doing low-carb. That's a lie from the pits of Hell and you know it! Stop scaring people with false information and try getting your facts straight!
Urging people to "run from" a low-carb lifestyle is not the advice you should be giving them. There's nothing dangerous about doing Atkins and it's a lot more satisfying and delicious than your nasty low-carb diet. I am just one of the millions of people who tried low-fat and it failed miserably. It's just not sustainable as a permanent eating lifestyle for people like me. I'm glad it works for you, but don't make me do it. As for me (and most of my readers), we will be livin' la vida low-carb for many years to come.
To comment on this insane column critical of the Atkins approach, call Bill Laitner directly at The Detroit Free Press (248-351-3298) or you can e-mail him at laitner@freepress.com.
Let him hear from you if you are an active low-carber and let him know how much exercise you do. Let's open his eyes to the wonderful world of low-carb.
An op-ed writer named Bill Laitner discusses the latest health news from the past two weeks and thumbs his nose at anything that has to do with limiting your carbohydrate intake or the Atkins diet specifically.
I should have known this was going to be a negative piece when the first sentence in the article read, "I'm on my fourth banana." Yep, this definitely isn't going to be good!
Laitner said he's so confused by all the news reports lately about nutrition and has decided that a low-fat/low-calorie way of eating is his best option to stay healthy.
Admitting his own "blatant bias" against the Atkins diet, Laitner said he chooses to eat in the manner recommended by the government (we know it as the U.S. Food Pyramid) so he can get to the "finish line" in an upcoming charity run.
And he thinks bananas are going to make him healthy. At nearly 30 carbs a pop, they may taste good and he may think he's eating right. But the sad reality is he is consuming much more sugar than his body needs for energy. Instead of realizing this, he chooses to mock the Atkins lifestyle and embraces the low-fat lie hook, line and sinker.
Here's proof:
"That goes for all fruit. And rabbit food. Ditto, whole-grain breads and pasta, oatmeal, veggies and anything from that unsung cache of long-burning, fat-free running fuel called legumes. You know. Bean salads. Hummus. Lentil soup. Heinz vegetarian beans, 99 cents a can.
Can you think of any more disgusting foods that those?! Imagine for a moment that the foods he mentions in that paragraph are the only thing you could ever eat. EEEEEEEKK! Okay, you can wake up from that nightmare now.
While he does make a valid point regarding the need to exercise ("If you don't run or otherwise exercise often, you're in a box"), he says people who are livin' la vida low-carb are just a part of the "craziness" regarding weight loss methods.
"As for Atkins and other low-carb plans? They're for short-term use only, and studies show that the success rates aren't good, warns the [Consumer Reports] magazine. I'd add this: I wouldn't go running on the Atkins diet. At around 60 percent fat calories, I'd run from it."
I knew it wouldn't take long for the media to start quoting the recent Consumer Reports report that ranked the low-carb lifestyle dead last on its list of diets. Laitner gleefully celebrates this in his rant, but doesn't stop there. He boastfully (and incorrectly, I might add!) opines that you can't go running when you are on the Atkins diet.
Let me tell you something, Mr. Laitner. You don't have a clue what you are talking about. I have been an active low-carber for a year and a half and daily rigorous cardio workouts are the norm for me. Usually I get in at least 45 minutes and sometimes even as much as 2 hours of physical activity on the treadmill, elliptical and/or stairmaster every single day. Don't tell me it is impossible to exercise when you are doing low-carb. That's a lie from the pits of Hell and you know it! Stop scaring people with false information and try getting your facts straight!
Urging people to "run from" a low-carb lifestyle is not the advice you should be giving them. There's nothing dangerous about doing Atkins and it's a lot more satisfying and delicious than your nasty low-carb diet. I am just one of the millions of people who tried low-fat and it failed miserably. It's just not sustainable as a permanent eating lifestyle for people like me. I'm glad it works for you, but don't make me do it. As for me (and most of my readers), we will be livin' la vida low-carb for many years to come.
To comment on this insane column critical of the Atkins approach, call Bill Laitner directly at The Detroit Free Press (248-351-3298) or you can e-mail him at laitner@freepress.com.
Let him hear from you if you are an active low-carber and let him know how much exercise you do. Let's open his eyes to the wonderful world of low-carb.
posted by Jimmy Moore at
5/24/2005 09:52:00 AM
3 Comments:
Well said, Sandylp! I've always heard, "Follow the money." I suppose that axiom applies here, too! Thanks for commenting today!
Jim you are wrong if you are running 45 min a day and only taking in 100g carbs you are not burning fat you are burning muscle. and we all no that muscle burns fat so please stop misinforming people you are only setting them up for falure.
You are partially right, Mike. If you run for 45 minutes above fat-burning mode, then you will burn muscle. But that's not what I do. I keep my heart rate at a level where fat-burning ensues and preserves the great muscle I am building from my resistance training routine. THANKS for your comments!
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