Spartanburg Journalist Challenged To Present Both Sides Of Atkins Story

A front-page story in my local newspaper ran on Wednesday about the Atkins diet that sadly only presented one side. Can you guess which side that was?

Spartanburg (SC) Herald-Journal General Assignment Writer Teresa Killian wrote an article entitled "Low-Carb Atkins diet on the run" features lots of dissenting voices regarding the Atkins diet in reaction to Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. declaring bankruptcy this week. Incredibly, though, not one single paragraph or line in the story highlighted anything positive regarding the low-carb lifestyle including those of us who have had a lot of success with it.

In response to this, I sent the following e-mail to Ms. Killian on Wednesday evening requesting another story:

Dear Ms. Killian,

After reading today's Spartanburg Herald-Journal, I must admit that I am disappointed with your coverage of one of the major news stories of the week. It seems like you only presented half of the story and missed a golden opportunity to share with your readers another side.

As a result, I would like to request a follow-up story to your "Low-Carb Atkins Diet On The Run" column that ran on Wednesday, August 3, 2005 in the Spartanburg Herald-Journal. I believe you failed to present the "other" side of the story about the Atkins bankruptcy this week.

While there are certainly a lot of naysayers lined up against the Atkins diet and other low-carb weight loss programs, I think it is doing the public a disservice to completely ignore those of us who have been successful using this method for not only losing weight, but also keeping it off for good. That's exactly what Atkins has done for me.

On January 1, 2004, I weighed 410 pounds and made it my New Year's Resolution to lose weight by following the Atkins diet and exercising. By the end of last year, I had shed 180 pounds and I have kept that weight off for more than 7 months.

I created a blog in April 2005 called "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" at http://livinlavidalocarb.blogspot.com (which is currently averaging about 400 pageviews per day) and recently completed the manuscript of a book about my weight loss experience. The book, also called "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb," is set to release in early 2006.

Since Atkins is still in the news as a result of their bankruptcy announcement, another front-page story highlighting an Atkins
success story would certainly be timely and relevant. I will already be appearing on The Ralph Bristol Show on Newsradio 1330/950 WORD-AM on Friday, August 5, 2005 from 5:00-6:00pm to talk about my weight loss success and invite you to consider the follow-up story I am requesting.

I look forward to your response to my inquiry.

Jimmy Moore, "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Man"
livinlowcarbman@charter.net
http://livinlavidalocarb.blogspot.com

If you would like to encourage Ms. Killian to write this story, you can e-mail her at teresa.killian@shj.com to let her know how livin' la vida low-carb has changed your life for the better.

She quotes the local owner of the Krispy Kreme franchise in Spartanburg, South Carolina who exclaims "the low-carb craze pretty much fizzled, and now we are selling more doughnuts than ever. The Atkins diet, I think they're the ones feeling the pinch now."

Hardy har har har. With obesity rates continuing to rise at unprecedented rates, a doughnut shop owner can take great pride in knowing he is contributing directly to the problem whether he cares or not. Doughnuts are still one of the worst possible foods you can eatbecause they are loaded with both sugar and white flour. There will come a time when people realize that Dr. Atkins was right, but I'm afraid many more people will have to get heart disease and die from being overweight before they finally wake up.

Killian continues her column by looking at a local bread store which claims their sales are up again and quoting a registered dietitian who said of Atkins, "That's not a diet we ever advocated because of the lack of balance" and allegedly cut out so many nutritious foods.

Uh, I don't know what version of Atkins she's referring to, but I get to eat plenty of delicious and healthy fruits, vegetables, nuts and more as part of my eating program. This whole idea that Atkins is lacking in nutrition is unfounded. If you read Atkins New Diet Revolution, then you wil see all of the great foods you can enjoy during the various phases of following the Atkins diet. While the Induction phase is the most restrictive regarding carb limitation, you only stay there for two weeks. Most of the time, the majority of people enjoy in excess of 50 carbs per day which is a lot more than you think once you start livin' la vida low-carb.

One woman in the story testified that she has never tried the Atkins diet because she "couldn't live without potatoes." But of the people Killian interviewed for her story who had tried the Atkins approach, none of them last for more than a few weeks on it. They complained that it was too hard to follow for more than a couple of weeks or so.

Give me a break, people! If you can survive the first two weeks of Atkins, then the rest of the weight loss experience is a breeze in comparison. I won't lie to you. That first two weeks is pretty tough. But that's your body going through the necessary changes it needs to make to purge your system of the toxic impurities that have caused you to become overweight or obese. For me, it was definitely the sugar. I was addicted to sugar and my body felt the withdrawal when I first started livin' la vida low-carb. It was literally hell. But once that short-term phase was over, I noticed that I felt much better than I ever have and that feeling has continued as my weight dropped and dropped and my energy level began to skyrocket!

Quoting the NPD Group's market research showing that just 2 percent of adults are on low-carb currently, Killian said this movement is apparently "waning." However, the statistic she quoted is well off the 12-15 percent numbers that the latest Opinion Dynamics Corp. survey shows regarding low-carb's popularity. Regardless of whose numbers you believe, the fact is that millions upon millions of Americans are still choosing the low-carb lifestyle to get their weight under control.

About the only positive comment about low-carb in this story is when Killian noted that "The South Beach Diet" is still a New York Times bestseller. She didn't mention this in her story, but Dr. Atkins was recently recognized by online retail giant Amazon.com as their all-time bestselling health author. Despite the negative coverage regarding his diet, the books by Dr. Atkins still sell extremely well because people are looking for answers about losing weight.

A food industry analyst in the story said the Atkins diet has been losing popularity since February 2004 because it has simply "ran its course." Killian even adds in her story that Atkins went from "fad to fade like so many others before it," comparing the diet to the Scarsdale and cabbage soup diets.

Well, if Atkins is a fad diet, then how come it has been around for more than three decades and still going strong? I fully intend on eating this way for the rest of my life whether health experts or the media likes it or not. It's a lifestyle change I can live with and plan on continuing with until the good Lord decides to take me home. Thanks to my improved health, I believe that will likely be a lot longer than it would have been had I remained obese!

Sadly, Killian quotes nutritionists and health experts at the end of her story who recommend eating smaller portions and watching your fat and calorie intake while exercising more. That's the same old, same old failed message we've been hearing forever and ever. Yadda yadda yadda! Been there, done that, NEXT! I think I'll be sticking with livin' la vida low-carb thank you very much. It's so much more exciting, fulfilling and long-lasting than any low-fat diet!

While she does mention the glycemic index at the very end of her column, Killian still failed to mention even ONE success story of someone who has been on the Atkins diet.

I will let you know if I hear back from Killian or anyone at the Spartanburg Herald-Journal about my suggestion to write a follow-up story highlighting the positive aspects of livin' la vida low-carb. Again, you can write her an e-mail at teresa.killian@shj.com.