NBA's Anthony: I Never Want To Do The Atkins Diet Again

NBA star Carmelo Anthony claims Atkins diet made him sick and tired

With all the challenges of performing at optimum levels in professional sports these days, athletes want to find the upper hand to help themselves get into the best shape possible to help their teams win and extend their careers. That will undoubtedly entail many of them dealing with a weight problem brought on by a variety of circumstances.

This Philadelphia Enquirer story details the experience of one of the National Basketball Association's rising stars as he attempted to lose weight in the offseason.

He is former University of Syracuse and current Denver Nuggets superstar Carmelo Anthony. Although he had the unfortunate timing of entering the NBA as a rookie in the same year as this guy named LeBron James (who's being hailed as the "next Michael Jordan"), the man had a great first year in the league.

But he put on some weight last year and decided he needed to drop those excess pounds to get his game back to where it needed to be. Instead of going on a strict low-fat/high-carb diet that athletes have been suckered into believing is best for their bodies, Anthony gave the Atkins diet a try -- well, sort of.

Instead of reading Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution or any other low-carb book, Anthony decided to make up his own version of the low-carb lifestyle by only eating fish and nothing else.

"No steak," Anthony boasted. "I was on the fish diet. No carbs."

As someone who DID read the Atkins books and DID follow it as prescribed, I can tell you that what Anthony did was NOT the Atkins diet. Calling the "no carbs" eating plan that Anthony did the Atkins diet is like describing the street players on the local playground stars in the NBA. It's not even close!

But that didn't stop Anthony from mindlessly spouting off his mouth about how bad the Atkins diet is just like this legendary athlete recently did.

"I never want to do that again," the NBA star proudly stated regarding his so-called Atkins diet experience.

Well I guess not, Melo! If all I had to eat was fish, fish, and fish, then I would "never want to do that again" either! But that's not the Atkins diet.

If you want to do the Atkins diet the way it is supposed to be done, then you should really try to balance out what you eat with the wonderfully delicious and nutritious selection of fruits, vegetables, cheese, eggs, and meats available to you when you are livin' la vida low-carb. Eating any other way cannot be described as low-carb living in the sense that those of us who enjoy this lifestyle change do.

Then, to make matters worse, Anthony's blatant arrogance came shining through when he openly ridiculed and blamed low-carb for making him lose too much weight too fast (say what?!) and cause him to become sick and tired.

"I was kind of slow on my feet," Anthony claimed regarding his experience on his own version of the Atkins diet. "I felt like I was one step behind."

Unbelievable! Well, for one thing, Melo, you weren't eating ENOUGH carbs! It's fine if you want to eat fish on your low-carb lifestyle, but you do need to eat some foods with carbohydrates in them as well to keep your body in tip-top shape. You can shun the sugar, white flour, and starchy foods and still get an adequate enough carb intake to go along with your protein and fat.

But check this out -- HE STILL LOST WEIGHT! And while I am sure his body went through an adjustment period early on as he detoxified his body of the excessive carbs he was eating, that minor period of fatigue passes and your body become energized like never before. This business that low-carb slowed him down is silly and misleading.

All the latest research shows that athletes who incorporate a high-protein/low-carb eating plan with their workouts will see better results than any other way of eating.

Regardless of the ignorant opinions of athletes like Anthony, livin' la vida low-carb is and will always be the best way to lose weight, get healthy, and change your life for the better. At least is was for me.

Anthony concluded in the story that this could be his "breakout year" in the NBA. Maybe so. But next time he needs to keep his big mouth shut about low-carb because it is all too obvious he knows nothing about the subject whatsoever.

Yo, Melo! Got a deal for ya! I promise not to slam dunk if you stop pretending you know the ins and outs of the low-carb lifestyle. Ya feel me?

Send your thoughts and comments about Carmelo Anthony's ill-advised comments on livin' la vida low-carb directly to the Denver Nuggets by e-mailing them at nuggetsmail@pepsicenter.com.