Posted on 07/31/2005 5:35:50 PM PDT by SmithL
NEW YORK - Atkins Nutritionals Inc., the company that promoted low-carb eating into a national diet craze, filed for bankruptcy court protection Sunday, a company spokesman said.
Atkins has been hurt by waning popularity of its namesake diet, which focuses on eliminating carbohydrates such as bread and pasta as a way to shed weight. The diet quickly became one of the most popular in U.S. history, spawning numerous derivatives and a virtual cottage industry of low-carb regimens - but also drew criticism from many experts for its focus on fatty foods and low fruit and vegetable consumption.
A hearing on the prearranged, Chapter 11 filing was scheduled for Monday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, spokesman Richard Rothstein said. The privately held company, founded in 1989 by Dr. Robert C. Atkins, said it had reached an agreement with the majority of its lenders to give them equity in exchange for lowered debt.
President and CEO Mark S. Rodriguez said the company has in the past year "adjusted our organization to accommodate a smaller business" and will promote its brands "more broadly for consumers who are concerned about heath and wellness."
After it leaves bankruptcy, the Ronkonkoma, N.Y.-based company will focus on its nutrition bars and shakes, Rodriguez said in a statement.
Private equity firm Parthenon Capital LLC acquired a majority stake in Atkins, in October 2003. Goldman Sachs Capital Partners owns a smaller stake in the company, as does the estate of Robert Atkins, who died in 2003 from injuries he suffered in a fall.
The company said its bankruptcy filing would not affect its day-to-day operations.
I was just reading today a theory that cases of ADD could be done away with with the intake of more fatty acids and proteins. Just thought it was interesting.
It's "empirical."
Oh, and it's "sarcasm."
Get a clue.
Is that a new kinder, gentler euphemism for taking a dirt nap?
False. His weight when admitted to the hospital after his accident was less than 200 lbs, and completely normal for his height.
So the company needs more bread?
With many people, it seems that taking the weight off is the easier part whereas keeping the weight off is the harder part.
There's a lot of folks who hear about atkins on the radio and try it but never read the book, if you follow his actual diet it's really sound. if all you do is erase any semblance of carbs from your life, load up on meat and do nothing else, it's really unhealthy.
I agree with your list. I cheat a bit buying frozen vegetables and steaming them. Along with frozen fruit, berries, I'm finally getting enough fruits/veggies on a regular basis - with ease.
With exercise I lost the last 15 pounds to get to my ideal weight. I don't consider it a "diet" It doesn't feel like a "diet." Just eating different stuff. And foregoing the eating out/fast food.
Off topic: Ain't it great living in a nation where obesity is a big problem - even for the "poor."
You mean Atkins? Gosh, this is terrible news! The last two-plus years of achieving and sustaining about 100# weight loss, and a literal HOST of health improvements, has been a mirage! My life is ruined!
< /ms >
Dan
I enjoy reading these diet threads. I did Atkins and lost %20 of my body weight, now I am 5' 5" and 150 pounds and don't intend to lose any more weight, but although I don't strictly follow the diet I do avoid soda, candy, white breads, etc. when possible and my weight is pretty much stable. I often wonder why the Atkins approach doesn't just strike some people as wrong but actually makes them red-in-the-face outraged.
Most of the critics of the diet base their hatred of it on the induction phase. If they saw the Atkins for Life phase (lean meats, veggies, nuts, fruits) they would probably change their tune.
When people go off a diet and gain weight is that a critique of the diet or a promotion? Saying Atkins is wrong because when you stop the diet you gain weight is like saying my car is broken because when I get out it doesn't drive me anywhere.
Right. I remember an actual supposedly scientifically based article criticizing Atkins, around two years ago, because people gained weight when they went off it. I kid you not!
Dan
My dad's cholesterol shot up 100 points in exactly one month that diet. His doc told him he'd seen countless similar cases, and to resume eating normally again immediately (although to add more fruits and veggies than he used to eat). His cholesterol returned to normal in 3 weeks.
You are cautioned to drink large amounts of water while on a high protein diet to help the kidneys. Probably, the Aunt didn't follow this warning.
From what I've seen most of the people that have health troubles from Atkins stay in the induction phase too long. For your quick fix junkies the induction phase is highly addictive, they never get to the part of the book that says not to stay in that phase for too long because it's unhealthy.
Although personally I prefer eat less and excercise more to Atkins, I figured out how to do it with zero counting of any kind, and I much prefer life without a forbidden list of foods. But Atkins can be sustained safely IF the person actually reads and understands the entire book.
Sounds to me like they ran out of bread and had to sell the meat of their company to thin the excess fat.
Then he obviously doen't understand the whole diet. The ultra-low-carb phase is only for weight loss. During maintenance, you eat a far more balanced diet (less fat and protein, more carbs), but avoid high glycemic foods that would give you a "sugar rush" (which, when it wears off, makes you hungry for more sugar).
The problem is, when most people think of Atkins, they only think of the first and/or second phase, and not the full plan.
Hear, hear. Personally, I think the real key to doing well on Atkins is the proper use of vegetables and certain low-sugar fruits, more so the former than the latter. My motto: if it's green and leafy, eat as much of it as you want (and don't bother counting the negligible carbs they contain) -- this includes lettuces, spinach, kelp, celery, etc.
I've also become a much more expert user of herbs and spices to add additional flavor to foods without having to deal with processed crap.
Exactly. Non starchy veggies are your nutrient powerhouses. I eat a lot of veggies in a variety of colors. I use them to season other foods where I can also.
The food really does taste better once you get off the refined crap. You don't realize just how much the high fructose corn syrup masks the flavors of everything. If folks would simply get off that poison most would be successful at losing weight. I mean it's in just about everything processed.
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