The real skinny: Dieting's a bunch of baloney

Atlanta Journal Consitituion ^ | July 20 2003 | SANDY SZWARC

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Some foods are so dangerously delicious that we must be protected from them and from ourselves -- or so the thinking goes among certain trial lawyers, legislators, special-interest groups and the Health and Human Services secretary.

These dietary watchdogs blame the obesity epidemic on fattening foods and the restaurants and food makers who tempt us with them. Fast-food restaurants especially must be stopped because they prey upon the poor and uneducated, duping them into ordering their greasy burgers and fries.

[Timesink]

looks like the series of articles has started to cause ripples

More like she's just good at writing query letters to potential publishers. The hell with her, and the hell with the other six parts of her obesity series. Let them languish on TCS where about ten people will read each one.

[krb]

Congrats on your weightloss. What are your goals?

I have been doing a modified Atkins (I can't cut out carbs altogether) and have fallen from 233 to 215 in about 3 weeks so far.

I'd like to get to 175 eventually, but I think I am going to have to add rigorous exercise to my life to get that far.

[libravoter]

I've cut out refined sugars and almost all carbs

I think people miss the point by just cutting out "carbs".

Yeah, cut out wonder bread and white rice. But whole grain bread and brown rice are still great for you. (although try getting the kids to eat it.) Simple refined carbs (sugars, white flour, etc.) cause your insulin to soar and then dip, leaving you hungrier.

I picked up my eating habits from my parents and have never had a weight problem. My parents were immigrants who wanted nothing to do with "processed" food. So I ate tons of fresh fruits, vegetables, and brown bread (still do.) And low-carbohydrate diets would have me eat very little of them, correct?

[libravoter]

Carbohydrates are the real enemy for most people.

Simple carbs! Most people would know a whole grain if it jumped off a grocery shelf and yelled "Pick me, porkie!"

[webstersII]

"Lucky you! I wish we were all so lucky. Atkins works for me a long with exercise. I am waiting for the moderation groupies to start preaching moderation to alcoholics."

Are you saying that people who overeat are actually ADDICTED to food? Addiction is a state comprised of a number of chemical and emotional factors. There is currently no objective evidence that overeating is an addiction, although it may be strongly influenced by emotional factors.

[CathyRyan]

Yes! I do believe that some people are addicted to carbs.

[agrace]

Ugh, scarsdale was sheer TORTURE. My husband and I did it after our first was born. Just thinking about it gives me the willies. :)

[libravoter]

Are you saying that people who overeat are actually ADDICTED to food?

But it is! Have you ever tried quitting food cold turkey? The withdrawal pain was so bad I always ended up needing to eat again. Every day! Sometimes three times a day!

[redangus]

Iused to get a newsletter from an alternative medicine doctor whose nutritional advice centered around the fact that to fatten livestock for slaughter we feed them low fat, grain products and allow them no exercise. As he saw it that was pretty much what we have been recommending for most people. Stuff them with a low fat, high carb diet and then put them in cubicles all day in front of computers and all night in front of TVs. His advice was to live life at the top of the food chain, i.e. a lot of meat, high protein and substantial fat with some complex carbs but in limited amounts, and get active.

[redangus]

It's called the setpoint, and your body will adjust over time to the amount of calories you eat. If you cut back too far the body will actually slow your metabolism down to compensate. Exercising regularly can actually adjust the setpoint up some.

[djf]

Excellent article. Thanks.

[Calvin Locke]

... sheer TORTURE.

Hope it didn't drive you to unhealthy anorexia...

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Another resource:

This is link to the abstract of the study mentioned

[agrace]

Hope it didn't drive you to unhealthy anorexia...

You mean that's not what scarsdale is?

[Keith in Iowa]

>>Did you write that yourself?

No. See http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/952383/posts?page=26#26

[King Prout]

huh? *confusion*
I thought you supported the general themes of that series of articles?

[King Prout]

I haven't seen that one in a while - still brings a smile :)

[King Prout]

as a skinny fellow, I agree.
Food is fuel, that is all.
I eat what I want to eat, when I want to eat, as much as I want to eat. Nothing else, at no other time, and no more and no less.
I do have a rapid metabolism (genetically inherited), and this forces me to eat a lot. Since I must eat a lot, and am not made of money, I am limited to eating in the overwhelming majority meals cooked by me from raw ingredients. I have exceedingly simple tastes, as well.

[King Prout]

it was Tiamat

[NRA2BFree]

looks like the series of articles has started to cause ripples dimples!