Dr. Robert Atkins Dead

[E.G.C.]

Fox News just now reporting.

[OXENinFLA]

So did rush, inbetween his hicups

[LonePalm]

Too bad. Very effective.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[1stFreedom]

But his Diet lives on...

[Puppage]

[hispanarepublicana]

I read that he'd slipped on ice and fallen on the sidewalk a couple of weeks ago, and that his head injuries were so severe, there was little chance of "meaningful" recovery. It's a darned shame. He may have saved tens of thousands from the dreaded effects of diabetes by inspiring a "modified" way of eating (as opposed to the extremes that it appeared he espoused on the surface).

[tomkat]

how old was he ?

[need_a_screen_name]

Somebody please post a wire story when you find one. Thanks.

[Retrofire]

I was very skeptical about the diet, but I lost 60 pounds on it, and am back in military shape, with a lot more energy to boot.

I know there are a lot of detractors, but my cholesterol certainly hasn't spiked, and it worked very well for me. I do, however, have some friends who tried it (they say religiously) with poor results. /shrug.

Too bad, no matter how you cut it.

[angkor]

April 14, 2003, 7:05 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) _ Low-carbohydrate diet doctor Robert Atkins remained in a coma and on life support Monday after suffering a severe head injury from a fall on an icy Manhattan sidewalk last week.

Although Atkins' doctors said his chances of a "meaningful recovery" are slim, his family is still considering every measure to save his life, his spokesman Richard Rothstein said.

"I want to thank the thousands of people who have sent e-mails, cards, flowers and have called saying they are praying for my husband," Atkins' wife, Veronica Atkins, said in a statement. "It makes me proud that my husband has touched so many lives, and having this reaffirmed at this time is very much helping me through this terrible ordeal."

Atkins, 72, slipped April 8 as he walked to work at the Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine.

Atkins, a cardiologist, is the author of the best-selling "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution."

The Atkins diet emphasizes meat, eggs and cheese and discourages bread, rice and fruit. Long criticized by nutritional experts who advocate a diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, the Atkins diet recently gained acceptance by some after several studies showed that people lost weight on it without compromising their health.

[Grit]

I believe that I'll have a steak with a side of steak in his honor tonight.

[wardaddy]

RIP

[socal_parrot]

Diet Guru Robert Atkins Dies
Thu April 17, 2003 12:10 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dr. Robert Atkins, advocate of a popular but controversial high-protein, low carbohydrate diet, died on Thursday, his spokesman said. He was 72.

Spokesman Richard Rothstein said Atkins died at 11:01 a.m. in the Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, where he was admitted April 8 after falling on an icy sidewalk and hitting his head. Atkins underwent surgery for head injuries but went into a coma.

[tracer]

Word has it that he slipped on a banana peel. Such irony..... </gallows humor

[epluribus_2]

His great contribution was to have ordinary folks question the "experts" who decide what is best for the rest of us. The No-Fat, High-Fiber, High-Carb punditry may be the cause of a national obesity and heart disease epidemic. And the food nazis over at the center for science in the public interest are just a bunch of socialist, antiwar, radical/religious vegetarian, soviets who graduated from nuclear freeze marches and now act like they are a branch of government. Under U.S. support (jacked up under GUESS WHO?) we got a Ministry of Food. Read about their founder sometime, it will make you retch. I like most hindus, by the way, but when a self-proclaimed one says I should eat nothing but beans, grass, and bark and are immoral for eating meat I say go to whatever one of the hells you (now) believe in.

[kinsman redeemer]

I have been on the diet since December. I can live with it and I have lost 20 pounds. I am 6'4" and 184-lbs. All vitals look good, including cholesterol.

[Grit]

Word has it that he slipped on a banana peel. Such irony..... </gallows humor

So, he was right. The carbs eventually killed him. :)

At least he lived long enough to get some recognition and acceptance for his ideas.

[ko_kyi]

Very sad news. In my opinion he was to modern nutrition what Galileo was to Astronomy.

25 lbs ago I tried the Atkins diet mostly out of desperation. Thank you Dr. Atkins for all your work and for standing by your opinion when the establishment was shaking with rage.

[Grit]

25 lbs ago I tried the Atkins diet mostly out of desperation.

I started in Jan. 2002 mainly out of curiosity. Started with a goal to lose 20 pounds. That goal came in week two, so I reevaluated my goal. I have been down 55 (right where I want to be) for over 6 months, no problem. Ironically, its as easy as piece of cake.

[Wright is right!]

I'm on his diet too, in my own way. I've always lusted after lots of protein and fat and haven't much cared for carbs. I now eat carbs one day a week, usually Sunday when my wife and I go out - and I'm faced with restaurant menus that use carbs as a way of filling you up.

I can eat all the meat, eggs, cheese, sour cream, and low-carb veggies and fruit that I like and never move an ounce off of 175 (6' frame). I also have a little ice cream every other day, but just enough to enjoy the taste.

Michael

[shattered]

I thought you couldn't eat fruit on Atkins?

[ko_kyi]

That is a common misconception.

Atkins advised a two week induction period to jump start weight loss, but after that you introduce carbs a little at a time.

Berries, melon, and a few others are not very high carb. I have eaten quite a bit of fruit since the beginning and still had good results. I run a lot, so I burn off the extra carbs daily which allows me to eat more than the average Atkins devotee.

Apparently it has something to do with the extra fiber - slows the sugar "hit" to your blood.

[jmc813]

$20 says this thread will end up in a flame war over the Atkins Diet. Any takers?

[E.G.C.]

For those who are not fimilar with his diet, It empasizes Proteins over carbohydrates. It was a concept born 30 years ago.

Just FWIW, My normal eating patterns include two slice of bacon and a waffle for breakfast and on most days either chicken or pork chops for supper. I go to bed on a piece of cake.

I'm not sure if my normal eating patterns reflect the Adkins Diet but if it doesn't it sure comes close.

Regards.

[Henchman]

... I'm off that diet!

[Bluntpoint]

"$20 says this thread will end up in a flame war over the Atkins Diet. Any takers?"

I was on Atkins. My kidneys exploded and my liver fell out my ass.

[agrace]

I am 6'4" and 184-lbs.

Yikes, aren't you a little thin now? :)

[BJClinton]

I dunno. I think most folks will have some respect for the deceased.

[Kennard]

We need to reduce to a bare minimum fats, sugars, salt and caffein in our diets. We should live on complex carbs (like whole wheat pasta), low-glycemic index sugars (like apples), complementary amino acid protein (like brown rice and beans), veggies and a some salmon oil for Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids. Replace salt with potassium. Use fake sugar if you most have olfactory sweetness. Get over craving the smooth feel of fats on our tongues: it's not worth the harm.

It's too bad Atkins hit his head. However, he lead millions astray by recommending that we ingest carcinogens (meats). It will take years to repair the damage to public understanding of nutrition.

[smith288]

I was on Atkins. My kidneys exploded and my liver fell out my ass.

I was on Atkins, I imploded and now im just a spec on the floor.

[Grit]

See post #30. I wouldn't have touched that bet with a ten foot pole. :)

[azjatojarhd1ea]

Read the latest from the leading edge research being done at Harvard on nutrition and diet and you will see that the traditional "food pyramid" put forth by the FDA is in process of revision to be very closely aligned with Atkin's view. Science once again wins out over the ego of past and present nutritional elitists. Atkins was ahead of his time! His passing is a loss to humanity!

[Illbay]

They found him dead with an entire basket of crescent dinner rolls clutched in his hand, most of them eaten.

Oh, and a loaded baked potato sitting next to him.

[Bluntpoint]

My best friend's mother's cousin's sister inlaw knows someone who met someone who is pretty sure he heard that someone died while on the Atkins Diet.

[Illbay]

His great contribution was to have ordinary folks question the "experts" who decide what is best for the rest of us.

And he did so, in the guise of an expert who knew what was best for the rest of us.

[Kennard]

Read the latest from the leading edge research being done at Harvard on nutrition and diet and you will see that the traditional "food pyramid" put forth by the FDA is in process of revision to be very closely aligned with Atkin's view

... not so

[Wright is right!]

" thought you couldn't eat fruit on Atkins?"

That's why I said it was "my version" of the diet. Actually, you CAN eat low-carb fruits - but you can't let your body use the sugar in them for energy. That's the point of Atkins - make your body use the proteins. So you don't eat fruit every day. But it's OK now and again, especially when you have a chance to scarf down some New Zealand strawberries.

Michael

[Illbay]

You are so funny! I'm going to start "stalking" you on FR trying to find your witticisms!

Thanks, I need that.

[COUNTrecount]

Bacon doesn't kill, ice does.

R.I.P. Dr. Atkins

[Bluntpoint]

Most of my observations are low carb and high manure.

[Kennard]

you CAN eat low-carb fruits

You mean, low glycemic index fruits: lots of apples, bananas, light on the OJ and pineapple.

BTW, fruits are all carbs.

[Grit]

My best friend's mother's cousin's sister inlaw knows someone who met someone who is pretty sure he heard that someone died while on the Atkins Diet.

Indeed, I heard that anyone who tries this diet or knows someone who tries this diet, will die.

[Bluntpoint]

Pedantic Proscriber of my way smart, your stupid.

[george wythe]

I thought you couldn't eat fruit on Atkins?

That's only for the first two weeks.

After that, you introduce carbs slowly back into your diet until you find the carbo amount that is best for you.

The Atkins' Diet is about knowledge, not about rigid formulas.

I eat everything, and I've been in the Atkins' Diet for several years.

Now I know that certain foods, such as sugar and prepackaged snacks, are like poison for me. Therefore, I eat little of those foods.

Meat, Eggs, Cheese and Green Vegetables I can eat without any limit.

And moderate portions of starchy vegetables, like potatoes or sweet potatoes, I can eat twice a day without gaining weight.

And fruits I eat also twice a day.

And the best advice I received from the Atkins' Diet: I exercise 4 times a week at the gym for about 45 minutes. I have given myself the body I wanted.

Thank you, Dr. Atkins, for helping all of us who were eating too much sugar and too many simple carbs and carrying all that extra weight around.

[hobbes1]

Actually, it was more in the guise of throwing the moneychangers out of the Temple.

[Wright is right!]

"You mean, low glycemic index fruits."

Yuppers. Yes, all fruits are carbs - but some are worse than others.

Michael

[Gigantor]

"Indeed, I heard that anyone who tries this diet or knows someone who tries this diet, will die."

It;s worse than that, Jim, everyone who reads this thread will die.

[PianoMan]

Sounds like there's a lot more knowledge about the Atkins diet around here than there was when bluefish and I were defending it on threads some time back.

I've never needed to lose a bit of weight, however as a piano guy I found that Atkins increased my artistic and creative energies by an order of magnitude. It's too bad this side of the diet isn't explored more, but I think it will be when Atkins is finally vindicated, perhaps 50 years or more after his first book came out.

Rest in Peace.

[Trust but Verify]

It's the simple carbs you must limit/eliminate. Complex carbs are good for you, they are on the low glycemic index.