http://www.thepilot.com/features/081104L-Crockett.html


I'm writing to the editor on this one, ladies and gentlemen.
There's no way I'm letting this one go unchallenged.

Absolutely....stunned. Obviously, this woman has NO idea what she is talking about. And that, ladies, is a great example of so-called unbiased media that supposedly reports the news, not opinion.

__________________
Jen



179/179/120

You go, Andrea. I love your clear way of putting things.

__________________
lc since 12/18/01

Andrea - I eagerly await your rebuttal to this senseless babble. The sad part is the uniformed public once again will take it as gospel because it is in the printed media. Thanks for being our voice!

__________________
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass ...it is about learning to dance in the rain!





Visit my shop at: http://glorybe1024.etsy.com

Well, I think I shouldn't be the only one.

My e-mail to the editor read:

"If Ms Crockett were to actually read Dr. Atkins' book, she would learn that exercise is a "non-negotiable" part of the plan, and his intent is to help stop obsessive dieting, not encourage it. Shoddy and misinformed journalism here, laced with mean-spirited sarcasm."

Sky

Dear Editor:

I long ago gave up trying to correct the massive amount of mis-information
about low carb diets in general and the Atkins Diet in particular that many
media outlets seem determined to regurgitate ad nauseatum. It is an
impossible task.

Nevertheless, this article is so egregiously incorrect and the implication
that people follow low carb diets because they are fat lazy slobs who won't
get off the recliner is so offensive that I will not let it pass without
some comment.

1. If your writer had done the least bit of research, she would know that
WHOLE GRAIN products are a part of every low carb plan, including Atkins.
During the first phase, no grain is consumed - and then whole grain products
are added back into the diet gradually. Bread is not demonized - except
perhaps WHITE FLOUR, REFINED BREAD. But then again, mainstream nutritionists
have been telling us to switch to whole grain products for years.

2. Again, the importance of exercise is stressed in all low carb diet books,
including the Atkins books. Even a quick glance at a table of contents would
have revealed this fact. Can you lose weight on Atkins (or any diet for that
matter) without exercise? Certainly. But if an improvement in over-all
health is the goal - and it should be - exercise is essential, and this is
stressed repeatedly. Whether consumers choose to follow this advice is up to
them. If they don't, it is no fault of the diet itself.

3. The merits of low-carb diets do not rise and fall on the number or
quality of "low carb" products on the market. Research has consistently
shown low-carb diets to be effective and safe, at least in the short term.
Improvement in markers for coronary heart disease such as blood pressure,
triglycerides and LDL cholesterol have been repeated in many studies. Other
benefits, such as better control of blood sugar in diabetic subjects have
also been shown. This is the measure of the worth of the diet.

Most important, what does this article actually accomplish? Does it inform
or educate? Certainly not. Simply telling overweight people to "get off your
butt and exercise" might be gratifying for some, but if it worked, we
wouldn't have the problem with obesity that we do. Perhaps you considered it
"entertaining"? I suppose that those who think low carb dieting a "silly
fad" will enjoy the laugh with you and Ms. Crockett.

But for those of us who have used a low carb diet to lose weight, control
blood sugar or manage symptoms of PCOS or IBS , it is no laughing matter at
all. And let me set the record straight on this point: most of us did NOT
choose low carb because we were lazy and wanted the "quick way out". We
chose it because after doing some research and trying it for ourselves, we
came to the conclusion that for us, it was the "best and healthiest" way
out.

Ms. Crockett's article was a rude slap on the face to those correctly
following a low carb diet that includes whole grains and exercise. But
worse, her flip attitude might just discourage someone who could benefit
from a controlled-carb approach from trying it. And in that case, she would
be as much a part of the problem as anything else.



Andrea Mondello

Bravo, Andrea!!!!!!!

__________________
"Live strong." ~ Lance Armstrong
SLEEP BE DAMNED! GET THY BUTT TO THE GYM!
Start Atkins 9.1.03
225/198/130ish

FYI, I just got a response from the features editor stating she forwarded my e-mail to the author. Andrea, any response to your submission yet?

Sky

yes, the editor said that she had some success on Atkins, and the writer's opinion was her own. Which is all well and good, but then again, as an editor, she has a responsibility to make sure the articles are at least FACTUAL.

Well said Andrea and Sky!! I applaud you both!

__________________
Started Atkins-1/2/04
174 lbs at heaviest



5'0 154/136.5/130

OK, I have girded my loins for battle too! Here's what I wrote, directly to the top dog:


Dear Mr. Woronoff:

I take extreme offense to the above referenced article - all I can say in response is "What an extreme load of male bovine excrement!"

Had the author of this article taken even a moment to skim the Atkins website, she might have noted that exercise is a vitally important part of this way of life (for that's what I choose to see this as - my NEW WAY OF LIFE!) and is NOT a matter for debate. One must exercise for optimum health and Dr. Atkins clearly stated so!

Additionally, the author would give the unenlightened the idea that breads and grains are verboten on the Atkins plan - again I say, NOT SO! Wholesome grains and breads made with them are certainly included in the later phases of the Atkins plan.

This type of inflammatory article really sets my blood a-boil!

Sincerely,

Char ****
An Atkins devotee


Strength in numbers, I encourage everyone to write to these boneheads whenever you feel strongly about their misinformed articles....

Char

__________________
Veni, vidi, velcro. I came, I saw, I stuck around.

Save the Earth - it's the only planet with CHOCOLATE!

I too emailed the Features editor and gave him a piece of my 40-pound lighter LC mind. No repsonse yet tho.

__________________
Renee
1/19/04
261/220/160
41 lbs off
60 lbs to goal



Race to 199 Challenge
Labor Day Challenge: Focusing on the Journey
Personal Goal: 199 by 12/31/05

Here's what the publisher had to say:

Dear Ms. ****,
Thanks for your note and sorry this column has offended you so.

Is this letter intended for the public speaking section of the paper? If so, we would be delighted to print it. Could you please send me your telephone number and town of residence? We won't print your phone number, but we will need it to call you to verify the letter. You wouldn't believe the lengths folks will go to hide their identity. Sorry for any inconvenience, but we will need that info to publish your letter.

Thanks again for reading The Pilot so thoroughly.

David


I sent him the info he requested - HECK YEAH publish it!

Char

__________________
Veni, vidi, velcro. I came, I saw, I stuck around.

Save the Earth - it's the only planet with CHOCOLATE!

Ok - I jumped on the bandwagon and emailed the editor. I may not have been quite as eloquent as some but at least I made my thoughts known. Here is my email:


Dear Editor,

I am truly annoyed by Ms. Crockett's article referencing low carb diets. It is apparent to anyone who can "google" low carb that she is mislead and misinformed. Had she done her homework before writing her article, she would have found a wealth of information that would refute every statement she makes concerning low carb.

I have eaten low carb for over two years. Let me be the first to tell you that I eat more veggies now than I ever did on any other type of diet/meal plan. Bread isn't a no-no. To the contrary, whole grain breads are healthy and filling and a staple in my pantry. It is too bad that you allowed such a pack of mistruths be published. It only helps the uninformed public form a biased opinion without a shred of truth to back it up.

I do hope in the future, before you publish an article, your writers do enough research to write an intellegent and informative, not inflammatory, article.

Sincerely,

__________________
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass ...it is about learning to dance in the rain!





Visit my shop at: http://glorybe1024.etsy.com