Atkins diet company files for bankruptcy

[smbolisnch]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200508/s1427442.htm

The American company that promoted low-carbohydrate diets, Atkins Nutritionals, has filed for bankruptcy.

The company has been hurt by the waning popularity of its 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 American history, spawning numerous derivatives and a virtual cottage industry of low-carb regimens.

But it also drew criticism from many experts for its focus on fatty foods and low fruit and vegetable consumption.

A hearing is scheduled in New York later today.

[livetohike]

1. Expensive products and I don't know of anyone who has had

success with it. Who on earth would think that all those eggs and meat could be good for you?

No carbs/low carbs? No way :-).

[LisaLynne]

2. I'm actually surprised at how quickly people turned away from the diet ...

I knew a lot of people who would lose a lot of weight ... never mind that they would gain it all back and more within a year. But, I thought the initial weight-loss would be enough to keep people going at it.

I'm glad to see that it's no longer popular.

[flamingyouth]

3. I'm not surprised

Everyone I know who went on it had little or no success, and they were so unhappy not being able to eat a piece of bread. It drove my dad nuts. I also had a theory that eating all that meat and cheese made people more aggressive, or maybe they were just pissed because they felt so lousy...

[livetohike]

4. Constipated too

I am sure of that with no grains and veggies. Oh, I think I am making myself sick thinking about it.

[flamingyouth]

5. Yeah, a lovely side-effect

:puke:
Also, that whole idea that it was good to go into ketosis is just wacked. I had that when I was very, very ill with a kidney infection, and it's not a good thing. :scared:

[friesianrider]

8. Ha!

"I also had a theory that eating all that meat and cheese made people more aggressive, or maybe they were just pissed because they felt so lousy..."

I would bet on the latter! My entire diet now consists of breads, pasta, and potatoes, and I've lost more weight since becoming a veg than I had with any diet before I went veg at 18. As long as you're smart about what you eat (don't eat fettucine alfredo every single night) and eats lots of fruits and veggies with it, you will lose weight on a veg diet. I don't know any of my veg friends who haven't lost weight since making the switch.

I know I wouldn't be a happy camper if my entire diet was red meat and eggs. :puke: What on Earth would make anyone think for even a second it is healthy?

[Elad]

6. Another trendy, ridiculous diet bites the dust

The sales of low-carb items at the store I used to work at started plummeting last fall, so I figured it was only a matter of time.

The sad thing is I doubt most people will think twice before jumping on the next bandwagon, whatever it may be.

[SunDrop23]

7. Took longer than I expected, but I expected it.***

[shockra]

9. Whoa.

That's great!

[4_Legs_Good]

10. Wow! I can understand why people did it to lose weight

and I know some people for whom it worked, but it's not a diet that one would want to change his/her lifestyle to. Way too bad for you in the long term, and probably not great in the shor term either.

I think the central message learned is: baked goods have a lot of calories.

david

[SiouxJ]

11. I always thought it was a beef industry ploy

myself. I remember watching a segment on some "news" magazine show on this when it first got popular and people were eating like, bacon on steak, with a side of ham and nothing else! It looked like a big greasy, nauseating, artery clogging mess to me and as I heard about sales of meat going through the roof, it made me even more sick to my stomach. People were just senselessly consuming as much meat as they could, without thinking about where it was coming from. I had friends who said they cared deeply about the environment and they were eating like this, without even thinking about the consequences of the whole country getting in on this fad. I felt like the gains we had made in making people aware of the true cost of meat, all went up in smoke in a matter of a couple of years. The only thing that put the brakes on it was the whole mad cow thing. It was inevitable that something like that would happen with the increase in demand for meat. It was getting so out of control. I can only hope that people will get sensible again.