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Death to all carbs; long live Atkins!
By Joe Palmersheim
Published:
Monday, March 8, 2004
Joe Palmersheim -- Reader´s Advocate
I'm surprised at how many people I know are doing this whole low-carb approach to eating in an attempt to get into shape.
While I applaud the effort, I really wonder what good it does America do go on a diet that consists of red meat and eggs.
Don't get me wrong here; to all of those out there on Atkins or South Beach or whatever who have picked up the pen and started writing hate mail, I've been there.
I did Atkins this summer, and while it worked in the short term, whatever I lost just came right back on. I would have been better off using conventional wisdom: eat less, and work out more.
It's really quite simple, but I guess Americans don't like the approach that involves hard work. To sweat off the pounds is too much of an effort for some.
"Fad diets" have been around since the '70s or so, in varying forms. South Beach and Atkins are just the latest craze. Remember in the early '90s when everyone and their grandma was on Slim Fast? Yeah, we all saw how well that worked out.
Maybe this whole craze is just an indication of how our culture really goes about doing things. Elbow grease is avoided in exchange for some life-altering routine that might cut a few corners, but falls flat in the end.
When it comes to self-improvement, we hate hard work. Instead of doing an actual sit-up, we have an Ab-Roller to make it not so hard. Instead of free weights, we have a Bow-Flex. I'm not knocking these things, but sometimes in my mind they seem to be half-assed.
In America, it's always someone else's fault and there's an easy way out. Like going to therapy or avoiding carbs, we can dodge the actual prospect of having to face ourselves and fix what's wrong.
If you want to fix yourself, great. I wish you all the luck in the world. But just keep in mind that a quick solution may lead to greater problems in the end.
By the way, going to Burger King to get a "low-carb meal" makes about as much sense as using heroin to lose a few pounds.
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