Comments on: How the media disses low-carb diets I

By: PHILL

PHILL — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:10:22 +0000

HEY DOC

WHEN YOU POD LOOK ME UP ILL BE GLAD TO ALSO BE ON

PHILL NOVAK

By: Jimmy Moore

Jimmy Moore — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 02:19:24 +0000

It was VERY easy for me, Dr. Mike–Phill’s a BIG FAN of my blog and GLADLY accepted my invitation. You DO need a podcast and I’d be happy to tell you about my producer if you are genuinely interested in doing one. Maybe you can be a guest on my show sometime soon.

I’ll be happy to be a guest anytime. I thought we were planning on doing it at the Nutrition& Metabolism meeting. And I would love to get any information you have. Thanks.

Cheers–

MRE

By: Jimmy Moore

Jimmy Moore — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 15:25:40 +0000

Hey Dr. Mike,

As I promised, here’s my podcast interview with that guy from the CNN story Phill Novak who told me all about his low-carb diet. He was obviously upset they ignored that aspect of his weight loss. Although, after hearing about how many hours a day he exercises, I can only imagine how well he would do from implementing some “slow burn” techniques into his schedule. Listen to the enthusiasm this guy has about low-carb living in my interview:

http://www.thelivinlowcarbshow.com/interview-cnns-fit-nation-weight-loss-poster-boy-phil-novak-episode-111

Thanks for the link, Jimmy.

I posted on your podcast today (2/11/08). Great job in tracking Phill down and bagging the interview. I wish I had thought of it. And I wish I had a podcast.

Cheers–

MRE

By: Aaron Baugher

Aaron Baugher — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 12:42:24 +0000

I think that, for many people, low-fat has become a religious belief, tied together with their assumptions about progress and their faith in authority. Print out some of the proofs about low-carb and the fat/cholesterol lies and start handing it out to your friends, and you’ll get the same look they give when they see someone coming to the door with a religious pamphlet. They don’t want to hear it; it’s too much of a violation of their beliefs. If they were taught wrong about that, how many other things they believe are wrong? It’s scary.

I agree with Dave; it could easily take 50 years. I just hope to live long enough to see the pioneers get the credit they deserve.

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 03:04:29 +0000

I believe the reason for the continuing media bunk is rooted in human psychology. We are an amiable species and, on the whole, prefer not to alienate associates and abandon commonly held views, even in the face of raw evidence and repeatable scientific method. Skepticism is not in our nature. This point is made on the first page of the first chapter of Protein Power. Despite contrary evidence, yellow fever’s cause wass not, as thought two hundred years ago, related to the effects of putrified animal and vegetable matter. It took one skeptical, scientifically-oriented mind to start the revolution on that matter. Find a doctor today who believes yellow fever is not vectored by the mosquito and I’ll give you a nickel. But it took decades for that to change. Today’s media positions wont matter in fifty years. I fully expect it will take that long for the tide to turn.

Whether or not we get mad at the folly of it all or give up on our collective and individual psychology, the evolutionary imperative will win out. “Protein Power” offered scientific reasons for its readers to understand why a restricted carb diet works and why low fat, high carb diets don’t…reasons Dr. Atkins did not explain in his book. Facts matter in the long run.

Dave (190 and on the way to 155)

By: Aaron Baugher

Aaron Baugher — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 23:36:12 +0000

“I have always thought the meat packing industry and the cattle raising industry had very powerful political ties.”
The packing industry and livestock-promotion organizations like the Beef Council are very small potatoes (pardon the pun) compared to the huge corporations that process, package, and market grain and sugar. There’s also far more profit in the latter; which means more that can be spent buying politicians, associations like the ADA, and favorable media coverage.

By: Oli

Oli — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 20:32:05 +0000

Hello Dr, my first post/comment on your bog. Fantastic site by the way!

Coincidentally, as I was reading this post I had the TV on in the background showing a programme called ‘Supersize vs Superskinny’ (It’s a channel 4 show, here in the UK), where somebody who is incredibly skinny and eats very little swaps diets with someone who is the complete opposite.

The overriding message you’d get from the programme is that the superskinny girl is killing herself because she won’t eat pasta/rice/potatoes etc. She only eats fish/meat and vegetables. So far her decision to not eat pasta/rice has been described as her “making disastrous choices in the food she eats” and “killing herself slowly”.

She clearly has a problem because she seems to eat so little (the amount of protein she consumes in each meal is very small) and she does an insane amount of cardio - which incidentally is being held up as proof of how ‘fit’ she is. And to add real authenticity to the claims of how damaging a diet low in carbs is, they have a doctor who keeps popping up periodically to tell the girl why she MUST start eating nutritious carbs such as the aforementioned pasta/rice/potatoes in order to stop her body from consuming itself.

Sounds like a dreadful show.

By: timon - emu oil

timon - emu oil — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:55:34 +0000

yeah…the media can say alot of things that arent true…they are very biased..

By: Jimmy Moore

Jimmy Moore — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 20:04:02 +0000

Well, Dr. Mike, I’ve been hitting this theme about the bias in the media about low-carb diets for nearly three years. It’s totally disgusting which is why I often highlight low-carb weight loss success stories at “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb”.

Incidentally, I called Phill Novak from that CNN story today and will be conducting a podcast interview with him that will air on Thursday in Episode 110. His wife Norma was extremely excited to talk about their low-carb weight loss routine (no specific plan like Atkins or Protein Power, but general low-carb eating) and she said Phill looked forward to speaking with me about it. One way or another, we’ll get the message out there.

THANKS for all you’re doing to champion this cause, Dr. Mike! By the way, will you and MD be at the Nutrition and Metabolism scientific seminar on saturated fat coming to Phoenix, AZ on April 12-13? Gary Taubes is expected to be one of the speakers and my wife Christine and I will be there covering the event for my blog and podcast show. Would LOVE to do an audio podcast interview with you if you are. SEE YA!

Hey Jimmie–

Yep, we plan on being there. Will be happy to do the podcast.

Cheers–

Mike

By: fred hahn

fred hahn — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:42:57 +0000

“In fact, it�s not only disingenuous, it�s impossible. If we simply do the math, we find that the number of calories expended in walking an hour times 30 days per month times seven months gives us (and this is generous) about 42,000 kcal. If we divide the 42,000 kcal by the 3,500 kcal it takes to lose a pound of fat, we get 12 pounds.”

Actually Mike, the calories burned would be even less (roughly half) since you have to subtract the amount of calories Mr. Novak would have burned in the same hour doing something else! So it’s more like 24,000 EXTRA calories only!

Good point, Fred. I was doing as so many do and taking the total calories burned per hour.