Low-Carb Pioneer Atkins Files Chapter 11

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

By ELIZABETH LeSURE, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 6 minutes ago



NEW YORK - Atkins Nutritionals Inc., the company that promoted low-carb eating into a national diet craze, filed for bankruptcy court protection Sunday, a company spokesman said.

Atkins has been hurt by waning popularity of its namesake 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 U.S. history, spawning numerous derivatives and a virtual cottage industry of low-carb regimens — but also drew criticism from many experts for its focus on fatty foods and low fruit and vegetable consumption.

A hearing on the prearranged, Chapter 11 filing was scheduled for Monday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, spokesman Richard Rothstein said. The privately held company, founded in 1989 by Dr. Robert C. Atkins, said it had reached an agreement with the majority of its lenders to give them equity in exchange for lowered debt.

Atkins owes $300 million in outstanding principal and interest, Rothstein said.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=530&e=1&u=/ap/20050801/ap_on_bi_ge/atkins_bankruptcy

[marmar]

1. I guess his company didn't do a good enough job...

trimming unnecessary fat.

:silly:

[Olney Blue]

4. Good one, marmar.

:D

[Olney Blue]

5. LOL

good one, marmar!

[BrklynLiberal]

2. Guess after his death, there was no charisma around to lead the team.

[freeplessinseattle]

3. really, now, I thought that was supposed to be "The" diet

why is Richard Simmons doing so well financially with his "Deal-a-Meal" and "Sweatin' to the Oldies"?

I do the reverse Atkin's, as I call it, I'm a vegan and love carbs, never ever will I give up my bread or cereal! and fresh fruit, no way, no how! and I'm thin, go figure.

[Psephos]

6. Love your nickname n/t

[freeplessinseattle]

8. Thank you:) n/t

[DS1]

7. I wonder how much the economy is responsible. Meat and cheese

is the most expensive option there is. It would cost a hell of a lot of money to eat that and only that, with the occasional nuts and veggies.

[LisaL]

9. It ain't just money. It just doesn't taste good to eat meat without

potatoes, cheese without bread, etc.

[UTUSN]

10. I Was Going to Say---------He's DEAD!!! n/t

[PunkPop]

11. Another fad bites the dust.

n/t

[BiggJawn]

12. It'll be back in about 20 years...

They ALWAYS come back once the people forget how horrible they were...

Sort of like ReTHUGlican Presidents...

[Mairead]

35. it isn't a fad -- it goes back about 150 years (nt)

[SoCalDem]

13. "Specialty" diets do not work for most people

They DO manage to lose the wieght at first because they are spending money on the food and books, and tapes, but once "real life" kicks in, MOST people regain what they lost and THEN SOME..

Moderation is the key to weight management..and buring more calories than you take in,.. It's just that simple..

A doctor friend once said that the only effective diet was the "ELEM" method.. (eat less, exercize more)

[ozymandius]

14. Thank goodness this rediculous fad is coming to an end.

It's completely unsustainable. To indulge a persistent state of ketosis, in which the body believes it is starving to death, is reckless.

[Vinca]

15. Packaged, low carb specialty foods are vile.

I bought some low carb maple syrup once - not Atkins - and decided it could probably be best used as paint remover. Then I bought the Atkins baking mix and tried making low carb rolls. They landed in the compost pile and even the raccoons avoided them. I'm not surprised they went bankrupt. Oh yeah, and how about that horrible low carb pasta? ARRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHH!:puke:

[mikeytherat]

17. ...that horrible low carb pasta?

Guess you never had the misfortune of being served a "low-carb" bagel; I cannot even begin to describe it's unique texture and, er, "flavor."

mikey_the_rat

[KayLaw]

16. On a different site. . .

One woman on Atkins was advising another regarding hunger. She said when she's driving around she always carries a bag of pork rinds (which she likes to eat with a little dip) and, if that's not enough, she drives through Burger King and orders a Whopper which she eats without a bun.
How can that be at all healthy?

Btw, this is her second go at Atkins. She lost 65 pounds the first time and gained it all back, now she wants to lose more than a hundred.

[HuckleB]

36. Alas, such stories ring all too true.

The in-law side of the family has gone down those roads repeatedly.

It's amazing.

[ladeuxiemevoiture]

18. What Atkins is good for is educating people about carbohydrates

and the effect of different foods on weight gain and loss.

I did it for a brief stint and now I find that while I'm no fanatic and don't buy the Atkins' products, it's easier to control my weight by adjusting the amount of bread or rice which I eat.

I am not a doctor, but ultimately, people should consult with their doctors before embarking on any major diet program, in my opinion.

[HuckleB]

27. Any word on whole grains in there?

:shrug:

[LeftyMom]

19. I'm suprised the Fatkins fad didn't die when he did!

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/atkinsmed1.html



Dr. Robert Atkins was 258 lbs at the time of his death. According to his postmortem examination records he was 6 feet tall. That's a BMI of 35. 25 is officially overweight and 30 is considered obese.

Yes I know that his devotees (if he still has any?) say that sixty pounds of that was waterweight. Anybody who really believes he had 7.2 gallons of excess water in his body is an idiot. That's twice the weight wain of a typical pregnancy- if he'd gained that much water in two weeks he'd have ruptured! Even if he was carrying 60 lbs of water, that puts his BMI prior to his injury at 26.9, meaning the man who was the country's most prominent diet guru was overweight.

Why anybody used a diet that didn't even work for it's founder (BTW, he also had a myocardial infarction aka a heart attack- did the heart attack cause his fall and head injury or vice versa?) is beyond me. That half the country thought that the most fattening part of a triple bacon cheeseburger is the bun just proves that Americans are the most gullible people on the planet.

[smbolisnch]

20. Whoa! I never knew that LM.

Too much.
There must not be any Atkins defenders around tonight to explain this away.
Maybe it was 60 pounds of rotting flesh in his colon? :shrug:

[LeftyMom]

22. Apparently the fat wasn't new

At least if one believes Mayor Bloomberg, who also apparently wasn't a lo carb fan- he commented on Dr Atkins' girth over a pasta dinner.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/01/23/atkins.bloomberg.ap/

[smbolisnch]

24. Shocked. Shocked I tell you.

[LeftyMom]

26. You got the part about the food being inedible right?

:rofl: :spray:

[smbolisnch]

28. Check.

:rofl:

[Scout]

32. Maybe they are just sick of trying to counter idiocy and prejudice.n/t

[shockra]

21. PETA was right.

[smbolisnch]

23. Apparently so. But PETA is pretty much always right.

[HuckleB]

25. Huh?

How does that follow?

[friesianrider]

29. Pretty self-explanatory :) nt

nt

[HuckleB]

31. Nope.

[friesianrider]

33. Well, I can't help you there then...

if you don't get it. :shrug:

[HuckleB]

34. So you don't get it either, eh?

:shrug:

[artemisia1]

30. That is the cutest monkey I've ever seen! Thanks for the link.

I see that even RW Nutjob G. Gordon Liddy was horrified by the cruelty unconvered at Covance.

[libnnc]

37. Boy, it sure would be nice

if folks could let the dead rest in peace.

Digging up bones to win some dietary pissing contest is just, well, tacky.