Losing Weight

According to a recent study, Atkins is supposed to beat Ornish et al for losing weight. However the study participants didn’t follow their respective weight loss programs correctly, so doesn’t that invalidate some of the results?

I think that each person has to choose the diet that is right for him or her. I try to follow Ornish to a large extent. I think I am at risk of heart disease because of my history as a former smoker and having rather high cholesterol. I would never choose the Atkins diet with its steak, hamburger, and butter. In fact I used to eat that kind of diet. That’s one reason why I had high cholesterol, constipation, and other health issues. Now I eat a low fat, high fiber vegetarian diet with lots of nuts, seeds, and fruit, and I walk an hour per day. I lost about 8% of my body weight (12 pounds) in the past year so I must be doing something right. I do believe that some of the things I am doing – exercising, eating nuts and fiber – are objectively good for everyone. But I don’t think everyone needs to be vegetarian, only those who are being harmed by a non-vegetarian, high fat, high cholesterol, low fiber diet. The problem is that sometimes you can’t know what the food is doing to you until it’s too late. That’s why I chose to go vegetarian. I’d rather do it myself than have some doctor tell me I have to do it.

Oh, and let me clarify something I said earlier. I do think it would be better if everyone went vegetarian. I think everyone would be healthier if they did. But some people can tolerate some meat. It’s just that in the American scheme of things “some meat” gets translated into “a lot of meat” and that’s what I don’t think is good.


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