Help Arm Me with Information and Arguments
 

My little brother and his fiancee informed me that they will be going on Atkins in crash-diet form so that they'll look great in their wedding photos.

I tried, "read the book" but he's read it, albeit years ago. I know he didn't fully grasp the LC concept though, because he asked me questions a few weekends ago about eating copious amounts of fat and the effect it has on health. I assumed he asked because our father had a massive heart attack at age 38 and open-heart surgery by age 50. Heart disease is a major concern genetically.

I tried to explain to them how great Atkins is as a lifestyle change - they literally beg me to prepare Atkins meals - but they are convinced they'll just both drop their weight, have their wedding, and then move on to the portion of their lives where they eat ice cream and pasta in wedded bliss.

What would you say to them?

I pour over these forums. I read Taubes' blog. I've watched every food documentary I've ever found. I seem to suck as an Atkins Ambassador, however. Regardless of my level of understanding, I am no great teacher or salesman. These two people are very important in my life and I feel it's vital that I inform them properly.

One thing I know I can't overcome is their youth; she's just 24 and my god, I remember drinking low-fat chocolate milk and 3 Musketeer candybars for breakfast everyday for months, no other meals, dropped a ton of weight and thought I was awesome. Stupid youth.

What are you trying to convince them of? How to do the program, how it works, the health benefits?

I would maybe start with that awesome thread, A guide to Ketosis, that pretty much sums up how it works and the health benefits, the science behind it, and its really approachable.

Make them read it:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...92&page=1&pp=15

Scthgharpy: I am trying to convince them not to use LC as a crash diet. Neither of them are interested in making a permanent change to the way they eat. I can't imagine it would be good for their health to lose weight only to not care or plan on it coming back, ya know?

Thanks for the link! Hopefully I'll be able to get them to look it over!

Jenn, I know you love them. But...they're looking forward to a wedding. Their heads are totally in the clouds. They are not interested in good advice from anybody.

So, just keep quiet. It won't hurt them to do low-carb as a "crash diet" for a while. They might like it enough to continue. But if they don't, and gain all the weight back, that's not your problem either.

Wish them well. Give them a good book about LC if you want to. Maybe an LC cookbook for a wedding shower gift.

hmm.. You know, they might discover they feel reallyreally GOOD when low carbing, and make the change permanently!

I would treat them with the most wonderful delicious low carb meals and ask them why would they want to give this up?

If they're going to crash diet in an LC way ANYWAY, get them a copy of the drs Eades' "The Six Week Cure for the Middle-aged Middle" (and no, being middle-aged is not a requirement, LOL!). I tried it, lost some weight probably, but that was in my rabidly anti-weigh-in phase, but it was really frickin' hard and I fell off after less than two weeks.

This is the diet the Eades' came up with when they had to crash diet themselves (!) for a TV cooking show. Read the story in the first chapter, it's pretty funny.

Obviously, this is NOT a long term answer. But it will get them into the low carb state of mind somewhat, lose them the weight for the wedding, and serve as a primer of sorts, you could get them the regular Protein Power book afterwards, or Atkins, just don't mention it until after the wedding. The Eades are pretty great at explaining LC, whatever the book.

If they're not ready to make a permanenet change, then it's unlikely anything you say will sway them. There's nothing wrong with going low-carb for weight loss temporarily (well, nothing more wrong than using any other diet for the same purposes). For long-term change, people have to come to the decision on their own. It's hard to watch loved ones do something you know is a mistake, but, unfortunately, human such as we are, we have to each learn in our own time.

I vehemently fought the idea of having weight loss surgery for YEARS even though I was more than 200 pounds upon entering high school. Doctors and friends I knew who had had bariatric procedures tried to talk to me about it, but I never seriously considered it as an option for myself. Until I was ready and made that decision on my own.

While a diet isn't quite the same as a surgical procedure, it follows the same premise that people need to come to these types of decisions on their own. The best thing you can do is be a shining example and then be a wealth of information when they come seeking guidance.

They "see" LC as a crash diet. There's nothing you can do about that.

If they have weight problems, they might be open to more thought on the subject. But that would be after the wedding :)