I've sent in my two pennies worth. This is what I've said.

I have been on a low carb diet for 2 years now and have lost 4.5 stone so far with another 4 stone to go over the next 2 years. I love this way of life and feel so much better for eating this way. Beside the weight loss I am more alert and require less sleep. I've gone from almost immobile to being able to stand for long periods of time. I can walk quite long distances and am much more flexible. I do believe that exercise is important to combine with your diet and this has really improved my body shape. Pictures of my progress so far can be found at http://homepage.ntlworld.com/anne.b...b%20journey.htm
Whilst people go on about this being a high protein or a high fat diet they miss the underlying ethos of the diet which is to control the bodies insulin production so that insulin is only used to convert blood sugar into energy rather than putting excess blood sugar into fat cells and converting it into bad (LDL) cholesterol.

I for one think that this my health style is more healthy than 90% of the UK population without the need for junk food. It is great to be cooking again and this way of life fits easily into my lifestyle and so can be maintained easily.

This is of course not good news for the sugar/manufacturing industry or the bread and potato industries, but there are winners and losers on all eating regimes. Why have the manufacturing industry not produced low carb products so far? They are quick to produce low fat products.

Nice new picture, Anne.

In answer to your question about why not low carb foods??
I reckon sugar is cheap and bulky. Therefore products are cheap to make, but can be sold as low fat and therefore 'quality'. Low carb can be more expensive, and they would have to use a sugar alternative. Manufacturers have been going on about 'no artificial sweetners' so much, that everyone thinks sugar is better...

Shall we have a competition for most ludicrous 'low fat' sticker??
I saw one on a Fry's Turkish delight.

I would love access to low carb energen rolls. Anyone remember them?

I remember Energen rolls. All air weren't they with just a nice crust around them!

I remember Energen crackers, they came in a variety of flavours and were actually quite nice in small doses, I used to like the cheese ones and the chicken ones. Aah memories, I wonder what happened to those crackers, they are nowhere to be found now.

I just left my two penneth worth, god I get worked up about these things!! phew calm down, breath....

I'm so glad it's not just me, hev! I must've spent about half an hour editing mine to sound less like a full blown rant and more like a reasonable, rational statement of facts!

Christine, how much bread does your mam expect you to eat to keep your brother in a job!!

huh.don,t care what she says,i,m not going back and i,m still mad about it.what gets me is,my brother and his wife have just borrowed my atkins book and mummy dearest accuses me of risking their health how old do we have to be before we stop getting our mothers telling us what to do.
i,m sure my mams lost the plot.hope i don,t turn into her!!!

Oh Christine,
I think it's the bane of being a mother lol. My mum sounds a lot like yours lol except she is a fan of the Atkins diet now.
I don't think my mum thinks I have matured at all despite the fact I am now 30. It drives me nuts to!
Just try and point out to her that you have no control over what your brother does as he is an 'adult' - Obviously he's not worried about the bread trade, so why should she? lol

Mind you the bread people wouldn't go far wrongi n creating a LC bread for the British market, they cater for teh Low fatters, why not cater for us as well, I am sure there is room for all of us!!!!