You tell him. I too like Dr. Phil, but he is trying to hard to dip his hand in anything interesting even when he knows nothing about it. Dr. Phil wants to create his own diet plan and to do that, he apparently feels it is necessary to bash every other plan.

Atkins has been around FOREVER. I only wish I'd known more about it years ago.

I already felt like Dr Phil was being a hypocrite when it came to his "Ultimate Weight Loss Solution". He says that dieting doesn't work, which is fine. However, then he procedes to share his plan, which is basically a diet.

He is just another person who has probably never read Atkins, yet feels knowledgeable enough to say that it's dangerous.

It'll sure be nice when everyone recognizes the health benefits of this plan. However, until then I guess we just don't listen.

Kim.

Dr. Phil's is good at telling people what emotional minefields they need to deactivate.
In the area of metabolism chemistry, I believe he just knows what he told.
But so many people listen to him.
I like him a lot, but he's offbase on this subject. Still, he recommends "nutrient dense" foods, which is most of my diet (excepting bacon.....but I didn't have bacon for fifteen years, I think there's still a deficit...)
Anyway, the whole "fear of fat" thing is like a gas cloud most people can't fight their way out of.

Love it!

I am a member of Dr.phil.com and as soon as I read the thread, I emailed him. I told him that I have the utmost respect for him but it is time to "get real" with the Atkins diet which is not a fad unless someone thinks that they can jump on and off on a whim. I told him that I had been eating this way for a year and not only did I lose weight but I no longer suffer from migraines or other hypoglycemic symptoms. I told him that I can tell by his comments that he has not researched the diet that he was relying on rumors. If he were to get real with this diet he would have a different view of it. Especially since low carb WOE has been with us for ages and Atkins version has been around for 30 years ( far from being a fad diet ). I also told him how this board feels about his comments so he knows that we exist.

Black57

When I saw this on TV last night I looked at my wife and just said to her "this is going to be an hour-long infomercial".

That's all it was too. Dr Phil is schilling a product, his book and diet products. He is not objective on this subject, he is a salesman disguised as a self-help guru. He is also doing a dis-service to his own image. Sadly, with his exposure, his words will get across and we will only see more LC ignorance/resistance.

In the very little I have seen of his plan it certainly seems that he is also pushing mostly low carb foods without calling his plan low carb. I guess that way his plan isn't part of the "fad".

Unlike some other comments, I would bet money he HAS read DANDR. If you are selling a product you had better know your competition's strengths and weaknesses. But he can't sell his products if he tells the truth about Atkins. In the end though his comments are as biased as those made by Fergie on Larry King.

As far as the emotional reasons behind eating and overeating, I think he has the right ideas. But those ideas could be applied to any plan and that should have been the path he took. But too late for that now.

OG

Dr. Phil is a quack! I know a lot of people like him and listen to his advice. I don't know what his background is or his "speciality" as far as being a so called psychologist. But a few years back he when he was part of Oprah's show he was talking about domestic abuse. He pretty much looked the victims in the eye and asked them what they did to make their spouse abuse them. Many of you may not know the specifics about those types of relationships but I can assure you it's not the victims fault!

I have no respect for this so called Dr.

Kris

Exactly..."salesman disguised as a self-help guru" describes him completely.

It always upsets me when I hear people say they like Dr. Phil and his advice... as if he were a real psychiatrist or someone actually trying to help people. Dr. Phil is only interested in helping a few people: those he has financial interests in.

If Dr. Phil really were interested in helping others, he wouldn't be trying to scare people into buying his products. He would recognize the fact some people make low carb work for them, with great success (as I'm sure he's aware) and would encourage other "diet" failures to try it. However, he is not interested in helping people keep weight off. He is only interested in padding his pockets. He could care less if some 400 pound person finds atkins and it works for them, all he cares about is if that 400 pound person is buying Dr. Phil weight loss shakes or not.

Sorry, but I really really hate Dr. Phil. He uses the most insideous of advertising propaganda... the kind that is masked under a false veil of medical authority. He is almost as bad as PCRM, both their tactics are the same. In fact Dr. Phil might even be worse, as he also pretends to be an understanding friend in addition to a Dr. only looking out for your best interests. At least PCRM just pretend to be dr.s and leave it at that....

I agree with everything else you have said as well. Dr. Phil is doing the trendy thing by eliminating both refined carbs and fat... this way the plan appeals to everyones sensibilities. He is trying to make the diet attractive to everyone, because he wants CASH.

Sorry, but a no fat and no carb diet doesn't sound attractive or livable to me... sounds like this is a diet in the sense that you go on it and get off it when you're done. Not that he cares of course, just as long as he gets your money.

I can gaurentee you he and his people know everything about the "competition"... they know the strengths and weaknesses of each diet plan and are attacking them with propaganda and out right lies.

The instant people figure out dr. phil is first and foremost a salesman and not a friend, not a dr, not a lovable guy whos on oprah, the better off everyone will be.

*Ahem* Dr Phil is of the opinion you don't need to rely on any particular "diet", but that you can and should moderate your intake of food and learn to choose for yourself from a variety of healthy food options.

Atkins isn't the only way to lose weight for all people, and the food plan in his book is a sensible, sane eating plan very close, actually to Atkins maintenance.

As Dr Phil always says. "If you don't like what I say, you HAVE a remote!! Use it."

So you’re pissed off with Dr. Phil bashing Atkins - I have to say I get p’d at people bashing other weight loss plans - like Potato Free says not one plan works for everyone .
From personal experience AND being a member of this forum for almost a year I have seen many many people go from strict Atkins to a more controlled carb plan - So many people are enticed by the immediate weight loss achieved on the first couple of weeks if they do the Atkins Induction properly, only to find that they “stall” for weeks later, eventually they start losing again - but is this really any different from how they would have lost on a low fat plan - or a combination plan? There is no question that the first few pounds lost on Atkins (or the first 20 depending on how big you are) is water weight - that is stated in the book and anyone who has been on the Atkins diet and gone off it will testify to this. But this water weight still holds a big physcological power and it captures people.

I sure wish I would have watched that show. I sure could have used a good laugh. So thier expert dietician said that the weight loss is cause by dehydration and there is no actual fat loss. I'd better get to the doctor quick cause that means I've lost over 90 lbs of water. Guess I'd better start to increase my 15 glasses of water per day to maybe 150.

I'm not going to be quite as harsh as some of you.

I think he *is* prmoting his book hard which may be in part due to the various deals with the publisher and Oprah's production company. I think he really believes in what he's doing and sells hard in support of it.

I watched this show today (I guess it was preempted yesterday in Calif due to earthquake coverage) and was annoyed to. Once again, its so amazing that folks disparage LC as dangerous and then go on to describe a more healthy diet that is remarkably similar to most LC maintenance diets.

I also thought it notable that every LC plan I know of specifically addresses the issues of dehydration, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, etc.

I wasn't expecting DrPhil to come out pitch Atkins or CAD, but I wish more of these folks would be more accurate about LC plans.

I also would like to implore all you LC veterans...whenever some ask you about LC or you offer your inisght...to put at the top of the list the importance of following a proven LC plan and all of its components including proper hydration and supplementation. Even I see/know too many who just do "Cold Turkey No Carb" program for awhile. This IS dangerous, especially at this time of year when more people are starting new diets and looking for quick fixes.

I taped the show, and re-watched it. Taken out of context, and without a grasp of what his book covers, it would appear he's "picking on" low carb.

After reading his book and watching the Weight Loss Challenge shows, I know he's trying to teach people to eat healthy foods without gimmicks and drugs, or without having to eliminate whole classes of foods. We have chosen to follow a certain plan, but why get wound up just because he's offering a sane plan to many people who have failed on plans like Atkins, Weight Watchers, etc...

If you disagree, fine, but why stress out about it? I happen to like him, and there's always the "Richard Simmons Response".....which involves running screaming from the room!

Anyway, I felt compelled to come back to this thread, not to defend Dr Phil so much as to remind people that getting wound up accomplishes little, love him or hate him, Dr Phil is improving the health of many people, and unless we have read and understand the principles of a different plan, we shouldn't stoop to bashing it either.

I used to think CAD couldn't POSSIBLY work, since it wasn't Atkins. Now I'm considering going back to it. I may even <gasp> look into the Phil-plan.....