There is no one right answer... that's what makes it fascinating.

I said:





Oops. I reread what you said in response to what I said, and I see that I had a sort of disconnect. The words "What we are missing" are meant to refer not to the idea that we are not discussing these things, but to my feeling of an undercurrent that some people are uncomfortable with the fact that they are discussed. I meant that our freedom should not constrained by personal interests, disapproval, or the discomfort that this discussion entails. That it is important to hold on to the freedom of expression and individual experience so vital to any ultimate understanding.

I have nothing but respect for the people who have expressed opinions on both sides of this issue and to those still on the fence. I have sat on a few fences and some of them provide an excellent vantage point for the view.

True to an extent. However, when enough arguments were made about the physiological reactions insulin resistance/hypoglycemia/diabetes play in this process without having an emotional component, the response was that emotions probably don't apply to the small minority of people with these health issues but still do to everyone else. Balderdash, I say. The main thesis of Atkin's work is that we are all effected by increased insulin in our systems to process the carbs. Since insulin is the "fat holding" hormone, we are all effected by this physiological response. Now, some may have emotional issues as well, but we are all effected by the same insulin issues to a certain degree. I strongly feel this is being minimized.

Add to that, blood sugar swings....whether high/low enough, chronic enough, etc. to be clinically diagnosed by a doctor...have a direct effect on emotions. It is very likely that everyone was effected by mood swings to an individual degree while experiencing the insulin rush/blood sugar drop eating high-carbs causes. For some this may have been an annoyance and, for others, may have caused major problems in their lives. But, again, this is based on how strong of a physiological reaction your own body had to eating these carbs.

I could also add that poor nutrition can also cause emotional problems or increase and inflate emotional issues someone has. When your body is malnourished, it stands to reason that you won't experience optimum health in either body or mind. So eating healthy under Atkins, et. al., especially when one is adding more healthy vegetables to their diet, will eliminate or alleviate many, not all, but many emotional issues people are experiencing.

Anyway, I'm not negating that some do have emotional issues. There's no shame in this either. But I still think the physical aspect of it is being ignored or, at the very least, minimized in this thread.

Okay, I'll clarify a bit more...there is no ONE universal truth that applies evenly to everyone.

The exact number of people "unaffected" by the emotional component of the problem, IMO, would never be able to be proven. I'm of the opinion that many overweight people have a combination of the two in one form or another... but just as all skinny people arent anorexics, I don't believe ALL fat people are emotional overeaters, either.

That's the thing. You can't tell by looking, or even by seeing what you might consider disordered eating behavior on the surface. One of the criteria is excluding a whole group of foods... I certainly wouldn't accuse all vegetarians of having eating disorders for choosing not to eat meat!

When Woo started this discussion in The Triple Digits Club she began with a poll. She did not label anyone but asked people to state their opinions. I just checked that poll. Even now 55.7 percent of the people who responded to the poll said they believed ED played a primary role and 20.81 percent of responders have said that ED played a moderate but secondary role. This means that 76.51 percent of those who answered the poll believe that ED mattered where their weight was concerned.

Almost 25 percent of the rest were not impressed with ED as a significant factor. Now I realize that the poll is not scientific but it puzzles me a little why people would continue to argue that ED does not play a role for most people. Certainly I respect people's individual assessments that it hasn't had an effect on them. Absolutely no one has said anything to the effect of: "Gee whiz, you must be kidding yourself. If ED affects a lot of people then it must affect you." To me the way to view this discussion is simple: If the shoe doesn't fit, don't wear it.

Some of the people who have said that ED played no role for them seem to be saying to those of us for whom it did, "If you have a mental problem don't infect the rest of us with it." This seems to me to be not very supportive. After all, I don't think it is catching.

I do find myself wondering how many of those who answered that they felt that an ED played a part in their obesity are like Liz who also thought the same thing and spent a good deal of time in therapy only to discover that the root cause of her overeating was a physical one, not a psychological one?
I think that's the point that a lot of posters here are trying to make: is the root cause of overeating really an ED or does it have its basis in a physiological cause? If the cause is truly a psychological one, then the binge behavior would continue whether the person was eating low carb or not. If the root basis was high insulin levels and/or hormone imbalances, then stabilizing those through low carb should effectively remove the physical desire to binge.
If a person continues to overeat/binge even on low carb food, then perhaps there is a psychological issue that needs addressing. If not, then I'd say it's safe to assume that the root cause of the issue has been discovered and effectively dealt with.

I was obese as a child, from about the age of 5. My two younger siblings, both boys, were not. I wonder what caused it, and I suppose it COULD have been a psychologically based eating disorder, but I really think my body reacts to food (and always has) differently from "normal" people.

Entirely possible.



Yes. I think the nuture / nature conumdrum is what drives this and many other heated discussions. But you see, most mental illnesses have a physical cause -- or so many these days would have us believe. I believe what lies at the heart of this is a misunderstanding about what causes emotional/mental problems and the fear of being labelled as mentally ill. There is a stigma that still permeates our attitude toward mental illness. We fear it and rightfully so. And because we fear it, we sometimes fear those who have it.



I respectfully disagree. People change their pschological behavior all the time. Few problems are permanent. Schizophrenia is one of the most difficult to treat, but some new medications are offering hope even for that. I have known serious anorexics who have recovered fully. As a child, I believed I recovered from a mild anorexia brought about by mother's rather strange attitude toward food. I believe I succumbed later to overeating because the original groundwork had been laid and because of eating too many carbs.



I have a hunch (support by some emerging thinking) that high insulin levels play a role in many mental illnesses and learning disabilities. I can assure you that my ADD is much improved in terms of focusing due to low carbing. We are both a mind and a body. All of the brain chemistry that drives hunger can also affect behavior.



My hunch is that losing weight too fast can be a problem -- both physically and psychologically. To me the right question is not: "Did I lose weight this week?" but "Did I eat responsibily and serve the needs of my mind and my body to keep myself healthy?"



I don't follow Atkins anymore (although I certainly owe a debt to him). My eating is now largely based upon the research of Diana Schwartzbein, M.D. who prescribes low to moderate carbs -- sort of like Atkins but without the induction. Her books convinced me that she, as an endocrinologist, understands how all our horomones -- not just insulin -- need to achieve a proper balance. She recognizes that I am a mind and a body.

Thank you for so eloquently and succinctly making the point I've been trying to get across.