Retrospective #500: Many, many thanks, especially to my intrepid editor.

With this column (#500), I will cease publication on Blogger of the Retrospective Series of “The Nutrition Debate,” renamed at some point, “Type 2 Nutrition.” The daily Retrospective Series posts were edited versions of my original posts begun in 2010. The Retrospectives were begun in anticipation of a possible book.

None of this endeavor would have been possible without my intrepid editor, Laurie Weakley. From the very beginning, she has been there for me and my faithful readers. Of the original 500 weekly posts, she never missed a timely, thorough and professional review of even one – and she did it entirely pro bono. Laurie recognized, without my ever mentioning it, that 1) my writing skills left much room for improvement and 2) my motivation was purely educational outreach (not a commercial enterprise). She wanted to help with both.

Laurie was formerly a university librarian. She is smart and highly skilled in computers, very well read in the physical sciences (and otherwise), and extremely well organized with a vast library of saved hyperlinks. She also has the skill to improve a writer’s message without changing it. She’s flexible to adapt to a writer’s style, a very good communicator and has a soft touch when making corrections and suggestions. In case I haven’t made myself clear, I highly recommend Laurie Weakley to anyone looking for a highly qualified editor.

I originally began writing this column at the invitation of the editor/publisher of a local weekly newspaper. He published my columns as “content” to fill space between ads. He published about 20 columns and then lost interest in “all the low-carb stuff.” A few years later, he ceased publication of the weekly newspaper too,

On the other hand, interest in “the low carb stuff,” has increased exponentially. For me it began in 2002 with The New York Times Sunday Magazine cover story, “What If It’s All Been a Big Fat Lie,” by the heralded science writer Gary Taubes. Taubes based his story on research but fundamentally vouchsafed for Robert Atkins, MD. I’m very glad to say, it got my doctor’s attention. He just wanted to lose weight, and he wanted me to as well. So did I. He tried the diet recommended and lost 17 pounds in 6 weeks. My doctor then suggested I try it too.

And the rest, as they say, is history. By the time the local newspaper publisher asked me to write a column for him, I had lost 170 pounds, first on Atkins Induction (20g of carbs a day), 60 pounds over 9 months, and then another 110 on Dr. Richard K. Bernstein’s 6-12-12 program for diabetics. I also learned a lot by lurking on Bernstein’s on-line “Diabetes Forum.” And in the first week on Atkins Induction, I had 3 hypos, and he took me off virtually all 3 of my oral anti-diabetes meds (all except 500 Metformin), putting my diabetes “in remission.”

My doctor knew he was going “off label” by prescribing “very low carb” for weight loss, so he monitored me monthly for a year. In that time, and in the 18 years since, I never had a hypo again. In addition, my HDL more than doubled, my triglycerides dropped by more than 2/3rds and he took me off the statin he had prescribed.

My column’s focus these last 10 years has remained the same: Type 2 Diabetes is a dietary disease. It is best treated with a Very Low Carb diet. Since 2010 I have had about 425k page views on Blogger, plus with the daily Retrospective Series, an unknown number on Facebook and Twitter. But that pales in comparison to the giants, many of whom arose after I began. Dietdoctor.com, I think, now gets about over 400k hits a day!

Andreas Eenfeldt, MD (dietdoctor.com), and Jason Fung, MD (The Jason Fung Fan Club – Fasting Support) are today two of the brightest stars in the nutrition firmament and among my favorite places to visit. They deserve our profound gratitude and thanks for their pioneering work and courage. But for me, personally, I am hugely indebted to my intrepid editor, Laurie Weakley, who stayed with me for almost 10 years in my weekly foray into the blogosphere.

Thank you, Laurie. I don’t know how I can ever repay you for your support and encouragement…and help.