I quit

After nine years in my current position I quit. It has been a good and instructive and valuable time, but it no longer works. It’s not efficient enough.
I just resigned – despite the fact that I like my job, my colleagues and my work place. There’s something more important to do that requires and deserves total focus. I’m not talking about quitting the blog or the Diet Doctor venture, but my job as a family physician.
Nine Years in One Place
I’ve worked at Health Center Gripen in Karlstad, Sweden, since the spring of 2006, including a few scattered years of specialist training at the Central Hospital in the same city. In 2010, I completed that training and became a specialist in family medicine. I have since then worked part time at the Health Center Gripen and the rest of the time with the blog and the Diet Doctor company.
At Gripen I’ve tried to focus on what I’m passionate about: monitoring and assisting patients with metabolic problems such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. This has been quite successful and I’ve felt great support and understanding from colleagues and managers. I have nothing to complain about from them. I’ve even received special treatment: an opportunity to devote some of my work time specifically for this type of patient. I’m very grateful for everything that these patients have taught me.
The problem is that even at a large health center it’s difficult to exclusively handle what you yourself are most interested in or do best. More or less inevitably you have to put half of your time – or more – on other things. At best, other health problems, at worst, piles of paperwork with no tangible value. A thousand things that someone else could easily do as well as I, or better.
It may seem like a luxury problem to have but it doesn’t work for me anymore. The world’s problems with obesity and diabetes are enormous and growing. There are equally enormous opportunities to halt and reverse the trend. With the help of my colleagues in Team Diet Doctor and our contacts around the world – for example in Cape Town the other week – a picture is emerging for a role we can play in that development. The role requires a total focus and hard, smart work. More focus than ever.
A doctor at a clinic can make big difference for a few hundred patients each year. That’s fantastic. But if it comes at the cost of not having time to make a similar difference for many times more people – perhaps ultimately millions of people – it’s not OK. Therefore, I could unfortunately only choose to resign.
Towards the Future
This is a time-out from my career as a practicing physician. This is the end of the beginning.
The goal is to return – in a different and much more effective way – to part-time work with patients. Work that may make a difference for many, many more who need it. If our plans pan out, something really exciting will take us here at Diet Doctor to a new level. As soon as possible, tentatively next year. And we have another piece of big news that’s coming up much sooner, probably next month.
You’ll hear more about the plans here at the blog when the time comes. Meanwhile our work here continues more focused than ever. We are now four people – including myself – working full time with all our efforts, and two working part time.
We are growing faster than ever. So does our ability to work together to make a difference in the world.
126 comments
the information and inspiration.
From a long time follower and great admirer in Toronto Canada
I don't know if this is on your agenda but one area I'd like to see better covered in the LCHF community is how to apply it if you have familial hypercholesterolaemia. I've come across two people recently who's triglycerides shot up over 2 instead of coming down under 1 as they usually do.
There are enough of those folk out there that I believe we are doing people a disservice by not addressing this possibility as part of the introduction to LCHF.
Love your blog and your work and I'd love to see if this is in your agenda too:)
I am more than sure that the decision you have now made is absolutely the right one.
We need inspirational people to change things - especially to change all the heartbreaking misinformation about nutrition that has plagued the world for decades. You are one of those inspirational people, Andreas.
I am more than excited to hear what your news is going to be next month.
You have found your true calling and I couldn't be more thrilled for you.
Good luck with your future, we are all cheering from the sidelines.
Regards
Kaye
I was heading down the same path as many other people and then I was introduced to Banting by some South African friends and my life was changed. It wasn't hard. In fact it was quite easy, just common sense really.
Exciting things to come.
Best regards
I spend a lot of time on the Internet - I used to be a Reference Librarian :) - and yours is the site I recommend to people to learn about LCHF.
May I respectfully make three suggestions ? I don't know how they will fit in with your new plans....
1) Hire a Virtual (or Real Life) Assistant to handle emails. I noticed someone complaining that you don't answer them. I know of a number of bloggers who have one or two people who's jobs it is to filter and answer email.
2) Write a book ! This is what got Atkin's message out. Its a pain to do, but again, there are writers who can help you.
3) Make an online course. Again, its work to start, but it can sit on your website as an educational tool and generates passive income while providing a more in-depth guide to starting and maintaining the LCHF diet. Maybe a forum to go with it.....
All the best from Australia !
Regards
Susie
This grunt work is what enables us to do long term research and see how something affects large numbers of people over long periods of time.
Good luck forward and may you touch the life of billions!
I just found your blog two weeks ago, and I was terrified to see your "I quit" message. But when I read that you are going to reach more people, I could only cheer.
Generally speaking, doctors in the US don't ask what their patients eat. I'm sure there must be some, but I can't find one to save my life (literally).
I hope your plans include educating the doctors, as well as the patients. Meanwhile, please let us know if we can schedule an electronic consultation with you when we can't find help locally.
Good luck in your new ventures!!
You have chosen a vital work, in obesity medicine, which needs all the brain power available to fight back against the established money-driven machine of big Ag that is controlling western food and diet practices.
http://www.sugaraholics.com
Congratulations. As Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet... "To thine own self be true" (Polonious giving advice to his son Laertes upon his departure).
Hopefully, one day you'll connect with us down under in the low carb world in Australia.
Keep writing. I'm sure you'll make a bigger difference now.
http://www.lowcarbdownunder.com.au/
I was wondering if you could comment on the importance of dietary fibre in LCHF way of eating. My understanding is that LCHF is not a free ticket to throw common sense out the window, however, many followers on social media go to great lengths to share recipes for low carb cookies, breads and sweets. This strikes me as missing the whole point: not to trick yourself into thinking you are eating regular cookies etc, however, to reset your tastes away from sweets and towards the taste of real foods, as nature intended, such as garden grown vegatables, unprocessed meats, eggs, nuts, berries and water. Correct me if I am wrong, but dietary fibre plays a very important role in our digestive health. This important component of our diet helps to signal satiety and helps to reduce the amount of insulin released, two very important functions to fight obesity and metabolic syndrome.
Its rather that our digestive system is used to have some fibers.. frome real food, real food as veggies/tubers thats not to much processed.
And we its used to animal foíbers too.. or rather eat the whole animal whit its cartilage and everything.
Its good for bowel movments and we got creatuers in our guts thats specialised to eat this and it provide food for our gut linings and even provide some short chain fats to blood.. thats affect our healt.
The major concern is to not eat to much processed food.
Eat your food as it was intendent to eat.. not this higly processed prepacked food.
The thing is.. that one have a dificulity to by this in ordanary supermarkets.
Take a few generation steps back and use only real food and cook it by your self.
And then.. you need to have a car and take hours to buy it frome farmers directly.
I have allready visited your blog for some years. I have a link from my website to your blog.
I am working also after the same principles. Lets hope for the big change to come.
no matter which road you travel, you'll do well
i am glad you are at peace with this decision and keep up the excellent advice you give.....
i think...unfettered, you will go on to to bigger and better ways to help those of us who are having a hard time
Keep up the great work dietdoctor!