Can a person eat unlimited calories, and still lose weight, as long as they severely restrict carbohydrates? No, they cannot. The basis of ketogenic diets, such as the Atkins Diet, is a severe restriction of carbohydrate calories, which simply causes a net reduction in total calories. Since carbohydrate calories are limited, intake of fat usually increases. This high fat diet causes ketosis (increased blood ketones from fat breakdown) which suppresses hunger, and thus contributes to caloric restriction. Low carbohydrate diets are also characterized by initial rapid weight loss, primarily due to excessive water loss. A decreased carbohydrate intake causes liver and muscle glycogen depletion, which causes a large loss of water, since about three parts of water are stored with one part of glycogen.

Also, restricting carbohydrate intake reduces the kidney’s ability to concentrate urine, leading to an increased excretion of sodium. All these factors combine to cause a powerful but temporary diuresis. Dieters cherish this rapid initial weight loss and assume it represents fat loss. Actually, their body fat stores are virtually untouched. And, as the body adjusts for the water deficit, the weight loss slows or ceases. The dieter often becomes frustrated and abandons the diet. Individuals who do stick with it may lose weight due to the caloric restriction mentioned above.

A ketogenic diet may or may not have side effects, depending on the individual person. It is certainly riskier for overweight individuals with medical problems such as heart disease, hypertension, kidney disease, and diabetes than it is for overweight people with no health problems. Complications associated with low carbohydrate, high protein diets include ketosis, dehydration, electrolyte loss, calcium depletion, weakness (due to inadequate dietary carbohydrate), nausea (due to ketosis), and possibly kidney problems. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are other problems in such unbalanced crash diet regimens. Even Dr. Atkins, the author of both old and new versions of Diet Revolution, admits that his diet doesn’t supply enough vitamin and minerals and recommends that people take supplements.

Gout is another potential side effect, since the uric acid in the blood increases as the uric acid competes with ketones for excretion. This higher blood uric acid level can also increase the risk of kidney failure. Dr. Atkins does warn that people with kidney problems shouldn’t follow his diet, but he doesn’t mention that the diet might produce these disorders. In the book The Ketogenic Diet, the author Lyle McDonald notes that the production of ketones from alcohol tends to result in less fat loss, since less free fatty acids are converted to ketones. He also indicates that there is no reason that small amounts of alcohol cannot be consumed during a ketogenic diet, although alcohol consumption slows fat loss.

He cautions that alcohol may have a greater effect (in terms of intoxication) when someone is in ketosis. Lastly, the risk of coronary heart disease may be higher in susceptible persons who stay on the diet a long time, due to increased consumption of foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol. In conclusion, ketogenic diets such as Atkins’ program are no more successful than those weight loss programs recommended by the scientific/medical community. They are more dangerous than other fad weight regimens due to its high fat content. Persons who choose to follow ketogenic diets should check with their physician periodically as the diet can cause electrolyte depletion and increased blood lipids. They should have periodic blood tests to measure total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides.

It’s not only scary, it’s dangerous. You’re right when you say you take off all the weight due to ketosis. The best way to lose weight is to cut back on calories (but not too much) and engage in a regular cardio/strength training program. That’s how I did it. I cut back on a lot of junk food and replaced it with healthier stuff (veggies and stuff like Reduced Fat Triscuits) and I work out 2-3 times a week. I still eat almost everything I want too. These new diets are just fads. But because people see results quickly they’ll do it.

Problem is, if they continue on it for an extended period of time, it can cause long-lasting damage and if they ever come off it, they’ll put the weight back on with reinforcements. not according to the proponents of low-carb diets. barry sears (of the zone) and the folks behind oprah’s carbo-addicts diet all make it very clear that if ketosis is induced, one is going way too far on the protein, and that the point of their diets is to find a balance way before the point of ketosis. i don’t know as much about the atkins diet (though my parents are both on it, at my dad’s doctor’s recommendation); i know he has an (optional?) introductory 2-week crash diet that *is* supposed to induce ketosis, with the aim of radically changing the metabolism.

however, after those 2 weeks, one eases off to a less extreme diet, or that’s my understanding of it. i haven’t seen any of these diets recommending that one skip fruits and veggies (in response to pixxiepuss’ original comment.) one still needs carbos, after all, and fruits and veggies are a healthier way to get them than grains, because the fibers slow down the rate at which the sugars are absorbed, so one’s blood sugar levels won’t be thrown out of wack as much as when sugars are absorbed from pasta/bread type foods.

Oprah’s show on the carbo-addict diet was on last week, and one woman asked if a cheeseburger w/bun could count as her reward meal. the diet people laughed at her before saying “are you trying to tell me you think you can pass off that single floppy, yellowed, sad bit of iceburg lettuce as your vegetable? i don’t think so!” they seemed pretty big on salads, just as long as there was some meat or cheese or tofu thrown into it for protein. they also addressed the pork rind myth and said no way did they count because of all the saturated fats they contain.

My comments were on his feeling that he showed remarkable self-restraint in not mentioning that “vegetarians were slighted in planning, even knowing that at least the best man would be affected” even though he would have been able to “quietly pick out something he could eat”. He said at the end that the point he was trying to make was that special diets should be known and remembered, and that was what I took exception to. I understand that it was a *little* bit awkward to be presented with a plate with meat on it. A short “May I have a plate with no meat, please?” followed by “I am vegetarian” if you feel like you have to explain is *all* that is required. And to assume that because you had to deal with this *truly* minor inconvenience was a clear show of inconsideration on the part of one’s hosts is, like I said before, unfair and not in keeping with the spirit in which the couple asked him to take part.

Why did he have to “question the catering and planning” at all, let alone in front of the bride and groom? I won’t repost my whole reply, it’s there if anyone is interested…though I’d ask anyone who is taking exception to what I say here to read it, just to have the whole picture of what my comments were. I’m not sure I agree 100 percent here. If I were serving a buffet, I’d make sure that a variety of things were provided such that anyone would find *something* and leave it at that. However, if I were serving a plated meal (or, as in this case, if I were arranging for the head table to be served a plated meal), I *would* make an effort to ensure that I accommodated special diets. While a vegetarian could theoretically eat around the meat and get a meal out of it, I suspect at least some would find it extremely unappealing to have their veggies swimming in meat juices.

Furthermore, I think you have a higher obligation to your attendants. They’re doing you a great honor, and it probably shouldn’t even be something you’d need to ask about to know if they’re vegetarian. At our rehearsal dinner, I did make arrangement for one of Michael’s attendants to have a Kosher meal. I was furious with myself for not reminding them at the last minute of the situation (though they should have remembered on their own) and terribly embarrassed when he had to send it back and when the replacement they brought him was clearly not the level of quality as the other meals. I wouldn’t feel the slightest obligation to limit *others’* food based on the preferences of a few, but I would try to oblige them when possible, just as I would in my own home. Obviously, you can take this to extremes. I don’t like mushrooms and won’t eat them, but I don’t expect people to discover that before they feed me. But checking for the “biggies” that often have a moral or religious basis (not just recalcitrant taste buds isn’t *that* difficult, and I wouldn’t want to be in a position of seeming to force my choices on others in that way.

I have been watching all of the low carb recipes and I’ve noticed that although many of them are low in carb’s they are extremely high in fats. As diabetes puts us at a greater risk for heart disease, how can all these fats be healthy for us? I am on medications, diet and exercise but don’t want to learn to live on low carbs and end up with too many fats in the blood stream and cause a whole new set of problems. Losing weight is mostly about lowering calorie intake. As you suggest an important factor is not feeling hungry soon after eating a meal. Scientists in Australia have done an extensive study on satiety, the feeling satisfied with a meal feeling. Their conclusions might surprise you.

They used white bread as their standard. Who doesn’t? They gave white bread a figure of Satiety Index, SI of 100. Three quarters of food were found to satisfy the appetite better than white bread. Some whole grain breads had scores as high as 500. IIRC the lowest scoring food were bagels. Of more significance to this discussion is the correlation between the composition of the food and SI. The upshot of it all was that the most satisfying component of food was included water. Protein and fibre were also strongly satisfying. Fat on the other hand LOWERED the satiety of the meal. When combined with carb, fats tend to make people feel hungry soon after they have eaten.

What this means in practical terms is the people who eat noodles in soup like meals, porridge, salad type vegetables can be satisfied on a lower fat diet. Those who include fat do better if the fat comes with fibre eg nuts rather than refined oils or the fat is used with high fibre, high water salads. This has lead many people to think that by eating low fat they will get rid of the calories. It is one strategy and it works for some people. The Okinawan elders who currently hold the record as the healthiest people in the world eat 24% of calories as fat and they are far from obese. The AMA puts an upper safe limit of 30% of calories as fat.

This low compared to some typical Western diets but much higher than some of the extreme low fat advocates. Both groups arrive at 7% of calories as saturated fat by different routes. There have been experimental diets with much higher mono-unsaturated fats used with diabetics. People on these diets have shown dramatic improvements in blood lipids and all the other measures available to us of good health. While it is true that eating fat without carbs can make one feel bilious, the research is quite clear in indicating that mixing fat and carbs lowers satiety unless water, fibre and/or protein offset the effect.

The Institute of Food Technologists, in the July 1991 issue of its journal, Food Technology, describes six types of vegetarians. They are listed here by degree of exclusion of animal foods and by the foods included in the diet: – semi-vegetarian–dairy foods, eggs, chicken, and fish, but no other animal flesh – pesco-vegetarian–dairy foods, eggs, and fish, but no other animal flesh – lacto-ovo-vegetarian–dairy foods and eggs, but no animal flesh – lacto-vegetarian–dairy foods, but no animal flesh or eggs – ovo-vegetarian–eggs, but no dairy foods or animal flesh – vegan–no animal foods of any type.

D.F. Replacing Animal Sources of Nutrients Vegetarians who eat no meat, fish, poultry, or dairy foods face the greatest risk of nutritional deficiency. Nutrients most likely to be lacking and some non-animal sources are: – vitamin B12–fortified soy milk and cereals – vitamin D–fortified margarine and sunshine – calcium–tofu, broccoli, seeds, nuts, kale, bok choy, legumes (peas and beans), greens, calcium-enriched grain products, and lime-processed tortillas – iron–legumes, tofu, green leafy vegetables, dried fruit, whole grains, and iron-fortified cereals and breads, especially whole wheat (absorption is improved by vitamin C.

Found in citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes, strawberries, broccoli, peppers, dark-green leafy vegetables, and potatoes with skins) – zinc–whole grains (especially the germ and bran), whole-wheat bread, legumes, nuts, and tofu. As all plant foods–including fruit–contain some protein, by eating a variety of fruits, vegetables and grains, even vegans probably can get enough of this nutrient. To improve the quality of protein and ensure getting enough: Combine legumes such as black-eyed peas, chickpeas, peas, peanuts, lentils, sprouts, and black, broad, kidney, lima, mung, navy, pea, and soy beans with grains such as rice, wheat, corn, rye, bulgur, oats, millet, barley, and buckwheat. There are also foods made to look like meats (protein analogs) such as hot dogs, sausage, and bacon.