Hello fellow Aussies. I have to say a few things about this wonderful low carb revelation that has helped me achieve a normal body weight.

Firstly we have to put this diet into rational perspective and realise in its pure form it is a very dangerous way of life to adopt. It does not take a rocket scientist to realise that becoming a werewolf and turning your kitchen into a scene from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre really does not do your body much good. All that protein and animal fat is very bad.

I admit I loved the idea of frying bacon in butter and eating meat till I was sick but not putting on weight, but in the long run your triglycerides and kidneys wont!!

I was a carbohydrate freak as I believe most of us were which is why we all got fat. All those donuts, chips, MacDonald’s, flour, soft drinks, cakes and lollies defiantly should go, but for peat’s sake when we say we cant have a carrot or start bloody counting the carbs in a cucumber we have taken this all to far!!!. I got sick with all the fat and protein I was eating and I now eat no more than 2 slices of multi grain bread per day, with All Bran cereal for breakfast. I also eat fruit in moderation and rice. BUT I DON’T EAT CARBS LIKE I USED TO!!. So please cut back on the bad carbs but don’t risk your health by becoming meat junkies.

It really depends on what you're doing. I'm only using a keto diet to cut down on my fat, when I reach my goal I will be switching to a more orthodox diet.

You don't have to use a keto diet, sometimes I've just dropped carbs to lower my weight, but when you're in ketosis it seems that you can drop body fat the quickest! To achieve ketosis you must count every single carb!

However, I think most people are well aware of the draw backs of this diet. There is always something you can do to combat these problems. Multivitamins, blood checks, etc...

I don't think I'd ever want to be on this diet permantely, but I know people who are, but they take the necessary precautions and are fine. Many people feel a lot better on a keto diet too! I know personally I don't feel as tired as I used to! I think it is also used to treat medical conditions.

Overall, I'd have to say you must weigh up the pros and cons and your goals to determine if and where a keto diet can be used.

just my 0.2 cents...

I certainly do not have a kitchen like a slaughter house, and I rarely cook in butter. Did you actually read the Atkins book? You will see that he mentions moderation in regards to many foods, and stresses the importance of the variety in the sources of protien.

Personally I have red meat perhaps once every 2-3 days (and then around 100g), and 90% of my fridge is vegetables. I can't even tell you the last time I used butter. Why do I need to become a werewolf when there is fish, crabs, prawns, chicken, pork, nuts, eggs etc and when over 80% of my meals are not protien but small amounts of protien with vegetables and or salad?

There is nothing wrong with eating healthily and living low carb indefinately. It isn't like one is expected to eat 20g of carbs every day for all eternity, or consume half a cow boiled in butter at every meal. In comparisson to what the majority of ppl consume, my diet is exceptionally healthy, and my bloodtests are fabulous.

Your scaremongering is hardly the encouragement that many ppl need during their Atkins and Lo Carb journies.

Good day.

Rey

Hi Phill,

"All that protein and animal fat is very bad."
I have good news for you, mate. Saturated fat is only "bad" when eaten with starches and sugars. The only really bad fats are trans or hydrogenated fats, as found in margarine and commercially baked goods.

And your kidneys? They'll be fine, too. Do you know how many cases of kidney failure have been reported as being directly caused by low carbing? Zero, zilch, not one!

For any one else reading this thread, I'd like to stress just how important it is to do some reading on low carbing. That way you won't be frightened by the low carb lobbyists who, out of ignorance, continue their scare campaign agains low carbing.

Phill, perhaps if you were to actually read Dr Atkins' latest book, you might be less worried about the long term effects.

It may also help to check out some of the research in favour of low carbing. Have a look at the Research/Media Watch sub forum here. There is also a lot of info from which you will gain considerable insight in the Research Summaries section of Dr Atkins' website.

I hope that helps to remove some of your worries.

Happy low carbing!

Rosebud

I think there very likely are people who are dopey enough to imagine they will actually lose weight by stuffing their heads full of pork chops and bacon and cheese burgers and cream. Gallons of saturated and hydrogenated fats will kill you as surely on LC diet as on any other.

Sensible/ successful LC = good fats (olive oils, oily fish, flaxseed etc), lots of fresh green vegies, a few nuts and selected fruits (strawberries etc) and sensible selection of moderate qty of high quality protein.
There is not a doctor in the world who would argue against that eating regime.

The world is fat because it lives on an artificial unnatural sugar diet (ie high carbs -> high gluclose -> high insulin -> fat storage), ie the Food Pyramid.

I think if you actually read lowcarb books like X-Factor by Leslie Kenton you would realise that low carb diets are NOT necessarily high protein diets, they are ADEQUATE protein diets - huge difference there. Also low-carbing does not mean cutting out healthy food like vegies.
You also only need to look at places like the US where there is a lot of low fat items to buy, but they are not getting any slimmer either. Fat is not necessarily the baddie here either.

ROFLMAO! omg to funny.. what a picture that puts in my head!

Cheers,
Christine

Well my triglycerides are way down. So is my blood pressure. So are my cholesterol readings.

Anyone tried the Zone diet ? it is low carb, but also low cal, low fat. Consume protein, carbs in approx same proportion (approx gram for gram, not by calories), and add about 1/6 g fat per mea:
eg typical meal 7 g carb, 6 g protein, 1 g fat
and multiples of this, (eg 14 g carb, 12 g protein, 2 g fat) but meals never greater than 500 cals total. They claim that if the meal is greater than 500 cals you will experience the insulin problem regardless of what you ate, just as in the case of insulin from too many carbs.

It kind of makes sense, but reads to me like a classic low cal diet but extremely carefully balanced in terms of carbs/ protein /fat ratio. And of course the carbs all need to be low GI, the fats good sources, not saturated etc.

Interested to know if anyone had success with it.

hahahah I am sitting here laughing away at the initial posting and have to say I dont think the writer has read the Atkins book properly.

To tell you the truth I know every damn diet inside and out and NOTHING I have tried has been as healthy and satisfying as LC with Atkins. I eat a very balanced diet of eggs/cheese for breakfast, with a glass of water, either salad and tuna or some cold meat for lunch, again drinking water and sometiems a decaf coffee with a touch of cream in it, and in the evening I have either chicken, steak or sometimes bacon with lots of vegetables. I do not deny myself the odd glass of wine and soda or if I really feel I want it some high fibre bread or ryvitas. I have been doing this for 19 days and lost 8.5 kgs and never in my life felt better. My skin is clear, my head feels clear, my blood tests are great, I have energy that I forgot existed and I am no longer hungry between meals.

I would be INSANE to choose to go back to the lowfat highcarb nightmare I have been in as that was doing nothing for me and I did not feel good on it.

Low Carbing you have to be sensible yes.. but come on .. a cow boiled in butter!!!!!!!!! hahahhaha you are too funny!!

Karen