Hi everyone,

I've finally convinced my parents to try low-carbing and they are following Dana Carpender's Careful Carb diet. It allows a serving of berries or cantaloupe and 1-3 servings a day of low g.i. carbs like steel cut oats, sweet potato, etc. Most low g.i. veggies are a free food and it's a moderate fat diet (fat in foods is fine, separated fats like oil and mayo are used more moderately). I'd guess the carb intake is in the 50-60g a day range.

They both haven't been losing very well on it. My mom is on Beta-blockers for her BP so it's not surprising, but my dad only wants to lose about 15 pounds, so I thought he'd be one of those guys who just whipped the weight off.

The real reason I'm posting is that my dad is having trouble with heart palpitations that seem to be getting worse over time. He was having some trouble with a little fluttering before starting lc (2.5 weeks ago) but it's gotten much worse since starting the diet. His heart just beats uncontrollably at times and makes him feel as if he's about to pass out. He's already seen his doctor once for it who has scheduled a treadmill stress test for him sometime this month.

He's on a multi-vitami w/lutein and I've gotten him to add potassium as of this morning. He was on Lipitor, but discontinued that w/his doctor's approval before starting the diet. His palpitations are worse than ever this morning, even after adding the potassium. My mom said she's fairly sure he's not dehydrated because he is drinking fluids and isn't complaining of thirst or mouth-dryness, etc.

I've got him eating three meals and two snacks a day, so I don't think it's low blood sugar levels...he's also not eating too many nitrate containg foods as far as I can tell.

I've tried everything I can think of, but I know the pros will have some more theories, things to try and I'd love any input or insight you have. He's about to call it quits, so I need answers as quickly as I can get them.

Thanks a million,
Dig