I don't understand why the medical community is so against low carb dieting. I can understand why they are against the Induction phase of Atkins because that is really restrictive, but an on-going restriction in the number of carbs one eats can only be good for you.

Who needs all that sugar and starch in your diet? If you simply replace some of your high carb foods with lower carb choices, how can that be bad?

Any diet - when done to extreme - is bad for you. But when used with common sense and a real, working knowledge of OWL - how can Atkins be worse than what I was doing - having fast food for nearly every noon meal - eating only high calorie starch for supper - eating cake and pie more often than any normal person does???

However, on another note - I am blaming my hair thinning on l/c. But then again, I've been trying to keep my carbs at 30 and my calories at 1,200 for the last year. This may be too restrictive to be healthy, but even at this level, I may only lose a couple of pounds a month - and a couple of pounds is a "good" month.

The hair thing is really scaring me, but you would think - if it is being caused by my diet - my body should already be used to this level of eating and not "reacting" to it. I guess the hair loss could be coincidental - I am almost 56 and my family doesn't "keep" their hair. However, the hair thing is too coincidental to dismiss.

It hasn't deterred me, though. I am eating a little more since I decided to stay at this plateau - but I am still drastically restricting my carbs because they are the foods that are highest in calories. Besides, weighing 160 has to be better for my general health than weighing 230 - I know it's better for my mental health.