posted May 09, 2000 12:40 AM            

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"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.."

posted May 09, 2000 12:47 AM            

Yes you do need some carbs. If you cut too low you will have absolutely no energy, and you won't be able to do the "crazy cardio" you are doing now.

Try to decrease slowly and see how you feel. In general, sudden, drastic changes to your diet are not advisable.

Matt

posted May 09, 2000 03:00 PM            

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****"What we do in life, echoes an eternity!"**** GLADIATOR

posted May 09, 2000 03:19 PM            

Go pick up some "Ketostix" from a drug store. Start testing you urine twice a day around you second or third day of the diet. By day four or five, you should see the indicator on the ketostix turing pink or purple. As long as your urine keeps turning the stix color, you are in ketosis.

I stayed in ketosis (that is, ate less than 20g of carbs) for basically two months straight beforing taking a break from the diet. I took a two-week break, then went back on the diet. Since then, I've taken three or four "carb-up" days in the last month and a half or so.

During this time, I have gone from 270+ lbs to 240 lbs. Perhaps 5-7 lbs of that loss was muscle, but not a bad ratio when you consider it. I was huge and strong, but needed to lose lots of fat, and thats what I did.

The diet is damn hard at first. It took me three tries to break the one week barrier. But once my body adjusted, it was a piece of cake (no pun intended!). It's just second nature now. Incedentally, I am going to begin taking one carb-loading day per week, now that I am at my goal weight. But I wouldn't reccomend this at first. Stay in ketosis the whole time until you get you weight to where you want it, then start experimenting a little.

If you have any other specific questions, just ask me. Good luck!

posted May 09, 2000 04:20 PM            

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****"What we do in life, echoes an eternity!"**** GLADIATOR

posted May 09, 2000 07:40 PM            

I don't know where some of these answers are coming from, but:

Do not have oatmeal before your cardio. If you can get your cardio done in the morning before you eat anything, you'll burn a greater percentage of fat calories than otherwise. A cup of coffee or E/C/A an hour prior will help out also.

Low or no carbs are going to be required if you're already somewhat lean. I also am a big fan of ketogenic diets. They've worked great for me, however, most people go low carbs and up the protein to help prevent muscle loss. On low carbs, you'll be tired and irritable and have no energy, but the fat will come off if you control your calories.

Contrary to popular belief, keto diets are very safe. They were originally used on children with epilepsy to control seizures in the 20's or 30's. Studies were done with patients staying on the diets for up to 1 year with no problems. Besides, while there are essential fatty and amino acids, there's no such thing as an essential carbohydrate! Something to think about for you keto critics.

The other benefit of a keto diet for you would be that it will help you get rid of lower body fat, which on women is the last to go. Women are genetically programed to hold a certain amount of fat in the lower body as an evolutionary development to help insure enough calories for child development when food might have been scarce. The keto diet helps upregulate (or down regulate, I don't remember) receptors in these special fat cells which allows them to release their fatty acids, thus shrinking them in size.

Either way, you'll have to cut the carbs or you won't lose those last few pounds. Anyone who has great insulin sensitivity, a high metabolism, and can get cut on high carbs shouldn't have been fat in the first place.

The Doctor