from what i've heard, you do the no-carb thing for a limited time. that'll lower your blood sugar levels really fast. then you start re-introducing carbs back into your diet... slowly, until you find the level you're comfortable with.

if you start w/ the no-carb part, just remember to drink water and take vitamins, since you'll be getting practically none w/ no-carb.

i would recommend also checking out diabetic diets. they also follow a low-carb plan.

No carbs = fermentative reactions = bad.

Low carb diets have been proven to be quite good for you.

Remember to eat lots of vegies.

Don't go too long with radically low carbs. Do a search on "Atkins" and "ketosis" and do a little reading. Diabetic diets are healthy, i'm not so sure about the Atkins diet.

You might try doing a search on "diet reviews." I haven't checked, but there's sure to be someone out there talking about different diets.

The main thing people forget (ooo, all carbs are evil!) is that it is processed carbs that are the calorie kings. White rice, anything made with white flour (including pasta and breads), etc. Brown rice, potatoes with the skins on, etc. are not only good for you, they have way more fiber than high-protein foods, and humans are supposed to get 20-30 grams of fiber a day to reduce risk of colon cancer. Also, when you eat fiber, it binds to fat in the food and flushes some of it out.

I hate to say it, because it's so annoying to keep track of, but the best diet out there is to follow the food group pyramid, and lower your calories. It takes a deficit of approximately 3100 calories to lose a pound (i can't remember the exact number, but it's just over 3000). If i cut out sodas...but no, i can't do that. Heh heh. Also, i know it sucks, but losing a LOT of weight at once dramatically increases your chances of gaining it back.

The Atkins diet is precisely that, a method of losing a lot of weight fast. Back before Atkins wrote a book, weighlifters were eating insanely low-carb foods for a few days before every competition. After the competition they'd go back to the regularly stringent weightlifting diet.

Extremes are usually not good, rule of thumb.

I'm sure you knew most of this, but get me started and i have trouble stopping. ;}

You are at a much greater risk of diabetes on the Atkins diet. If you ever decide to go off of it, you gain all the weight back and more. A sensible diet of limiting sugars and fats with a good excercixe routine is a better way.

My parents were on it, and my husband.

I don't know if it's good or bad. I just know this. you know I was on it. You saw me on it, and I had to get off of it because eating carbs started making me sick. But not as sick as eating protien. All I've been able to eat since is fish. Can you imagine? Oh, and baked potatoes with nothing on them. I'm miserable. Everything else requires anti-nausea pills to stomache. And maybe it wasn't the diet, but it sure seems pretty cooincidental, don't you think?

Now, I'm a big advocate of that mixing dexatrim and phen-phen... *grin* TOTALLY Kidding.

Take care, if you MUST do it, only do it for a week or two and then wait a month or two. seriously.

My best friend stormyrose, lost 70 pounds thus far on the diet since the beginning of this year. You could ask her about her actual experience on the diet to help with your decision.

I was told by my doctor when I thought about this diet is no. low carbing is the answer, but no carbing is bad. A diebetic diet plan is awesome I guess, but it's hard. Every person NEEDS a certain amount of carbs per day. I forget exactly why but it has something to do with bloodsugars and keeping the insulin moving. If you'd like tho, I've got the book here you can take a peek at. My mom wants it back and I just found it. I've also got a few diabetic cook books, one of them is one where you can pick a dinner a lunch and a breakfast that is I think 1500. My problem is I tend to get rebellious and go off the wagon no matter what diet I'm on. It sux. and I was also told the secret to my dietion keeping her blood sugars in check, she's a type 1 diabetic so she has had to keep her diet in check all her life, is exercise. she says walk every day and then 2 times a week go and do something more. *shrugs* I dunno anything more either than anyone else. you could check out a dietion I think our insurance covers it. let me know if you want to check out those books, I'll bring them to work today.