A “Diet” that Works!
( Updated 11/24/2001)

Do you need a personal Diet Coach? Write me, my Doctor was so impressed that he asked me to coach some of his patients, and if I am going to do one, I might as well do it all the way.  I charge $75 a hour, but if your health is worth it to you that is cheap.

Check your Body Fat Percentage. 
It is how much fat you have that kills you, not how much you weight!

The Basics

The basics of the diet is to find out what is the minimum amount of protein you need to support your lean body mass, (around .6 (6/10) grams per pound) and then keep your carbohydrates to 35 grams per day for the 48 days. After that first 48 days you will slowly move on to a long-term diet of 55 grams of carbohydrates per day, eventually ending up at 100% to 130% of your diet in carbohydrates of what your minimum protein level is.  

Is there anyone who should avoid the low carb way of eating?

If you already have kidney disease, then you need to be more careful with the amount of protein you eat. Every adult requires at least .6 GMs of protein per pound of lean body mass as a minimal intake per day. This allows the body to maintain itself.  

Thirty days later.

About a month after finding this out and of letting our standard pantry foods deplete we stocked up on protein stuff and plenty of veggies. Thirty days later my body fat had dropped from 42.5% to 34.5% body fat.  After some calculation it turned out that I had dropped 35 lbs of fat and had increased my lean body mass a few pounds, I.E. I had burned the fat and not my lean body mass (which is what burns the fat.)  Every time you lose lean body mass you hurt your ability to burn fat, and you get fatter (even if you weigh less.)  Three months after we started, (and too much splurging, after that first month) having switched to the 55 grams of carbs, I had lost almost 46 lbs of fat, my fat percent had dropped from 42.5% to 32.5%.  I started wearing pants that I could not fit into before, and my belt was seven-notches (7”) smaller than when I started.  But best yet is that I am really thinner, and not just a few pounds lighter.  Even my belly is now smaller than my chest!

My wife’s weight has not changed all that much since the first month (she lost only 15 lbs) but she dropped 3” from her waist, two inches from her hips, and two from her bust.  She seems to be gaining lean almost as fast as she looses the fat.  But day-by-day her body fat percentage is improving, so she is excited. Maybe it is my imagination, but I think the texture of her skin is improving as well, so I am excited about it as well. (Note: In further research I found that improved skin is a side benefit. Many people stop having headaches that had plagued them regularly for years, skin rashes vanished, their blood pressure dropped to normal) 

Enlist a Friend to help, 
remember to measure the arms
as well as the more standard places.

The first week

Yes the first week was difficult, getting used to the changes (like getting up earlier for breakfast), and even the first month felt little restrictive, in general, but nothing like the diets of the past. But now that we are in the long-term phase at 55 grams of Carbs per day it is really very workable.  I would not have a problem doing this for life.  I can even walk past a doughnut, without breaking out in to a sweat, and having to close my eyes as I walked past it.  So I think I may have even broken my carbohydrate addiction.

Breakfast is usually two or three eggs (frequently scrambled with lots of cheese, or a cheese omelet), sausage or bacon, a half a grapefruit.  I stick to just good old water to drink, but a tea like rose hips or one of the other naturally sweet herbal teas would work well.  

Lunch is deli meat and cheese on a single slice of whole wheat bread, or two Burger King Whoppers, but only one half of one bun.  Or something similar, but generally lunch is too busy of a time to do much more than just refuel and keep going. So lunch is very boring and repetitive, kind of like --- just putting gasoline in the tank to keep moving down the road. 

Always measure consistently
 in the same places.

Dinner; grilled fish, chicken, pork chops, steak or roast and sometimes a small potato on special occasions, lots and lots of hot streaming veggies, fresh green salad with tomatoes, avocados and olives. We only have water to drink, (Hint: get a water filter, a good one. It really improves the taste.) Or, for a change --- Chicken stir-fry (without rice), I.E. all the stuff that we all love to eat.  And if that sounds like I am at less than 55 grams of carbs you are right, --- we found these little lemon bars (7 grams per bar) and small Cream Puffs (5 grams per), cottage cheese and pear is now a desert for us.  A frozen berry and melon mix is another nice way to end the day (if at all possible eat your desert before 8:00 PM so that you have several hours to digest it before bed time.) In short we are actually eating more than we did before, (well it feels like it.) I have plenty of energy, I am never hungry between meals, plus it is stuff that I like to eat, and now that the first month is over, we actually feel like we are stuffing ourselves. That little treat has become something to look forward to right after dinner, a small but significant reward for sticking with the system all day.  

The next six weeks

The next six weeks were bad ones for diets, Easter dinner with the in-laws, wedding anniversary, and a trip out of town for a small vacation, plus several weekends that were so busy that we ate out. Yet, it all fit in.  We ended up at one of those buffet places several times during that six weeks, and it was real hard to pass up those fresh hot rolls, and scones (well OK so I had just one (or was it two?),  --- with a lot of honey butter.)  And the time we went out with the kids to dinner at the new Skippers fish & chips in town (yes I know it is a strange place to take your wife for your anniversary --- but we

Figure out your cup size 
Click here for the formula

had, had a fancy dinner at Red Lobster with my parents for our formal anniversary dinner a few days earlier.) and we both OD’d on fish fry again, yes I did sneak a few fries, and I could not pass up on the clam chowder.  Once, just to surprise her, right after we finished our first month on this diet, I found a baby sitter and took her out to eat at a new Brazilian grill that just opened. Now that is a restaurant that fits in with the diet!  They bring by, hot off the fire, all kinds of meats and carve small portions right onto your plate.  We both ate way too much!  Yet with all that splurging, we still lost fat.  We were careful to select protein rich foods, and kept the carbs down to just a taste or two.  In spite of all this we still made a significant adjustment to our body fat.

The Secret

The secret seems to be in keeping the insulin level low.  The few times I splurged and took a large carbohydrate hit, (like that scone!) well a few hours latter I became ravenously hungry.  If I stretched out the carbs even though I took in more than I should have, I was never hungry.  I suspect that my insulin release over reacts to blood sugar, so that it does not just lower the blood sugar, but sweeps my system clean of it, which triggers the hunger reflex.  Which is why on the high Carb diets of the past I would eat and then starve till the next meal.   

Inches, not pounds, count

Proteins are digested in the small intestine, not the stomach, it takes longer to get the energy to your system, so it is like a time release capsule giving you a little bit at a time over a long period.  The big scare that everyone uses is Ketoses which can kill a diabetic. However, reading up on ketones, it appears that they are the preferred fuel of the heart, brain, and skeletal muscle, even more so than glucose.  So keeping the body on the edge of ketoses, but not in ketoses (like the Atkins plan) is the optimum place to be, fat is converted by the liver to ketones, which fuels the body with its optimum fuel.  Now too many ketones are bad news, such as what happens with Diabetes type I.  But a slow steady conversion of fat released from storage keeps your body running in top shape.  So too few carbs and you fall of the peak and get too many ketones (bad), to many carbs and you stimulate insulin production (in my case over stimulate) and store the blood sugar as fat (bad) and the body runs on glucose, that you just ingested. You have to walk down the middle of the road. Glucose is the next most favored fuel, after ketones. You want the body to use its fat as fuel, not what you eat in the way of carbs (glucose).   

This balance of lower carbs and higher protein creates an optimum situation to adjust your body fat content, without stealing from your lean body mass. Now before you start thinking that maybe the less fat you eat the better, consider the omega 3 fatty acids. We need them; in fact the low fat diet that so many people are on is creating a new generation of health problems. So keep your fats in moderation. But make sure you have the right ones. In fact fish oil containing Omega 3 fatty acids from cold water deep sea sources

Don't cheat
 Measure around the fullest part

are so important to cellular health that I would strongly advocate supplementing them.  Fish oil containing EPA effectively counteracts the one negative thing that is found predominantly in red meat and egg yolks.  Or you can cut out the red meat and eggs.  Soy and vegetable sources of protein can work well, but even still I’d still recommend getting more EPA in your diet (EPA; an Omega-3 fatty acid --- eicosapentaenoic acid --- the best source of which comes from fish, visit http://www.oceanessentials.com for more information and clinical reports and such.)

Think about our ancestors

Take some time and think about our ancestors, the Hunter-Gatherer, and what their life must have been like.  A spring and summer of vegetables and green foods, supplemented, when they could be opportunistically found with small animals, (even insects) an occasional large animal (and a time for feast) but no or little grains / fruits (carbs) until fall and just at the end of the harvest, almost like a signal to start storing everything as fat, living off of the lean body mass which it no longer needed for the hunt preparing for a somnolent winter, and little food.  The bounty of the harvest signaled times of feast and storing that fuel away as fat for the future when it would need that fat for survival. 

Those of us with a strong survival mechanism have a very efficient way of storing excess food as fat to get us through those hard long winters.  In any case paleontological evidence shows that the hunter-gathers were tall, had strong bones and healthy teeth --- with the advent of agriculture, man shrunk in height, had weaker bones, and teeth decay.  All indications are that when mankind veered away from our ancient hunter-gatherer diet (Some Protein and lots of vegetables, with a small amount of Carbohydrates) into an agrarian diet (lots of carbs {grains,} and occasionally some protein) we had more disease and poorer health.

So what do I do?

How soon until you are declaring Victory?

Create a plan that structures eating choices around a selection of lean protein sources focusing on: fish, soy, poultry, low fat dairy and lean red meats. This diet is high in fibrous, crispy vegetables and fruits such as green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, peppers, spinach, lettuces, berries, cherries, grapes, melons - just to name a few. The low carb plan allows, but limits portion sizes of starchy vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, beets, and beans/legumes. Sweets and sugary foods are eliminated with the exception of small portions on occasional "diet holidays". The focus is on healthy choices of fats such as raw nuts, seeds, nut butters, olives, olive oil, nut oils, some butter, fish oils, flax seed meal, while avoiding fats such as trans fats (partially hydrogenated fats), fried foods, excessive saturated fats and margarine that contain trans fats. The focus is to have a protein source at each meal along with the vegetables, fruits and fats as mentioned above.

A diet such as this will lower insulin levels, which will have a positive influence on many chronic diseases and related health problems. The ultimate goal of a low carb nutritional structure is to lower insulin levels, thereby restoring and maintaining your health and fitness. In summary a low carb nutritional structure allows your metabolic rate to stay high, satisfies your appetite and your lean body mass is preserved.

About 75 percent of the population has some level of insulin resistance and/or related health problem. If you are not happy with how you look, how you feel, if you have a major health condition related to increased insulin levels, then you could probably benefit from a lower carb diet. If you are in the 25 percent that does not have insulin resistance and you are happy with how you look, how you feel and do not have any health conditions, then by all means continue with the nutritional plan that you are following.  

Nutritionally Speaking

Next to water, protein is the most plentiful substance in the body. Protein is the fundamental structural material of every cell in the body. It not only makes up the bulk of the muscles, internal organs, brain, nerves, skin, hair and nails, but also is a vital part of regulatory substances such as enzymes, hormones and blood plasma.

All protein, whether in our bodies or in the food we eat, is made up of building units known as amino acids. These amino acids are joined in unique chain sequence to form specific proteins. There are 22 common amino acids, all of which are vital to human-life and health. Nine amino acids are classified as essential because the body cannot manufacture them. Foods that supply all the essential amino acids are called complete proteins.

Complete protein foods include:

• Eggs
• Milk
• Cheese
• Meats (beef, pork, wild game, lamb etc.)
• Poultry
• Fish
• Soy based foods

Incomplete protein foods include:

• Grains
• Legumes
• Beans
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Some vegetables and fruits

What is fat?

• Most highly concentrated energy source
• Provides essential fatty acids
• Slows the process of digestion
• Decreases hunger between meals

Essential fatty acids must be obtained from food sources since the body can't metabolize them. There are three essential fatty acids: linoleic, linolenic, and arachidonic. These fatty acids serve functions related to tissue strength, cholesterol metabolism, muscle tone, blood clotting, and heart action.

The best sources of cooking oils are from monounsaturated fats. These oils can be heated without damaging their structure. The best choices are unrefined, cold-pressed, extra virgin forms. It is best to store oils in the refrigerator to avoid becoming rancid.

Saturated fat is a more solid, heavy fat, such as meat fats. Saturated fats are of animal origin. Unsaturated fat is less heavy, less dense, such as a liquid oil.

Unsaturated fats are divided into two categories: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Monounsaturated fats are olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil (rapeseed), almonds, pecans, and avocados. Polyunsaturated fats are the vegetable oils: safflower, corn, cottonseed, and soybean. Fats from plant sources are usually unsaturated. Exceptions are coconut oil and palm oil, which are saturated. "Hydrogenation" is a process where unsaturated oils have been converted to a more solid form of fat to increase shelf life. 

What can you look forward to by following a low-carbohydrate diet?

• Lower total cholesterol levels
• Lower triglyceride levels
• Higher levels of "Good" HDL Cholesterol
• Reduced risk of heart disease
• Lower blood pressure
• Decreased incidence of gout
• Lower and controlled blood sugar levels
• Lower incidence of type II diabetes
• Diminished gastric reflux/heart burn
• Diminished incidence of PCOD ?
• Permanent weight loss
• Improved mental clarity
• Sustained physical energy
• Decreased chance of contracting illness and disease and the need for drugs

Some Myths regarding low carb diets:

• Increased protein causes cancer

Insulin is a growth hormone, believed to increase breast cancer and prostate cancer. Zinc is known to decrease cancer (especially prostate) and meats are high in zinc. Insulin being a storage hormone will also store toxins, chemicals and hormones in the fat tissues of the body.

• Increase protein causes osteoporosis
  This has more to do with the pH of the body after ingesting food. This nutritional structure stresses the importance of taking in abundant fibrous vegetables and fruits. These foods which are more alkaline in nature balance out the acidity of animal protein foods.

• Kidneys are stressed from increase intake of protein
  Truly a myth. If you have existing kidney disease you do need to more careful about dividing your protein into smaller portions, drink plenty of water and monitor your kidney function with creatinine and micro albumin levels.

• Lower carb diets will cause muscle wasting
  Low carb along with adequate protein will allow the lean mass to be healed, repaired and the protein used for the production of hormones, enzymes and other vital components of metabolism. The stored fats will be used as your primary fuel source and the intake of some carbs will be used for glycogen stores and brain function.

• Essential amino acids and essential fatty acids are taken in through our diet
  The body cannot produce these on its own. There are no essential carbohydrates that the body has to take in.  

If emotional hang ups are contributing to your weight gain contact me, The Circles of Life program may be as untraditional as they come.  But their effectiveness, at least for me personally, is unbelievable.  I gained more in one weekend class than I had in the past decade of monthly seminars, hundreds of books and a mountain of audiotapes on Positive Mental Attitude and Self-Help.  Unlike most systems, the tools provided by this class have remained effective long after the class was over. I can help you with specific problems at an hourly rate of $75, or schedule you for the full four day class.

Don’t take my word .

Don’t take my word for any of this go check it out yourself.  Better yet, try the diet for a month, and listen to what your body tells you by the end of the month.  Based on “race,” this may not work for you, for example Orientals seem to do better on the high Carb diet.  But if you have been struggling or playing the yo-yo game --- try it for a month.  If you don’t go the full month you won’t really know if it is or is not for you, 42~48 days is the real measure.  What have you got to loose?  (Other than some fat? High blood pressure, headaches…)   

Six Month Update
As an update, after almost 6 months, and having passed the halfway point to my personal goal of 20% Body Fat, and in spite of my repeated attempts to sabotage myself.  The diet, or for me a way of life, is still very easy to follow, my wife is just days from reaching her halfway point, so it has been effective for her as well, but women seem to go slower than men, but they do get there!  Still no “Hunger” (with a capital H,)  like I had on previous diets, and we are enjoying what we eat.  Carbohydrate addiction is real and can reach out and grab you when you least expect it.  You will need to watch out for this the rest of your life.  (I know I tried just a taste---, and before I was done I was wolfing pieces of cake down.) Be warned!  On the down side, it is getting expensive to keep in clothes, and I have to keep drilling new holes in my belts, but I can live with those problems.  

7/19/2001 
I am at 252 lbs which is over 65 lbs lost (We guess 68 Lbs) or almost Three pounds per week! 
As an update:  Prior to eating this way I was constantly on pain medication I'd take a combination of 2 extra strength Acetaminophens  tablets and 4 - 200mg Ibuprofens (800mg  equals one prescription strength pill)  this was almost on a daily basis, and the days I did not do that popping 6 to 8 Ibuprofens was the norm. Since I made it past that first 6 weeks I have only had two (2) Ibuprofens and that was when I caught a cold.  Just one of the side effects that I had not planned on..  A day ago I had the pleasure of watching as my wife read her Body Fat percentage and it finally fell into the "normal" range on the electronic meter we use. If only you could have seen her! That alone made the journey worth it!  She still wants to go further and is now past her 50% point.  She is currently  on track to reaching 25% Body-Fat by January 1, 2001

11/24/2001
Well the weight is still dropping although the loss did slow down for a few months, still I have averaged almost 10 pounds a month now, for a loss of around 80 Lbs. I am now at 240 lbs  and under 30% body fat.  I have modified my original goal to be 18% body fat and am well over the halfway point for that goal. The big news is I now easily fit a size 40 pant. That is over ELEVEN (11) inches in around 9 months or over a inch a month!

12/24/2001
Another size drop to 38 inches!  Just 3 pounds of weight change but almost a full percent change in body fat.  What a Christmas present!

5/21/2002
While I have to admit to not having lost any more, still I have not gained.

 photographer@glamography.com  

Click on the Summary Button for  a two page summary of what I found to work for me,

MN  

The original source for the basic diet came from “Protein Power” by Michael & Mary Eades, M.D.’s   (which you can find at any bookstore or at Amazon.com) However, I modified it slightly with information that I have gleaned over time and from personal experience.