THE FAT FAST
(Atkins)
Counterintuitive
as it may sound, if you can’t budge the scale on Induction, a few days on this
regimen may allow you to break through metabolic resistance. More Splendid Low-Carbing was written during a time that I discovered I was
metabolically resistant to weight loss.
At the end of that year I was diagnosed with a thyroid problem –
Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. If you are
having trouble losing weight, it’s a good idea to at least get a TSH test for
starters to make sure your thyroid is working well. Many folks are hypothyroid
without realizing it and it can really play havoc with one’s weight. If you find you are hypothyroid, then you
would need other tests like a thyroid antibody test to see if it is an
autoimmune disease or if it is just simply a sluggish thyroid.
Certain
individuals are so metabolically resistant that only more intense dietary
restrictions prove successful. Once
medications, thyroid problems and candida are brought under control, almost all
overweight people who diligently adhere to the Atkins diet will lose and keep off
weight, but for a small group of people, more extreme measures are
necessary. I knew of a few people who
lost over 100 lbs using the Fat Fast and cycling with slightly higher carbs and
lower fat.
To
help these metabolically resistant people (I was one of them), Dr. Atkins
modified what he called “the most effective weight-loss eating pattern ever
described.” British researchers Alan
Keckwick and Gaston Pawan developed it and Frederick Benoit and his team
confirmed its superiority in burning off fat, compared to an absolute total
fast. This extreme diet consists of
1,000 calories daily, comprised of 80 to 90% of fat. No other weight-loss regimen has matched its
ability to burn off stored fat. Dr.
Atkins modified the Kekwick diet to make it as enjoyable as possible and dubbed
it the “Fat Fast.” I personally took the
challenge a little further and introduced a few more things we could enjoy on
the fat fast in More Splendid Low-Carbing. The late Dr. Atkins tried it on many of his
patients and found it often worked when all else had failed.
The
Kekwick diet forces the body into lipolysis so that it burns its stores of
fat. Lipolysis cannot take place if
there is a significant source of glucose.
Since all carbohydrates and any excess protein is converted to energy in
the form of glucose, eliminating almost everything but fat from the diet forces
even the most resistant body into lipolysis.
My
experience: I would actually gain weight
if I went over the 1,000 calorie limit, so I relied heavily on Fit Day to
calculate my intake. Over a period of 3
days, my scale weight would usually drop 2 lbs.
I doubt it was all real weight, but it was good to finally see the scale
drop. These days I have less of a
problem losing weight although it is much easier for me to maintain than lose
weight. My thyroid is also much
better. I cannot take thyroid hormone without becoming hyper. If
anyone wants to know more, feel free to email me. I am in remission for Hashimotos Thyroiditis! Praise the Lord!
You
could divide your day into frequent (i.e. five) tiny meals of 200 calories each
and you will find you will not experience hunger – boredom, perhaps (my book can
help relieve that), but not much hunger.
WARNING: Dr. Atkins
warned that if you can lose normally on Induction then the Fat Fast could be
very dangerous as you would most likely lose weight too fast and you could develop a dangerous electrolyte imbalance.