I am trying the Atkins Diet. For the first two weeks, I am not suppose to eat any bread, pasta, rice or potatoes, along with all sugars. I heard from a friend of a friend that cutting out carbs completely can shut down or majorly slow down my matabolism. Is this true? Or is it only if I do this long-term? Any suggestions on a better diet to loose 10 lbs. ASAP! I already work out daily for at least an hour (mostly cardio), and eat pretty healthy. Thanks.

I haven't personally tried this but I have a friend who did. She said it works to lose 10 pounds fast. Keep in mind though, that it's not meant to be long term.

LOSE 10 POUNDS IN THREE DAYS

1ST DAY

BREAKFAST: 1/2 Grapefruit, 1 slice dry toast, 2 tablespoons peanut butter

LUNCH: 1/2 Cup Tuna, 1 slice dry toast, coffee or tea

DINNER: 2 Slices any type of meat (about 3 oz), 1 cup green beans, 1 cup beets, 1 small apple, 1 cup vanilla ice cream.

2ND DAY

BREAKFAST: 1 Egg, 1/2 Banana, 1 slice toast, coffee or tea

LUNCH: 1 Cup cottage cheese, 5 saltine crackers

DINNER: 2 wieners, 1 cup broccoli, 1/2 cup carrots, 1/2 banana, 12/ cup ice cream

3RD DAY

BREAKFAST: 5 saltine crackers, 1 slice cheddar cheese, 1 small apple, coffee or tea

LUNCH: 1 hard boiled egg, 1 slice of toast, coffee or tea

DINNER: 1 cup tuna, 1 cup beets, 1 cup cauliflower, 1/2 cantaloupe, 1/2 cup ice cream

THIS DIET WORKS ON THE CHEMICAL BREAKDOWN AND IT IS PROVEN. DO NOT VARY OR SUBSTITUTE ANY OF THE ABOVE FOODS. SALT AND PEPPER MAY BE USED, BUT NO OTHER SEASONINGS. WHERE NO QUANTITY IS GIVEN, THERE ARE NO RESTRICTIONS OTHER THAN "COMMON SENSE".

THIS DIET IS TO BE USED ONLY FOR THREE DAYS...

Also, keep in mind that the Atkins diet can send your body into ketosis. Any information I could give on ketosis is simply just opinion but you should definitely do some research before you just go cutting out carbs completely. I'm no expert on the subject, but Carbohydrates are intended to be the main source of food intake. Just things to keep in mind...

In my opinion, you need carbohydrates for energy. If you don't take in carbs, then your body doesn't have the energy necessary first of all to burn fat, but second of all to live.

I would suggest you DO eat carbs, but if it makes you feel better, eat most of them in the morning so they work all day.

Hugs, Didi

First... the Atkins diet does NOT mean cutting out carbs completely. During the first 2 weeks you are supposed to limit your carbs to 20 per day. You can get those 20 from vegetables.

Second... you should not start any type of drastic diet without first speaking to your doctor and making sure it's OK for you. Call your doctor's office, ask them to pull out your chart, look at it and tell you if they think a carb-restricted diet would be OK for you.

Third... water water water!

Fourth... if you go with a low carb diet then you should try to concentrate on eating lean meat, fish, chicken, eggs and cheese as often as possible. Make sure you have at least one serving of vegetables twice a day. Stick with broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, cucumbers and string beans. Stay away from corn and carrots. For a sweet snack or dessert have strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or blackberries. Stay away from other fruits because they have a lot of natural sugar.

You may have a headache the first day or two. That's from your body adjusting to being without sugar.

Check out this site: alt.support.diet.low-carb low carb diet FAQ atkins carbohydrate addict neanderthin low-carb protein power zone body opus ketostix ketosis (http://www.grossweb.com/asdlc/faq.htm) . It's the FAQ for the newsgroup alt.support.diet.low-carb. It has tons of general info about low-carb diets.

But most important of all... speak to your doctor first!

Carbs are the fuel that gives your body energy. So on this diet your body initially uses up all your stored carbs, then your body goes into ketosis (where your burning up fat instead of carbs) This diet is really meant to be used for life, otherwise weight regains are quick. So it's a quick fix solution for dieting -- It focuses on fat and protein foods and cuts out healthy whole grain foods, not enough fruits and veggies and these are very important for your body. I really consider this a fad diet, (which is one that promotes foods that burn fat, or requires you to eat unusual amounts of one food or food type) Your body needs a certain amount of dairy, whole grains, veggies and fruits Cutting out processed foods, fast foods, fried or fatty foods, as well as high sodium products,like chips, cakes or high sugar snacks, will go along way in letting you lose weight. Portion sizes are really important smaller servings, and exercise on a regular basis.