Usual disclaimer: I'm not an MD or an RD.  In fact, I'm an ape in a suit.

At 01:48 PM 1/23/00 -0600, Robert wrote:

>According to the Eades, the way to lose weight on an a low-carb diet is to
>cut calories, primarily by cutting fat (since carbs are already low and you
>don't want to fall below minimum protein levels).  This contradicts the
>advice I've seen here and elsewhere, which is to *increase* fat consumption
>in order to promote ketosis.
>
>I am so confused!

It seems more confusing than it is.

1.  To lose weight, you must eat less calories than your maintenance
calories.  Ergo, any diet will reduce weight if it is below maintenance.

2.  The problem is that you run a risk of losing muscle mass as well as
bodyfat.

When in ketosis:

3. Your body is already in "gear" to burn fat instead of glucose

4. You tend to feel sated because you are eating more fat to make up for
the calories which carbs would have supplied.

5.  You have higher protein intake, which tends to spare muscle loss,
especially if you lift.

6.  An additional "plus" is that the reduced insulin level will help keep
the body from storing additional fat.

But to lose bodyfat, you must still eat below maintenance.  Exercise tends
to raise the maintenance, allowing you to eat a bit more while losing fat.

James