On Thu, 24 Aug 2000, Dori Zook wrote:

> Rachel and other health experts believe that, for some people, this strict a
> carb restriction can eventually slow the metabolism.

For what it's worth, my wife appears to be one of those.  She
does fine on the Anchell diet with liberal (i.e., almost daily)
use of potatoes, so that her carbs are in the range of
60-70g/day.  When she has tried cutting down to 30g the results
have been poor: mood deterioration, persistent fatigue,
headaches.  And she doesn't seem to adapt after a week or so; if
anything, it gets worse.  I don't know if any of this indicates a
slowdown of metabolism, but I do think that as her mood sinks she
loses interest in eating, and eventually she would not be getting
enough food to sustain her metabolism.  For what it's worth, Dr.
Lutz (the Life Without Bread dude) thinks that there are no
advantages to reducing carbs below 72g/day.  Although that
wouldn't be ketogenic for sedentary people, it could easily be
ketogenic for a person with an aggressive exercise program.

Todd Moody
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