I think the first copy of this message got lost in cyberspace, so my
apologies if this comes through twice.

Todd,

You didn't mention your height or your BMI but it would seem that you are
not actually obese, or that you are only borderline obese, and that perhaps
you are close to where I was before I decided to lose weight with Atkins
last year. If so then perhaps my experience could be helpful.

I started at somewhere around 220+ lbs, perhaps as much as
235 lbs or so (I didn't have a scale at that time). I was wearing size
38 pants and they were extremely tight and uncomfortable. My body fat was
about 30% according to an impedance scale that I bought later, and my BMI
was about 30+. I am now, less than one year later, at BF = 16% and BMI=22.9
at about 174 lbs at 6'1". I'm back in size 32 pants for the first time since
I was
a teenager.

I lost something between 50 and 70 lbs but I never felt hungry and never
counted calories. For the first time in my life I am actually focused now on
finding healthy ways to gain weight, which is a nice problem for me to have
after so
many long years of sucking in my stomach. :) My goal is to reach 195 lbs
with BF at or below 15%.

Atkins was my first ever attempt to "go on a diet". I was amazed at how well
it worked for me. I avoided carbs like they were poison at first, which
kicked me deep into ketosis, but I in no way attempted to limit my food
intake. I ate all I wanted of eggs, meat, cheese, etc. My weight spiralled
down easily and rapidly.

I know you have an indifferent attitude about ketosis, and that you've
experimented with it without success, but I'm wondering if you have ever
tried an experiment in which you stayed in a deep state of ketosis for an
extended period of time, say for example twelve weeks. If not then it might
be something for you to consider if my experience is any indication (and I
realize it may not be).

I think I was in a state of deep ketosis for at the very least three months
before I started to grant myself any significant liberties to indulge in
carbohydrates. (By "deep ketosis" I mean that the KetoStix strip turned a
fairly deep shade of purple, though not necessarily the most extreme shade.)
I also drank a lot of water and took a lot of vitamin supplements. I think
my success was due largely to the fact that I really took a very hardline,
committed, very-low-carb approach for a few months to get myself out of my
old bread and pasta body and into the new meat and veggies body. I do not
think I exceeded 40-50 grams of carbs on any single day for at least 12
weeks. I probably averaged 20 to 30 grams and on a very large portion of
those days I ate close to zero carbs. I ate more steak, hamburger, eggs and
spinach salads than I care to remember.

My sense is that by staying in ketosis for an extended period, I managed to
break the cycle of carb addiction or whatever it was that was causing
problems for me. It seems that somehow my entire approach to food is
different now, both mentally and physically. I understand the biology of
ketosis and I recognize it may not have not have been the technical cause of
my results but my sense is that it was a real indication of something
important taking place, something which may be missing in simple calorie
restriction. (On a related subject, I wonder if anyone has tried to get a
good estimate of the number of calories excreted through urine, feces,
breath and other means while in ketosis.)

Of course heavy ketosis is probably not very healthy for the long term but
that wasn't my objective. I am now eating paleo with the idea that I can eat
healthy
this way for the rest of my life, and never again have to face any serious
weight loss challenges. My golden rule for the moment is to simply reduce my
consumption of fruit whenever my BF% climbs above 16%.

I still haven't any idea how many calories I consume in a typical day. I
hope I never need to know.

-gts