Hi everyone,

I am a newbie for the LC diet because my fibromialgia support group suggested me to try it to control my symptoms according to Dr. St Amond's hypoglycemia theory in his book. However I do have questions though. Since last Saturday I tried LC diet, I have been eating lots of high protein food including meat, seafood, milk, cheese...etc. I heard that eating high protein food may increase uric acid, predisposing people to have gout and pain on joints. Also I heard that high protein diet may lead to osteroporosis, which I already have, and kidney problems, which I had when I was young. Anyway, could anybody tell me if these are true. If it is, how can I reduce both carbohydrate and protein? Thank you very much.

Jeanie

I have FMS and allergies- I've notice a drop in both problems since starting low carb. As with anything, extremes probably aren't going to work for you, as we FMS'ers tend to be sensitive to changes. I use the rule from the animal, as in meat or dairy(in small amounts), and from the ground. No processed food, I've avoided grains but had some fruit, just a little. Someone else said eat the leaves & stems, avoid roots and fruits. Easy enough. When I've strayed, which I have more than I'd like to admit, the symptoms return. I think eating lc helps with the autoimmune diseases a lot.

First off welcome to the LC Forums!

Second, I have to ask, Have you read Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution?
Have you had blood tests done to be sure all is well with your kidneys etc before starting to follow Atkins?

Those two steps can shed a lot of light on your situation.

As to the gout and all the other maladies people love to list as why you should not LC, until you know there are no pre-existing issues with you, it is hard to say if you will have any problems.

Though many of the problems you might hear about in the mainstream press are along the lines of my sister knew this guy, who's mailmans brother had a friend who's cousin talked to a lady on the bus who knew someone who's uncle tried LC and he got sick and gained weight! In othe words, I have never seen, read or heard of one credible study or verifyable piece of info from the medical community veryfy any of the horror stories.

I can tell you this, the vast majority of people do not have problems of a serious nature. I have never actually heard of any. I have never read any on this site or anywhere else.

Also, water is your friend, drink lot's of it as following a LC lifestyle creates a need for one to stay hydrated. More so that the general population, many of which are dehydated anyway. In short, most people do not drink enough water.

I'd suggest you look around this site, There is literally a ton of information and many extremely knowledgable people who not only live the LC lifestyle, many are in the science and medicine community and have a wealth of information to share.

Also don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions, read the New Diet Revolution (DANDR) and check out the Atkins site. Also if you have not done so, get a blood test so you have a baseline on which to track your success/health. Being under the care of a doctor that is LC friendly is also a huge plus!

Here are some sites to check out...
http://atkins.com/
http://www.lowcarbluxury.com/
http://www.theomnivore.com/home.html

And no I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on tv, nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. any information given by me is based on my life experiences and information learned along my journey to healthy. No warranty is expressed or implied. Your mileage may vary, advice void in Guam and parts of Uzbekistan on the third Saturday of the new moon.

Hi Jeanie, and welcome.

This is not really a high protein diet, but a high fat, low carb and adequate protein diet.

Having said that, I don't believe low carbers are any more susceptible to high levels of uric acid than anyone else. (Just my opinion ) I do believe that drinking plenty of water helps, especially for the few people who are predisposed to suffer from gout.

A "high protein" diet does not cause any osteoporosis type problems, although many people still erroneously believe this. If you read the information in this thread, you can see for yourself.

As for the stories about high protein and kidney problems, it is only a possible problem to increase your protein if you are in kidney failure. There has never yet been a documented case of kidney failure caused by a low carbohydrate diet.

I hope this reassures you.

Rosebud

One more thing: there is no need to keep posting the same thread in different forums. It just gets confusing for folk who have already answered you.

Rosebud

I developed high uric acid from eating too much protein. The key is to try and eat enough, not too much, as other people who commented said. I can't tell you how to find that balance though. But, you can get this measured easily and see if it's getting out of hand. Try not to go for too long without eating, because if you are hungrier, you will want to eat more protein.

ummmm whats the LC Diet???????????

Low Carb diet....

Thanks for ya reply

Side effects for low carbing for me seem to be : a decrease in pain and allergy symptoms, an increase in energy, and an interest in eating "real" food instead of junk!