Rice Diet v. Atkins

Rice Diet
(low fat, low protein, high carbohydrate)

Atkins, Zone, and Sugar Busters Diets
(high fat and protein, low carbohydrate)

WEIGHT LOSS
All weight loss diets essentially come down to a matter of calories. There is no magic. To lose weight, calories expended must exceed caloriesconsumed. The form of the consumed calories matters little, if at all. If
you eat fewer calories than you use, you will lose weight.

What does happen when you're dieting is that it becomes the most important thing in your day. You pay attention to what you eat. You exercise regularly. You become focused. This increased awareness makes weight loss diets work. When people regain their lost weight, it is because they have lost their focus. Other things become more important. It is worth remembering that the word diet comes from the Greek and means "way of life." Diet therefore must include not only eating well; but, regular exercise, rest and time for yourself.

People lose weight on the Atkins Diet because they limit calories. It
sounds like Dr. Atkins will let you can eat any amount you want, but that is not so. Snacks, a major cause of obesity, are virtually eliminated, as is alcohol. And because carbohydrates are severely restricted, you cannot completely burn fat and become ketotic; then you don't feel like eating. "Ketotic" means that you have high levels of acidic substances called keto-acids in your blood. The ketones produce a number of side effects and are responsible for loss of appetite. Weight loss is probably accentuated by the loss of ketone bodies in the urine.

With all weight loss diets, there is probably an initial weight loss
resulting from consumption of glucose stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen. Certainly with low carbohydrate diets (Atkins, Zone, Sugar Busters), this initial weight loss of probably five to ten pounds occurs. Your body stores sugar because your brain operates most effectively when it uses sugar as fuel. Severe restriction of dietary carbohydrates means that dietary sugar is not readily available for use by the brain.

The Rice Diet achieves weight loss by restricting calories. Patients
attending the residential Rice Diet Program eat between 800-1000
calories/day; after returning home, we recommend 1000-1500 calories/day for continued weight loss. Part of the initial weight loss on the Rice Diet (usually 5 to 10 pounds in an otherwise healthy person) is fluid. Here most of the fluid lost is that stored throughout the body with sodium. The very low sodium content of the Rice Diet mobilizes this excess fluid. Most patients feel better when they are rid of this excess water.

THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS
In addition to its benefits in terms of weight loss, the Rice Diet
represents a powerful treatment for a number of chronic metabolic
disorders. In fact, this therapeutic effect of the Rice Diet was the origin
stimulus to its development and the sustaining reason for its continuation.

Weight loss by any method will lower blood pressure and cholesterol, benefit type 2 diabetes, lessen or eliminate sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension and help the symptoms of arthritis and reflux. These effects are especially prominent with the Rice Diet, but it is not known (though doubtful) that the Atkins and other diets improve these conditions to the same extent. Its very low sodium content is at least partially responsible for the Rice Diet's striking therapeutic effects. The Diet is more effective than diuretics in treating heart failure, and over 70% of hypertensive patients treated with the Rice Diet are able to discontinue antihypertensive drugs while maintaining blood pressures lower than achieved with drug treatment. The very low fat content of the Rice Diet leads to lowering the blood cholesterol levels of participants by an average of 13% (and by 22% when combined with lipid lowering agents). The low fat content also enhances weight loss. Even when Dr. Kempner, founder of the Rice Diet program, tried to have patients maintain their weight by increasing portion size and adding sugars to foods, patients still lost weight. They just couldn't eat enough calories with so little fat in the diet.

Weight loss (and possibly the fat restriction) rapidly improves blood sugar levels in diabetes. More than three-quarters of diabetic patients treated with oral medications are able to discontinue their medications (with better glucose control) after two to four weeks on the Rice Diet.

DIETARY HEALTH RISKS
High fat, high protein diets are thought to increase the risk of cancer, heart disease and kidney disease. High protein intake and ketosis cause loss of minerals: sodium, potassium and calcium. Loss of calcium promotes osteoporosis.

The Zone and Sugar Buster diets are high in fat and protein, and relatively low in carbohydrate. Unlike the Atkins diet, they are not low enough to maintain ketosis. These diets are based on the theory that insulin insensitivity (and resulting insulin hyper) causes obesity. This theory runs counter to the observations that obesity is the cause of insulin insensitivity.

According to Dr. McDougall, Dr. Sears can not be on his own diet (see www.drmcdougall.com for details). Dr. Sears says he eats only 44 grams of fat per day on his Zone diet. Dr. McDougall points out that, in order to maintain his weight on the Zone Diet, Dr Sears would have to be consuming 77 grams of fat and 173 grams of protein per day: a high fat, high protein diet!

WEIGHT LOSS vs. WEIGHT MAINTENANCE
It is important to distinguish weight loss diets from weight maintenance diets. A high-fat, high-protein diet that restricts calories will lead to weight loss, but we also know that a high-fat, high-protein diet is unhealthy as a maintenance diet or we wouldn't be worried about diet at all. When calories must be raised to maintain ideal weight, the number of grams of fat, protein and carbohydrate increase even though the percentage of calories coming from each nutrient remains constant. Thus, an 800-calorie diet in which 30% of the calories come from fat delivers only 27 grams of fat per day. A 2500 calorie diet with 30% of the calories from fat, delivers 83 grams of fat per day. All of the hoopla about percentage amount of fat ignores the actual number of grams of fat consumed each day. It is highly likely that the absolute number of grams of fat is a factor in
producing disease. When the absolute number of grams of fat eaten a day is low, the percentage of calories coming from fat may be less important. Hence, limiting calories (which must occur in any weight loss diet) limits fat and lowers cholesterol. Only with diets based on grains, fruits and vegetables can calories be increased without dangerously increasing the amount of fat.

Changing habits is difficult at best. If you're going to try to achieve
long-term weight control, it seems sensible do it by forming healthy
habits. This means increasing vegetables, grains and fruits, and decreasing dairy products, meat, processed and fast foods and high fat snacks. Regular exercise is important. An hour a day of walking will use the calories in about 30 pounds of body fat over a year. Most importantly, you need to value and spend time with yourself. You'll know what to do and you'll have the strength to do it.