Ketogenic as touchy as they make it sound?

[JaneP]

Is it true that "snitching" half a cookie or 1 potato chip so to say, will un-do everything a person on that ketogenic diet has done up to that point or cause it to go haywire & cause a seizure?
I want SO bad to try that I'm playing with a trial version (for lack of a better word). I'm trying to eat more fat & protein and stay away from almost any carbs. (the dietician I talked to a few months ago said people on it are usually limited to 5 or 10% carb. being their daily intake. Which incidentally she said would be like 1/4 cup rice as 1 example.
Well, I've been playing with that Adkins version for weight loss (BOY! HAS IT HELPED!) but I'm trying to see if I could actually "survive" a full blown ketogenic regimen. Is it really THAT picky as I've heard. I know it's gram & body weight based and all % daily intake technical stuff, but can taking 1 spoonful extra of ice cream or a nibble off a cracker REALLY do damage to the diet's intent?

 

[epileric]

As far as I understand such a small cheat will make a big difference in the ketogenic diet.

Don't start increasing your fat- that's probably just unhealthy. The ketogenic diet focuses on a specific type of fat. It is also specific for children.

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that in medicine is used primarily to treat difficult-to-control (refractory) epilepsy in children.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketogenic_diet

Some people do have doubts about the Modified Atkins Diet but some researchers have found it seems to help adults.

Modified Atkins

First reported in 2003, the idea of using a form of the Atkins diet to treat epilepsy came about after parents and patients discovered that the induction phase of the Atkins diet controlled seizures. The ketogenic diet team at Johns Hopkins Hospital modified the Atkins diet by removing the aim of achieving weight loss, extending the induction phase indefinitely, and specifically encouraging fat consumption. Compared with the ketogenic diet, the modified Atkins diet (MAD) places no limit on calories or protein, and the lower overall ketogenic ratio (approximately 1:1) does not need to be consistently maintained by all meals of the day. The MAD does not begin with a fast or with a stay in hospital and requires less dietitian support than the ketogenic diet. Carbohydrates are initially limited to 10 g per day in children or 20 g per day in adults, and are increased to 20–30 g per day after a month or so, depending on the effect on seizure control or tolerance of the restrictions. Like the ketogenic diet, the MAD requires vitamin and mineral supplements and children are carefully and periodically monitored at outpatient clinics.[46]

The modified Atkins diet reduces seizure frequency by more than 50% in 43% of patients who try it and by more than 90% in 27% of patients.[7] Few adverse effects have been reported, though cholesterol is increased and the diet has not been studied long term.[46] Although based on a smaller data set (126 adults and children from 11 studies over five centres), these results from 2009 compare favourably with the traditional ketogenic diet.[7]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketogenic_diet#Modified_Atkins

 

[Nakamova]

I agree with Eric --

The ketogenic diet should only be tried with the supervision of a doctor and a nutritionist. It's really only meant for children, since over the long-term, and in adults, a diet that's more-or-less the equivalent of bacon dipped in mayonnaise just isn't sustainable.

The Modified Atkins Diet is less-restrictive and more appropriate for adults. It's shown success in reducing seizures, particularly absence seizures. You might be interested in this link: http://www.atkinsforseizures.com/