So I did more research and used my personal experience to make this exciting information accessible and easy to use in the real world. The dramatic results I began to see in my patients were nothing short of life-changing. Patients who were obese have lost the weight. In many cases, their M.D.s have taken them off their high blood pressure medications, their diabetes medications, and their cholesterol medications. And the weight has stayed off. Total Health is not some fad diet. It's a way of eating that will work for the rest of your life. WHY OTHER DIETS DON'T WORK Much of what has been written about the nutritional principles behind eating a diet with more protein and less carbohydrates is too technical, not totally effective, or not well balanced. Dr. Sears did a great job of verifying the scientific basis of how and why a protein-rich, favorable-carbohydrate way of eating is healthier and much more effective than the classic low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet in his book Why Other Diets Don't Work Enter the Zone. Unfortunately, the information in the book was too techni- cal for many readers to understand and implement in their own lives. The other problem is that Dr. Sears is a research scientist and never ac- tually had his own weight loss clinic. His program is based on the 40-30-30 concept. This represents the amount of carbohydrates, protein, and fat a person should eat at each meal or snack. He suggests 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent protein, and 30 percent fat. What I have observed with patients who have come to my office fol- lowing the Zone program is that they usually lose some weight and feel better, but they often do not reach their target weight loss goals. They may lose 20 or 30 pounds and still have 10 to 20 more pounds to go. This leads to frustration, and many times they abandon the program. The reason for this plateau in weight loss is that they are not limiting their carbohydrate intake enough to get the job done. The Atkins plan, on the other hand, as outlined in Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution suggests limiting your carbohydrate intake a lot more. This is good for rapid weight loss, but many health care providers feel that the weight loss can be too rapid. Burning fat too fast can lead to a condition called ketosis. The by-product of burning fat is ketones, which accumulate in the body and pass through our kidneys before being excreted in the urine. Passing ketones in large quantities too rapidly is thought to be po- tentially damaging to the kidneys. The Atkins plan also suggests eliminating fruits as a carbohydrate choice from your diet during the "induction phase" of the program. This suggestion, along with allowing people to disregard portion control and the fat content of their daily protein choices, has led to skepticism that it is a balanced approach to weight loss and long-term health. Even though the Atkins plan works for weight loss in the short term, it doesn't appear to be well balanced enough for the long term.