My 4 reasons for going Ketogenic

My wife recently underwent some serious steroid therapy to keep her body from rejecting her newly transplanted kidney.  A side-effect of such therapy is the onset of diabetes; her blood sugar spiked to the mid-200's the other day.  Anyway, I wanted to find a way to decrease her carb consumption and blood sugar and found the ketogenic diet.  It's a diet that body builders and athletes have used for decades to promote the processing of bodyfat for energy.  From what I've seen so far, it's a diet significantly  low in carbs and likely unsustainable for me.  I'll go as far as to say that it's somewhat extreme.  BUT my goal is to adopt such a regimen to encourage my wife to do something similar but less drastic.
Before you guys start asking me if I'm going to go 'Paleo', the answer is NO.  If one does their homework, the author of the Paleo Diet book (published 2002) does not allow for dairy.   If I have butter on my asparagus, it's not Paleo.  The ketogenic diet has been around since the middle of the 20th century and has been used as effective means of controlling epilepsy.  It puts more weight on the macronutrient component than the popular Paleo diet that puts a heavy emphasis on the food source and quality.  One interesting fact is that the 'Paleo' diet was released in 2002, many years AFTER the SIMILAR Atkins diet (1972).  It's hilarious to see how the proponents of both Atkins and Paleo argue about how different their protocols are and whose is better.  I might also mention that the Atkins diet is NOT specifically ketogenic as its primary focus is carbohydrate restriction and not so much the establishment of a ketogenic metabolic state.  I'm just going to count my macros, drop my net carbs, and keep the foods that I do eat as whole and organic as possible.

The remaining reasons why I'm going ketogenic  include the following:

• I need to shed some fat to look sexy for the summer
• I need to shed some weight to increase my strength to weight ratio and improve athletic performance
• Reap the benefits of a gluten and HFCS free diet (as mentioned in Pearlmutter's Brain Maker book)

So WHAT IS a ketogenic diet?  It's a high fat, moderate protein, and very low carb diet that shifts the body into a state of ketosis; fat is metabolized as a primary source of energy in such a carbohydrate depleted state.  One typically consumes between 20 and 80 grams of carbohydrate per day. 

For a lifetime sugar burner like myself, this diet won't be easy so I might as well entertain the masses while I get my ass kicked!

Dave