http://www.pressdemocrat.com/local/news/02pcarb_p2.html

Local nutritionist an Atkins believer

With slight modifications, patients shed pounds
April 2, 2004


By SHELLEY SHEPHERD KLANER
FOR THE PRESS DEMOCRAT


Count Dr. Heidi Dulay among the believers in the low-carb Atkins diet, with its emphasis on red meat without the potatoes.


Dulay, a nutritionist, talked about the popular weight-loss regimen during a recent talk at the Redwood Health Library, marking National Nutrition Month.


The diet, named for its progenitor, the late Dr. Robert Atkins, has become a marketing machine. It has sparked a flurry of new choices at restaurants, fast- food joints and even in the grocery freezer section.


The main principle is removing carbohydrates from the picture, in turn allowing the body to burn fat more quickly. That means eating fish and meat, and a few vegetables. No rice. No pasta. No bread.


Carbohydrates are found in sugar, starches, grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables.


Critics say the high-fat diet is an invitation to heart disease, and a debate its role in Atkins' death last year.


Dulay said she was dubious, initially refusing to even read material about the Atkins diet. But she was persuaded to think about it by former clients, and impressed by the result of her own test.


"I became a believer," she said.


Dulay herself was overweight as a kid. "People called me a walking ball," she said.


She became a yo-yo dieter, losing 10 to 20 pounds over and over again. After college, she put on more weight, which she eventually lost when she visited a spa. But her technique was starving -- eating only about 750 calories a day. She initially lost weight but found she couldn't keep with it.


The final straw came when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. It became important for Dulay to be as healthy as she could be.


Thus began her move toward becoming a nutritionist. She opened clinics in Petaluma and Mill Valley dubbed Little Spa, offering weight management and hypnotherapy.


Dulay said she helps clients with portion management, recommendations on organic foods and lean meats.


She stayed away from Atkins until three former clients contacted her within a week and told her they had lost 20 to 25 pounds in a few months while on the program.


Her methods resulted in about only a half-pound loss per week.


She started reading studies that suggested Atkins succeeded because people could eat as much beef, lamb, fish, eggs, butter and oils as desired. Restrictions were easier to follow because participants felt fuller because of the great amount of protein.


Dulay decided to try her own test four years ago. She took a sample of 12 patients and put them on the Atkins diet with a few of her own minor modifications, calling the plan "Atkins in a healthy manner."


They all lost weight.


"I became a believer," she said.


Dulay has continued to follow up with the participants and they have maintained their weight loss.


Still, she emphasized that bodies are very different, and said Atkins might not be best for everyone.


Eating real food is important, she said, as is going through cycles. For example, people having a tough time may go through a mourning cycle in which they need to eat comfort foods, and the time from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day could be a celebration cycle, when all dietary concerns are thrown out the window.


You can reach Correspondent Shelley Shepherd Klaner at 775-3364 or klanerpr~aol.com.