In 2006, I entered a 6 month trial at Johns Hopkins in which I followed the Ketogenic Diet, a carefully calculated diet, high in fat, low in protein, and virtually carbohydrate-free which is used for the treatment of difficult-to-control seizures in children. We are talking 15 grams of carbs a day…that’s about 1/2 a slice of bread! Everything had to be recorded and journal-ed…we visited the docs at least twice a month, if not more often.

I was fortunate in that my wonderful husband participated with me for moral support. We feasted on meats, cheeses and veggies, limiting our dairy intake to high fat cheeses, with no milk. I said good-bye to virtually all fruits and starches, NO sugars at all. I had to be very selective if I wanted to try a ‘sugar-free’ treat. But, the tricky part was, I had to eat high fat foods, in other words, load up on butter and oils. So, if I sauteed green beans for a side dish with dinner, I had to cook them in a half stick of butter!

The diet is somewhat similar to the Atkins diet, and YES…to answer your next question, you lose weight quickly because you are eating no carbs. But, because your fat intake is so high, you can suffer things like higher cholesterol levels and headaches…lower energy levels and feelings of sluggishness. It’s a trade-off. But, I have to admit, my seizures did drop off and I would recommend looking into it as an option. I’m one who believes that you must explore any and all options to try to stop the seizures.