How Much Weight Can Be Lost On The Stillman Diet?

Before the Atkins diet popularized the low-carb movement, Dr. Irwin Stillman wrote a book called "The Doctor's Quick Weight Loss Diet" that combined low carb with low fat. Because the Stillman diet has far more stringent guidelines than most diets, you can lose up to 5 lbs. per week, every week if you can stick to it, according to Stillman. The Stillman diet stresses lean meats, seafood, poultry or nonfat cottage cheese in unlimited quantities. Fruits, vegetables and all starches are off the menu, as well as any added fats.

Initial Weight Loss

Stillman advertised an initial weight loss of between 7 and 15 lbs. in the first week of the diet. Much of the weight loss most likely occurs from the diuretic effects of low-carb diets, Dr. Margo Denke reports in the July 2001 issue of "The American Journal of Cardiology." This effect lasts only for the first week of the diet. Drinking at least eight glasses of water in addition to unlimited tea, coffee or diet drinks also contributes to the diuretic effect.

Method

Stillman, like Dr. Robert Atkins, founder of the Atkins diet, thought that you burned more calories using protein for energy than you would eating carbohydrates. According to a review of the diet published by Dr. Frederick Stare, Ph.D. in December 1972, by Stillman's own reckoning, this would burn an additional 275 calories per day, a small amount compared to the 3,500-calorie deficit required to lose 1 lb.

Total Weight loss

According to the UK Health Centre, a diet this extreme can result in a total loss of 5 to 10 percent of your body weight but should not be followed for more than two weeks. Talk with your doctor about medical followup if you intend to follow a restricted diet such as the Stillman diet for longer.

Concerns

Although you can lose significant amounts of weight on a severely restricted diet, the weight loss could come at a steep price. A study conducted by the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital reported in the 1974 issue of "JAMA" assessed the effects of the diet on cholesterol levels in 12 healthy volunteers. All experienced a rise in cholesterol, from an average of 215 mg/100 ml to 248 mg/100 ml over a period of time ranging from three to 17 days. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies will also occur if you stay on the diet long enough, since it lacks both vegetables and fruits, which supply numerous nutrients.