Hi Everybody,

I'm Sarah, one of the Nutritionists working with the Tony Ferguson weightloss program and over the last week or so I have become an active member in this forum. It has become obvious to me there has been a lot of confusion present on the forum about the program and a few of its components ie. ketosis and its ramifications. I believe that some of the information you have been exposed to recently has been overly negative and blown out of proportion so I am going to explain some of the major elements of the program and if you have any questions or concerns about anything, feel free as always, to post them.

Ok, here we go...

The Tony Ferguson Weightloss Program is a low calorie diet NOT a Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) as previously stated on the website (our apologies that this has not been altered on the site). We have increased our energy allowance on the program and as such we are now a low calorie diet not a VLCD. The difference between the two is this. VLCD’s consist of prepared formulas with an energy allowance of less than 800 calories (3300 kJ) per day, which replace ALL meals. The TF program consists of a minimum of 1000-1200 calories (4500-5000KJ) per day, while also only replacing 2 meals per day the remaining meal is made up of fresh, nutritious foods. As you can see there is quite a distinction between the two programs, yet people are still managing to get them confused. Keep this factor in mind when you are conducting your own searches over the internet.

The second component of the TF is the mild ketosis that your body will undergo while you are on the program. What is ketosis? Ketones are a normal and efficient source of fuel and energy for the human body. They are produced by the liver from fatty acids, which result from the breakdown of body fat when the body is deprived of glucose (sugar or carbs). Being in ketosis means that your body's primary source of energy is fat (in the form of ketones). Ketosis is a natural process and survival mechanism so that in times of famine, or starvation, our bodies have a readily available means of energy production from our fats. Remember also that the TF program only allows your body to go into a state of mild ketosis due to the fact that you are still consuming between 70-80g of good carbs per days from the sachets (28g each) as well as fruit and vegetables (Also justifying the program as a LOW carbohydrate diet not a NO carbohydrate diet). When you consume adequate protein as well, there's no need for the body to break down its muscle tissue, which is why we encourage you to never miss a protein serve wether it be a shake or your palm size portion at dinner. This process takes 48 hours to kick in and in that first 2 days you may experience headaches, nausea or light headedness but these will stop after this period. It is just the body adjusting to this change in energy production, remember it is used to using carbohydrates for energy, but now it will be using fat.  

Is ketosis dangerous? Being in mild ketosis by following a LOW carbohydrate diet is NOT dangerous. The human body was designed to use ketones very efficiently as fuel in the absence of glucose (sugar). However, the word ketosis is often confused with a similar word, ketoacidosis. Ketoacidosis is a dangerous condition for diabetics, and the main element is ACID not ketones. The blood pH becomes dangerously acidic because of an extremely high blood SUGAR level. Ketones just happen to be a part of the picture, and are a RESULT of the condition, not the CAUSE. Diabetics can safely follow a ketogenic diet to lose fat weight but they must make sure their blood sugars are kept low, and stable. This is not a problem on the TF as the program is LOW GI and LOW SUGAR and remember TF incorporates only MILD KETOSIS! The body requires a minimum of 50g carbs for healthy brain and kidney function and we are getting between 70-80g per day making it safe. It is essentail that you drink the water to ensure that you are flushing out all the waste products from this ketosis process.

As I mentioned before, the carbohydrates we incorporate into the program are low GI – Good Carbs! The Glycaemic Index (GI) measures the effect that carbohydrate rich foods have on our blood sugar levels (BSL). Low GI foods (less than 55) are released slowly into our blood stream and give us a little bit of energy at a time. This has a number of beneficial effects including keeping you fuller for longer and maintaining healthy blood sugar and insulin levels throughout the day. The sachets contain Low GI sugars in the form of fructose (fruit sugar) and lactose (milk sugar), all the vegetables are low GI (that’s why there is no pumpkin, sweet potato and corn L) as well as the fruit (No watermelon L).

Ketosis & dehydration. For those who are not aware there is a form of dehydration which occurs in the body during that first week on the program which results in a drastic weight loss. This is why your weight loss practitioner will always tell you that you will loose more weight in your first week on the program than any other week. The physiological reason behind this is that carbohydrates are stored by the body in the form of glycogen along with 3 molecules of water. When you restrict carbohydrates in the diet (during ketosis) the body uses up all the glycogen stores in addition to releasing the water which was bound to the glycogen. This is not harmful dehydration but it does result in fluid loss which is seen in the significant weight loss in that initial week. It must be noted that this fact is not withheld from any customer. There has been some mention of dehydration that occurs as your body diverts all available water resources to the kidneys to allow them to clean the blood of ketones, which are acidic and poisonous. This fact is only relevant where strong ketosis is present. As I am sure you are aware our program incorporates mild ketogenic principles in which a lesser amount of ketones are produced and they are either used by the body for energy or flushed out by the water (you should all be drinking J) in the urine. Also ketones are a natural product produced by the body in times of famine and as such are not poisonous in the quantities produced by the body while on the Tony Ferguson program. Any stress on the kidneys is minimal in the fact that the protein requirement is reasonable and the water intake is simply what is universally recommended on any other healthy eating plan. 

Constipation. This has been a major talking point on the forum for a lot of you. As I have stated before constipation is a common complaint due to the fact that it directly results from a diet lacking in dietary fibre. While on the TF program, you are required to restrict the body of carbohydrates, in particular your complex carbs such as breads. cereals and grains…all foods which are rich in dietary fibre. A lot of you I am sure as accustomed to a diet rich in these foods and hence have experienced constipation. Every new TF member should have been informed either by their weightloss practitioner or by the call centre that this may be an issue while on the program, and I apologise if this was not made clear to you and will ensure all TF staff make this known from now on. To combat this program we have a dietary fibre supplement called Simply Fibre which replaces fibre in the diet and lessens the occurrence of this uncomfortable problem. Remember Simply Fibre is a gentle formulation and is most effective when taken from day 1 to prevent constipation. If you are already quite constipated you sometimes need a little bit of help ie. Blackmores Peritone, before continuing with the Simply Fibre. I know a few of you have been a little concerned about the ineffectiveness of the Simply Fibre but let me assure you due to its 100% natural formulation, the combination of both soluble and insoluble fibres and the addition of herbs this product is one of the best on the market hence its inclusion on our program. But like any product, different things work for different people but I would urge you to try the fibre first. The price of the fibre has also been commented on, to break it down it costs about $3 per week which when you look at it is not that expensive. Drinking lots of water is also essential in maintaining healthy bowel movements, which is also another reason why we at TF really push the fact that you must drink the minimum of 2 litres per day to help with this problem.

This post is getting quite long so I will end it here. I hope this has explained a bit about the program and clarified some grey spots. If you have anything specific that you would like to know just drop me a post. Also be careful when conducting your own research over the internet. Not everything you read comes from a credible source so do not believe everything you read. Also remember our program is a low calorie diet not a VLCD, high protein or no carbohydrate diet so do not get confused.

Look forward to hearing from you all soon. Just remember to keep positive and keep up the great support network that YOU guys have created for yourselves. There will always be obstacles before you and people who will want to try and bring you down but if you are happy and you are succeeding then keep going. There is nothing more rewarding for me as a Tony Ferguson practitioner, to see and hear great success stories from people like you guys, it really makes all the hard work worth it. To hear from people that have changed their lives through this program gives me such a buzz each day so whatever you do don’t stop making these stories!

Sarah – Tony Ferguson Nutritionist

Goal weight

starting _{^{weight 108kgs 28.02.06}}

1 year on TF 28.02.07 weight 69.7
maintenance program 1.09 07 = 70
restart 10.02.08 NO more bloody excuses tour weight = 81.5
2 years ..... lost 300 = 79.1

I bought my ketosis strips from the chemist. About $6.00 for a hundred strips. I test daily and they have been a great motivator to see that I am still in ketosis. (so I wont break the diet)

Hope this helps

Babybum

I had some of these test strips a few years ago, and I believe they were just called Ketone Test Strips - I am not sure if they have kept the same name or not - but I hope this helps!

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First Day - Here we go!

14/11/2006

23/11/2006

Latest Weigh in!

I would like to know if we do eat carbs and/or calories in excess of the program, will extra exercise to burn off the calories prevent us from going out of ketosis and starting again? Would this work as effectively on carb-laden calories (such as pumpkin soup with wholemeal bread) as carb-free calories (such as lemonade)? Also when we eat such a meal, should it substitute one of the sachet meals (carbs & protein) or the protein & vege meal? 

An unrelated question: If going in and out of ketosis makes the body more efficient at loosing fat (when in a state of ketosis) does it also make the body more efficient at storing fat when it finds itself out of ketosis?

Looking forward to your responses to these questions.