Aaron (I feel like I'm addressing myself),

I elaborated a little on this topic a couple of days ago, and gave the link
to Robert McFerran's partial book draft
(http://bcn.net/~stoll/archives/bobsbook.html ; chapters 10, *13, and 14
focus on metabolism).

Fast oxidizers don't necessarily have a "fast metabolism" per se, but they
"burn" sugar much more quickly than the average person; this "sugar-burning"
energy cycle is called glycolysis.  Glycolysis interlocks with the Krebs
cycle (also known as the citric acid cycle).  We also need intermediary
compounds derived from fats and protein in order for the Krebs cycle to
synthesize energy efficiently.  If a fast oxidizer eats a high-carb diet, he
or she is basically running on sugar, since the other parts of the energy
cycle don't have time to synthesize the intermediary compounds needed for
the full release of energy, which is very inefficient energy-wise, not to
mention unhealthy.  Fast oxidizers can balance their metabolism by eating a
relatively high-protein/fat, low-carb diet which includes plenty of
purine-rich foods (especially dark meat).  Personally, I find that I get
agitated within a day or two if I don't eat any dark meat (don't ask me how
I survived as a vegan for the better part of a year).  Fast oxidizers
typically have a hypoglycemic glucose tolerance curve and a low level of
uric acid (even when they're eating red meat).  They also have an acidic
venous blood pH if they're eating too lightly, but unfortunately no one
measures venous pH.  Fast oxidizers are easily unbalanced by sugar,
caffeine, and alcohol (think of Native Americans and the Scots), and find
fasting difficult.  They also tend to have a low pain threshold while they
are in a state of fast oxidation.

Robert's book draft explains how eating wrong for your metabolism unbalances
your pH, thereby crippling protein synthesis, which in turn affects the
functioning of the entire body.  He's also interested in the evolutionary
perspective.  Fast oxidizers have what he calls a "hunter-gatherer
metabolism", since these individuals have inherited the needs of ancestors
who ate plenty of purine-rich organ meats, relatively few carbs, etc.

If you're interested in reading some books on the subject, I recommend Dr.
George Watson's "Nutrition and Your Mind" (1972), especially if you're
interested in a technical explanation of oxidizer types; the book includes a
reprint of a research paper published in _Psychological Reports_ (1967)
where he divides his patients into two groups based on whether their
symptoms are improved or worsened by a particular vitamin or mineral
supplement.  He later published another book, "Personality Strength and
Psychochemical Strength" (1979?).  Rudolf Wiley continued his work, and
published "BioBalance" (1989); he paid more attention than Watson to the
measurement of venous blood pH, revealed that about 50% of women cycle
metabolically, and explained the needs of fast/slow oxidizers in
evolutionary terms instead of treating them like freaks.  Although I'm a
little embarassed to mention the following book, Anne Louise Gittleman's
"Your Body Knows Best" (1997) includes a semi-reasonable summary of Watson's
research (but I'm not sure where she gets the kooky idea that fast oxidizers
should avoid vigorous exercise; it's not as though hunter-gatherers were
couch potatoes).

I'm not sure whether my verbose rambling has provided the kind of
elaboration you were looking for.  In answer to your other question, I have
no idea how you could gain muscle while losing weight; I thought that muscle
is heavier than other tissues.

Cheers,
-- Aaron Wieland

>I too have always had a high metabolism, and my raw vegan diet dropped my
>weight from 130 down to 107 or so where I am now.  Funny thing is, I've put
on
>muscle in the last week, but I seem to weigh a few pounds less than last
week.
>Any explanations how I can look bigger and weigh less?