On Wed, 7 Oct 1998, James Crocker wrote:

> >The lowering of metabolism is the body's way of making more
> >efficient use of the food that's coming in.  But if we want to
> >lose fat we want the body's use of food to be inefficient, not
> >efficient.  This is why weight loss is basically unnatural.
> >
> >Todd Moody
>
> By "unnatural" it seems that you are referring to the conflict of wanting
> to eat as much as possible, and wanting to maintain a certain weight.
> Refer to my above point - losing weight dosen't need to be that unnatural
> if you really listen to your body, and understand/control the brain
> washed attitude (difficult in this society).  Weight depends on (roughly)
> 80% diet, and 20% genes, for those who think they are genetically
> programmed to be "fat".

By "unnatural" I refer to the fact that our bodies appear to be
programmed to conserve body fat, except under fairly austere
conditions, and to replace it quickly after it is used.  In the
wild the amounts of body fat would be quite modest compared to
the modern obese human, of course.  But I don't imagine that
obesity was an issue for many paleolithic HGs.  On the contrary,
if they could find enough chow to add a few pounds, so much the
better.

> I must also mention that a person's setpoint weight is very dependent on
> their weight/body fat as they grow up.  This is when the fat cells are
> forming.  Fat kids will tend to be fat adults, because they have more and
> large fat cells.  These are permanent changes once they grow up, and
> reach their setpoint at around 18-early 20's.

I don't doubt that early feeding levels make a contribution to
the setpoint, but it also can rise during adult life.  It's hard
to lower it.  When I was in my early 20s, my setpoint was 230
lbs.  Then it drifted to 241 lbs. and stayed there for a long
time.  Then it drifted up to about 255.  Currently I am at about
212, but I have no doubt that if I started eating spontaneously I
would go right back to 255, or more.  And this includes the use
of Neanderthin-acceptable foods.  I have experimented with
"unlimited quantities" of these foods, and promptly gained
body fat.

To keep my weight stable, or to lose a bit more, I have to
monitor my eating carefully, even on Neanderthin.  There is an
element of hunger involved in the weight loss aspect, but I try
to do it in intervals, not as a permanent way of life.  So, I try
to lose a few pounds and then stabilize for a while.  It's very
slow, but seems to work.  An advantage of Neanderthin is that the
foods that would cause fast rebound are not allowed and I can
stabilize without hunger.  But after the initial weight loss I
have been unable to lose without hunger.  It's just a question of
doing it sanely, and synchronizing with my exercise patterns.

For example, I have resumed karate training after a 5-year lapse.
This involves a lot of high-intensity fast-twitch muscle work.
It is pointless (and dangerous) to attempt this on
glycogen-depleted muscles, so I have to increase my carb intake a
bit, but cautiously.  If I do it right, the net result will be
some further fat loss.  If I screw it up...

Todd Moody
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