Todd Moody wrote:
>
> I like DeVany's ideas, but I disagree with him on that.  My LBM
> is in fact about the same as his, but at 22% BF I am moderatly
> obese.  At 8% BF he is quite lean.  I think that's a difference
> worth tracking.
>
Agreed. We need to examine that.

> > As long as it stays high, and the diet stays the same, then
> > weight *should* be constant. If it doesn't, we're back to the
> > "adaptive machinery" explanation, which bodes ill...
>
> Right.  My LBM hasn't changed at all, but my BF has drifted
> steadily upward.
>
Egad. And at 183 LBM with 22% BF, you're doing quite well.
(I'm at 162, with 26% -- got a ways to go.) However, the
trend you cite is rather distressing. So what could the
differences be?

One possiblity I hate is that of a genetic metabolic shift that
occurs with age. I don't even like to *think* about such a thing,
but I suppose it must be considered. (Until someone points to the
exact genetic machinery, though, I'm inclined to think of that
explanation as not much different from "magic" or "the will of the
gods" -- it's a nice sounding phrase that explains nothing.

Another possiblity is what we might want to call "quality" of
LBM. DeVany really focuses on fast twitch fiber. He points out
that the phosphates that fire the fast twitch fiber are replenished
on a pathway that burns fat preferentially. Are you involved in
fast twitch exercises?

A third possibility is that the fat burning pathways are blocked
somehow, even though they would ordinarily be preferred. Insulin
does that, I understand. Anything that might tend to keep insulin
levels high?

A fourth possiblity comes under the EFA heading. If cell-wall
function is impaired by trans fats, then a "normal" amount of
insulin will be only partially utilized. The excess will keep
circulating in the blood stream. The problem is, you've been on
a pretty healthy diet for quite a while, it seems. So it's hard
to see how that could explain things (unless you have some ideas
on the subject).

That's about all I can think of, at the moment. It's a hell of a
mystery. I wonder if there are any other 3-year veterans on this
list, and whether they have noticed similar effects, or whether
their experience has been uniformly favorable over such an
extended time frame.