On Fri, 2 Aug 2002, Ken Stuart wrote:

> This is where the "Lights Out" book (admittedly flawed) may have some
> application.
>
> Their theory is that in the summer, when both fruit and light are bountiful,
> humans naturally stayed up late and ate more carbs.   Then in winter, when
> daylight was short lived and there was no artificial light, humans went to bed
> early and slept longer and due to the meager results from hunting and gathering
> in the winter, lived off their fat.
>
> If there is any truth to this, then losing 50 lbs may have been an "every year"
> occurrence in the paleo era, and the key would be to start your diet on the day
> in October when Daylight Savings Time ends.

I wonder if this much of a body fat gain and loss would actually
be typical for humans.  Do they have any information on this?

> The one part of the book that was the most substantiated is that the later you
> stay up, the more carbs you crave.   This is due to the melatonin/cortisol
> system getting out of balance.

I can confirm this from my own experience.  I like to read in the
evening, but after 9:00 the carb cravings do kick in.  Yet I
never wake up with carb cravings in the morning (or with any
hunger at all, for that matter).  There's something odd about
going to bed with intense carb cravings, but waking up with no
desire for any food.

Todd Moody
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