On 3 Oct 1998, Kaiden Fox wrote:

> I'm up to 241.  I really don't know why I'm gaining weight at this
> level. . . my local grocery store is selling bacon at 99 cents a pound!
> "I can not eat one more bite of this bacony goodness. . . oh yes I can!"
> Lately, I've  been having cravings for grape juice.  But, considering my
> weight, I'm  leary about giving into them.  I also have a hankering for
ribs.
> Mmmmmmm

Kaiden-- you've taken this caveman diet business and Neanderthin a little
too literally.  If you're goal is to lose weight, you cannot eat as much
as
you want . . . you cannot gorge yourself on bacon, ribs, and gobs of fat.
If you combine what we know about weight loss with a caveman diet, you
will lose weight and, more importantly, body fat  . . . What we know is
that eating 4-7 small meals per day that are moderately high in protein --
and contain modest amounts of carbs and fat -- yields a lot of success;
following a caveman diet of flesh, veggies, fruits, and nuts produces
just this combo of protein/carbs/fat.  The downside to the caveman diet is
that many people appear to have mood problems and/or cravings for
carbohydrates. Several people on this list report "cheating" by way of
occasional carb fests (e.g., a big bag of tortilla chips).  A recent
review of the scientific literature on mood-states and carbs (see
http://www.arise.org/bentpa2.html) reveals that over long periods of time
(e.g., not measured within hours of a meal, but rather in days or weeks),
carb in-take and feeling good are positively related.  What that means to
me is that those individuals who have struggles staying on a caveman diet
(e.g., strong urges to pig out on carbs; feeling blue; feeling tired)
should pay attention about getting some good quality carbs into their
diets (as part of their overall caveman diet regimen).

If you're serious about weight loss, you also need to begin exercising.
Hunter-gatherers had -- and do now have -- varying rates of
exercising/energy expenditures, but the lowest rates were/are far above
that of the typical American.  At minimum you need to walk and do some
light weight-lifting and light stretching.  Not only will you burn up what
you're consuming, but you'll raise your base metabolism rate and burn up
even more by just breathing.  If you decide to go beyond walking/light
lifting, you might want to check Art DeVany's thought-provoking essay on
evolutionary fitness (check out his photo too!):

  http://www.socsci.uci.edu/econ/personnel/devany/Essay.html

Sorry to hear about your girlfriend.

Gregg C
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