JUSTIN:
>And when I do get a kill for a burrito craving, I'll just tear into some
>bananas.  My muscle glycogen is soooo low, that the incoming carbs just go
>straight to the muscle and also stored as glycogen in the liver.
KEN:
>This is the THEORY.   You can't feel the glycogen levels in your liver !
JUSTIN:
I'm not exactly for sure what you mean.  Are you saying that it's a theory
that the incoming glucose will go straight to muscle and liver glycogen as
opposed to bodyfat?  Or are you saying that the ability of the liver to even
hold glucose is a theory?

If your referring to the former, I would agree with you.  But even if it's
just a theory and not fact, it doesn't really bother me b/c my bodyfat is
still coming off.  If it's the latter, then I don't know what to say.  I've
always thought that it was accepted that the liver could hold anywhere from
50-200g (genetic variance) of carbs in the form of glycogen.

KEN:
>I was talking with a relative of mine about his breakfast at a restaurant
>that day, and he happened to be talking about being served coffee, and I
>suggested that it was always possible that the waitress had accidentally
>given him caffeinated instead of decaf coffee, and he replied "No way, I
>would know" and I asked "How?" and he replied "When I drink caffeinated
>coffee, I feel the stimulant effect right away" and then I gently explained
>to him that it took some minutes for the coffee to be digested and get into
>the bloodstream (at least 15-20 minutes AFAIK).
JUSTIN:
Is that due to the drug action of the caffeine or how long it takes to be
absorbed into the bloodstream.  With 5-7 minutes of eating ice cream I
notice a mucus build up in my throat, so that would mean that some of it is
already in the blood stream.  Maybe your relative had the coffee in his
bloodstream, but maybe caffeine just takes a while to kick in.  I know that
different drugs kick in at different times.  When I was into recreational
drug use, I noticed that ephedrine would kick in about 9-10 after ingestion
on an empty stomach, but it took Extacy about 45 min to kick in.  I think
any food that's taken on an empty stomach is in the blood stream very quick,
unless it's a high in fat - it's probably just the difference in the
particular drug that determines how long the user feels its effects.

KEN:
I'm not sure that it has been established in any definitive way that if you
are in ketosis, then blood sugar from carbohydrates automatically goes
straight to replenishing glycogen as opposed to other uses.   (But I could
be wrong, and if so, I'm sure I'll see a long Todd post with many abstracts!
:-) :-)  )
JUSTIN:
It seems logical (to me at least) that if my muscle and liver glycogen are
in a depleted state that the body would *prioritize* refueling glycogen
stores before it sends incoming glucose to bodyfat.  The exception would be
a very high glycemic meal which, due to excessive insulin, would cause some
glucose to "spill over" into fat cells.  And as far as the ketosis part, the
ketosix strips say that I'm in ketosis (and I'm hardly eating any dietary
fat).  If my body is urinating ketones, where else could they be coming
from?  I've noticed my body continues to lean out, so I think that's a good
indication I'm in ketosis (once again, my fat intake is virtually non
existant).

KEN:
>BTW, you never answered "why?" (you want to lower your bodyfat levels below
>10%).
JUSTIN:
That's a question that I don't really have an answer for.  I just feel like
it's challenging to diet down to low levels of BF.  When I succeed in
meeting this challenge, this momentum seems to affect other areas of my
life.  I'm more affectionate to my girlfriend; I'm a happier employee; I get
along with my parents better; I seem to enjoy life more.  I don't plan on
being on this diet forever.  I just want to get really lean, and then go
back to maintenance calores - nothing more than maintenance calories b/c I
don't want to have to diet again b/c it's unhealthy, which is why this is
just a *short term* thing for me.

I don't believe it's unhealthy to remain at ultra low levels of BF
permanently.  I think our bodies need just a little fat to pad our organs,
and that's it.  The exception being those that do impact activities like
football and such where the organs are involved in sudden ballistic
movements.  Extra fat would be needed to absorb the shock of the impact.
But I'm not involved in these types of activities.  When my friends go play
football, I usually just lay on the couch and take a nap... I'm lazy. :)

Justin Hasselman
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