"Theola Walden Baker" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> From: "Jim Swayze"
> > But I believe it's not
> > necessary for one's caloric intake to be less than one's expenditure as
> > long as you keep carbohydrate intake low enough.
>
> Well, yes and no.  I've about come to the conclusion that my body might be
> pretty adept at gluconeogenesis.

The body can't produce more than 58% glucose from protein
through gluconeogenesis. (Search "total average glucose"
or "total availabele glucose".) Eating too much protein
(over 35%) or too little (below 25%), too much fat (over
75%) or too little fat, will cause problems - fat gain,
muscle loss, or worse.

I haven't gained weight on natural carbs such as fruit,
comb honey, and "unheated" honey. I do find that fresh
raw milk causes a slight gain (5 lbs). Raw cheese, and
butter don't do this. Nor does raw yogurt (piima).

> > You can take in more
> > calories than you expend and not gain weight as long as those calories
> > come from fat and protein.
>
> That was pretty much my experience for the first 9 months of eating paleo
> (though I've been low-carb since 2000).  I never lost any weight..., but
> I never gained ... Since then I've gained X (I'll never tell!) pounds.
> Right in the middle.

Not all fat and protein have the same effects. Unsaturated
oils in nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, and seafoods are
believed to be more fattening than coconuts, dark chocolate
(bitter-sweet or semi-sweet), cocoa butter, low-carb dairy
(butter and cheese), raw dairy, and red meat.

Carbs also differ. We have monosaccharides: glucose and
fructose in ripe fruit or unheated/comb honey, galactose
in highly fermented dairy products). Disaccharides (like
lactose, sucrose, maltose) and polysaccharides (starches)
often break down into volatile fatty acids, an extremely
fattening by-product resulting from bad digestion and/or
diet. (Elaine Gottschall, "Breaking The Vicious Cycle:
Intestinal Health Through Diet".)

> > But the calorie calculus of "eat less calories than you take in" is
> > oversimplified
>
> Agreed, but for me calories do seem to matter now more than ever,
> irrespective of carbs.  Sigh.

We can't just eat any old fat or protein, avoid carbs,
and become lean/muscular. We need the right nutrients.
Some are good. Some are bad. (hydrogenated trans fats,
homogenized milk fat, refined bleached deodorized oil,
highly unsaturated or processed fats, fried foods...)

It may also matter when we eat: whether we nibble all
day or follow more of a feast-and-famine routine. If
the body uses food different ways at different times,
we may become fat even eating low carb, mod protein,
high fat, and paleo.

-Bruce Kleisner