In a message dated 11/25/01 11:11:48 PM, Sheryl Canter <[log in to unmask]>
writes:

*I mentioned this in the context of so many people asking why they were eating
a paleo diet and still not losing weight.  There is only one answer to this
question: they must be eating more than their bodies needs for fuel.  Why
does this happen so often to humans?  It very rarely happens to any other
species on earth.  The only exception I can think of is domesticated dogs and
cats, and even this is less common than fat humans.

The body--including the human body--has a fantastic inborn barometer that
says exact what to eat and how much, but this quiet inner voice is drowned
out by what we learn--intellectually and culturally--as we move through our
lives. *

(I hope the quote goes through this time)
These are good points, but the most salient point of all is left out, and
that is simply the availability of food. As you point out in the first
paragraph, this (overweight/overeating) happens in no other species except
domesticated dogs and cats, and they are not victims of "intellectual and
cultural learning", only availability of food, and a severely adulterated
diet at that.

If our dogs and cats had to go out to hunt for their food as they did/do in
the wild, they would not lie around becoming fat and lazy either. If we
humans were forced to do the same, compulsive eating/overeating would vanish
instantly.

Maddy Mason
Hudson Valley, NY