On Sun, 29 Sep 2002, Phosphor wrote:

> >Some list contributors refer to periods of stress which >precipitate eating
> non Paleo food.
>
> i think we are all subjected to a rather ironic situation, namely that paleo
> eating is very low to zero carbohydrates, but at the same time eating all
> the carbs that actually happened to be available [ie hardly any], in order
> to put on some survival fat. and we've inherited this instinct to eat all
> the carbs available, which nowadays is infinite.  also our lifestyle in
> terms of brain activity must be about 20 times more energy-consuming than
> paleos.

The fact that we are hard-wired to exit ketosis as soon as it is
possible to do so suggests to me that ketosis, though not
problematic from a health standpoint, is not the human metabolic
norm or baseline state.  I agree, however, that paleo eating is
low carb, because carbohydrates were a relatively scarece
resource, only intermittently available.  One way of adapting to
a scarce resource is to forget about it entirely, and adapt
completely to its absence, as some strict carnivores seem to have
done.  But we haven't.  I agree that we are in a sense wired to
take advantage of carbs, which now are anything but scarce.

And I share the perception that intense mental activity creates
an even greater demand for glucose, which makes it easier to fall
off the wagon.

I find there are other psychological dynamics involved, too.
Sometimes, for example, I don't fall off the wagon.  I jump off.
I simply decide that I'm going to have some deep-dish pizza and a
pint of IPA.  This isn't a craving; it's just a decision.  I
don't do this often (far from it, in fact), but when I do, I find
it easy enough to resume paleo eating.  No big deal.

The times when I am likely to *fall* off the wagon are the times
when I am too busy with too much work for a prolonged period, and
I can no longer spare the mental energy that it takes to be on a
diet.  I lose the patience to be vigilant about what and how much
I'm eating.  When this happens, I start eating any old crap, and
then it's harder to get back on track.  I think it's a general
loss of control leading to a loss of control of eating.  Whereas
when I consciously choose a "splurge" meal, I'm still in control,
and there's no problem resuming the diet.

Todd Moody
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