Mon, May-19-03, 16:33
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Registered Member
Posts: 2,889
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Plan: Atkins
Stats: 280/203/200
BF:
Progress: 96%
Location: Dallas, TX, USA
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We know that the agonizing day-by-day grind of low-fat diets causes starvation mode, which is why such diets are so bad at causing weight loss. The question is, does one skipped meal, sandwiched between properly constituted Atkins'-style high fat meals, cause the same thing? To say "yes" is a leap of faith that, in light of the mice studies I mentioned earlier, we ought to re-examine - much like scientists have been forced to reevaluate the leap of faith that said low fat diets would be effective at reducing body fat.
For the mice, even skipping an alternating full day of feeding over and over again did NOT trigger their starvation mode - they did not gain weight despite free-feeding on their eating days. Apparently, their high metabolic rates and regular free-food access overcame the starvation factor trigger, whatever that might be. As an unexpected bonus, their lifespans were extended.
I believe this is a WMMV situation, and that, for men in particular, starvation mode is less easy to trigger than it is in women. The reason for this is paleolithic: starving hunters need MORE ready energy, not less, to get new food, whereas starving nurturers, especially if they are pregnant or nursing, need to conserve their dwindling bodily resources more greedily. This may help explain why men seem to have an easier job losing weight than women.
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