Posts by paganmist

I believe you.  You're not an ad!  You're just excited, and I can understand why.  Weight loss is exciting.  And you want to share that with everyone else here.  I hope the people reading this will understand that.  I do.

I checked out the Curves info, and it seems solid.  Someone above mentioned Calorie Cycling, which I take it this is a modified version.  It isn't a "fad".  Someone above said "nothing good will come of this", and I beg to differ.  Whenever I'm dieting, I always "mix it up", especially to prevent or break plateaus.

From what I understand, there is this chemical called Leptin that controls your metabolism.  Leptin is designed to make your metabolic process more "efficient", which means that if you're dieting on the same amount of calories for a lengthy period of time, at some point, your metabolism becomes accustomed to what you're eating.  Eating more or less will tell the Leptin that it needs to reconfigure its "efficiency parameters" to fit the new amount of calories.  And then when you go back to your regular amount of calories, Leptin has to start all over again in figuring out how to handle them efficiently.

Meaning that "cycling" your calories is perhaps the best way to keep Leptin on its toes, and your metabolism running at optimal speed (well, exercise may be the best thing for your metabolism, but we're talking about dieting here.)

I know my explanation isn't the most technical.  Here is a Wikipedia article on Leptin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptin. ; And here is a cut&paste from a place that explains it better than I can:

Over time our bodies adapt to the lowered calorie level. Our body becomes more efficient at using energy (lowered metabolism), and therefore burns less fat.

This is why most of us reach a weight loss plateau. At this point, the only option is to boost metabolism; increased cardio, weight training, 'cheat' meals (i.e. ocassional high-calorie meals), cycling (or zig-zagging) calories, and even manipulating macro-nutrient ratios can all help to do this (don't forget adequate sleep and hydration). You often find that the nearer you get to your goal weight (or body fat percentage) - the harder things get!

Despair: I have so much weight to lose, sometimes it seems like it will never happen.  I have been overweight ALL OF MY LIFE, so I can't even IMAGINE what it must be like to be thin.  I wasn't even thin as a little kid!

Envy: My younger brother - whom I started on the road to weight loss - has lost 70lbs through diet and exercise and is now training others.  Meanwhile, I weigh more than I've literally ever weighed before, and he's offering ME advice.

Embarrassment: My boyfriend weighs the same amount as the number of pounds I need to lose to be healthy.  Sometimes I am so embarrassed to be naked around him.  We have an open discourse about weight, and I know I am not his ideal body type, and it really makes me self-conscious during sex or showers or whenever.

Afraid: I'm not even really certain what I'm afraid of.  Losing weight will be a good thing, right?  Maybe I am afraid of the saggy bags my breasts will become (they're not that spectacular now, as it is.)  Or of the infamous flap of skin around my stomach that I won't be able to afford to have surgically removed.  Maybe I'm afraid-- no, I think I *am* afraid-- that when I lose all the weight I need to lose, I still won't be "good enough."

For some strange reason, it felt really good to get all of that out.  I am hiding behind my fat, and it's killing me.  I am KILLING myself.  I've got to figure out how to love myself instead of feeling so freaking bad about myself all the time...

spirochete: Yeah, I read up on that and I'm not too sure I get it.  I mean, basically what they're saying is that your best bet is to eat lower-calorie, nutrient-dense foods.  Improving what you eat leads to a longer life, right?  It doesn't seem like anything new, just a strangely extreme version of what we all know works.

de Grey's work though involves a more scientific way of fixing the pathology that results from metabolism.  He's broken that pathology up into seven target areas, and is trying to figure out ways of combating each area by use of rejuvenation therapy (which from what I understand would be a mixture of medicine and medical treatments.)

With regards to "metabolic damages" - that's just a fact of life.  One could even say that being alive is what kills us.  Just sitting on your ass with a slow metabolism will lead to death as surely as being really active and healthy with a fast metabolism will lead to death.

The important thing is - being active and healthy with a fast metabolism has the side of effect of making us more resistant to metabolic damages.  It's a win-win situation, really.  Pretty much the best hope we currently have of prolonging our lives.