Now like good little kids let's all open our standard biochem textbooks and go to the chapter of carbohydrate metabolism and what happens after its depletion. Chetosis, hence the formation of cheto-bodies (simple chetones, which substitute glucose for energy extraction...) occurs after the COMPLETE depletion of all carbohydrate stores (in the form of glygcogen...) in the muscles and liver. Illness with fever is a particular situation where the enzyme function get somehow distroted and cannot account as a significant "experiment" for the efficiency and timing of the formation of the cheto-bodies. The dark yellow colour of liquid is more likely attributable to a slight dehydration occuring during all disease with fever (you sweat alot...), intense metabolism due to the higher temperature, metabolism of the various medicines and a altered function of the kideneys and liver. The decrease in weight is again attributable to a great loss of liquids. A far as I know, all sick people, usually drink hot drinks with sugar or honey, this should be enough not to trigger the formation of cheto-bodies. Furthermore, the cheto-body entity is the prefered food of our most energy consuming (relative to its volume...) organ, our brain (I hear a woohoo from the geek population out there;-)...) and not our muscles or other organs which feed on other molecules during carbohadryte depletion. Hence, Atkins suggest complete abstinense from sugars for a long time, so that the formation of cheto-bodies may be triggered. A process in itself signaling that something is really wrong with our nutrition, since it is being triggered only under extreme circumstances, regardless of whether it works or not. Remember the what works is not always the best for our bodies. Eating quickly our fat, does not mean eating only adipose fat, but interorgan fat as well, which may have devastating effects to the functioning of the organs. Once again the conclusion is the wise and as old as the world, balance and harmony.
I am really curious to understand what the desperate, in need, or narcisistic common human thinks when he reads the terms "Low-Carb - Increased Fat" or "Low-Fat, High-Carb" diets. It wouldn't surprise me to see an exageration in his interpretation directly proportional to the amount of psychological pressure his weight puts on him. So far I 've read some of the comments, most of them interesting, but originating individuals finding themselves in extreme circumstances, in some cases in need to lose over 100lbs. Furhtermore, no one has commented so far on the healthy rhythm in which the weight should be lost. This depends on the severity of the case, but know that losing rapidly 50lbs may be more harmful to your cardiovasculary system, both in the long and short terms, than keeping them. The question is both quality and the time in which the weight is lost. The human body has been made in such a way to consume certain quantities of certain molecules, lowering or increasing the amounts, leads to a certain stress, which is unavoidable under any type of weight losing (and sometimes weight gaining, there is that sort of diet too...) diet. How many of the people who went on following a stric weight losing diet at least once in their lives have consulted a dietician (not a medic, as I believe it is not enough...) before commencing it ? How many dietician plan and adjust the diet to the specific needs of the "patient" (from personal experience I can tell you dissapointingly few...) ? Some highly toxic molecules (pesticides, poisons, organic toxins and so on...) are fat-soluble, which essentially means that when you put on weight a significant quantity of those molecules gets stored along the fat in the adipocytes. Does anybody account for the damage they may inflict if released too quickly ? Except from some hardcore-chemist, no medic will ever even know of this fact (which anyway overcomplicates the issue and the patient-client may leave unsatisified...). Fat itself is rich source of free-radicals, depending on its origins, breaking down our fat (which is animal of course...) leads to an overconcentration of the free-radical population in blood. Fat soluble vitamins (such as vitamin E) and vitamin C among other molecules reduce the danger free-radicals pose to our cells. Diet is a very delicate issue, ranging from psychology (where most of the times the basis of the weight problem may be found...) to ordinary common-sense chemitry and should balanced and well planned for the particular individual who wishes to follow it. I would suggest, before visiting a dietician, visit a medic and do some endocrinological exam, if that shows nothing suspicious and you still think you have a weight problem, go talk about it to a psychologist, then visit the dietician. Most times the success of the diet does not depend on the diet itself, but on our attudute towards it and ourselves.
Katz said, "Does childhood end when computers come into their lives..."
I sicerely doubt that Jon Katz has any idea of how the memebers of the human species pass from the so defined "childhood" age to the so called "adolescense" era of their lives... Just ask yourselves, when was the first time you felt a "grown up", an adolescent ? Probably the answer lies in there... Dedicated sciences (look --> Psychology...) do not have the answer, the limits of "normal" are not clear, if there are at all... Parents usually want kids to maintain their "innosense", probably because they are cuttier and certainly cause less trouble (I do not imply that this thought is delibirate, it is not even a thought, they seem to feel that way though...)... We are not the ones to judge and prefefine when a person leaves behind "childhood" and welcomes him/herself to the adolescense... Afterall, I believe that this is the reason we have this transient phase called "adolescense"... Try to visualize the evolutionary motives of this particular age, to which the vast majority of 15-year olds belong... It is a preparation stage, a trial and error stage, when a great deal of experimentation goes and should by any means go on... Now combine this with the availability of "powerful" (as the Oric-1 and the Atari were "powerful" twenty years ago...) with this absolute requirment of the human being and you go the results you have observed...
Katz wrote (yet...), "The computer geeks and nerds I know seem healthiest to me when other powerful things in their lives help keep them grounded: close relationships with friends and parents, religion, a passion for chess, dogs, hiking... whatever."
Well, would you know how it feels to be a "geek" ? Have you really asked yourself how some people actually think and feel... People with the innate requirement (which becomes apllificated at that age...) to challenge the order of things, not maliciously, only because they actually have a need to... Have you ever thought how passion fits in the life of a so called "geek", passion of all kinds...
Finally, I would suggest Jon Katz to read some psychology, before drawing any flaming conclusions... Furthermore, I would like to see and read regarding the solutions he has to propose for what he calls a "problem"...
Mystion (Greece...)
Slashdot Mirror
Now like good little kids let's all open our standard biochem textbooks and go to the chapter of carbohydrate metabolism and what happens after its depletion. Chetosis, hence the formation of cheto-bodies (simple chetones, which substitute glucose for energy extraction...) occurs after the COMPLETE depletion of all carbohydrate stores (in the form of glygcogen...) in the muscles and liver. Illness with fever is a particular situation where the enzyme function get somehow distroted and cannot account as a significant "experiment" for the efficiency and timing of the formation of the cheto-bodies. The dark yellow colour of liquid is more likely attributable to a slight dehydration occuring during all disease with fever (you sweat alot...), intense metabolism due to the higher temperature, metabolism of the various medicines and a altered function of the kideneys and liver. The decrease in weight is again attributable to a great loss of liquids. A far as I know, all sick people, usually drink hot drinks with sugar or honey, this should be enough not to trigger the formation of cheto-bodies. Furthermore, the cheto-body entity is the prefered food of our most energy consuming (relative to its volume...) organ, our brain (I hear a woohoo from the geek population out there ;-)...) and not our muscles or other organs which feed on other molecules during carbohadryte depletion. Hence, Atkins suggest complete abstinense from sugars for a long time, so that the formation of cheto-bodies may be triggered. A process in itself signaling that something is really wrong with our nutrition, since it is being triggered only under extreme circumstances, regardless of whether it works or not. Remember the what works is not always the best for our bodies. Eating quickly our fat, does not mean eating only adipose fat, but interorgan fat as well, which may have devastating effects to the functioning of the organs. Once again the conclusion is the wise and as old as the world, balance and harmony.
I am really curious to understand what the desperate, in need, or narcisistic common human thinks when he reads the terms "Low-Carb - Increased Fat"
or "Low-Fat, High-Carb" diets. It wouldn't surprise me to see an exageration in his interpretation directly proportional to the amount of psychological
pressure his weight puts on him. So far I 've read some of the comments, most of them interesting, but originating individuals finding themselves
in extreme circumstances, in some cases in need to lose over 100lbs. Furhtermore, no one has commented so far on the healthy rhythm in which the
weight should be lost. This depends on the severity of the case, but know that losing rapidly 50lbs may be more harmful to your cardiovasculary
system, both in the long and short terms, than keeping them. The question is both quality and the time in which the weight is lost. The human body
has been made in such a way to consume certain quantities of certain molecules, lowering or increasing the amounts, leads to a certain stress, which
is unavoidable under any type of weight losing (and sometimes weight gaining, there is that sort of diet too...) diet. How many of the people who
went on following a stric weight losing diet at least once in their lives have consulted a dietician (not a medic, as I believe it is not enough...)
before commencing it ? How many dietician plan and adjust the diet to the specific needs of the "patient" (from personal experience I can tell you
dissapointingly few...) ? Some highly toxic molecules (pesticides, poisons, organic toxins and so on...) are fat-soluble, which essentially means
that when you put on weight a significant quantity of those molecules gets stored along the fat in the adipocytes. Does anybody account for the damage
they may inflict if released too quickly ? Except from some hardcore-chemist, no medic will ever even know of this fact (which anyway overcomplicates
the issue and the patient-client may leave unsatisified...). Fat itself is rich source of free-radicals, depending on its origins, breaking down our
fat (which is animal of course...) leads to an overconcentration of the free-radical population in blood. Fat soluble vitamins (such as vitamin E)
and vitamin C among other molecules reduce the danger free-radicals pose to our cells. Diet is a very delicate issue, ranging from psychology (where
most of the times the basis of the weight problem may be found...) to ordinary common-sense chemitry and should balanced and well planned for the
particular individual who wishes to follow it. I would suggest, before visiting a dietician, visit a medic and do some endocrinological exam, if that
shows nothing suspicious and you still think you have a weight problem, go talk about it to a psychologist, then visit the dietician. Most times
the success of the diet does not depend on the diet itself, but on our attudute towards it and ourselves.
Katz said, "Does childhood end when computers come into their lives..." I sicerely doubt that Jon Katz has any idea of how the memebers of the human species pass from the so defined "childhood" age to the so called "adolescense" era of their lives... Just ask yourselves, when was the first time you felt a "grown up", an adolescent ? Probably the answer lies in there... Dedicated sciences (look --> Psychology...) do not have the answer, the limits of "normal" are not clear, if there are at all... Parents usually want kids to maintain their "innosense", probably because they are cuttier and certainly cause less trouble (I do not imply that this thought is delibirate, it is not even a thought, they seem to feel that way though...)... We are not the ones to judge and prefefine when a person leaves behind "childhood" and welcomes him/herself to the adolescense... Afterall, I believe that this is the reason we have this transient phase called "adolescense"... Try to visualize the evolutionary motives of this particular age, to which the vast majority of 15-year olds belong... It is a preparation stage, a trial and error stage, when a great deal of experimentation goes and should by any means go on... Now combine this with the availability of "powerful" (as the Oric-1 and the Atari were "powerful" twenty years ago...) with this absolute requirment of the human being and you go the results you have observed... Katz wrote (yet...), "The computer geeks and nerds I know seem healthiest to me when other powerful things in their lives help keep them grounded: close relationships with friends and parents, religion, a passion for chess, dogs, hiking ... whatever."
Well, would you know how it feels to be a "geek" ? Have you really asked yourself how some people actually think and feel... People with the innate requirement (which becomes apllificated at that age...) to challenge the order of things, not maliciously, only because they actually have a need to... Have you ever thought how passion fits in the life of a so called "geek", passion of all kinds...
Finally, I would suggest Jon Katz to read some psychology, before drawing any flaming conclusions... Furthermore, I would like to see and read regarding the solutions he has to propose for what he calls a "problem"...
Mystion (Greece...)