RE: was Weight Tied to Breast Cancer... lose fat,keep bone & muscle

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comments below

-----Original Message-----

From: Rodney [mailto:perspect1111@...]

Sent: Friday, February 27, 2004 1:11 PM

Subject: [ ] Re: Weight Tied to Breast Cancer

> We should try to focus on calories, not weight.

Hi Francesca:

Yes!!! But how do we determine exactly how many is just right?

For now my best guess for my own purposes (given that I believe BMI

to be quite unreliable for those with relatively light, or relatively

heavy, bone or muscle mass) is that the ideal level of calories is

that which maintains me at somewhere between 6% and 10% body fat

(MUCH higher for females). It is going to be very interesting to see

what weight that is and what level of calories.

This does make sense after all. If we eat fewer calories we lose

body fat (until we go too far and the body starts, dangerously, to

break down protein to satisfy energy needs). If we eat too many

calories we gain fat, with almost no limit to the upside.

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I'm sorry but our body doesn't just burn fat during an energy deficit. First

it consumes our glycogen (carb) stores, then burns fat and/or protein after

the glycogen is depleted. IMO one of the reasons that so many weight loss

dieters fail is that they lose weight too quickly. Since the body thinks

it's starving to death it burns off muscle as well as fat. Post diet, the

caloric needs are reduced even below previous normal levels and the dieter

quickly regains weight.

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Since we want to minimize caloric intake without danger, surely our

BF% is the measure we need to get right - as low as we can without

depleting it to the extent the body starts burning protein because of

insufficient stored fat.

==========

Agreed, BF % minimum is one of the few things that folks don't argue about

(that much). Now finding an accurate way to measure it is another story.

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If I am out to lunch here someone needs to tell me, please.

Dr. Walford does specify 'do-not-go-below' numbers for body fat

percentage.

I guess another piece of information that would be VERY helpful to

those near the lower end of the safe BF% range is the first symptoms

one would see if BF% was too low - and protein was starting to be

burned.

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Proteins are turned over (burned) all the time. Presented with an energy

deficit the body will sacrifice muscles that aren't being used, just to

maintain the muscles that are. Just look at the upper body of a long

distance runner... if you don't use it you lose it.

The main test for too little BF is dying during a famine :-). Actually as we

approach running out of gas, we will start dangerously consuming heart

muscle and other useful organs. I don't know a practical lower limit, but

the adipose mass is more than just a fuel tank. The fat cells are involved

in hormone generation and probably some form of available energy signaling.

Allowing our adipose mass to fall too low is probably unhealthy, but unless

we're anorexic (with distorted self image) basic quality of life issues will

probably stop us before it falls that low.

I am aware of serious professional athletes with very low %BF but in those

cases the percentage is low because of so much muscle mass....a better

metric may be amount of fat referenced to a nominal lean body mass, but I

wouldn't know where to begin coming up with that.

I see no reason to question Dr Walfords suggested limits.

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Can anyone here help with that. (It is still at least a year away

for me. Probably two years).

Rodney.

============

I personally advocate moderate weight training and moderate aerobic

activity to hopefully bias weight loss toward consuming fat.

JR

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