Date sent: Wed, 2 Feb 2000 22:00:09 EST
Subject: Re: singer-friendly diets
To: vocalist
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

carol,
the body is not a closet. it is not a matter of taking out the same
amount you put in. the body is more like an engine. if two cars of the same
make with the same octane gasoline go twenty miles, one at sixty mph the
other at forty-five mph, the one that went sixty will use more fuel.
there are two factors that affect the amount of fat a body has, usage
and storage. usage varies with activity relative to metabolism. a person with
a fast metabolism will burn more fat than a person with a slow metabolism
doing the same workload. there are a large number of factors that affect
metabolism: lean body mass, degree of hydration, etc. storage can depend
greatly on the behavior of the pancreas. someone with diabetes II will either
produce too much insulin or their cells will resist insulin absorbtion. think
about the person who developes insulin dependent diabetes. all of a sudden,
they lose tremendous amounts of weight without varying their caloric intake.
you are right, diets don't work. changing your eating habits does work.
the diets that eliminate carbohydrates do work through ketosis. that is a
scientific fact. whether it is good for you or not is a different matter
(actually, i don't think i've ever seen a fat crack addict). vegan diets do
work. macro-biotics do work.
there is one common piece of advice to all diets-cut down on the m&m's.
you are definitely on to something there.

mike