I weighed in at 259.6 this morning. Finally some weight loss. I had the normal oatmeal and protein drink for breakfast. Turkey taco meat, mushrooms, and cucumbers for lunch. Peanuts for snacks. For dinner I had a big grilled chicken salad.
Eicosanoids again. Generally speaking there are 5 major classes. I'm still not sure why they aren't classified as hormones, I guess because they are fatty acids. The major classes are 1)prostaglandins 2)prostacyclins 3) thromboxanes 4)leukotrienes 5)the others that can't be lumped together in a group. They are generally named from an abbreviation derived from the names above and a number denoting the number of double bonds. I'll just cover one class per blog entry since it is a ton of material.
Prostaglandins all have 20 carbon atoms and a 5 membered ring. They were originally isolated from the prostate, hence their name. Interestingly, aspirin, inhibits the synthesis of prostaglandins (aspirin is so important as background information in the zone it will be described in detail more in another blog entry). Prostaglandins are made from EPA, AA, as well as DGLA. The enzymes reponsible for this are the cyclooxygenases (COX). The 3 major types are:
1. PGI2: responsible for platelet aggregation, vasodilation, and bronchodilation. There appears to be only one receptor for this PG.
2. PGE2: This is the big one. Is is responsible for brochoconstriction/bronchodilation, GI smooth muslce contraction/relaxation, vasodilation, decreases gastric acid secretion, increases gastric mucus secretion, uterus contraction, lipolysis inhibition, increases autonomic neurotransmitters, increases atherthrombosis, hyperalgesia (increased sensitivity to pain), and pyrexia (fever). There are many, some unidentifiedm, PGE2 receptors. That is why there are often contrasting results of the signaling- it depends which receptor it hits.
2. PGF2alpha: responsible for uterus contraction and bronchoconstriction.
The way to manipulate these thru diet is what the zone is all about and will be discussed further later.
Transforming biochemistry knowledge into weight loss:
This page was begun as an experiment. An experiment I was conducting on myself. An experiment to test which conditions would allow me to loose weight. Now that I have been at it for a while I realize this page serves as more. It serves as a means for me to research. It is a way for me to pick health topics of interest, research them from a biochemistry stand point, and then share them with the world. Sharing them with you gives me an official feeling and keeps me motivated. However, as described below, I am still experimenting on myself.
How did this happen? I don't know exactly although I am almost sure it boils down to diet and exercise. I hope to find the answers as I explore my journey through weight loss on this blog. I was not always fat. Therefore, I know that I can be unfat again.
I am a biochemist. I should have known better. Of all people, I should have known how to avoid this predicament I am in now. I now wish to harness my scientific knowledge to experiment on myself as well as explore the chemical basis for weight loss methods.
Methods:
I will try new diets. I will experiment on myself. The diets will be chosen from among the most popular in our society. I will chronicle the results and my general experience in my blog here. I will also explore the biochemical basis for these diets as well as evaluate their effectiveness and truthfulness. I will also exercise as regularly as possible, 3-5 times per week, to avoid biasing the results. I will try to keep everything constant in my life except the diet. My method is not perfect. I don't necessarily want to lose raw pounds, but rather gain an understanding of what methods work best for me to permanently regain my health.
Hypothesis:
1. No diet will be clearly better than the others. Conversely, each diet will offer some truth, some piece of knowledge or methodology that I can take away with me to help myself. I think that in the end, I will be able to formulate my own diet based on a synthesis of all the things I have learned from all of these diets.
2. I have been on diets before, lost weight, and then regained it. I wasn't born fat. Given that, I think that my main problem will be shown to be psychological. I think that I may have compulsive eating problems- compulsive eating problems associated with very unhealthy foods.
3. I will lose quite a bit of weight. My blog will help keep my motivation levels high.
4. There will be a lack of clear scientific basis to many of the diets.
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