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.

I wasn't born fat, but over the years I have become really fat even though I am a biochemist. I have a giant gut and breasts. It shouldn't be hard for me to put on my socks in the morning because I am so fat. My clothes shouldn't feel uncomfortable because they are pressing against my fat rolls. I shouldn't be embarrassed to go to a swimming pool. I shouldn't have to go to a big and tall store to get clothes that fit. The list of negative emotions associated with being fat goes on and on. In short, it just feels bad emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

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.

Monday, April 30, 2012

March 12, 2010 (40 lbs)

I weighed in at 245.6 this morning, close enough to call it 40 lbs lost since Jan 1!!! At this rate I'm not sure how much more I can loose in a year. My goals might have to change mid year.
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Sunday, April 29, 2012

March 9, 2010 (Sucralose)

I woke up and weighed in at 247.4 today. Looks like things are working well. I also listened to the first half of the South Beach audio book. The guy who wrote it is a cardiologist, so it is fairly interesting. But, nothing new yet. Stay away from sugars, high glycemic index foods, no saturated fats, etc. I had eggs and cheese for breakfast (found out South Beach says eggs are ok). Turkey, lettuce, tomato tossed salad for lunch. Cheese sticks for snacks. Bak Choy for dinner. I started looking into sugar alcohols. The major one I use at home is sucralose. So, I started there. It is basically a sucrose molecule (table sugar) with a 3 chlorine substitution. It appears to be a miracle sweeter. It is sold as Splenda and marked as no calories. 85% of it is not absorbed (meaning it goes straight to feces) and the other 15% goes to the blood stream. It is not recognized as a carbohydrate and is urinated out, often in conjugation with glucoronic acid. I have found no studies that it spikes insulin at all. I have also not seen any studies showing it to be toxic or carcinogenic at all. But, the nefull of skeptics. I think it is harmless, and much more healthy than real sugar.

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Friday, April 27, 2012

March 7, 2010 (ethanol metabolism)

I weighed in today at 249.2!!! This marks a breakthrough for me, at least mentally. Dipping below 250 is important to me as a marker of success. I want to reach at least 220, and perhaps even below 220. So I am over half way there. I had eggs, cheese, and turkey bacon for breakfast. A couple cheese sticks for snacks. A tomato with balsimic vinegar and chinese style chicken breast (cooked in olive oil). I had Chinese style chicken and broccoli for dinner. Only water today to drink. I went back to the foot doctor last week and got more injections in my feet. They aren't better yet. But, I have been making an effort to exercise in creative ways anyways. I started yoga. It is amazing how inflexible and weak I was. I also enjoyed it very much. I hope to keep up with it. I also have been swimming. I have felt better. I wanted to explore one aspect of biochemistry I am always curious about- ethanol. And when I say ethanol I mean getting drunk. How does this effect being fat. Studies have indicated that drinkers generally consume more calories. It is also obvious that if you drink a lot of beer you will gain wieght from the excess calories and bad carbs. But, what I want to know, is what effect does ethanol itself have on weight? For example, if one was to drink pure everclear, how is it metabolized? There seem to be a few steps: 1. Ethanol is converted to acetaldehyde via oxidation by alcohol dehydrogenase. As far as I can tell this occurs in the liver. 2. Acetaldehyde is converted to acetic acid. This is done by adlehyde dehydrogenase 2 family (ALDH2). Interestingly, a large portion of ethanol metabolism stops here, when getting drunk, and a lot of ethanol is then excreted out as acetic acid in the urine (full metabolism ends in CO2 and water). I think this is because the TCA cycle gets overwhlemed by the amount of acetyl-CoA around. 3. Acetic acid is then converted into aceetyl-CoA by ACSS2. Interestingly, this step requires ATP. 4. Finally this acetyl-CoA is fed into the TCA cycle. This yields water and carbon dioxide and some ATP. It seems to me this is a fairly neutral process as far as weigh loss is concerned, especially if most of it is urinated out at the acetic acid step. But I know that ethanol metabolism messes with blood sugar (part of the reason you get a hang over), in the direction of low blood sugar. Why is this? Apparently alcohol inhibits the liver from making glucose and alcohol increases and prolongs the action if insulin, I am not sure of the mechanisms of these.
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Thursday, April 26, 2012

March 4, 2010

I weighed in at 250.6 this morning. Seems in about half a week I have undone the damage I did last weekend. I started thinking that I would like to reach 220. So this marks the point where I am over half way there- I have lost 35 lbs and have 30 to go. I feel like crap today, my blood sugar must be bottoming out. I had 3 eggs with cheese for breakfast. Fish and green beans for lunch. Cheese sticks for snacks. Various BBQ meat and green beans for dinner.
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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

March 3, 2010 (Trying to get Exercise)

I weighed in today at 255.6. I must be losing that water weight that I had gained over the weekend. I urinated a lot today. I had egg beaters and salsa for breakfast. Cheese sticks for snacks. Left over turkey taco meat and tomatoes for lunch. Fish for dinner. I have to say I am a little hungry. I can't wait for the ketosis to start again so I won't be hungry any more. I went to the foot doctor today out of frustration of not being able to exercise. He gave me 2 more injections. Hopefully they will work. He told me that I could join yoga. I might give that a try. I also made it to the Y today to go swimming with my daughter. It wasn't a great work out but it was something and definitely better than nothing. No science today.
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