[MightySunTzu]

Originally Posted by DerekMB

I see what you mean thanks for explaining.

But...

Last I check there is an order to what the body consumes. First to go are carbs. When carbs are "absorbed" up then comes protein. Fat's last.

Hey there again Derek,

You are basically right... the body burns up its stored carbs first then as it is making the transition into ketosis (fat as fuel), it is burning a fair amount of the unhealthiest protein tissue before ketosis takes effect at which point the body has been converted from a carb burning machine into a fat burning machine. Once this transition has been made, the body will burn fat to protein at about a 10:1 ratio.

Originally Posted by DerekMB

So when you starve yourself, under current medical understanding as I personally understand, muscle tissue is broken down and used by the body for energy before fat, as fat is much more difficult for the body to digest into usable energy than the former (Carbs being the easiest/fastest for body to absorb)

Again i want to distinguish between the state of fasting and the state of starving. With fasting, the body has ample nutritional reserves to call upon and the individual is very safe. The body is primarily feeding upon it's own fat, so rather than starving, it is feasting on its own fat stores! In starvation, all or part of these reserves (including vitamins and minerals) have been exhausted and the individual would proceed in grave danger... with clear unmistakable siren blaring signals warning him not to.

Back to normal fasting, only in the very brief transitional period once the carbs have been exhausted, and before the body has shifted into ketosis is protein tissue the primary fuel source... Once in ketosis, protein tissue is burned at a proportion of about 1:10 as compared to fat. And i'll say it again, the body will preferentially take the most diseased and otherwise unhealthiest tissue first.

Originally Posted by DerekMB

So basically I feel I am not willing to risk losing hard earned muscle tissue, even though I want to try this for the health aspects

Each individual must decide for himself, but i feel that my body after this 30 day fast was almost ridiculously primed to build muscle in a system that was fantastically cleansed, revitalized and ready to do everything better.