Just want to say here that I'm not trying to put down anyone's method of losing weight, rather I feel it's important to be
informed about how your bod is effected by what you put into it (food, drugs, water, etc) and how you work it (exercise).
The reason I posted the warning label from an ephedrine product is to show that even the manufacturers warn the consumer NOT to take this product for more than a limited amount of time. Think about it - they have the most to gain from you taking the product on a continuous basis...I still maintain that ephedrine is NOT a fat burner but a performance enhancer...
If you really want to educate yourself on how the body works, I would strongly suggest clicking on this website
www.hussman.com/eas . This site was originally set up for those on the Body for Life program, but there is information that could apply to everyone (warning - it's a lot of reading...but very interesting IMO!).
Regarding my previous post on fatigue and blood sugar, here's an excerpt from the Hussman site regarding insulin that you may find informative:
Quote:
Insulin is one of the main anabolic hormones in the body. The only way that glucose (sugar) can get into the cells to be used as energy is for it to be accompanied by a little insulin guy. Insulin does two things: it says "Hey, we've got sugar in the bloodstream here. Stop burning fat so that we can get rid of this stuff first." And then the insulin helps to transport the sugar into the cells.
So insulin is "anabolic". It helps the muscle cells to get fed. Well, muscle cells and fat cells. If your muscle glycogen stores are full, insulin feeds your fat cells instead. If you spike your insulin higher by eating a significant amount of simple carbohydrates (such as sugar) when your energy stores are full, the excess carbs are converted to fat and escorted to your hips. The insulin then causes a subsequent plunge in blood glucose, often followed by fatigue. Brain cells can't store glucose, so that plunge in blood glucose can also cause dizziness. So, too much sugar and you may find yourself saying "I'm fat because I'm tired, and I'm tired because I'm fat." Bottom line: insulin is triggered by the consumption of simple carbohydrates. Except when you want to intentionally spike your insulin levels, you should choose carbohydrates that trigger a minimal release of insulin. These are called low-glycemic carbohydrates.
Low glycemic carbs are generally ones that are attached to fiber. Think "unprocessed". Carbs that are detached from fiber are digested much more rapidly and cause that spike in blood glucose. Lack of fiber is also by far the most common cause of irregularity. Here are a few examples of low & high glycemic foods:
Low glycemic: apples, oranges, pears, bananas (firm) and other whole, low-sugar fresh fruits, oatmeal, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, bran cereal, barley, bulgur, basmati, Kashi and other whole grains, beans, peas (esp. chick and black-eyed), lentils, whole corn, potato with skin (a little higher glycemic than other choices, but OK), yams, milk (preferably low-fat), and other partial-protein carbohydrates such as yogurt and soy.
High glycemic: fruit juice, white bread, most "wheat" bread (which is usually just white bread with a little fiber added), white rice, bagels, croissants, cornflakes, cake, candy, sugary drinks, beer.
Another Ephedra user here. I never realized Metabolife had so much in it. Didn't someone say 25 mg per tablet? I used it for almost 2 years myself. I switched last July to AM-300 which has 12 mg Ephedra per caplet at the request of my GYN. I have never had any side effects what so ever except for the fact that IF I don't take one at all, I sleep all day. I guess that says that it keeps me energetic enough to not fall on the couch after work. I did have somewhat of a nervous feeling when I first would take the Metabolife. As long as I didn't skip a day, I would never have any "feelings" at all. I have lost 52 pounds in this past year which to me is a safe loss. I don't expect to be able to hold my loss without taking them for long but I have been 17 days before and not gain an ounce. Like the Aphil said before, I hope we all don't have anything bad to happen. Good luck to us all. 
QuilterInVA , 07-30-2001 03:32 PM
