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Originally posted by Paloma
As well, there are some well done studies that demonstrate that fasting one day a week can help prevent cancer and increase the life span.
Originally posted by merryxmas
That probably came off as mean but if you are serious about survival then you should know without any sugarcoating (lol pun) that survival of the fittest got it's name for a reason.
*edit* bah I posted before I read Sri Oracles post which makes mine really just a reiteration of his.
[edit on 12-3-2008 by merryxmas]
Originally posted by Obliv_au
wouldnt us "festively plump" types burn more calories though since we are carrying more weight, therefore actually making us worse off than a skinny minny?
Originally posted by Threadfall
You do realize survival of the fittest means intellect and problem solving as well as social skills as well? And the "fatty" you speak of brings to mind some gluttonous, slothful blob. In fact, having excess stores of fat in a survival situation can help, as long as it's not too much. If I had to choose between (all other things equal) being a male with 3% body fat or 20% body fat, I'd take 20.
You'd be dumb not to.
Originally posted by merryxmas
Energy reserves mean squat against well excersised muscles.
Originally posted by merryxmas
Your muscles cannot handle the strain no matter how much extra energy you have in your body due to fat reserves. Have you ever seen a fat man out run a fit jogger or even come close to keeping pace? Energy reserves mean squat against well excersised muscles.
For those reasons I would definitely stick with your hypothetical 3% over 20%. It's dumb to be fat for the sole purpose of holding more energy reserves. The idea in survival is not to be able to outlive the skinny guy because you have more fat for your body to eat itself but rather to be able to be physically fit enough to acquire more food regularly and live because you can depend on being self-reliant.
Originally posted by Threadfall
You're describing a survival situation as if it's a decathlon, and it's not. But even if it was, you'd still be wrong. Discovery Channel has been doing a series on the extreme conditions the human body can adapt to. One man put on something around 15 plus pounds of body fat before he attempted to swim the english channel, by the time he finished, he had burned all that fat off, i.e. his body utilized it for energy to SURVIVE. I think you have some Mad Max Hollywood fantasy of "survival" where a lithe young man is constantly running and evading evil road agents on motorcycles in order to survive. A real survival situation might plausibly mean nothing more than being able to hunt and trap, hike through wilderness, evade occasional danger, form relationships and alliances with other survivors, etc. 3% body fat is dangerously low, so when you body has to survive in times of famine, you can kiss that wonderful muscle goodbye.