endocrine system/cortisol/fat burning by karl king

> There are multiple ways to skin this cat. Anybody who says there is only way
> is suspect. One can fuel, but do a lot of long runs. One could partially
> fuel. One ( in a hurry ) could use just water and electroltyes on the long
> runs. After about 8 long runs with water only, the body should be adapted
> to the protocol and operate more smoothly. The first few runs with no
> calories would be very miserable when the leg muscle and liver glycogen are
> gone. In such cases, one should slow down to a walk to give the endocrine
> system time to put out what it uses to mobilize body fat. Then a slower
> running pace can be used. One should also realize that running on fat only
> is necessarily slow. Per a given amount of oxygen coming in ( we all have
> our personal limit ), carbs produce 16% more energy than fat. So, if you
> burn only fat, you will be slow, painfully slow compared to what you could
> run on a high carb input.
>
> As for taking certain drinks or supplements to promote fat burning, my
> challenge is this: Marketing BS. Prove it on a scientific basis, not sales
> sweet-talk. I say this because I've seen some literally incredible claims
> for some products that I think were written by people whose strength is in
> promotion, rather than science.
>
> One other thing needs to be said so that people understand well. The
> endocrine system training is to promote the release of cortisol when carb
> stores fall low, and for the enzymes needed to metabolize fat. There is a
> price to be paid for a high cortisol output. If you Google cortisol and
> damage, you'll find plenty of hits. High cortisol levels tear down and age
> the body. Cortisol is more of a survival tool. It is burning the candle at
> both ends. People with chronically high cortisol output can run all day and
> night, but they will eventually look 10 years older than their calendar age.
> Just look for dark, sunken eyes, and skin hanging on the bones.