hi Wanda,

Sorry I didn't see your post previously The "absence of insulin" refers more to its lack of action than its lack of physical presence, and is relative to glucagon as the dominant metabolic hormone. As I'd stated in that same post, my explanation is very simplistic. The intent was to allay the fat phobias of lowcarbers who have a hard time accepting that they won't blow up as big as a house if they eat more than the Food Pyramid levels of fat ... There is a link in that post to another thread, which does offer more in-depth discussion on the matter .. http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...2411#post182411

Insulin is always present, even in a ketogenic diet, although the amount is very low. Because there are a few cells in the body which can only use glucose (red blood cells, the retina of the eye and a small part of the mid-brain), a nominal amount of insulin is secreted to enable the uptake of glucose .. which is made quite nicely in the liver from protein, via the process of gluconeogenesis. The only time where there is a true absence of insulin is when the beta cells of the pancreas fail .. resulting in Type 1 diabetes.


As to the "10 - 12 x" thing ... to the best of my knowledge, it's intended to be a ballpark guide to aim at, offered to folks who are evidently undereating to encourage them to eat more. Inevitably, folks want to know "how much more?", so a guide such as 10 - 12 x weight in calories can be helpful to know how much is the least to strive for.


Hope that helps


Doreen