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My Routine So Far
Wow dwl, that is definitely a higher level of science than I delved into! It seems that poster got into the actual mechanism of nicotine on retinol, and it might not truly neutralize it, but stop it's transport?
I was milling this as I went in for my plasma draw yesterday. I took a nicotine pouch before going to the clinic, and thought to myself, is this defeating the point, since my aim is to free up as much vitamin a as possible into my blood stream before donating? I think it is, and I will definitely forgo nicotine until after plasma draw from now on.
As for the discussion of nicotine and caffeine and cravings, yes I have suspected as well for some time that cravings are linked to or magnified by the medical effect of the chemical. Neurological disease sufferers have long been known to crave nicotine stronger than others, and I've read that diseases such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder even show significant temporary relief after smoking (don't have that study with me).
As a cigar smoker, all of us at the lounge know that the best time for a cigar is after a meal, or a beer, or both. That would support the transport theory that things like eating a large meal, ingesting alcohol, or strenuous exercise all induce the liver to dump vit a- containing bile temporarily. That still informs my plasma routine, as I try to workout, then eat, then gun a couple beers before I go to the clinic.
As for the ability to truly "neutralize" vitamin a, is it possible at all? I don't know, because I don't know about the science of poisons and antidotes very much. Is vitamin a different from industrial chemicals ? How about snake venom and antivenin? Is there a molecular structure and counter structure that explain how antidotes can destroy a target molecule? Or is evacuation the best possible route?
I am trying to cover all bases in my journey this year. I will continue to use nicotine daily but I will hope to see it's need decline. I would love to see cravings go down as that would probably be a good sign. I will also be very aggressive in my plasma work this year. I took my sixth plasma draw yesterday, first ever was in January. Today I ha e an appointment where I will get a blood panel and I will check my vitamin a levels.
I plan to do ate at least 30 times this year and want to check my vitamin a again after plasma draw 25 or 30. If only I had resources to check it more frequently. Apparently knowing your internal chemical levels is serious stuff requiring a doctor visit and a good excuse every time! I haven't told my doctor about my diet and plans yet and I don't think I will, why complicate it. But I really hope I am right about aggressive draw methods and timelines, why wait as long as Grant Genereux to clear my system if I can do it in months instead of years? Bon chance to me, I say.
I wasn't as happy with my weight loss so I started cutting carbs slowly. I dropped a couple ounces of carbs (rice and beans) per week. At about 8/oz per day (half previous amount) I started dropping fat noticeably. I am now at 191.8 pounds. At about 180 I should be mostly lean.
It's interesting because I believe the paper Genereux wrote about vitamin a being more important than insulin or carbs for weight gain. However given that I am probably still in the "cells starved for insulin due to vitamin a induced malfunction" stage, and might be for some more time, I can still manipulate my weight by going closer to carnivore only diet.
I used the carnivore only diet before to the same effect. However this time I tried cutting down the carbs I stead of out (remaining zero vitamin a) and found that there is a threshold effect where the same stuff happens. It is definitely easier to eat some carbs than none. But I wanted the weight off faster so I went down. This will make it easier to get back into jogging, I think.
One of the things I think about diet is that when you cut back on any macro (carbs, fats, or proteins) you end up with a lower caloric input.
I have eaten more calories (higher total meat input) with less carbs than I have now and gotten the same aggressive weight loss response. Other symptoms are high thermals and aggression (probably testosterone resetting higher) and bad diarrhea for two weeks. Then symptoms abate and weight loss continues until a general lean physique sets in.
I do really think it is a thing about carb percentage. I think Grant is right on about vitamin a being the precursor cause but if you think about it, he still linked it to insulin and glucose. Cutting out the carbs/glucose is a way, I believe, to jumpstart the fat loss ahead of the vitamin a being totally cleared from your system.