It is starting to make sense, why it is so necessary to follow protocol
 

After 11 days of ditzing around with the protocol (not gaining but not loosing, either), my diet buddy telling me I am too "inquisitive" (my word, she used a different phrase) for my own good and just follow protocol, and needing to understand why I can eat much lower-than-normal calories (but still 200-300 more than protocol) and still not loose weight, I started researching the hypothalamus/leptin/insulin issue.

Ran across the following tidbit in this article: http://ajpregu.physiology.org/conten....full.pdf+html

>>First, two of the hallmarks in the induction of diet-induced leptin
resistance are elevated body weight (primarily fat) levels and
increased circulating leptin concentrations. In the current
study, after 6 mo of fructose feeding, circulating leptin levels, body weight, and body fat of the fructose-fed group were identical to those of the control group (rats who consumed an equicaloric 60% starch diet). This alone renders the
phenomenon a unique form of diet-induced leptin resistance.
Second,leptin resistance induced by fructose feeding led to a
pronounced susceptibility to increased weight gain on an already
potent obesity-inducing 60% HF diet. Third, as the
authors note, fructose-induced leptin resistance has the characteristics
of a “silent” form of the phenomenon, remaining
undetectable (with one exception) by standard measures of
food intake, body weight gain, and serum hormone and metabolite
levels, until a HF diet is made available to previously
fructose-fed rats.

I, too, am a "WHY" type of individual. Thanks for this post - it does make sense! http://hcgdietinfo.com/hcgdietforums...lies/smile.png