Observe, Understand, React

A Diet and Psychological Reform, Update 2

2009-12-06T09:53:00.000-08:00

Those who don't care about the minutiae of my life, click here for the moral of the story.

Well, it's been a stressful, hectic week. This, of course, is a very bad thing in combination with attempting to change my overall mindset.

Thursday was supposed to be a fast day for ADF. However, I knew my Friday was going to be a very busy day, and worried that my caloric intake might be too low to sustain myself. So I compromised, and had some pecans. Only, that turned into about 1000 calories. I wasn't terribly worried at that point. I was, however, extremely disappointed in myself as I'd been working feverishly on an Arduino project called the MIDHuman (more on it in later posts), but, having never taught myself the basics of soldering, damaged a part crucial to the device and ruined part of it. Worse still, I'd been planning on using it at Friday's show. It was just another scenario where I had jumped into something, not bothering to learn from the ground up, and it came back to bite me in the ass. A rather humbling realization for me, once again.

Enter Friday, where my schedule consisted of working (at Whole Foods) from 8-3:30, coming home, and leaving for the concert I was playing at by 5:30, which would take the rest of my day.

I should state that I love working at Whole Foods. I'm in the specialty department, meaning I oversee cheese, coffee, beer, wine, and some other offbeat things (candies, pâtés, etc). It is an incredible place to work, and the level of professionalism I've seen there simply astounds me. There are but two downsides to this job:

1.) I am almost always surrounded by some sort of food. Often cheese, as it is the most labor-intensive product we carry.
2.) We share a department section with bakery, meaning often that food which surrounds me is tainted with breads, muffins, pastries, etc. On normal days it's not a problem, I can easily turn it down. However, if the binge mentality ever starts, things rapidly deteriorate.

And so it was, of course, that first thing in the morning one of the ever-so-good-meaning bakery ladies walked over and laid half a pastry on my table.

"I can sample it." I said to myself. I didn't want to offend her and felt this would be a test of my willpower.

So I did. No harm, no foul. I narrated in my head that this tasted disgusting (another AP exercise, another post), and went on with my day. Until I saw the caramelized pecans which had gone past their Sell-By date. I'd helped myself to a cup of them. One more sample and that was the extent of the damage I'd done at work. This was a different binge mentality than before. I knew I was in control and the damage I was doing could be repaired by the next day's fast. As long as I didn't make a habit of it, I'd be fine. I went home and took a nap before the show.

I woke up late, hurrying to pack everything into my car (which was a lot). I arrived at the venue, helped set up, and all was well. I was operating the mixer for the first 4 (of 7) acts. However, I was panicking because I wanted a bit of time to practice my set and set myself up. Finally, the owner of the PA we'd borrowed, who is a DJ, came over and operated the board for me. I went backstage and unwound and practiced. It wasn't till I was onstage, set up, behind a closed curtain that the problems truly began.

DJs tend to be really cool people, but a 2-channel DJ mixer running two turntables or CD players or whatever are ENTIRELY different beasts than a 16-channel mixer running microphones and direct 1/4" inputs. So, while I'm setting up my equipment, nothing, nothing is working properly. I can't speak into my mics without feedback, much less sing, the digital piano I'm using won't come through the PA, and the output from my Mac is inaudible. Nevertheless, I tried to press on. While I'm singing, the broken boom mic stand I'm using swings away from my face, resulting in me having to walk off-stage, get duct tape, try (unsuccessfully) to joke about it, and fix it. Finally, while I'm still struggling with my levels, my friend in the next (and final) band is in the crowd, rushing me to get off so they can finish their set. 5 minutes later, he walks back stage and whispers the same thing to me, taking no precautions not to let anyone else hear him. So I cut my set.

Obviously, at this point I was pissed off, and did my best to cover it up. Unfortunately, there was a smorgasboard of food (-like products) for the performers that night, and I didn't hesitate to help myself. M&Ms, brownies, it was bad. At this point, any semblance of control and willpower I had was gone, the result of a very tense and abrasive evening.

Yesterday was supposed to be a fast as well, and the first attempt while working. I allowed myself a 100-calorie budget (since my co-workers often ask me to sample a cheese or two), but unfortunately, that quickly crashed as well. Found some more caramelized pecans, as well as cheese, etc., and by the end of the day had racked up 2500 calories. Fortunately, minus the caramelized pecans, it was all strictly Primal food, so the damage was not NEARLY as bad as it could've been.

The Bottom Line

Stress is incredibly detrimental to willpower, and can break the delicate balance of Assertive Psychology. It has to be managed well and I'll be looking into it.
I have to get into the habit of meditating daily. It happened rarely, if at all, these past few days and I'm more than willing to bet that allowed me to become so stressed.
I may shift my all-day fasts to simply 2 times a day. I've got two reasons for this:

It's less rhythmic. I don't think cavemen always went one day without having food, then found some the next. It's been suggested that the body can fall into a sort of routine, which we don't want to happen.
It's more practical. I've had to turn down two dinner invitations this week due to the ADF plan, and it's simply exhausting to have to explain to people what I'm doing, then deal with the consequent worries or judgement. This way, I can build my diet around my life, not the other way around.

That's about it for now. Sorry for the rushed nature of these posts. More thought-out stuff coming soon, but I felt I owed you guys something after the long delay.

Introduction To: Assertive Psychology (Includes Exercise)

2009-12-06T08:55:00.000-08:00

As I've promised, here is the first of the Introduction To: collection, which will explain many of the concepts I'll be rambling about for the next indefinite period of time. These will attempt to break down things to very simple terms, in an attempt to make it easier (hopefully) for you to understand what I'm talking about. So here goes:

First of all, I don't aim to mislead, so a disclaimer: Look, I'm not a doctor. I'm not a psychologist. I'm not even a med school student. I'm an 18-year-old (how many people just left?) high school senior who likes the direction in which his life is headed. As far as assertive psychology goes, I've been developing this and using this for a while now and I feel it's effective enough that I want to share. It's really as simple as that.

Assertive psychology is simply my term for a combination of paradigm and technique that empowers you to be in control of yourself. The concept of being in control of one's self seems to be a given. But those who have ever tried to break a bad habit or accomplish something challenging knows it's not so easy. Assertive psychology is the means to shape your conscious and subconscious thinking in order to accomplish what you so desire. I'm writing vaguely here for a reason; assertive psychology is applicable to almost anything. Furthermore, if you want to accomplish something technical (say, being able to perform Liszt's 1st Piano Concerto), I believe you've got to start at the most basic level: The mind.

The paradigm behind AP is this: You are in control, of yourself and your actions.

You have to believe this. This is the first lesson in AP. Even if it doesn't feel like it, you have to believe and remind yourself that you are in control.

It really is that simple. AP is the basis which will allow you to stop bad habits or build new better ones. I'll be unfolding the methodologies over the next few weeks, as I can discover and refine them. The following is a very important exercise that will provide a starting point for stress relief and mental organization:

AP Exercise: Meditation

I could write an entire book on meditation. Well, perhaps not myself, because I wouldn't have enough material. However, it's been done, and not without reason: Meditation, something revolving around simplicity, is also terribly complex. What I'm showing you here is an example of "mindfulness" meditation. In this case, it is strictly secular. The goal is to clear the mind of active thought for a brief moment of time. This contrast to the typical mind (overactive and distracted) allows one better concentration and mental ability.

Method: You'll need a fairly quiet, unpopulated space. As you progress, you may find you can meditate under busier conditions, but to build a foundation, use a quiet, empty space for now. Enter a position that's comfortable for you. For some reason, I prefer the stereotypical legs-crossed, hands-in-lap pose, but anything that suits you will work.

Close your eyes. Take deep, low, slow breaths, using your diaphragm to pull the air deep into your lungs. Focus on the sound of your breath. Focus all of your senses on that sound (even sight, though your eyes are closed). When you can do that, concentrate on nothing. This, of course, is easier said than done. Outside sounds and distractions will occur. Acknowledge them if you must, but do not think about them. If you're having trouble concentrating on nothing, visualize something empty or blank. I often visualize myself sitting on a pedestal in an empty white room. Be patient! Initially, you will not be able to maintain extended periods of successful 'thinking about nothing.' This requires practice. Aim for about 10 minutes a day.

When you feel you are done meditating, do not immediately open your eyes and move. Exit with mantras. Whatever your specific goal is for that day or period, repeat it to yourself, several times. Maintaining your meditative focus, concentrate on nothing but that mantra. Believe it. If you're truly isolated, speak the mantra aloud. If you're not, however, narrate the mantra in your head while mouthing along to it. Slowly open your eyes, and when you feel ready, exit your position, leave your room/space, and head out.

In Defense Of: Alternate-Day Fasting

2009-11-27T17:25:00.000-08:00

I decided I'd better not put this one off. The concept of going an entire day without eating is likely to scare some concerned friends, family, co-workers, etc. Looks like I've got some informing to do.

Here's a quick sample of the studies that "alternate day fasting" brings up on Google Scholar:

Alternate-day fasting in nonobese subjects: effects on body weight, body composition, and energy metabolism

And a summary, so you don't have to:

Subjects lost 2.5 ± 0.5% of their initial bodyweight (P < 0.001) and 4 ± 1% of their initial fatmass (P < 0.001). Hunger increased on the first day of fastingand remained elevated (P < 0.001). RMR and RQ did not changesignificantly from baseline to day 21, but RQ decreased on day22 (P < 0.001), which resulted in an average daily increasein fat oxidation of 15 g. Glucose and ghrelin did not changesignificantly from baseline with alternate-day fasting, whereasfasting insulin decreased 57 ± 4% (P < 0.001).

Hot damn. This was done over a period of 22 days. Twenty. Two. Days. And subjects lost 2.5% of their body weight! What's more, we're NOT looking at muscle loss here! Increase in fat oxidation means more fat is getting converted to ATP. ATP is "the main energy source of cellular functions." Side note, this is a great argument for the use of fat (not carbohydrate) as the primary dietary energy source. How bout some math?

Let's assume I weigh 170 pounds (I do). Let's assume I'm going to be doing ADF for 22 days (I will). Let's assume I get the same results (not likely, but for the math's sake, it will help you visualize the results).

170 * .025 = 4.25 pounds lost.

Now, let's assume I'm about 20% body fat (I don't actually know mine).

170 * .2 = 34 pounds of bodyfat

34 * .04 = 1.36 pounds of bodyfat lost.

Now, intitally that doesn't look great. That means of the 4.25lbs lost, only 32% of that was bodyfat. The rest was likely muscle (and some water). But lest you think I'm making an argument against my own method, let me point out something very important about this study:

The full study states that subjects were asked to avoid exercise before visiting to be tested (2 days before the experiment, and 1 after). It also states that of the 16 participants, 7 were considered sedentary. As I've said before (and will Defend very soon), proper exercise stimulates release of hGH and testosterone, both of which are responsible for the mobilization of free fatty acids. The study also says nothing about what the subjects ate on 'feast' days. High levels of carbohydrate could mean higher fasted glucose levels. I hypothesize that combining the P/P lifestyle with ADF will increase the benefits of both.

How bout another?

Alternate-day fasting and chronic disease prevention: a review of human and animal trials

The summary:

A large body of evidence for the physiologic benefits and life-extending properties of CR now exists. Restricting daily energy intake by 15– 40% has been shown in both animals and humans to improve glucose tolerance and insulin action, which indicates an enhancement in insulin sensitivity (7, 8); to reduce blood pressure and the heart rate, which is consistent with ben- efits for cardiovascular health (9–11); and to reduce oxidative damage to lipids, protein, and DNA, which implies a protective effect against oxidative stress (12–15). Many other effects of CR have been documented, including increased average and maxi- mal life span (12), reduced incidence of spontaneous and induced cancers (13), resistance of neurons to degeneration (14), lower rates of kidney disease (15), and prolongation of reproductive function (16).

Just what I like: Loads upon loads of citations. The full text is here for anyone interested.

Before anyone gets on me, yes, CR is caloric restriction. This paragraph isn't talking specifically about ADF, however, recall that my plan will create a 2000-calorie deficit. Therefore, in my case, my ADF diet is also a CR diet.

Enhanced insulin sensitivity means less insulin to do the same amount of work. This is a good thing. Insulin's primary role is to metabolize glucose (a byproduct of carbohydrate consumption). If the body needs less of it, we also get less of insulin's negative effects (namely fat storage) and decrease demand from the pancreas for production.

Oxidative stress is an underlying cause of artherosclerosis, one of the pesky diseases that cholesterol gets blamed for. These studies suggest that CR actually has an antioxidant effect.

Reductions in blood sugar, heart rate, and incidence of cancers are self-explanatory.

Prolongation of reproductive production I primarily highlighted for fun. Men, this means caloric restriction could prevent you from needing Viagra and Levitra. Are you sold on it yet?

Resistance of neurons to degeneration? We're talking resistance to Alzheimer's and dementia, here. And this is strictly from eating less, not even eating correctly!

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."
-Hippocrates

Yup. Sounds about right. There are more studies out here, but I'll let you wrap your heads around these for now. I think these back up my point enough.

A Diet and Psychological Reform, First Day

2009-11-27T16:36:00.000-08:00

One of the big promises I'm making with this blog is that I will not bore you, nor dilute the potentially informative content of what will be my blog with the unimportant minutiae of my life. However, I also feel that I need to prove that what I'm attempting to do is both possible and sustainable, and therefore, I'll update you about once a week on how I'm doing thus far.

First of all, something that's somewhat awesome: My favorite iPhone app ever, Lose It!, has now gone online! There's only one problem. As of right now, I can't link to or share the data. The only way I can do that is to add someone as a friend. I like Lose It! because it's much more convenient and quick than FitDay, but I'd really, really like to see this feature implemented.

Not much happened today. Was going to do sprints in the morning, but got caught up enough in late Black Friday madness that I didn't. No worries. I'll hit weights tomorrow afternoon.

Despite last night's Thanksgiving dietary massacre, my gut actually didn't feel horrible today. That's a bit odd. It's 7:30pm here now and hunger is starting to set in. I really don't care.

Didn't get my meditation in this morning either, but will definitely do it before I hit the bed. More on that and another AP exercise coming tomorrow.

A Diet and Psychological Reform, Part 2

2009-11-26T19:37:00.001-08:00

Now that we've covered the WHY of my diet, it's time to address what I think will benefit you the most: the HOW.

One thing I've noticed that's wrong with a lot of dieting methodologies (even those such as the Primal Blueprint) is that they don't address the hardest aspect of dieting. Sure, they'll tell you what to eat, what not to, and (most importantly, of course) why, but they don't tell you how. Most diet/lifestyle book authors assume it's as simple "don't put x in your mouth." Unfortunately, anyone who has attempted to diet (even many on the Primal/Paleo lifestyle) know it's just not that simple. There is a great deal of psychology involved, what I sometimes refer to as the "Menemy."

So I'm going to introduce you to something I call "assertive psychology." I believe the human psychology is a very powerful force. Most of it is formed my environment and habit. A great deal of people believe that their mindsets and personalities are the result of heredity and nature, and believe these things can't be changed.

I believe that's bullcrap.

Imagine a ball of clay with a hand sculpted out of it, sticking out the side. Now, imagine that hand is moving. The hand is actually shaping the ball of clay. This is assertive psychology. Assertive psychology simply states that you have the ability to shape how you behave and react. I wish I could say it's my own idea. It's not entirely, I'm certainly not the first one to have used it. However, what will differentiate me from others is I'll be introducing you to a series of exercises that will strengthen that hand.

Here's the first one. It's pretty specific to eating, but can actually be applied to any bad habit you want to break:

AP Exercise: Mantra - "You Are In Control"

I've been eating Primal/Paleo for 8-9 months now. Initially, I went 4 entire months without once eating anything non-P/P. More recently, I've had shorter and shorter bursts of pure P/P eating, till the past 3 months, where I've been at around 1 week of solid eating before I destroy my progress with a horrible, horrible carb binge. While binging, I felt horrible, inside and out. My gut would be in shambles for at least the next 24 hours, and my internal dialogue was full of violent swear words directed at myself. In short, I felt like an utter failure at life. In the past few weeks, though, I developed the habit of focusing on a mantra everytime I began slipping into a binge. It was quite simple: "I am in control." I'd repeat this in my head constantly. Sometimes it had little immediate effect. Sometimes it had a lot. But in the long run, I noticed something peculiar: On subsequent binges, I felt less despair, less failure, and often, I could stop myself before I did too much damage. This is huge, and it's easy. So let's recap quickly:

Method:

Anytime you catch yourself performing your bad habit, mentally recite "I am in control" repeatedly. If no one else is around, verbalize it aloud.

This is positive self-reinforcement and raises conscious awareness as to what you're doing. This will be critical for the next few steps.

A Diet and Psychological Reform, Part 1

2009-11-26T19:29:00.000-08:00

I regret that there's little time for introductions. I'll be sure to post primers on the topics that will arise in this post soon, ideally before the year's out. Today, I'm announcing my diet plan. The reason for doing this publicly is twofold. 1) The fear of shame is an added negative incentive to stay on track. 2) I've developed some techniques and philosophies that I find to be unique. I've also found them to be extremely helpful, and as such, feel they will benefit others by being shared.

So today, I am beginning my diet. To be frank, here are the rules:

Alternate-day Fasting: One day of eating, one day without.
3000-Calorie Days: On days I eat, I'll consume ~3000 calories.
Strictly Primal/Paleo Eating: For those unfamiliar, that's no grains, sugar, legumes, or vegetable oils. High-fat, low-carb, based around the consumption of REAL, whole foods. There will be a primer on this.
Under 80g (Total) Carbs/Day: In alignment with Primal/Paleo methodologies.
Sprints on off-days, weights on on-days, and 4 or less workouts/week: More on this in a moment.

Goal: 145lbs by April 1st, 2010.

Now, as you'll come to understand, and may have gathered from the blog's title, I place a great deal of emphasis on understanding. I believe the most important question is "Why?" Remember this, if you plan on reading again. It'll help make sense of what I'm saying. That being said, let me provide a reason for each of these rules:

Intermittent fasting is a proven method of weight loss. The premise is quite simple: If one goes without eating for a certain length of time, then eats to their fill, a caloric deficit is created, resulting in weight loss. Alternate-Day fasting seems an extreme method for some, but I feel a rhythmic approach will help me settle into a repeatable routine.
My Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR; the amount one's body burns if one remained sedentary for an entire day) is around 2500. At first, it seems contradictory to eat more than I burn, but remember, I'll be eating 3000 calories every two days. That means, I burn 5000, eat around 3000, and have a deficit of 2000 calories. That's a lot. That's good. Eating above my BMR has two benefits, too: First, it prevents my body from going into "starvation mode" (*1) . Secondly, it should/will eliminate the "deprivation mindset", the feeling that a dieter is depriving him/herself of something. While this is true, clinging onto the deprivation mindset is a surefire route to failure. More to come on this.
I am of the absolute firm belief that the Paleolithic/Primal way of eating is the only true way to attain optimum health. This diet is based on the premise of evolutionary biology, and is increasingly becoming supported by properly-performed research. Again, more to come on this soon.
Carbohydrate promotes insulin promotes fat storage. It really is that simple. Since my goal is to end up looking like, oh, say..this guy (minus the d-bag haircut, sunglasses, and boxers doubling as shorts), the idea is to cut fat storage to an absolute minimum. It can be done.
Sprint exercises (short bouts of intense, maximum capacity work) are huge releasers of hGH (Human Growth Hormone). hGH in turn promotes fat release and muscular development. Science behind this and support for it come later. Same applies to weights. Compound, functional movements (think squats, deadlifts, presses) recruit multiple muscle groups for intense work, increasing hGH and testosterone levels. The idea with sprints is to do quick (<15 minute) workouts that promote fat loss. With weights, the goal is muscle development. Exercise also tears down muscle, so I'm limiting myself to 4 workouts a week to allow full recovery time (and allow my body to build muscle, rather than tear it down with overuse).

That's the WHY's. See Part 2 for HOW.

One more thing. Here's the before photo:

My, my, Mr. Mattingly. It seems we've got a bit of a ways to go.

(*1: I realize a lot of this seems like hearsay. Right now, this post is being rushed to get it out to a large audience [primarily Facebook friends, remember: Shame!]. As I have more time, I will write individual posts explaining the science behind these physiological functions. I believe defending and proving assertions is essential if you want anyone else to believe a viewpoint.)