Posts

Mark Sisson wrote a great post today called “Why Diets Fail.” Here is a brief quote: When we diet, we deliberately choose scarcity. Why? In the end, deprivation is a self-defeating behavior. It will always be self-defeating behavior. Sure, there may be that temporary grit-your-teeth triumph many of us have experienced in the pre-Primal pasts. The fact is, you can scramble, deprive and exhaust your way to a target weight, but chances are you’ll just roll right down the other side of that mountain once you’re there. The better choice is always investment as opposed to deprivation. A better, healthier lifestyle calls you to invest in yourself. It’s not a mental game of mathematical twister or complicated rule book. It’s a lifestyle you create over time. ...

“Voice Of the People (VOP) is a new non-partisan organization that seeks to re-anchor our democracy in its founding principles by giving ‘We the People’ a greater role in government.” I will be following this closely! I like the idea of a #CitizenCabinet. Please take a minute to visit VOP.org, and sign their petition if you agree.

I have been thinking about doing some high-intensity training, but I am a little afraid of CrossFit and others like them. I would like to find something appropriate to my fitness/endurance level, and I want to make sure I’m doing it right and not hurting myself. This article is quite insightful, explains what a “MetCon” is, and then goes on to explain how a 20-minute high-intensity workout might be counterproductive and how to choose an appropriate level. ...

This is a great article about the stages of change Context and the Stages of Change by Emily Deans, posted on Evolutionary Psychiatry It’s written from a Paleo perspective, but it’s useful for anyone who wants to guide others through a difficult life change. It explains why some people aren’t ready to listen, no matter how compelling the argument or evidence. 1. Precontemplation (a.k.a. Denial) Set a good example. Prompt them to consider something but don’t try to convince them, yet. 2. Contemplation - Person is not sure, and may be more open to convincing. 3. Preparation - Actively looking for support, resources, and pointers to how to get started. 4. Action - They’re actually doing it 5. Maintenance - avoid relapsing, turn short-term coping into long-term life skills.

I’ve read about this thing called Holocracy which has really got me thinking about governance systems. Holocracy is a method for governing a company or organization by having small interconnected groups that share responsibility for decision-making and finding consensus. I think eventually someone will figure out a way for this to be applied to states/nations/etc. I think that communication technologies will be an important part of the solution, or at least important to enable it to scale up. But, right now I believe that government on a state or national level gets too polarized and then becomes paralyzed. Perhaps this is because we’re more concerned with blocking stuff we don’t agree with, than with finding consensus and moving forward on things we do agree about. ...

My plan for this month is to eat MORE and exercise LESS. Yes, I know that sounds backwards, but here is my thinking. 1. I have had great results with Paleo but I have been playing fast and loose, and having stuff I shouldn’t be having a bit too often. I can have bread, but I’ve decided I don’t want to have it every day. So I’m taking this month to re-focus on core Paleo. Also, there’s some “extra” stuff I’m doing that is sort of OK but not really important to basic paleo. For example, intermittent fasting, and carb re-feeds. It doesn’t hurt, but it would benefit me more to get my basic, core paleo skills back on track. Here is my resource for that: http://everydaypaleo.com/just-paleo/ and Whole30. ...

Here are some of the important life skills and practices that I have learned in my weight loss journey. 1. Logging and measuring everything, at least while I’m making changes. 2. Really listening to my body to know when I’m hungry or satisfied. 3. Being aware of nutrient balance (fat/carbs/protein) 4. Experimenting, pushing the limits for 4-week intervals in the early game. 5. Being honest with myself about what plans will be sustainable over the long term (rest of my life) and rejecting anything that still requires lots of motivation after the first 4 weeks. ...

In the past I’ve been quite pushy about my anti-grains stance, but now that I’ve lost 90 pounds I just sit back and let the results speak for themselves. If any friends are really curious, I am happy to share my experience, and I also tell them to go and read up on Mark’s Daily Apple. I still feel strongly that low-fat diets rich in refined grains are literally killing people, but since the science is still not settled and well-understood, there is little I can do about the masses. All I can do is vote with my knife and fork, try to set a good example for my family and loved ones, and be available to share my experience whenever someone is curious. ...

I have total respect for doctors who stand up and admit “Hey we don’t actually know all the answers, and we have hurt people by assuming we do.” I’ve read about Peter Attia and his foundation but I had not heard him speak about it before. Peter Attia: Is the obesity crisis hiding a bigger problem? http://www.ted.com/talks/peter_attia_what_if_we_re_wrong_about_diabetes.html

On Lose It! there is a lot of discussion about whether sugar is terrible, whether to avoid it completely or to dole out tiny amounts. Most folks will answer that it is best to measure out tiny amounts but not deprive yourself of it completely. But I wasn’t really satisfied with either approach. So I wrote the following. I found it was best for Sugar and I to take a break from each other. I feel like I do want Sugar in my life, but lately we have become, shall I say, overly familiar, and when we see each other every day, multiple times a day, our relationship loses something. That spark wasn’t really there. Plus I think Sugar can get a bit… demanding? clingy maybe? Like, if Sugar thinks I’m not responding quickly enough to her… overtures, it can get uncomfortable for both of us.