My diet leans towards a more carnivore approach my vegetable and carb intake is very minimal. My diet consists mainly of 80/20 ground beef, eggs, pork, and chicken. I cook with butter or animal fat, and eat high quality EVOO and coconut oil. It was really important removing seed oils, processed foods, and fruit. I did some macro tracking I think my fat intake was around 70%. My protein fluctuates, but usually is around 1 gram per 1 lbs of lean body mass. You might have experienced the keto flu? I felt a little off in the beginning, but nothing like you mentioned. I did start having a ton of muscle cramps. I needed to significantly increase my salt intake specifically Himalayan pink salt. The one thing I have learned after doing a ton of research on how to improve my overall health is that everyone is different. If something doesn't work tweak it and try again, and/or get professional help.
Agree, for weight loss trying things beats following advice. Some advice, like move more / eat less, has such a bad track record that I wonder why it is still around.
Intermittent fasting works wonders for me. Meals include meat and eggs and raw or steamed vegetables including fruit. I bake with butter or olive oil.
Avoiding seed oils sounds interesting, I'll see if I can learn more about that!
A curious bear raided our garden. Damaged our fences. He ate our gloriously ripe pumpkin, all the low hanging apples, and pears. The animals are difficult to contend with. The birds ate our sunflower seeds earlier this year, and the chipmunks dug for all our seeds this spring.
I was changing the oil on our 2008 Subaru this weekend. I guess I got lucky in the past always getting the same type of oil filter. The lady at the counter picked a different brand so the cup tool to get the filter on and off didn't fit properly. Good to know in the future, but frustrating mid-oil change.
Temperatures have dropped dramatically. My wife insisted we put the thermostat to 64 which kicked the heat on momentarily. Not good with the energy prices going up lately. I have a lot of planning to do to increase the efficiency of moving warm air from our wood stove around our house this year. I am also looking for some inexpensive thermal curtains to reduce heat loss from the windows.
I read an old article from MMM. It was about doing less chores around the house, and not spending so much time trying to be "clean". It's got me thinking about how I can reduce the amount of laundry we do, and cleaning in general. I'd really like to de-clutter further. I got rid of a ton of stuff last year, and this summer. I feel like I can do more, and really minimize things. Conservatively it looks like I probably dedicate 20 hours a year just to cleaning. 1ish hour every night tidying up, and 2 hours dedicated every week to a deeper cleaning. 20 days per year just cleaning, not including ad-hoc cleaning, laundry or anything else. It just seems like a waste of time, money, and energy. I need to optimize this system.
I have been re-reading some of the MMM classics, and I came across one that was immediately applicable to my current situation. The blog post, "A Lifetime of Riches – Is it as Simple as a Few Habits?" was a treasure trove of ideas to help with my addiction to my phone, and my addition to food.
Over the past year I have been on a ketogenic diet, and found it to have very great results. My weight has fallen off, my blood work is great, I feel satisfied after meals for long periods of time, and my cravings are down. I traded my junk food habit, for another habit. When I enter the kitchen especially at night, or when bored I will find something to eat even if it's healthy, and I will eat large quantities of it even if I am not hungry. Currently those foods typically are nuts or peanut butter in the past it was frozen berries. Which in large quantities can be high in calories, can add up to a lot of carbs, and be expensive. Typically when I decide to make a change I stop cold turkey. This technique may work depending on my "why", but now I realize my habit/addiction typically just moves from one thing to another. In the blog post he recommends finding your trigger, and replacing the reward with a different but similar behavior. In the case of my bad habit of snacking on nuts & peanut butter I am going to keep pork rinds in my pantry for a crunchy snack. In the fridge I will keep pickles, 90% dark chocolate, and hard boiled eggs if I truly am hungry. On the counter I am going to keep tea. I will keep these more desirable foods in the front at eye level, and all the other items I am trying to avoid out of view. Hopefully I will notice an immediate impact since this is a daily battle for me.
As for my addition to my phone I haven't exactly figured out what I could do that would be similar to the phone that would replace it. For the time being I am going to have my wife create a unique screen time code to limit the time on certain apps that I cannot hack. Currently my major distractions are podcasts, investing apps, web browsers, and mail app.
This summer I purchased a used squat rack, and used weights with the ultimate goal of creating what MMM calls a "Keystone habit". My current routine is a full body work out 3x per week with at least 1 rest day in between. I haven't been perfect at hitting this initial goal. Ultimately I wanted to build in daily exercise into my life. Weight lifting would just be one component of it. With a sedentary WFH job I need to increase my steps via chores, quiet walks, and exercise. Waking up can be my "trigger", but I need a can't miss reminder/note that I see every day all day.
If these tests prove to be successful then I will gladly apply this logic to other habit loops I identify, and keep track of them here.
Last edited by kawaivf1 on Wed Oct 11, 2023 7:56 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Always interesting to read about weight loss, it's such a struggle!
You write "I feel satisfied after meals for long periods of time ... I will find something to eat even if it's healthy, and I will eat large quantities of it even if I am not hungry." That reads like a contradiction, as if there were two forces pulling on you. What part of you feels satisfied and what part wants to eat?
A curious bear raided our garden. Damaged our fences. He ate our gloriously ripe pumpkin, all the low hanging apples, and pears. The animals are difficult to contend with. The birds ate our sunflower seeds earlier this year, and the chipmunks dug for all our seeds this spring.
I had a long conversation with a woman I know from my dirt road walks about animals and how I've had to deal with their endless array of countrified bullshit. She said I need to adapt. I said they need to go fuck themselves. We have a fox that shits on our walkway. I take it personally. I see this fucking fox bouncing all over the place yet it feels the need to defecate right outside our door. Everyone says deer are harmless and innocent. I say yeah, have you ever had a buck stop and brazenly take a minute long piss right outside your kitchen window while you're trying to eat your morning oatmeal? Like some frat boy asshole at a kegger. Bears are curious in a manner similar to Mike Tyson in a brothel. God help whatever they decide to fuck around with. I've been terrorized by birds circling over my head like I'm in Jurassic Park. I'm still good with horses but I'm assuming that will end shortly. Fuck animals. They're devious assholes. Probably get together at night and exchange notes. Know we're afraid of them because they can resort to animal like shit if things go sideways. They know what they're doing. Like old people. You stand up to them and they cry elderly abuse and pretend to be befuddled. This planet is just filled with living things walking about with no fucking regard for others. Living in close proximity to nature just increases your exposure to more creaturely bullshit.
What part of you feels satisfied and what part wants to eat?
I feel like I am not eating because I am hungry, but it is a habit that formed over many years. I would open the pantry to get something for my kids, and grab a handful of goldfish, or nuts. I do it without much thought, and sometimes I can stop myself, but usually it is a battle with my head not my stomach. I start rationalizing things, or saying I will do better tomorrow. Being on a ketogenic diet you actually notice when you get hungry its hard to explain but being on a SAD I would just always be hungry. My wife called me a bottomless pit. Usually now it is a struggle to even finish my plate.
@Henry - I had a pretty good laugh at this one. It's pretty true they like to drive us crazy. Especially the mice they drive me nuts, and some years reproduce like crazy it's like an invasion. I guess it is a love hate relationship.. I moved into their home land, and threw a huge house where they pissed and shit first. I am thinking of getting a bow to start hunting in our back woods. I am sure once I get that set up they will no longer be seen, and I will freeze my ass off in a tree stand.
I do it without much thought, and sometimes I can stop myself, but usually it is a battle with my head not my stomach.
Exactly! That is what I started to notice a while ago. It's my head that wants to eat, not my body. My latest theory is that my head just wants to stay on the sugar high.
So when I'm tempted I do a breathing exercise (like the fourfold breath). Holding my breath moves my attention from my head to my body. So the need to eat subsides.
I'm just saying the more I live amongst the animals I have come to realize they are up to all kinds of shit. This fox is a half animal half juvenile delinquent. Yes, I understand it has to shit outside, but it's being a complete asshole because I am certain it's using the "I have to shit outside because I am a fox" as a cover for shitting on my walkway. It's a serial targeting defecator. And I think it wants me to know it's doing it because I can't prove it and even if I could I can't prosecute it. This woman told me a story about catching a bear on her deck. When she went to chase it away, she noticed that the bear looked behind before moving backwards as though it wanted to make sure it wouldn't lose its footing. That's a tell if I ever heard one. These fucking animals play being fucking animals when it's convenient. They enjoy this shit and not only that they have idiots on our side protecting them. They know they can't lose. I'd bet the mortgage a bear could put back all the garbage it leaves in the road after rummaging through a trash can if it had to but they know they are a bear and no one can enforce it because they can either play stupid or just maul to death the motherfucker who tells them to clean up after themselves.
I had a pretty odd experience yesterday. I haven't felt this way in probably 10 years. I felt a strong jealousy/envy for another person's financial situation. Typically my battle has always been with myself. I establish goals, and I destroy them. I never really compared myself to anyone else. I wanted to be a millionaire before 40 going back to when I was a teenager, and I accomplished it before I was 34. But I heard a podcast of a guy the same age as me with a $5M net-worth, rental properties, owned his own business. I started comparing myself to him, and felt inadequate. I quickly snapped myself out of it, because I really have focused since finding FIRE/ERE to really appreciate what I have, understanding that more isn't always better, and it really is just a formula (spend less than you earn). I could probably boost my NW working to excess, but I value my time. Not to say I don't want my own business or rental properties those things may happen, but it got me thinking hard about the future. Investing in stocks, and index funds does have a certain appeal. I wouldn't mind if the rental real estate was a family business, and my kids were involved. My wife and I are planning on working on a vision board so these are some of the things I am considering. I do know that those ugly feelings of envy had an immediate negative impact on me for far longer than I liked.
I'd bet the mortgage a bear could put back all the garbage it leaves in the road after rummaging through a trash can if it had to but they know they are a bear and no one can enforce it because they can either play stupid or just maul to death the motherfucker who tells them to clean up after themselves.
I wish they would pick it up after.. that's my biggest gripe with our neighbors. A majority use a garbage service ($50/mo) versus going to the transfer station ($140/yr). It's like putting candy in front of a toddler. They can't resist, and now I have garbage in my yard. They do seem relatively smart, and agile. It's not a big ask haha. Also, my little dog got mauled last year. That was not a pleasant experience. If I found that bear we would be feasting on a bear stew.The dog is only 12 lbs, but made it alive, and healed up ok although winters are tough on him.
Watch a video of a bear figuring out to break into a bear proof garbage can. It starts to look like a NASA scientist dressed in a bear suit. I guarantee that if you held a barbecue inside Fort Knox you'd see a cadre of bears standing outside with blue prints, blow torches, swipe cards and fake ID's.
- I reported my recent bear sightings to DEEP (Department of energy & environmental protection). They told me to shoot the bear with a paintball gun, and make a lot of noise to discourage the bear from coming back. Which I thought comical to see a painted bear running around. I will plan on finding some solution to it hopefully inexpensively. I would be ok if it was just me and my wife, but having kids and dogs is a little unnerving having them so close so often. Also, the bear destroyed our trampoline which was not cool.
- I have for a while struggled with over optimizing my life, to do lists, focusing on the future, I read GTD and found it too consuming. I liked it at first but then I started focusing on it obsessively trying to perfect my process, which led me to spending more time on my phone and computer. I am going back to the old pen and pad to dump all the ideas/tasks in my brain onto paper, and will limit myself to 2 or 3 things per day that need to get done. I will write down the next actions down on a separate sticky note to make sure those are prioritized. I will continue to use our shared calendar on our phone that has worked well for schedule purposes.
- I deleted some of the apps on my phone. Restricted completely the ability to listen to podcasts, and surf the web. I set a screen time limit to 30 minutes to use other apps, and had my wife set a password unknown to me. I tried for a few days to self regulate my usage, but found myself slipping up.
- This weekend my Dad helped clean our chimney. Took longer than expected since we had trouble with the new brush fitting the flue. We had to trim it down. After two years of having help I think I am prepared to do it on my own next year if need be. Our heat has kicked on occasionally, but I will likely wait until Monday to begin burning. Day time temps will then be in the 40-50's with lows in the 30's. Last year we had issues with build up in the flue, and so our fire was not burning as efficiently when it was fairly cold out. Hopefully waiting a little longer to burn will help.
- I started going to a sports medicine doctor to help with my Achilles tendinitis. After a year of constant pain I gave up, and decided to spend some money to fix this ailment. It was restricting a lot of day to day life, and mentally I was struggling always being in pain. Usually I can deal with it, but this time not so much.
- I told my wife that we need to work on our marriage some more. I feel like since having kids we have become less connected as a couple. Growing up in a family where my parents did not have a great marriage and eventually divorced I think it is vitally important. I think we need to get the spark alive again for us, and to show our kids. I feel like we are so in the moment putting fires out, and just trying to survive day to day with 3 kids (5,2,NB) that we forget to take care of our relationship. I blocked off time on our calendar to talk over lunch, and hopefully we can start communicating, and then taking actionable steps to repair it.
I deleted some of the apps on my phone. Restricted completely the ability to listen to podcasts, and surf the web.
Why though?
Continuous learning is an admirable state. OTOH one should guard the gates to the mind.
Perhaps enumerating the reason for this restriction would help you regulate those behaviours while allowing for beneficial indulgence.
I'm trying to get into the habit of listening to podcasts but find it difficult. It is something to do on the side like when commuting or cooking but instead I find myself sitting glued in on some weekends forsaking other tasks when I find a topic of interest.
@fiby I find that I use my phone more for entertainment than actual learning. The few times I have tried to listen to something that had a lot of "information" I end up tuning it out, or having to re-listen to it multiple times. I'd rather read a physical book, or work at a computer. Typically using my phone ends up just being a distraction for me, and pulls me away from being in the moment with my family. I admit it is a flaw that I am not proud of, and am trying to change. Removing these apps basically turns my phone into a dumb phone without having to spend the money on one. Plus I still get to use apps like maps, calendar, facetime, weather, and mint which are actually useful and productive. I find that the peace and quiet while doing routine tasks around the house is quite enjoyable. It is almost a form of mediation for me, rather than always trying to fill every moment of your day with information. It reminds me what it was like growing up. I didn't have a phone until high school, and even then it was just talk and text. We were the last generation of kids to not have a smart phone I think we were much better off not having a device always on us. I am trying to push back on this trend as hard as possible for me, and for my kids. I worry for kids growing up having devices it doesn't seem to be a net positive.
HEALTH - Over the past few weeks I am really dedicating time and some money towards my mental and physical health. I realized I didn't have all the tools to fix myself so I surrounded myself with a "team". Luckily my work has some really low cost options, and we hit our deductible for the plan year so the cost has been minimal so far. I started seeing a therapist, physical therapist/chiropractor, and a health coach. Rather than brushing off and ignoring a lot of my issues I decided to take action. I always put things off due to cost or inconvenience, but I realize that was probably not the smartest idea long term. I need to tackle these issues head on, and really focus on my weaknesses. I put some of my existing big self-improvement goals on the back burner as I try to get myself right. So far I have seen some pretty good progress on healing my ankles, but it has required a lot of effort to get them just modestly better.
MONEY - I started canceling all my open credit card accounts. Over the past year we stopped using credit completely. We only use a debit card or cash for all purchases. I had already cut them up, but was still psychologically holding on to them by keeping the accounts active. I found since going this route I have been able to keep closer track of our spending, limited our frivolous purchases, and just made life simpler. Honestly it just feels good not to be a part of the system. No worrying about credit scores, loan payments, credit card interest, rewards.
Also, in other news MINT is shutting down their budget app. I haven't quite figured out what I am going to do since we used them to do our budget. We started budgeting together, and I think it really helped our communication in our marriage, and relieved some of my stress about her spending. I found even with the budget apps there were still a lot of manual adjustments needing to be made. I think I will probably just track things in an excel spreadsheet. It doesn't seem like a lot of free options are out there that won't require a lot of manual input so it will probably just be easier to use excel.
TRAVEL - We are heading to NH this weekend. My wife's side of the family rents a house in Conway every year so the kids can go to Santa's Village. It should be a fun time, but with a 2 month old, 3, and 5 year old it is going to be a lot of WORK! Hopefully the family helps out so we can relax some, or even do a few hikes.
READING - I finished up a few more Reacher books recently. I don't think I will finish the series this year it was a big goal to set. haha I ended up picking up two books at the library Salt, Sugar, Fat by Moss and the Obesity Code by Fung.
Salt, Sugar, Fat is pretty eye opening in how influential these large corporations are, and how they really just don't care about anything but the bottom line. Something has to change with the way these processed food companies are just packing everything with sugar, and then influencing our every purchasing decision. Since going low carb I am highly aware of the amount of sugar they are putting in just about every item in the grocery store and it is just sickening to see. Basically the only way to avoid this crap is to just stay in the fresh vegetable or meat section, and even then you can find it.
Over the years I've read a lot of weight loss books. It's is a very curious experience. They contradict each other and none work. The success rate for dieting is atrocious. Statistics say fewer than one in twenty people succeed at staying at the lower weight, and I don't know any of those.
Why is that? The books seem set up to fail. For example, some books recommend "self indulgence time" once a week. That means indulging in cakes, sweets or candy as a reward for following a diet. That encourages seeing sugar as a reward and the weekly doses keep you addicted. Replace "sugar" with "cocaine" and the cause of failure seems obvious.
Or take the various diets which cut down fat, carbs or protein. You can do this for a while and you will lose weight. But the diet becomes harder and harder to stick to and health problems appear. Sooner or later you quit the diet, the health problems go away, and your weight comes back. Now your body wants to prepare for a long period without carbs, or whatever it is that a low carb diet lacks, and you end up at a higher weight!
Another example is weight loss schedules. These force you to lose say 1 pound a week. But that's entirely unnatural. Your body is chaotic and can take weeks to prepare for a week of weight shedding. If you stick to a schedule, you starve your body when it is preparing for weight loss, and overeat when it is shedding weight! I'm now amazed that I ever thought a fixed number a week was natural.
Earlier this year I read Terrain Therapy. I was kind of desperate for new solutions so I stepped over my skepticism about religion. The book recommends fasting. This works very well for me. Really hoping that this method will allow me to stay at the lower weight.
@ertyu - The coaching typically helps you with diet and exercise plans. They are also there for accountability and motivation. In addition to that they gave me a free genetic test which was kind of cool. I mainly want to use them for accountability. Helps to have someone keep me on track especially during holidays.
@delay - it seems like fasting is all the rage right now for sure. Pretty much every podcast has something on it. I've tried a few times doing a 16 hour fast, and a 24 hour fast. I found sometimes I would eat too much after a fast.. I will keep it as a tool in my bag, but not sure it's going to be a regular thing for me. I definitely found it helpful if I have cheated on my diet I will fast the following day to get back on track.
Earlier this year I read Terrain Therapy. I was kind of desperate for new solutions so I stepped over my skepticism about religion. The book recommends fasting. This works very well for me. Really hoping that this method will allow me to stay at the lower weight.
I attempted some fasting the past two weeks. The tipping point to try fasting came after finishing the book the obesity code by Jason Fung. Initially I condensed my eating schedule to just 2 meals a day. Resulting in at least 16 hours from my final meal to my first meal of the day. I found this to be relatively painless and reduces my tendency to snack. It also has the added benefit of less groceries, cooking, and cleaning up. I also spent a week alternating 24 hours fasts. So eat normally, fast for 24 hours, eat normal, fast, etc.. The first few days weren't too bad but days 4 & 5 I found myself waking up fairly hungry so I ended up not fasting my final day. I think I will continue to only eat 2 meals a day, and try to mix in some 36 hour fasts occasionally. From what I have read it seems like you get maximum benefits when you exceed 24 hours. Overall I lost some weight, and mentally I felt pretty sharp. It was nice to take food off the table and redirect my focus to other things. I saw no real loss of energy, and was able to still lift weights as usual. It did help that it was a very busy week so not a lot of sitting around.
