This is the ultimate diet (really)

In my lifetime I have tried just about every health diet ever created. In just the last month I’ve tried two diets. In every case, the first day of the diet I notice a remarkable increase in energy and alertness. I tell all my friends what a fantastic diet it is. The next day, a little less energy and alertness. By the end of a week on the diet, I am back to the same energy and alertness levels as before starting the diet. Nonetheless, I continue the diet. By day 10 I feel worse than before the diet – less energy, less alertness, and sometimes even nausea. I feel like an idiot for boasting to my friends about what a great diet it is. Eventually I wise up and I jump onto the next diet. And the cycle starts all over again.

I have come to realize two important things:

1. My body adjusts shockingly fast to a new diet. It just takes 2 or 3 days for my body to fully adjust. Once adjusted, the improved energy and alertness levels fade rapidly.
2. My body loves change. Every time I change my diet I get a significant boost in energy and alertness.

What is the ultimate diet? The ultimate diet is one that constantly changes.

The best exercise and the best diet

Question: What is the best exercise?

Answer: The one you’ll do. That is, the one containing movements that you enjoy doing and can sustain doing over the months and years.

Question: What is the best diet?

Answer: The one you’ll do. That is, the one containing foods that you enjoy eating and can sustain doing over the months and years.

The three pillars of health – diet, exercise, and environmental training

A few extracts from the (excellent) book: What Doesn’t Kill Us: How Freezing Water, Extreme Altitude, and Environmental Conditioning Will Renew Our Lost Evolutionary Strength by Scott Carney

For at least half a century the conventional wisdom about maintaining good physical health has rested on the twin pillars of diet and exercise. While those are no doubt vital, there’s an equally important, but completely ignored, third pillar – environmental training.

Once you arrive at high altitude, your body automatically produces more red blood cells to compensate for lower oxygen saturation. Move to an oppressively hot environment and your body will sweat out fewer salts over time and produce lower volumes of urine. Heat will also stimulate your cardiovascular system to become more efficient and increase evaporation and cooling. Yet no environmental extreme induces as many changes in human physiology as the cold does.

A plunge into ice-cold water not only triggers a number of processes to warm the body, but also tweaks insulin production, tightens the circulatory system, and heightens mental awareness. A person actually has to get uncomfortable and experience that frigid cold if they want to initiate those systems.

Despite all of our technology, our bodies are just not ready for a world so completely tamed by our desire for comfort. Without stimulation, the responses that were designed to fight environmental challenges don’t always lie dormant. Sometimes they turn inward and wreak havoc on our insides. An entire field of medical research on autoimmune diseases suggests they originate from fundamental disconnect between the outside world and an under stimulated biology.

The first day of a 1000-day diet

Today I begin the first day of a 1000-day diet.
The diet is this: high fats, moderate protein,
ultra-low carbs (under 20 grams of carbs), no
processed foods, no artificial sweeteners, no
supplements except probiotics. About 80% fats,
19% protein, and 1% carbs.

3 things that I will never recommend

1. I will never recommend a particular diet (paleo, macrobiotic, raw foods, fruitarian, juicing, etc.)
2. I will never recommend a particular exercise program (weightlifting, running, yoga, etc.)
3. I will never recommend a particular book.

Why?

Because my views on these things are fluid, constantly changing. Today I am convinced that one diet/exercise program/book is “the ultimate truth” and the next day I realize it’s not. I have no idea what truth is. But I have a pretty good idea what kindness is, so instead of giving my version of truth to people, I will give them my kindness.

The body adapts quickly, so change often

Diets, just like exercise training programs,
work for a while but not forever.

— Jose Antonio, Ph.D.

54 point drop in cholesterol level in 3 months!

Last December I got a cholesterol test. I was shocked to see it at 187.

I determined to bring it down.

So, for the past 3 months I have been on an awesome diet. I’ve lost 13 pounds. I pull my belt buckle in another notch. My abs are ripped. I feel awesome.

Last Friday (April 2) I got another cholesterol test. Today I got the results: 133. Ha! My cholesterol dropped 54 points in 3 moths! Yippee!

Here’s how I did it:

Morning:

Freshly squeezed OJ

4 egg whites (hardboiled eggs, discard the yolk)

Brown rice

Lunch

Vegetable soup (homemade, made creamy using milk made with cashews)

Low-carb brownies

Dinner:

 Steamed boneless, skinless chicken

Frozen mixed vegetables

Fat-free yogurt