I shall return!

Well, I got out of the habit of posting here. Guess it's been about a month. I got behind, and then it's intimidating to think about filling in all the days I missed.

Screw that, I just want to get back on board here.

So, how/what have I been doing?

Well, I'm down to like 269 or so, so I've lost this last month. I have cheated a number of times however. A few times when visiting my Mom or Aunt- I guess I'm trying to hide my odd diet from them. A few times at social occasions. Twice when my friend bought me lunch for helping him move. My downfall is breaded chicken nuggets. Scenario, I am out and about, hungry, and chicken nuggets or chicken sounds good. With a diet pop. Also beans, some rice. Even a few cupcakes. But 95% of the time, grassfed meat all the way.

Well, I don't think that's good at all. I am trying to isolate things that affect my mood and losing weight is secondary really. I'm still convinced of a relationship between insulin insensitivity and ADD. I've been visiting a support group for ADD, and I really like it. Surprising number of overweight and diabetic people there. I saw a study that among grossly obese children, 60 % had ADD! Either ADD causes binging, binging causes ADD, or something else causes both. I think the root is insulin insensitivity. New studies show that occurs FIRST, and drives the person to obesity with food cravings. What causes the Insulin insensitivity?

Could it be aspartame? Could it be just sugar? Gluten? High fructose corn syrup? Could it be caffeine? I'm starting to really suspect the latter. Everything has caffeine in it. I notice that ADD'ers are big caffeine drinkers. It supposedly helps you focus. What if it's the opposite? Some studies show that caffeine restricts blood flow to the brain. 98% of children between 5 and 15 consume caffeine regularly in soft drinks, chocolate, etc. Dr. Atkins always held that caffeine contributed to insulin insensitivity. Could it be that simple? Caffeine restricts the body's absorption of zinc and magnesium. Deficiencies in both of those are associated with diabetes AND ADD!

So I'd like to continue this experiment. I've transitioned into an essentially low carb lifestyle, and it has become routine for me. Some gaps and holes, but overall pretty impressive. I want to continue, but tighten up even more. Meaning, NO fried chicken, chicken nuggets, diet pop, fast food, etc. I want to restrict vegetables and fruits especially, not so much because veges are bad, but just in the interest of isolating how diet can affect my mood, motivation, and mental clarity. Also, many veggies have salicylates, which according to Feingold could aggravate ADD. And my newest quest, NO CAFFEINE! I tried it before and it was brutal. Headaches, fatigue, and most disturbingly, loss of motor control in the morning. Stumbling and banging my head on the wall. But I intend to see this through. I quit everything else, drinking, smoking, all junk food. Time to continue this experiment.

So then, grassfed beef, oily line caught deep sea fish only. Nitrate free bacon and omega 3 eggs. And water. Flouride free, filtered water that is. Continue walking and possibly weights and stairmaster once a week. Oh, and lots of sleep in a dark room! According to a cool book I read, "lights out, sleep sugar and survival" by TS Wiley, carb hunger, fat gain and high blood sugar are controlled by long days of little sleep. So, as we go into winter, there aren't any carbs in nature anyway. Just meat and fat to burn, and long nights of sleep in the darkness. I've dark proofed my room, and started sleeping 10 hours a day. Dreaming much more, feeling rested. Still problems with motivation and getting to bed. Still depressed mood at times. Still not much of a drive to get out and meet women. Just the blahs. The sun and walking have been mood boosters, and it will be hard to match that with the end of the summer. Indoor tanning? Or just sleep away the winter like my paleolithic ancestors did?

Also, today is day 128. Four months. 308 to 268. Forty pounds weight loss. Blood pressure normalized. Haven't checked blood sugar lately, or lipid profile. Probably should do that soon as well. Another four months brings me to the cusp of Christmas. Winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. I'm going to start the numbering system back at day 1. A fresh start. A rebirth of this endeavor of mine, to change my body and my brain in unconventional ways.