January 17, 2012

Survival, Sex, and Money: Decision Making From the Cave to the Corner Office

By Fred

The deeper I get into the Primal and Paleo culture the more I want to learn what other surprises ‘Grok‘ has left for me to contend with in the 21st century.

How about altering my decision making process?

Recent research done at Arizona State University suggests that our moods – specifically when we face fear we operate from a space of self-preservation.The researchers demonstrated this by asking their participants to imagine being alone in a house on a dark night and hearing an intruder breaking in. When they were then asked how happy or unhappy it would make them to gain or lose $100 the researchers found that people became more loss averse (conservative) in their judgments compared to the control that was not given the break-in senario.

This shifted for men (but not for women) when the question was asked after the participant was put in a mating state of mind. They asked the same question after asking participants to imagine themselves having a romantic encounter with someone they found highly attractive. In this case loss aversion almost disappeared completely for men but not for women. From the researchers: ”For men in a mating frame of mind, loss aversion completely disappeared and they became more focused on wins than losses. For women, on the other hand, mating motivation led them to be even more loss averse, to focus less on possible gains and even more on the pain of loss.”

So what is the cost? The cost comes when we make bad decisions in times of stress. When our 21st century survival is at stake – picture investment decisions, job performance, and the like – we tend to operate from loss-aversion. This looks like taking a risk to try to not lose something we have and not risking to get something we want that we don’t have. For example, picture yourself out of work for 12 months and you get a job offer. The job is great but the money is not where you would like it, risking to get something is pressing the negotiation to get a better compensation package.

Loss aversion may have served to save Grok’s skin, but it may not have helped him win the evolutionary game as mating decisions were likely based in part on ability to provide which can be hampered by not taking the right risks.

My friend and mentor Dr. Bob Wright has a name for this – he calls it ‘Flipping on the Down’ and ‘Flipping on the Up’. Fast forward to present time. Given the choice to pay $1,000 or flip a coin with a 50/50 chance to pay $0 or pay $2,500 most people chose to flip. That is operating from loss aversion. It is far more effective to flip on the up, to step into a risk with a chance of gain. When it is good risk to make it better. When it is bad learn to pay the price and cut your losses.

And do it consciously because evolution is working against you.

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January 13, 2012

Our Hybrid Body

By Fred

Ketone

The body is a hybrid – it has two main fuel sources glucose and ketones. The modern human body will metabolize glucose from carbohydrates preferentially to meet its need for energy, rather than getting the needed energy from dietary or stored fat. In the absence of dietary carbohydrates (and once the glycogen stores in the liver have run out) the body draws on dietary fat (and fat stores) for fuel. In a process known as gluconeogenesis the liver converts protein to glucose using fat as fuel. A happy byproduct of this proces are ketones. When the body is fueling itself mostly from these ketones it is said to be in ketosis.

I have been in ketosis pretty much throughout my HCG diet. I think that a big part of the reason the diet works is because of the ketogenic metabolic process. As I am moving into transition off the diet my goal will be to keep my ketogenic state while I am increasing caloric intake – so more protein, more fat, and only a few more carbs. Certainly no starchy vegetables or (gasp) grains.

SO what exactly are ketones you ask? Ketones are water soluble fats that can be used as a source of energy for many (but not all) tissues including the muscles, brain and heart. The body can, in fact, use ketones for most of its energy needs. Ketones can replace glucose (sugar) in the brain. Ketones are preferred (over glucose) as fuel for the heart; the heart operates 28% more efficiently when powered by ketones.

As I mentioned above, the minimal glucose that the body does need is created by gluconeogenesis from protein. In the case of a person who is limiting both carbohydrates and protein the needed protein is found by depleting muscle mass – no bueno. Include sufficient dietary protein and bingo, you have an efficient fat burning machine. Notice I said sufficient; sufficient ≠ excessive. In ketosis the body will be using dietary protein for two main purposes: repair and maintenance of body tissue and gluconeogenesis. Whatever protein is not needed for tissue repair will be converted to glucose, if it is more glucose than your body needs then your body will begin burning it for fuel instead of your fat (ketones). If it is WAY too much then your body will begin storing it as fat.

So, how do you know if you are in ketosis?  The gold standard is a ketone blood test. They can be given using a ketone blood meter - picture a glucose blood meter used by diabetics only with a different test medium. I haven’t tried one, though I am considering it in order to get a better understanding of what level of ketones in my blood works best in my body. If you just want to know if you are in ketosis (producing ketones) then a urine test is the fastest, easiest, and most cost effective. A bottle of ketone test strips (like the Ketostix pictured) is usually $10 to $15 for about 50 strips. It may seem obvious, but the strips will test for presence of ketones in the urine – not in the blood. Ketones that are not used (burned) in the body can be excreted by many body processes sweat, breath, and yes, urine. Keep in mind that a deeper color on the test strip is not necessarily indicative of more ketones in the blood. If you are in a period of burning lots of ketones (like after exercise) then you may only show a trace. It is best to think of the strips as more of an on/off indicator than a speedometer..  If you want to get an exact level then you are going to need a blood test.

I’m not sure how long I want to maintain the ketogenic state. At the moment the goal would be somewhere between ‘whatever time it takes for me to reach my goal weight’ on the short end to ‘indefinitely’ on the long end.  For purposes of a short answer I’d like to see how it feels after about six months.

Have any of you tried a ketogenic diet for an extended period of time?  Thoughts?  Impact?  I’d love to hear about other’s experiences.

-namaste

 

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January 9, 2012

HCG and Me: How I (Twice) Lost 35 lbs in 5 Weeks

By Fred

There has been a lot of news lately about the HCG diet, and most of it has not been positive. Now, I know how to lose weight without injecting hormones and eating a 500 calorie diet for six weeks. In fact a few years back I dropped 110 lbs in a about 14 months by cutting carbs/sugar and exercising 6-10 times per week. But I wanted a shock to my system; a wake-up call; and for better or worse fast results.

Now, granted, there aren’t a lot of double-blind controlled studies on the effectiveness of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in weight loss.  What I can tell you is that for me it just flat worked. I first did the protocol for six weeks in July and August 2011 and dropped 35 lbs. I started a second round of the protocol on December 5th, 2011 and have dropped 34.6 lbs in the last 5 weeks.

Regrettably, I went back to eating my SAD for the time between August and December so some (but not all) of my 70 lb weight loss is overlap.

Keeping in mind the fact I am not a doctor (and everything else listed in our medical disclaimer) I can offer the following from my experience.

  • Do it with a doctor. There is no way I would have wanted to do this on my own.  I know people who have, and they have been fine and lost weight, but I just liked the certainty of having my progress monitored by a trained professional. I did mine through the Raby Institute Drs. Lik and Margiotta are great. They offer a lot of great advice and support. And most importantly they keep track of my vitals as my body is going through this very stressful period. It is a compound change – severe calorie restriction, inclusion of hormone injections,  and a loss of 15% of my body weight. Can’t underestimate the value of having a qualified third party monitor your progress.
  • Be certain of what you are putting in your body. One big reason behind the negative press HCG has received is the dubious quality of ‘HCG’ procured online. This is another great reason to do it under medical supervision. My HCG was assembled by a legitimate compounding pharmacy. No doubt about what I am injecting in myself.
  • Be certain of what you are putting in your body. This is worth repeating… it goes both for the HCG and the food you eat during the protocol (and after). On the protocol you are limited to a 500 calorie diet of lean meats, non-starchy vegetables, and certain fruits. As you can imagine the portions are small (less than 3.5 oz per serving of each). Focus on quality when buying food.  I buy pasture raised chicken, grass fed beef, organically grown fruits and veggies – anyone who can afford the diet can afford to make sure the food they eat is high-quality. Fat stores more than energy, it is also where the body stores toxins. The fewer toxins you consume during the protocol the better you will feel.
  • Drink lots of water. One ounce for every two pounds of body weight is a good target. Be nice to your liver as it is processing all those toxins.
  • Make this the start of a life change, not a quick fix. This was the lynchpin of my losing some of the weight twice.  I enjoyed the quick success, thought I had it knocked out, and went right back to eating the way I did before hand. I am not sure what the right way to eat is, but I have a pretty good idea what it is not — SAD. The HCG diet comes with a 30 day transition plan. The idea is to set a new baseline for your body. The transition diet is very Primal/Paleo friendly, so that is what I am planning on trying first. Transition starts for me Sunday, Jan 15th; look for a post soon talking about what I am eating in transition and beyond.

~namaste

 

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December 31, 2011

…to live more from intent and less from habit.

By Fred

Once, when I was visiting my dad in my late 20′s I needed  to run out to grab a few things. I got in my car, pulled out, and 10 minutes later I parked my car. Only I wasn’t at the mall, I was in the parking lot of my old high school – a place I hadn’t regularly visited for almost 10 years.

Earlier this month I turned 35; my big realization in this is that I have spent most of my ife in autopilot.  For 2+ years I would leave home in the morning and drive myself to school. Early in the morning, late at night for events, on the weekends.  The route was engrained in my mind; habit. So much so that when distracted I simply drove to the  destination my brain had most associated with my point of origin.

Much of my life has been lived in that way.  I eat the way I eat by habit. I (try to) sleep 5 to 7 continuous hours each night by habit. Dress, habit. Workout, habit. Even my thoughts, feelings, and reactions are mostly habit. In some cases the habits have served me well — I am a highly functioning, successful professional. In other ways not so much.

Much of the last month I have been reading, researching, and tracking. I can’t know what is ‘better’ without a baseline, so I am adopting a number of tools from the quantified self movement.

As cliche as making a change on New Years Eve may be, this is the day I decide to live my life more from intent and less from habit.  The goal is to live my life as effectively as possible. To optimise my health, performance, relationships by intentionally choosing my actions.

Uncertain road ahead; lots of experimentation required. I am not even quite sure what I will be tweaking or how. Some of my priorities are:

  • Nutrition/Body Composition
  • Fitness
  • Sleep

I will make some posts in the next few days sharing my present state in these areas and how I intend to start my tweaking.

I am excited that some people are going to follow along with me. Please feel free to try stuff yourself and let me know how it works for you. If you have had experiences with some of the things I am going to do I’d love to hear them…use the comments section liberally. Please remember the following: I am not an expert, nor am I a medical professional in any way. Please read the site terms and disclaimers (especially the medical disclaimer). Your use of this site (ie reading it) indicates your understanding and acceptance of them. Also, please keep all comments friendly and positive. Rude, inappropriate, mean, and generally negative comments will not be tolerated.

I hope you enjoy.

~namaste

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