Runenights Musings

[Runenight201]

What a day it’s been! I think it’s been the best day so far in terms of energy and mood. If every day proceeds as today, than I think I’ve made it to the other side! I had transferred gyms, and one of my co-workers remarked at how much she enjoyed my personality and energy. If only she knew how depressed, anxious, and boring I’d once been!

My day started off not so great, but it was in these errors I made that I was able to then ascend to such high levels of energy! I had a breakfast of oatmeal, made with milk, oats, butter, and maple syrup. I chased with oj. I did feel very good from this, and I began working on my nutrition philosophy that I am condensing into a body of work. The euphoria was short lived, as after 30 minutes it became difficult to concentrate, as my stomach was sending signals of discomfort. I decided to drink some grape juice, and like clockwork, I was hit with so much fatigue and de-motivation! I was forced to go sleep it off for 1.5 hours. I am now certain that an excess of fruit does a body no good.

Upon waking, I was hungry, so i ate 3 eggs fried in butter. I drank cola on top of the eggs and felt quite good. I was in a time constraint to prepare all my food before having to leave for work, but I had such clear focus and confidence that I could handle the task. Like a machine I cooked up my veggies (mushrooms, onions, garlic, lard), made my rice, loaded my bag, took a shower, changed into my uniform, made my bed, cleaned the dishes, and made it to work with not even a minute to spare!

While at the gym, I went on an odd ~6 hour sugar fast. I just kept drinking cola and this odd Herbalife Gaurana tea with honey, and to be honest I felt ******* great. I was so social and energetic. I saw people as human beings that I wanted to interact with. Make laugh. Share a smile. Give any help I could. My Spanish fluency was remarkably improved (damn my parents for not granting me that gift!), and I was shifting in between languages with ease.

Eventually I could tell I needed solid nutrition. So I ate 2 eggs, 1/4 lb beef, veggies, rice, lard soup, and I was flooded with well-being and strength. The lard soup assists so much with the digestion of starch, I do not think I can ever eat rice without it ever again. I drank more cola on top of that, then had coffee,milk, maple syrup, and then some Yerba mate with honey, and here I am, just still feeling great. I strength trained, played some music, and made more progress on my nutrition work. Probably going to have some oatmeal and then go to bed. For once I feel like my hunger isn’t insatiable, and my energy has been on point. Unsure entirely what I’m to do with this nutrition “book” I am writing. It definitely isn’t going to be long, and I’ll probably just dish it out here for free, as I’ve got people at the gym asking me what the **** I’m doing since they like my energy, strength, and physique, and are willing to pay me money to help them out. They are a different audience though, mainly seeking to achieve a nicer body. I don’t know what we are all here, all I know is that most of us have suffered and been through a lot of poor health, and so if my approach helps anyone out, that’d be cool. It will probably be too vague and hippie for the hardcore scientists here (just meditate and listen to your body man!), and I definitely probably have some bull**** beliefs that aren’t entirely accurate, but I don’t bother too much with that anymore. Maybe I should, but what is truth besides that which works, and it seems to be working for me!

 

[Cirion]

I have to be honest, your post makes me green with envy, and I know thats my hypothyroid brain speaking but still. I hate you. In a very loving way =P

You remind me of how I felt 2 years ago when I was actually healthy. I was very vibrant like you are now. Sometimes I feel like I will never achieve it again--since I'm super fat and lethargic almost every day nowadays. But I suppose that's also my hypothyroid brain thinking... so I will be interested to see your book...

Interesting that you seem to be breaking from the mainstream Peatists here and saying sugar is not so good for you beyond a small amount, so I'm curious to see your full thoughts on this.

For me personally, I need a vast sum of carbohydrates to feel functional, and other macronutrients don't do this for me. That said, I've also found that sugar does have a fall-off point of benefits. Its just for me, I find the # to be larger than you haha. I easily get 600-700 gram sugar a day. I am making an attempt to at least slightly increase sustenance foods though, like meat. Especially since I'm trying to heal my liver, which needs protein. Also b-vitamins. So I'm using Energin now, also nutritional/brewers yeast.

If you had to guess, how much sugar do you get a day nowadays?

It sounds like you're almost eating only protein and fats and starches and just using sugar as a little supplemental addition, rather than many folk here that use sugar as a bulk of calories. I think it kind of makes sense. Sugar does seem like the gas pedal/kindling to metabolism, and more "sustenance" foods like protein, fats and starches seem like the fuel. If I go too long without actual sustenance, I feel empty and lacking and spacey, but if I go too long without sugar, I start to feel heavy, lethargic and brain foggy. Lets be honest, a lot of people here are failing badly on the Peat diet which for most is super rich in sugar. Maybe its time to rethink things. There's a reason why even most alternative doctors don't allow their patients to go overboard with sugar, even if its from fruit. I should perhaps add, that when I was healthy 2yr ago I was pounding glucose hardcore (but not sugar/fructose). It seems like glucose is healthier in large dosages than fructose. And there are definitely lots of studies that show fructose in excess is injurious to the liver. Keep in mind the liver max glycogen storage is 150g. So if you pound stupid amounts of fructose, the liver freaks out because it can only store so much.

That said, I believe haidut posted a study some time back that showed carbs in the absence of protein is indeed problematic, and carbs alone can raise serotonin. I think that's probably true. So as long as some protein is in the gut, sugar carbs shouldn't be raising serotonin. I have noticed from your logs that usually you only get into trouble when you have carbs alone, so thats why I mention this. Like one time you mentioned you hit up just apple juice and OJ or something after a workout then crashed, and recovered after having yogurt (protein). And this time you mention you crashed after just having grape juice alone. I think I am noticing a trend here. You basically seem to be proving the principles of correct food combining. I found out this evening, that if you eat a sufficiently large amount of protein, you can last longer without needing to dose more protein, which might explain how you went on a 6 hr sugar fast later, presumably because the big protein meal is still in the gut and preventing serotonin release from a pure carb meal t hereafter for a few hrs. But then you felt the "lacking sustenance" feeling that I Just described, and went for solid foods.

 

[Runenight201]

I have to be honest, your post makes me green with envy, and I know thats my hypothyroid brain speaking but still. I hate you. In a very loving way =P

You remind me of how I felt 2 years ago when I was actually healthy. I was very vibrant like you are now. Sometimes I feel like I will never achieve it again--since I'm super fat and lethargic almost every day nowadays. But I suppose that's also my hypothyroid brain thinking... so I will be interested to see your book...

Interesting that you seem to be breaking from the mainstream Peatists here and saying sugar is not so good for you beyond a small amount, so I'm curious to see your full thoughts on this.

For me personally, I need a vast sum of carbohydrates to feel functional, and other macronutrients don't do this for me. That said, I've also found that sugar does have a fall-off point of benefits. Its just for me, I find the # to be larger than you haha. I easily get 600-700 gram sugar a day. I am making an attempt to at least slightly increase sustenance foods though, like meat. Especially since I'm trying to heal my liver, which needs protein. Also b-vitamins. So I'm using Energin now, also nutritional/brewers yeast.

If you had to guess, how much sugar do you get a day nowadays?

It sounds like you're almost eating only protein and fats and starches and just using sugar as a little supplemental addition, rather than many folk here that use sugar as a bulk of calories. I think it kind of makes sense. Sugar does seem like the gas pedal/kindling to metabolism, and more "sustenance" foods like protein, fats and starches seem like the fuel. If I go too long without actual sustenance, I feel empty and lacking and spacey, but if I go too long without sugar, I start to feel heavy, lethargic and brain foggy. Lets be honest, a lot of people here are failing badly on the Peat diet which for most is super rich in sugar. Maybe its time to rethink things. There's a reason why even most alternative doctors don't allow their patients to go overboard with sugar, even if its from fruit. I should perhaps add, that when I was healthy 2yr ago I was pounding glucose hardcore (but not sugar/fructose). It seems like glucose is healthier in large dosages than fructose. And there are definitely lots of studies that show fructose in excess is injurious to the liver. Keep in mind the liver max glycogen storage is 150g. So if you pound stupid amounts of fructose, the liver freaks out because it can only store so much.

That said, I believe haidut posted a study some time back that showed carbs in the absence of protein is indeed problematic, and carbs alone can raise serotonin. I think that's probably true. So as long as some protein is in the gut, sugar carbs shouldn't be raising serotonin. I have noticed from your logs that usually you only get into trouble when you have carbs alone, so thats why I mention this. Like one time you mentioned you hit up just apple juice and OJ or something after a workout then crashed, and recovered after having yogurt (protein). And this time you mention you crashed after just having grape juice alone. I think I am noticing a trend here. You basically seem to be proving the principles of correct food combining. I found out this evening, that if you eat a sufficiently large amount of protein, you can last longer without needing to dose more protein, which might explain how you went on a 6 hr sugar fast later, presumably because the big protein meal is still in the gut and preventing serotonin release from a pure carb meal t hereafter for a few hrs. But then you felt the "lacking sustenance" feeling that I Just described, and went for solid foods.

It’s all good man. If you’ve been that way before than it’s possible to get back there. Definitely trust your instincts and do what feels right. It takes one day of correct eating to reverse the trend and send things in the right direction.

I keep the sugar intake high, just not so much from fruits. Fruits fill the stomach, which is fine in appropriate amounts, but once the stomach is full, and then more fruit is added on top of that, the body is unable to handle that added fuel and shuts down, which is what I’m assuming happened to me yesterday. This morning I went on a run and then re-fueled with coffee/milk/maple syrup, cola, and oj with sugar, so fruit juice isn’t out of the diet, I just have to be careful to the extent I consume it.

Pure sugar gives this high that I feel in my brain. It’s the center region right above the center of my tongue that gets lit up every time I have a cola or coffee/tea with sugar. This is what makes me feel very good and euphoric, and I try to make sure that region always stays “lit” up. When that region isn’t activated, I feel my mood and happiness drop, and I instinctively go after the drinks to re-light it up.

Im able to focus much better when this region is activated. ADD dissipates, and if I have to focus on a task I can. Before, so many thoughts would enter in whenever I attempted to focus on anything, even a conversation, and it prevented me from accomplishing anything!

If i had to guess, I’m probably intaking 200-300 grams of pure sugar a day. Then maybe 100 grams of rice and 100 grams of fruit. The stomach sends signals of hunger, but it doesn’t know anything besides lack of substance. The brain is what is able to perceive mood, energy, and mental clarity. So if the stomach sends hunger, but the brain is de-energized and depressed, sugar comes and satiates the stomach and raises the spirits! When the stomach is hungry, brain is energized, but body is weak, in comes meat, eggs, rice, and soup, to provide strength and nourishment!

 

[Cirion]

Cool so basically it sounds like you get around 500 gram total carb a day? That's what studies show is the threshold for De Novo Lipogenesis (ie, the fall-off of benefits for carbs).

Yeah you make a good point, there's seemingly two different types of hungers, i agree. But it's still hard to properly work with sometimes. For example i woke up early this morning, felt hungry (stomach growling) so I decided to have some bacon w/ a quick swig of OJ. Big mistake. Went back to bed, woke up a few hr later and felt like a TRAIN wreck, like, literally the most hypothyroid in months, horrible. What do you think my mistake was? I guess I should have had a lot more carbs/sugar with the bacon?

Today I'm doing a little better (after my early morning gaffe). I hate to admit it, but I think I was not only protein st arved but also fat starved. I had a nice burger with fries (and of course a coke) going out to lunch w/ coworkers and noticed I was a lot more talkative and confident when talking to the coworkers, using a lot of complex hand gestures and everything. Then later I saw some sushi and decided it looked good and wanted it, in the past I would just say I can't cuz its processed food, well this time I said screw it and bought it and ate it anyway, felt pretty good after. Definitely better than from straight rice. I made straight white rice with nothing added today and realized I just don't want it, so I didn't. The sushi had some fat (nothing crazy, but I definitely could feel the fat calming me down, excess carbs just excites me and probably releases lots of stored body fats).

I'm just trying to figure out how not to get fat with dietary fat in my diet because historically I have literally an infinite appetite (I can often easily eat 6,7,8000 calories a day when fat is in my diet) which is why I'm so afraid to follow Kelj's "eat whatever you want" approach, as I'm already over 100 lbs overweight.

 

[Cirion]

So, not to hijack your thread again with another post... but I think you're onto something man.

This evening I have been trying to really be aware of my body signals

Brain fog? -> Coke, brain fog gone
Hungry? -> Eggs, yogurt, sushi, beef ---> Queue brain fog (Due to protein lowering blood sugar ---> Coke, brain functioning again..

... Rinse repeat....

Right now because my body is so eff'd, this brainfog/hungry cycle seems to be happening a lot, but now that I'm aware of it, maybe I can finally start to make some progress here...

 

[Runenight201]

Haha dude the one thing I’m certain of is that becoming hyper-aware of your bodily states is the best way to optimal health.

Even today it seems like I’ve completely changed up my eating habits. I’ve had a large amount of grains, soup, and soda and feel good. Not super high energy like yesterday, but my strength is at an all time high, and my hands are so warm. Pretty good cognitive functioning. My stomach is happy and flat as well, and I don’t really feel much bloat. My hair is probably the best it’s been in a while and my face has lost some consistent bloat and greasiness. No doubt the vegetable broth is a crucial ingredient towards proper digestion of starch for me.

I think your mistake was bacon. I recall one time I ate bacon and I got so tired I missed a soccer game I had committed too with a friend. He was pissed but there was no way I could’ve played I was drained.

Im back to being unsure about meat again
The grains fill me up and give me satiety and energy, as well as strength and comfort. I particularly like barley. I ate that today with my soup and it was quite satisfying. When I have multiple consistent days of eating the same way then I will assert my dietary philosophy with confidence :)

 

[Cirion]

Man, I feel your pain.

I just want a simple diet I can follow every day for the rest of my life and at most, maybe increase or decrease portion sizes as needed but ot herwise... I want to get my health on autopilot... so let me know when you figure out "The Foods (tm)" to eat lol. Im so tired of being OCD about diet, I want to get it and be done with it so I can actually live my life ya'know? Don't get me wrong, I like food and eating enjoyable food is nice, but life is not all about food, or it shouldn't be. I'd eat literally one food for the rest of my life it that resulted in optimal health though, so for me, the optimal health part matters more than anything else.

I think there might at least need to be a rotation of one, two, or three days to get enough variety, realistically, I don't see how you can do the exact same foods each and every day. But hopefully you or I find it... lol. In the book "Cracking the Metabolic Code" thats what they say - you should keep foods on a 3-4 day rotation. They claim in the book its to avoid getting allergies to your food, but I don't really buy that, but I can buy the idea of wanting to have complete nutrition by mixing things up.

So, I did have bacon in my burger earlier today and it didn't affect me too bad, maybe because it was not by itself. It really seems like the answer in nutrition is not only the right foods, at the right time, but also in the right context (mixed with the other correct foods). Mono-meals are not only boring, but they seem to not really promote optimal health. At the very least I am finding you need at least two ingredients in a meal for it to work right...

Dang, yeah if bacon affects you that badly no wonder lol. I felt like utter dog **** this morning from the bacon, but luckily some coke and popping a couple pieces of caffeinated chewing gum made me (almost) normal lol

 

[Runenight201]

So today was an interesting day. I started out eating primarily grains, teas, vegetables, and sugar, and while my stomach was happy, I could feel my strength waning, and I started to feel exhausted and a lack of motivation.

Eventually I drank a whole load of milk and I felt my strength return, as well as my sociability and comraderie with the members at the gym. I met my friend at another gym to purchase some circus tickets, and it was here that he offered me some Herbalife drink that is essentially a Gatorade with less sugar and vitamin C and E.

This drink made me feel so good, it was something else. I could feel my intelligence boosting as I was able to speak Spanish so much more effectively. Tracking conversations became much easier, and I became more expressive with my ideas and inserting myself more into conversations.

What I do know now is that both times I felt amazing was after consuming Herbalife products. I tried their protein supplement but I felt some brain fog and inability to properly socialize ensue after consuming it, so I don’t think that’s a good product, but I do know that their h3o product would be something I could drink all the time. It’s just so expensive, so now I’m on the hunt for a similar product at a cheaper price point. There’s something to an electrolyte replacement solution + vitamins + sugar that I think is super potent. I’ve lost my taste for pure sugar on its own as I can feel how subpar it is compared to this h3o product. It’s like soda provides a high that makes me feel good but does nothing for my intellect, where as h3o does both. I want more. I want to drink that stuff all day every day.

I had a dinner of eggs and milk, and while I feel alright, I can tell that h30 would put me over the top...for now I have to deal with boring old water. For now that will do until I sort out this whole electrolyte multivitamin hydration deal...

Oh yea, I’ve been vegetarian for 2 days now. We’ll see how long it lasts, but I do know that it’s just doesn’t digest nearly as well as compared with rice, veggies, eggs, and milk.

 

[Cirion]

What is this h30 stuff? Have you tried hydrogen water? I've heard a few people raving about it. There's also structured water, which some claim is really good for you as well.

Noooo, don't go vegetarian LOL. I already learned that's not ideal =P

 

[Cirion]

. ignore this post sorry

 

[dwide]

Gonna be following along here. I agree that an intuitive approach is best. Way better than following some guru's recommendations blindly. Dr Peat has some good advice, but if I tried to follow all of it to the T I'd still be feeling like garbage all the time. But Peat has "advice" for that too: it's "Perceive, Think, Act", right??

I seem to be reaching a lot of the same conclusions as you. Getting enough calories, along with enough fat, enough protein, and enough carbs, all seem important. Fruit is generally problematic for me, with a few exceptions, but sucrose is fine. Keeping a higher starch:sugar ratio seems important too.

+1 on the meat+cola combo. And +1 on lard as well. I'm using pastured lard for the majority of my added fats these days and it seems to be going well, better than tallow or butter for me ATM.

 

[Runenight201]

At every moment, there’s a read. Scan, guess, simulate, implement, observe.

The incorrect solutions fill the room, but the correct one hides in the back.

They are a nuisance, those incorrect ones. Confuse the mind and poison the body. A false comfort they provide, nourishment but at a cost.

But the correct one, how she nourishes perfectly, so that every tissue in the body pulsates with life.

I yearn for the way, but how difficult it is to follow. Everything clouds it. But in it is true health and well-being.

How much longer will it take? How much time have I spent? I reach a peak, only to stumble down a valley. I bask in the sun, only to be rained upon.

“Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened to you.”

Let us all find, and have the doors opened to us.

 

[SOMO]

I prefer chicken thighs, wings or drum sticks over burgers, but prefer ground beef over chicken.

Pork trumps all other meat in terms of taste IMO, even though it’s probably not healthy.

 

[managing]

At every moment, there’s a read. Scan, guess, simulate, implement, observe.

The incorrect solutions fill the room, but the correct one hides in the back.

They are a nuisance, those incorrect ones. Confuse the mind and poison the body. A false comfort they provide, nourishment but at a cost.

But the correct one, how she nourishes perfectly, so that every tissue in the body pulsates with life.

I yearn for the way, but how difficult it is to follow. Everything clouds it. But in it is true health and well-being.

How much longer will it take? How much time have I spent? I reach a peak, only to stumble down a valley. I bask in the sun, only to be rained upon.

“Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened to you.”

Let us all find, and have the doors opened to us.

That's some Neil Peart level poetry right there.

 

[corvetteseeker]

@Runenight201 - I really appreciate all your insights and like @Cirion I have a healthy jealousy for what you are doing.

The problem that I've found with emulating your intuitive approach is that all the foods that give me good energy and sustenance do not lead to a healthy weight for me personally and in fact some of the most pro energy/sustenance foods lead to consistent weight gain. Conversely, many of the foods that lead to weight loss either don't give good energy or result in poor sleep.

For example, I do terribly with eggs and dairy as far as energy goes but cottage cheese and eggs are 2 of the foods that produce the most weight loss for me. But it's a no go and it doesn't matter what I eat them with. They either wreck my energy or sleep or cause frequent urination or some combo of all three.

On the flipside, 2 of the only nights in recent memory where I slept well, I ate hearty helpings of oatmeal, bread and olive oil. I also feel good eating these things. But then sure enough, there was significant weight gain the next morning. Any time I eat almost any starch, I get this effect.

I would love nothing more than to follow your philosophy and I think I have a good handle on what foods would give me the best energy/sustenance/sleep but the problem is I am not about to buy a new wardrobe because I am already at my highest weight ever and it's already gone too far.

When I had an active job in a factory, I was able to eat intuitively no problem but as soon as I went to a desk job, that's when I was no longer to eat intuitively without gaining weight and that's when all my health problems started.

No eggs, dairy or starch sort of puts me in a really tough place.

 

[Cirion]

@corvetteseeker same here man. Take last night for example--I got some sourdough bread and had a bunch of it with butter. I noticed in the moment my mood improved, but in my head I was afraid because of all the fat in particular. Sure enough the next morning I felt so bad that I had to take a half sick day today. And gained weight. What's crazy is that I probably could have eaten more. Every bit more I ate made my cognition improve more, so intuitively I would have not stopped eating it. My weight would have been even worse, my mood even worse etc if I had though.

I think our bodily intuition is less broken when we're not fat and metabolically broken. I can't trust my intuition when I'm unwell though. Many foods do indeed provide temporary pleasure, but then provide long-term pain (weight gain, further metabolic dysfunction). This is why I don't believe that Gwyneth Olywn stuff..

 

[corvetteseeker]

@Cirion

That's brutal, man, wow, I am so sorry you're in such a predicament. See, if I had that same meal, I would feel really satisfied and probably sleep pretty well and feel good the next day - but gain weight. Butter doesn't destroy me like the dairy protein does.

You have a lot more patience with me though. I'm going to try a couple more tweaks but if nothing results in good energy and sleep and weight loss I am most likely going back to fasting. Want to talk me off the ledge? hahaha

 

[corvetteseeker]

patience *than me

 

[Runenight201]

There’s a state that I get into, where my stomach is perfectly satiated, my brain happy, my muscles strong, and my mood is good. Hitting all these criteria is a balancing act with all the different foods I have available, and I’m often dosing different foods here and there to ensure that I stay optimal.

When I initially began this eating approach, I erred in many ways, such as chasing pure energy, which made me feel great, but made me lose so much strength. Then I would prioritize strength, only to lose all my energy (do those carnivore/Keto people actually feel good?? I’ve only ever felt like garbage!)

I think it’s helpful to combine food in a myriad of different ways, and observe the resultant states that arise from them. I pretty much know now how every food will make me feel, and whenever I find myself feeling unoptimal, i run the simulations in my head, eventually landing on the correct foods to bring me back. Earlier on I would often be wrong, but as of late I’ve become more and more correct.

I’ve only been able to find the foods that work for me by:

1) Experimenting with every damn food in the grocery store and combining them in every way that I could see fit. I’ve drunk straight butter and I’ve put lard in coffee. All sorts of spices, all sorts of sauces.

2) Observing how I feel in response to each food and each food combination. My eating sessions are meditative. I place my full attention on my body, appetite, and mind. As I eat I observe, and I make any changes as needed. More salt? Veggies? Meat? Dairy? Sugar? Eggs? Starch? Etc....

I used to force food, but I know now that’s incorrect. The optimal food to consume is a true joy to eat. The body wants the nutrition! It craves and seeks it! But you may be stuck in what you think is an optimal state, but is actually not optimal! If you were to only experience what true well-being is, then you would more and more make correct decisions to seek out that feeling! What is well-being? That which warms the hands, raises the energy, opens the eyes, lights up the brain, strengthens the muscles, provides the, Yes! I can and I will!

If the food that “nourishes” leads to weight gain or other eventual unoptimal states, than it is not the correct food. There’s a better combo out there, it just needs to be discovered.

Today was a good day. Not the manic energy that showed itself in an earlier post (give props to Herbalife stims for that one!), but one of calm, clear energy and strength. I like feeling this way. It’s not overly expressive, but it’s also not depressed, it’s the middle way. I did not error egregiously today, and this is what my diet consisted of:

Breakfast: 3 eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, garlic, oj, water

Lunch: rice, broccoli, mushrooms, onions, cola, coffee

2nd lunch: milk, beef, cheese, French bread, cola, coffee

Meal 4: French bread, cheese

Meal 5 (post gym): Gatorade, peanut butter, milk

Meal 6: French bread, cheese, hot sauce

Meal 7: tbd....it may just be some oj and bananas.

 

[Runenight201]

Been waking up at 3am consistently for the past couple nights. Something’s off. When this usually happens I eat, stay awake for a couple hours, then go back to sleep. Today I have work in the early am, which means I will be forced to stay awake, which certainly is a stressor, which I may have to deal with through stimming myself out. This means I’ll feel great until I burn out usually right at the end of my shift, when I’ll eat and feel like i was hit with a ten pound sack of bricks!

I’ve been vegetarian for the past couple days, mainly because I didn’t like how meats been digesting. However, this inability to sleep through a whole night clearly indicates that it’s not working out, and it can’t be due to insufficient energy intake, as I literally ate the biggest plate of rice, veggies, and fruit juice before heading to bed. Funnily enough, this supper literally forced me asleep, as my stomach was so taxed from all the starch and fruit juice!

However, in my failure I have found a potential solution. As I lay awake at 3am wondering how the hell I erred, i began running the food algorithms. I decided that I was gonna have some damn animal flesh, and thawed out some fish. Normally I put salt on my meat, but I could sense how it felt wrong this time. Instead I put LEMON JUICE on the fish and it tasted and digested GREAT. I then decided to just squeeze another lemon, dilute with water, and drink it. Felt AMAZING. I should note I also had a banana, and some oranges. My brain was and is on the trail end of feeling very happy. My thoughts were rapid firing in succession. Very positive, very logical. Like an analytical robot, reviewing my social interactions from the day before, where I had sinned, and where I had done well.

With the recent mass shootings, i started to feel the negativity of the events shift my emotional states downwards, but I was able to quickly think myself out of that negative shift through the sheer improbability of ever encountering such a scene. I have a higher chance of getting killed, mugged, wrecked, or beaten just going about my daily life in an American city! There are ideas and events worth the emotional investment, but they are not always aligned with what the media would like you to have!

I’m going to start putting lemon juice on everything now. Clearly the vitamin C is beneficial, but oranges also have them, and they don’t make me feel the same as the lemon! Something about the sour punch, that knocks the brain into subordination. The stomach discomfort quells, and a warm sensation of pleasure and satisfaction emanates from its cavity. The remedy I have been seeking all along! How an upset stomach prevents one from entering into flow states. A sign of good health, the ability to focus for periods on end! Yesterday, I was reading Emerson, and I couldn’t help but get distracted by my stomach every minute or so, what a travesty! Give me some lemon and a day and I bet I could finish whole essays!