Mark Haub, a professor at Kansas State University, did an interesting kind of vegetarian diet. All he did was eat Twinkies, Doritos, and Oreos for 10 weeks. He lost 27 pounds. His BMI went from 29 (one point away from obese) to under 25 (almost in the "healthy" range). Further, his LDL ("bad" cholesterol) and triglycerides went down, while his HDL ("good" cholesterol) went up. I think the point he wanted to prove is that if you eat fewer calories than you burn you'll lose weight. But what I love about this experiment is that it highlights much of the short-sightedness in nutrition. It would be easy for someone to conclude "this is a great weight loss strategy!"

 

But we have to look deeper (as well as further out). He restricted himself to 1800 calories (down from 2600). Weight loss doesn't necessarily equal fat loss. How much of Mark's weight loss was lean body mass vs fat? Further, starvation (and malnutrition) is not a long term strategy. What would happen if he continued this diet beyond 10 weeks...for 10 months or 10 years?

Spoiler: I can tell you his health (and body composition) would crater. There is a big difference between "short term weight loss / health marker improvements" and "long term body composition sustainability / actual long term health." Because most people are overweight or obese, they do appear to get "healthier" with any improvements in body composition, even if it's eating Twinkies.  

 

 

Here's what some of the latest research says:

 

I have the most fun when I think of any endeavor (and life in general) as a game. Not only does it take the seriousness out of it, but it adds a competitive element that gets me going. It removes any desire for it to be easy. A professional tennis player wants to compete against the best, they'd be bored and miserable if they had to play me all day. Same goes with professional poker playing. And Chris Sparks gives us the winning formula for poker (and life):

 

 

 

EB White, the author of Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web, said:

 

"I wake every morning trying to decide if I want to enjoy the day or make it better."

 

I've thought about this a lot (and actually used this question to develop the theme of this month's song which explores the seeming dichotomy of striving vs letting go and enjoying...it's going to be released this week). So how does one reconcile the virtuous vs the pleasant life? I don't think it's necessarily either/or. 

 

 

 

– Howard Thurman

 

 

 

Almost 3 years ago Naval posted one of the most popular threads in Twitter history.

 

Someone transformed the thread into an image using "parallel structure & meaning," which is usually used for code and math. I like being able to see all 40 tweets at a glance. (r)

 

 😁 My March Motto:

 

A Saturday morning roundup on health and wealth, art and science, creativity and innovation, laughs and life by Kevin Stock.