A new paper was published about low carb diets this week led by Dr. David Ludwig. It discusses the "Carbohydrate-Insulin Model" (CIM) as the driver of obesity. 

 

In essence the CIM says: carbohydrates drive excessive insulin which causes fat storage while leaving the body with inadequate energy and the need to eat more.

 

I wrote about the CIM a couple years ago in "Carnivore and Carbohydrates" (about 1/4 the way down under "Metabolic Derangement" you'll find an overview of the CIM).

 

Unlike the authors of this new study, I don't think the CIM is the "Occom's Razor" of obesity. I believe protein and fat both play a large role. For example, inadequate protein will drive overeating ("Protein Leverage Hypothesis") as well as the wrong kinds of fats (processed plant-based fats: more on this coming soon...). Additionally, I think we have to consider micronutrients, and deficiencies that can drive appetite/over-eating. 

 

A couple months ago I saw this talk between Dr. Brett Scher and Dr. Ted Naimen where they discuss the CIM and whether it's valid or dead.
It's an excellent discussion. 

 

 

One thing I want to note about this talk:

While I'm a big fan of Ted, he does make it seem like "satiety per calorie" is the end-all-be-all and body composition is all that matters. I used to believe the same thing, so I'm not throwing stones. And when it comes to improving metabolic health and body composition, "satiety per calorie" is directionally on-point.

 

However, I do think this misses a big part of the "health" equation. Many of the foods that deliver high "satiety per calorie" can be damaging to the gut, can lead to inflammation, autoimmune issues, and a host of health problems. To create health, I believe we need healthy body composition but also need a healthy gut. Meat delivers on both fronts. 
 

 

I've spent less time working out in the last 20 months than at any time in the last 20 years. But my body composition hasn't suffered. It is as good (or better) than when I was doing competitions in my 20s. The difference is today I'm maintaining it with little effort and no hunger or deprivation; whereas a decade ago I spent lots of time in the gym and to get lean I had to suffer through hunger, low energy, lots of cardio, ect...

 

I've been using the X3 Bar almost exclusively from my living room. The protocol (which I don't follow strictly) takes maybe an hour a week. The truth is you can get amazing resistance training / muscle gains from a relatively small amount of time. But you don't have to use X3. This research shows you how to get the most from your workouts with minimal time.

 

 

Brad Schoenfeld, PhD

 

The X3 is pricey, but you can get $50 off with this code: giveme50

 

 

 

Accelerated Expertise is a book about how to rapidly learn a complex skill. Its methodology was created by the US Department of Defense in 2016 in order to reduce training time without sacrificing effectiveness or retention of that skill.

 

 

I boiled this whole (complex) methodology into 2-steps:

In essence we want to know how the experts think and then create trainings that force students to adopt those frameworks for themselves. While this isn't a book I'd recommend reading, I do like the idea of: find the frameworks of experts + and drill it through action.

 

 

 

While I may not be a fan of McDonald's, I do find their business strategy fascinating. Low margin, high volume businesses are perhaps the hardest business models to pull off. They compete on price. It's a race to the bottom. For example, for every $1 spent at Walmart, they make like $0.03 cents in profit. And while it looks like McDonald's participates in this price competition, they are actually playing an entirely different game. They are a real estate company, the 5th largest in the world.

 

 

 

 

 

– Chris Williamson

 

 

One of the biggest criticisms of bitcoin is that it can't be used as a medium of exchange (i.e. it's just a store of value). Well this is what is happening in El Salvador...

 

I have this strange desire to learn to lucid dream. From what I've read it seems like the key is to train yourself to become aware that you are dreaming.

 

There are many techniques that help facilitate this such as:

 

I'll start practicing and let you know how it goes :)

 

 

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