I fell off the proverbial horse pretty hard core last week (although nowhere near my previous really poor eating habits). And exactly what I was afraid of, happened: with no one to follow through with my consequences, I let it all go. The disappointing thing is that while I'm learning my habits, I think I'm going to have to drop the orgasm denial part. I need something else to do and think about that is pleasurable and fun when all I want is a scoop of ice cream! So, when craving one thing, instead have sex/orgasms. I find it disappointing because orgasm denial is *such* a turn on for me, but it does have it's own series of stressors on it that make it maybe not the ideal vehicle to help me with my goals at the moment. I still think that overall my structure is good- focusing on changing a few habits at a time until I'm successful with those and then slowly including more changes and changing more habits. I just need a different bunch of rewards and consequences, maybe.

I'm still working on getting through my backlog of emails. You may be slowly seeing responses. But if you have something additional to say or it's been a while since your email and you think I may have missed yours, please feel free to initiate contact again. My turn-around time on recent emails have been pretty good.

Common Responses I've Received

There has been a certain amount of responses that I've gotten from people who have informed that they believe that my chosen path to health, well being, and fitness, is somewhere between ineffective and destructive to my health. Because of that, I wanted to put together a post discussing some of the most common issues that people are having with my journal. I will be adding to these as they come up and I have time to modify this post.

First, I want to start out by pointing out that the hallmark of a good scientific community is that there is substantial debate about a topic until definitive research is done, and even then the criticisms do not end. This consistent critical thinking about topics, questioning, probing, and testing new hypotheses is necessary for the scientific process to work properly. That said, I want to point out now that my view points and opinions do have a strong amount of scientific research behind it (especially since a lot of it discusses basic physiology). Of course, there are people on both sides of the fence for these issues, but that is normal and healthy.

I also want to make clear that if you vehemently disagree with one of these items, we probably would not be a good fit for the relationship I'm looking for. I'm not saying you have to be 100% completely convinced that my opinion is right, but you have to at least acknowledge the validity of these stances and be able to work within them.

Section A - Quantity vs Quality

There are two general sides that people take when discussing weight loss. The conventional way of dieting (the one that fails 95% of the time, btw) is Calories in/Calories out. This way of thinking says that "a calorie is a calorie" and the thinking goes that the most important thing in losing weight is creating a calorie deficit, either through dieting, exercise, or both. This is the Quantity side of the argument.

The Quality side of the argument says that while Calories in/Calories out is not fundamentally wrong, it also tells us nothing meaningful about what we should do to fix the problem. The most common explanation I've heard is this: Imagine you are standing outside of a packed auditorium. Someone walks by and asks you "Why is the auditorium packed?" And you say "Because more people came in the door than went out of it." The persons laughs and asks you again, "Okay, but why is the auditorium packed?" And you reply, "Because more people came in than went out". Now the person is getting more irritated. "Well, smart ass, why did more people go in than went out?" Your answer? "Because they did." Saying that a person is obese because they took in more calories than they expended is having the exact same argument. It's circular logic and tells us nothing meaningful.

The Quality side says that what we really need to know is why the body is doing that, and treats over eating as a symptom of obesity, rather than the cause. It looks to what the body does with the calories it consumes and how that affects the rest of the body processes, including how it affects hormone levels (particularly insulin), liver function, and cell function.

This is obviously the simple version of how this all works, but the point is that I believe that the quality of my nutrition matters more than how many calories I consume.

Section B - Glucose Metabolism vs Ketosis

I have also received a number of replies from people that are concerned that with a carb count that low that I will suffer ill effects because the body and brain needs glucose in order to function and without enough of it I won't be able to function properly. This is untrue. After it's glucose stores have been used up, the body begins a process called ketosis, where it breaks down stored fat to use as energy. One of the molecules it breaks down is called ketone bodies, and the brain readily uses this for energy. It can also utilize unattached medium chain fatty acids. The body can use all fatty acids.

To clear that up just a little bit, if this is a concern of yours, I suggest you read up about the ketogenic diet. It has been used since the 1920s to treat epilepsy in children, and is generally regarded as safe.

I received one email from someone who insisted that low carb dieting was extremely unsafe and that there were many research studies to prove this. I requested the names of a few of the most pertinent articles, along with what journal they were published in and their principle authors, so I could find these studies and read them for myself. The person declined to provide the information, saying that I wasn't worth wasting his time on. If you feel strongly that my opinion that being in a ketogenic state is unhealthy, and have research information to share with me, I would welcome that. Otherwise, I respectfully request you keep that opinion to yourself. I have already evaluated the information and feel confident about my conclusion unless you have new evidence to present.

Section C - Fluid Intake

I can't believe I have to write this, but 8 glasses of fluids a day is not excessive. No, of course I'm not going to drink it all in tea, but I was defining what was acceptable to drink. So, between water, black tea, green tea, and herbal teas, I get a variety of tastes and flavors to keep me interested without having to resort to sweetened drinks.

Section D - Process Oriented vs Results Oriented

I have had quite a number of people who have contacted me asking me about what my weight loss goals are and/or telling me I should have a number of pounds that I am trying to lose this month in order to measure my success. I know that if I follow the plan, I will lose weight. Exactly how much, how fast, isn't the point. The point is to change my habits and get sustainable results. It took me months to get to the point that I was ready to attempt to go without sweets for a month. Gradual increases are the way to go. I believe that by building on previous successes, I will have a much improved chance of going all the way.

Section E - Exercise

Yes, I agree with you that I do need to be doing exercise. However, I also believe that I shouldn't overwhelm myself with too many changes at once and too many new goals to try to reach and rules to follow. That just leads to distraction. I have my three that I'm focused on. After a month, when I've got the hang of that, then I can add to that and start next steps. Incremental progression.

That's all for now. I will post more as/if more topics come up commonly. Thanks!