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Cutting out processed carbs, staying active, and fasting has had the greatest impact on my cognition. The best part is it’s sustainable! I can keep going day af

by qrybam 7y ago

Cutting out processed carbs, staying active, and fasting has had the greatest impact on my cognition. The best part is it’s sustainable! I can keep going day after day. Caffeine and nicotine give minor boosts but quickly become liabilities rather than enhancers.

azmodeus 7y ago
Do you follow intermittent fasting or do you fast for longer times? I find if I fast for a longer period my focus decreases.
- gallexme 7y ago
  Is there some secret of intermittent fasting I haven't understand yet? According to the guidelines I've been doing that naturally for the last 10 years probably, eat once at 2pm and once at 6pm that's it every day But I don't feel better than the days I eat whenever I want and how much I want, apart of feeling less hungry in the morning
  - fraktl 7y ago
    Here's something from my experience, it's not based on any research or someone's book, it's literally entirely subjective so who knows if it's even helpful: for me, intermittent fasting had effect when it was entirely irregular. If my body didn't get a chance to notice the pattern, that's what made it behave different. Same goes for exercise, if I do regularly one type of exercise - body quickly gets used to it and it's harder to achieve gains by doing the same movement. What I do is irregular fasting. Sometimes I won't eat for 30 hours. Sometimes I'll eat 6x a day. Sometimes it'll be eating at 11:00 and next meal is 12 hours after. These are not guidelines, just examples of irregular intervals. I noticed results, it could have been placebo, who knows, I have no means to measure except subjective feeling. If you're capable of enduring hunger, you could try it. It might be dangerous so don't listen to random advice from a nobody online :) anyone reading this and trying what I wrote out: it's not my fault if something happens to you, I'm not a medical doctor.
  - qrybam 7y ago
    It’s great if this is your baseline! It certainly isn’t for most people so they’ll likely feel a significant difference when changing up their timings, as I did.
- qrybam 7y ago
  Intermittent (between 16/8 and 20/4), with 36 hour fasts if I feel the need; get a nice buzz at the end. I try not to do anything too demanding during longer fasts.
leblancfg 7y ago
Tried IMF for two weeks recently, and my mood was so bad in the mornings I had to stop it; my wife thanked me afterwards. I'm a little disappointed I didn't get "over the hump" which reportedly lasts 3-4 weeks, and then mood is supposed to stabilize. Anything relatable in this sentence, and any tips to help "get over the hump" you might have?
- hosteur 7y ago
  Here is my recommendation. Start by eliminating any liquid sugars (soda, juice etc) from your diet for two weeks. Then fast completely drinking only water for 24 or 36 hours. This will “reset” your hunger/cravings. Then proceed with regular imf.
- ryannevius 7y ago
  Some things that help for me are (1) a cup or two of green tea on mornings I don't exercise (can get me "over the hump" of the end of a fast), or preferably (2) exercising as early as possible in the morning. It took me about 30 days to get into a good rhythm.
- qrybam 7y ago
  I had exactly the same issue, I just had to power through. Tried to view it as a way to exercise my willpower muscle... multiple failures later my bad moods just went away. Coffee helped. Also, planning my meals.
  - leblancfg 7y ago
    Thanks! Good to put things in perspective. I had little problem recruiting the willpower to fast, but willing myself to a good mood was something I wasn't really able to act on. Something to keep in mind for next time!
- factsaresacred 7y ago
  IMF = Intermittent fasting
- nate 7y ago
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
dillonmckay 7y ago
It is amazing how processed carbs inhibit cognitive function, and how much more aware one becomes when encountering an individual on such a diet.
gexla 7y ago
And a good night of sleep. How many people reading this thread have to wake up to an alarm clock? Edit: Also, the benefit to cognition that you mention is sort of like a secret because I never seen anyone mention it. When I first started on a "keto" type of diet I woke up one day with a feeling which was like being wired on coffee but without the jittery side effects. Except, it didn't go away. I would have thought I broke something if it wasn't such a positive. It's amazing to think that's how we should be feeling and that nearly everyone is working below this level. Personally, I got distracted, had a bunch of changes at home and failed out of it. I'll be climbing back on after the holidays. I still like to drink coffee in this state, though I limited my intake to one cup every couple of days. Nicotine seemed to be neither a negative or a positive. It didn't cause more or less problems for me. I could also drink beer with no problems.
- boringg 7y ago
  My children are my alarm clock - wish I could put them on snooze some mornings. How did keto work for you if you had interrupted sleep?
  - gexla 7y ago
    The clarity in my head overpowered everything. If I didn't get enough sleep, I still felt it. Again, it was a lot like being wired on coffee but without the uncomfortable side effects. I could feel the fatigue like I should sleep but while still having that clear head. Kind of like when you drink a bunch of coffee to wake up. ;) Again, everything went out the window with some major life changes at home. And I'll be looking at getting back on after the holidays. But when I was sleeping well during this same period I was amazed at how I was able to settle into a route of being dead tired and jumping out of bed at the same during at night and in the morning respectively. This is probably another normal life thing which I had never discovered because I had never thought to set a normal sleep schedule. Everyone looks at sleep as something to be managed and scheduled rather than listening to the body. It's interesting that you mention your kids are your alarm clock. Kids generally need more sleep than adults. And of course adults look forward to putting the kids to bed to get some quiet time. Maybe try timing your sleep so that you sleep right after the kids and wake up on your own before they wake up? Hopefully that would be a viable experiment in your household. ;)
nkkollaw 7y ago
Processed carbs make you sleepy, right..?
nate 7y ago
Very much yes. For years I started getting this fluid buildup in my ears. At best, I felt occasionally dizzy. At worst, it felt like my brain was in constant "I feel like I have a cold and I'm so slow to think". Short story: I've drastically reduced carb intake (letting myself cheat a little on Sat.) and definitely no alcohol. The effect has been amazing. I feel 10-15 years younger. My brain is back. Fluid's gone. So many other body things have improved: no joint pain, no weird rashes. I used to get these awful colds, but if I've had a cold this year, I can't even remember, it must have have been tiny. It's wild how many folks now who I talk to who have similar symptoms and never try to simply cut out the damn carbs and watch as they eat tons of sugar and alcohol. It's really worth a try giving those up for a week and see how you feel. I've written about this before on HN so won't rehash everything (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21053034 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21053034).
- criddell 7y ago
  When I was younger (up until I was around 35) I could eat all the junk food I wanted with no ill effects. I could drink alcohol and rarely felt bad the next day. Now (I'm 49) even small amounts of alcohol make me feel bad later on. If I eat a bunch of junk food I feel like I'm hungover. I still drink occasionally but it has to be a pretty special occasion for me to have a second cocktail. I still love junk food but I've cut way, way back on it because the sugar hangover isn't worth it. Other than pretty much constant tinnitus and occasional bouts of cedar fever (I'm in Central Texas), I feel pretty good most of the time. I know I need to get more exercise and I'm working on that by doing bodyweight exercises and rowing. I'm not really getting any stronger, but I feel like I'm at least maintaining where I'm at.

by qrybam 7y ago

azmodeus 7y ago

Do you follow intermittent fasting or do you fast for longer times? I find if I fast for a longer period my focus decreases.

gallexme 7y ago
Is there some secret of intermittent fasting I haven't understand yet? According to the guidelines I've been doing that naturally for the last 10 years probably, eat once at 2pm and once at 6pm that's it every day But I don't feel better than the days I eat whenever I want and how much I want, apart of feeling less hungry in the morning
- fraktl 7y ago
  Here's something from my experience, it's not based on any research or someone's book, it's literally entirely subjective so who knows if it's even helpful: for me, intermittent fasting had effect when it was entirely irregular. If my body didn't get a chance to notice the pattern, that's what made it behave different. Same goes for exercise, if I do regularly one type of exercise - body quickly gets used to it and it's harder to achieve gains by doing the same movement. What I do is irregular fasting. Sometimes I won't eat for 30 hours. Sometimes I'll eat 6x a day. Sometimes it'll be eating at 11:00 and next meal is 12 hours after. These are not guidelines, just examples of irregular intervals. I noticed results, it could have been placebo, who knows, I have no means to measure except subjective feeling. If you're capable of enduring hunger, you could try it. It might be dangerous so don't listen to random advice from a nobody online :) anyone reading this and trying what I wrote out: it's not my fault if something happens to you, I'm not a medical doctor.
- qrybam 7y ago
  It’s great if this is your baseline! It certainly isn’t for most people so they’ll likely feel a significant difference when changing up their timings, as I did.
qrybam 7y ago
Intermittent (between 16/8 and 20/4), with 36 hour fasts if I feel the need; get a nice buzz at the end. I try not to do anything too demanding during longer fasts.

leblancfg 7y ago

Tried IMF for two weeks recently, and my mood was so bad in the mornings I had to stop it; my wife thanked me afterwards. I'm a little disappointed I didn't get "over the hump" which reportedly lasts 3-4 weeks, and then mood is supposed to stabilize. Anything relatable in this sentence, and any tips to help "get over the hump" you might have?

hosteur 7y ago
Here is my recommendation. Start by eliminating any liquid sugars (soda, juice etc) from your diet for two weeks. Then fast completely drinking only water for 24 or 36 hours. This will “reset” your hunger/cravings. Then proceed with regular imf.
ryannevius 7y ago
Some things that help for me are (1) a cup or two of green tea on mornings I don't exercise (can get me "over the hump" of the end of a fast), or preferably (2) exercising as early as possible in the morning. It took me about 30 days to get into a good rhythm.
qrybam 7y ago
I had exactly the same issue, I just had to power through. Tried to view it as a way to exercise my willpower muscle... multiple failures later my bad moods just went away. Coffee helped. Also, planning my meals.
- leblancfg 7y ago
  Thanks! Good to put things in perspective. I had little problem recruiting the willpower to fast, but willing myself to a good mood was something I wasn't really able to act on. Something to keep in mind for next time!
factsaresacred 7y ago
IMF = Intermittent fasting
nate 7y ago

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

dillonmckay 7y ago

It is amazing how processed carbs inhibit cognitive function, and how much more aware one becomes when encountering an individual on such a diet.

gexla 7y ago

And a good night of sleep. How many people reading this thread have to wake up to an alarm clock? Edit: Also, the benefit to cognition that you mention is sort of like a secret because I never seen anyone mention it. When I first started on a "keto" type of diet I woke up one day with a feeling which was like being wired on coffee but without the jittery side effects. Except, it didn't go away. I would have thought I broke something if it wasn't such a positive. It's amazing to think that's how we should be feeling and that nearly everyone is working below this level. Personally, I got distracted, had a bunch of changes at home and failed out of it. I'll be climbing back on after the holidays. I still like to drink coffee in this state, though I limited my intake to one cup every couple of days. Nicotine seemed to be neither a negative or a positive. It didn't cause more or less problems for me. I could also drink beer with no problems.

boringg 7y ago
My children are my alarm clock - wish I could put them on snooze some mornings. How did keto work for you if you had interrupted sleep?
- gexla 7y ago
  The clarity in my head overpowered everything. If I didn't get enough sleep, I still felt it. Again, it was a lot like being wired on coffee but without the uncomfortable side effects. I could feel the fatigue like I should sleep but while still having that clear head. Kind of like when you drink a bunch of coffee to wake up. ;) Again, everything went out the window with some major life changes at home. And I'll be looking at getting back on after the holidays. But when I was sleeping well during this same period I was amazed at how I was able to settle into a route of being dead tired and jumping out of bed at the same during at night and in the morning respectively. This is probably another normal life thing which I had never discovered because I had never thought to set a normal sleep schedule. Everyone looks at sleep as something to be managed and scheduled rather than listening to the body. It's interesting that you mention your kids are your alarm clock. Kids generally need more sleep than adults. And of course adults look forward to putting the kids to bed to get some quiet time. Maybe try timing your sleep so that you sleep right after the kids and wake up on your own before they wake up? Hopefully that would be a viable experiment in your household. ;)

nkkollaw 7y ago

Processed carbs make you sleepy, right..?

nate 7y ago

Very much yes. For years I started getting this fluid buildup in my ears. At best, I felt occasionally dizzy. At worst, it felt like my brain was in constant "I feel like I have a cold and I'm so slow to think". Short story: I've drastically reduced carb intake (letting myself cheat a little on Sat.) and definitely no alcohol. The effect has been amazing. I feel 10-15 years younger. My brain is back. Fluid's gone. So many other body things have improved: no joint pain, no weird rashes. I used to get these awful colds, but if I've had a cold this year, I can't even remember, it must have have been tiny. It's wild how many folks now who I talk to who have similar symptoms and never try to simply cut out the damn carbs and watch as they eat tons of sugar and alcohol. It's really worth a try giving those up for a week and see how you feel. I've written about this before on HN so won't rehash everything (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21053034 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21053034).

criddell 7y ago
When I was younger (up until I was around 35) I could eat all the junk food I wanted with no ill effects. I could drink alcohol and rarely felt bad the next day. Now (I'm 49) even small amounts of alcohol make me feel bad later on. If I eat a bunch of junk food I feel like I'm hungover. I still drink occasionally but it has to be a pretty special occasion for me to have a second cocktail. I still love junk food but I've cut way, way back on it because the sugar hangover isn't worth it. Other than pretty much constant tinnitus and occasional bouts of cedar fever (I'm in Central Texas), I feel pretty good most of the time. I know I need to get more exercise and I'm working on that by doing bodyweight exercises and rowing. I'm not really getting any stronger, but I feel like I'm at least maintaining where I'm at.