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Has any one successfully code with same focus after cutting sugar? Seems sugar is really important for focus. Whats your experience?

united8932 9mo ago
Been coding while fasting on keto and it's absolutely amazing. Fasting is hard socially, being ketogenic puts a bit more stress on my kidneys, but for me (adhd) it's amazing. remember your brain can run on ketones which provides a more stable energy than glucose spikes. the brain is metabolically flexible, can run on glucose, ketones or lactate
anthomtb 9mo ago
I did keto for a few months a long time ago (2010/2011). This was early in my career and long coding and debug sessions were a normal part of my day-to-day. There was zero impact to my work focus, positive or negative, from cutting nearly all carbohydrates out for several months. I am curious were you heard or learned that "sugar is really important for focus". Just a vibe, perhaps?
- lfliosdjf 9mo ago
  Personal experience. Then I found many well known programmers shared the same experience online. It feels deliberate work without sugar. ie. if coding = work + fun. without sugar its just coding = work. It does not get any better after 3 days or so too.
  - GloamingNiblets 9mo ago
    It might feel good but spiking your blood sugar isn't healthy for you, and the crashes afterwards will get worse over the years. Improving metabolic health might be a better long term solution; have you explored how endurance or high intensity exercise affects your focus?
331c8c71 9mo ago
If anything focus gets better without sugar and excessive carbs for me - but those work well for outdoors or workouty days I find.
- mixmastamyk 9mo ago
  Definitely, carbs means alternating drowsy, hunger cycles with blood sugar level. While an even level enables the zone.
NoPicklez 9mo ago
Why are you cutting out sugar, unless you mean reduce. But you shouldn't stop eating sugar, its required, just not in excessive amounts.
- fercircularbuf 9mo ago
  Not required to eat any sugar at all. Your body will actually produce its own glucose if and when needed through gluconeogenesis [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluconeogenesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluconeogenesis
  - NoPicklez 9mo ago
    Yes it can and it does that when there is an absence of available glycogen provided through carbohydrates, it is not to replace but to support in addition to appropriate sugar intake. It is a less efficient source of glucose, does not provide a large enough amount for exercise and also uses amino acids from muscle to help. Do this long enough and you end up in ketosis which is a whole other kettle of fish. Why neglect one aspect of our bodies digestive energy systems for just gluconeogenesis. Wouldn't you be better off eating a balanced meal of complex carbohydrates and unsaturated fats. Our bodies have multiple pathways to producing energy, focusing on using only one is silly and not the right approach because it wasn't designed to be that way. Just because our bodies can survive doing a particular thing in the absence of another, doesn't mean that thing we're absent of isn't required.
    - lfliosdjf 9mo ago
      Its optimal to solve all the constraints or requirements of needs of the body. But we don't fully understand the requirements as a whole and conflicting information from expertsh. So the rational thing is to rely on the historical data and make judgements on the probability.
lowbloodsugar 9mo ago
If you're addicted to cocaine, then cocaine is really important for focus. Same for sugar. If sugar is really important for focus for you, then you're likely heading for diabetes type 2.
CrimsonRain 9mo ago
That's addiction. You'll need time to get out of it. Cutting off sugar will help you have more focus, not just during coding but the whole day. However, if you were on high amount of sugar before, at initial stage, your body will scream. For me, it takes a few weeks to get settled in. After that, I don't miss sugar at all. Can focus just fine.
aldarion 9mo ago
I don't code, but I do know that not eating sugar significantly improves my focus no matter what I'm doing.
shimman 9mo ago
I have never heard of anyone using sugar to "focus," if you want to focus take amphetamines or cocaine.

united8932 9mo ago

Been coding while fasting on keto and it's absolutely amazing. Fasting is hard socially, being ketogenic puts a bit more stress on my kidneys, but for me (adhd) it's amazing. remember your brain can run on ketones which provides a more stable energy than glucose spikes. the brain is metabolically flexible, can run on glucose, ketones or lactate

anthomtb 9mo ago

I did keto for a few months a long time ago (2010/2011). This was early in my career and long coding and debug sessions were a normal part of my day-to-day. There was zero impact to my work focus, positive or negative, from cutting nearly all carbohydrates out for several months. I am curious were you heard or learned that "sugar is really important for focus". Just a vibe, perhaps?

lfliosdjf 9mo ago
Personal experience. Then I found many well known programmers shared the same experience online. It feels deliberate work without sugar. ie. if coding = work + fun. without sugar its just coding = work. It does not get any better after 3 days or so too.
- GloamingNiblets 9mo ago
  It might feel good but spiking your blood sugar isn't healthy for you, and the crashes afterwards will get worse over the years. Improving metabolic health might be a better long term solution; have you explored how endurance or high intensity exercise affects your focus?

331c8c71 9mo ago

If anything focus gets better without sugar and excessive carbs for me - but those work well for outdoors or workouty days I find.

mixmastamyk 9mo ago
Definitely, carbs means alternating drowsy, hunger cycles with blood sugar level. While an even level enables the zone.

NoPicklez 9mo ago

Why are you cutting out sugar, unless you mean reduce. But you shouldn't stop eating sugar, its required, just not in excessive amounts.

fercircularbuf 9mo ago
Not required to eat any sugar at all. Your body will actually produce its own glucose if and when needed through gluconeogenesis [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluconeogenesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluconeogenesis
- NoPicklez 9mo ago
  Yes it can and it does that when there is an absence of available glycogen provided through carbohydrates, it is not to replace but to support in addition to appropriate sugar intake. It is a less efficient source of glucose, does not provide a large enough amount for exercise and also uses amino acids from muscle to help. Do this long enough and you end up in ketosis which is a whole other kettle of fish. Why neglect one aspect of our bodies digestive energy systems for just gluconeogenesis. Wouldn't you be better off eating a balanced meal of complex carbohydrates and unsaturated fats. Our bodies have multiple pathways to producing energy, focusing on using only one is silly and not the right approach because it wasn't designed to be that way. Just because our bodies can survive doing a particular thing in the absence of another, doesn't mean that thing we're absent of isn't required.
  - lfliosdjf 9mo ago
    Its optimal to solve all the constraints or requirements of needs of the body. But we don't fully understand the requirements as a whole and conflicting information from expertsh. So the rational thing is to rely on the historical data and make judgements on the probability.

lowbloodsugar 9mo ago

If you're addicted to cocaine, then cocaine is really important for focus. Same for sugar. If sugar is really important for focus for you, then you're likely heading for diabetes type 2.

CrimsonRain 9mo ago

That's addiction. You'll need time to get out of it. Cutting off sugar will help you have more focus, not just during coding but the whole day. However, if you were on high amount of sugar before, at initial stage, your body will scream. For me, it takes a few weeks to get settled in. After that, I don't miss sugar at all. Can focus just fine.

aldarion 9mo ago

I don't code, but I do know that not eating sugar significantly improves my focus no matter what I'm doing.

shimman 9mo ago

I have never heard of anyone using sugar to "focus," if you want to focus take amphetamines or cocaine.