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Metabolism
I met a guy named Tank and we had a super deep talk about philosophy and life. I asked him what his personal philosophy in life was, and he told me simply: “To best effectively utilize my human metabolism [for humanity].” It was probably the most elegant explanation I’ve heard so far, something I also believe in.
What is metabolism?
To my understanding, metabolism is the process of biological organisms to consume energy, and to expend energy. For example as humans, we must eat food and water to survive. Our bodies then metabolize that food and water to keep our human body functioning. Ideally we would want our human body to have the maximum amount of energy, the maximum amount of strength, with the least amount of waste, fat, and superfluous excess.
Then of course for our human metabolism to work, we must also excrete waste material (human excrement), and we also need other things like sunlight, sleep, temperature/warmth, etc. There’s probably a billion other things that the human body needs to have an “optimal” metabolism that we don’t yet know, of and might never know of.
Anyways, my current interest is this:
How can I best “hack” my body, in order to have the maximum of energy, focus, and creative output?
Let me explain my reasoning:
- Biological metabolism mandates that the organism must eventually die. The biological function of metabolism wouldn’t work, if we would never die. Metabolism is a steady process that ends in the death of the biological organism. Therefore, death is nothing we can ever cheat.
- So far, the maximum lifespan of a human being has been around 120 years. Assuming we can extend the human metabolism (like we can live to be 200 years old), I’m not sure whether that would be desirable assuming your strength/bodily health was in the condition of a 120 year old. I think people would only want to live to be 200+ years old, assuming their body was at most the condition of a healthy 75-year-old.
- Therefore our goal isn’t to live forever, or to live for a very long time. What we desire is to live as long as we can, in a “healthy” state. What that means is that ultimately we want our bodies to be strong, full of energy, optimism, and agile/supple. We want to have strong muscles, flexible joints, absence of chronic back pain, and we want to have enthusiasm to live everyday to the fullest!
- Assuming this is the case, while we are (still) alive, it makes sense to me to have a lifestyle which gives us the maximum amount of strength and energy.
- To me, the best way to have the maximum amount of strength and creative energy is a combination of nutrition (what you eat), what you drink (no sugar), your physical activity (lifting heavy stuff, and walking long distances for fun), creative activity (art stuff you make), social connections (social interactions), and your own mental state (philosophy). Therefore I’m still on a quest to understand how How to maximize all of these things, because it is my self-dictated purpose in life is to discover truths about art, philosophy, and life.
So, what have I learned so far?
- Ketogenic diet seems to be “optimal” so far. This means no starches, no sugar, no fructose (no sweet fruit), carbohydrates (“simple and complex carbs”), no dairy, no bread, no rice, no tubers (potatoes, root vegetables), no cruciferous vegetables, and no foods which are generally white. All the food I eat is fatty meat (pork belly, ground beef), fish, coconut oil, leafy greens, eggs, organ meats (liver, heart), or anything that once had a heartbeat. With eating non-starchy and no sugar foods, I get less “food coma” after meals, thus I have more energy throughout the day to write more, read more, make more videos, photograph and video more, and to produce more.
- I also practice “intermittent fasting” (only 1 big meal a day). I generally fast from breakfast and lunch, and usually will eat a massive dinner after 4pm, then pass out and go to sleep. Or sometimes take a long nap after eating, wake up, do some more work, eat a little more, then go back to sleep. This has worked for me because when I’m hungry, I’m actually more focused. And I have a motivation to work hard, because I know after 4pm I have a delicious meal waiting for me. Random benefits: food tastes 100x more delicious after fasting! So if you’re a “foodie” who loves the taste of food, this actually seems to be an optimal strategy.
Generally this combination of ketogenic eating and intermittent fasting has made me insanely productive, strong, full of energy, and I’ve also built muscle mass, and cut down my body fat. At the age of 30, I’m the most “ripped/cut” I’ve ever been, and the most productive and self-confident as well.
Isn’t this dangerous?
No it isn’t. Consider Muslims fast regularly during Ramadan (no food and water during the day, in the insane heat of the middle east), and they’re fine.
Also if we look at animals like lions, when we feed them 3 square meals a day, they become lazy, lethargic and get fat. Even trained Hawks do well when they’re constantly in a fasted state (it heightens their taste for blood).
Also, to be honest, I think it’s probably 50x more dangerous to have a Red Bull and Vodka at the club, Ecstacy, Smoking Cigarettes, and drinking soda and twinkies for your health than fasting, and sticking to a Ketogenic diet.
But isn’t high fat bad for you?
No. Read the book, “Good Calories, Bad Calories” by Gary Taubes, or his more accessible “Why we get fat” book.
Fun fact: when wolves kill an animal, they immediately eat the fatty organ meats (most nutritious), and they leave the lean meat for scavengers.
Metabolic disease
If you see someone who is 300 pounds and full of excess bodily adipose tissue (fat), they’re probably suffering from “metabolic disease” or “metabolic syndrome”. Essentially the reason why they’re fat is because their metabolism is out of whack.
What causes metabolic damage? Essentially when we eat a lot of sugar or starchy vegetables/carbohydrates, our body ejects excess insulin into our blood stream, to stabilize our blood sugar levels. But these extreme peaks of excess insulin production from our body damages our body.
This is why when you eat a huge bowl of pasta (with a sweet Coca Cola with high fructose corn syrup, which is actually worse than white sugar/sucrose), you get “food coma” and feel super tired afterwards, and want to sleep.
Essentially, you can eat whatever you want and life however you want. But for myself, I want to live limitless, and to keep climbing higher like Icarus (but with better wings). I want to fly towards the sun, and achieve my personal maximum in life, before I die in my 90s, or at worst, today in a plane or car crash.
MEMENTO MORI,
ERIC