Dietary Update

 Back again...

... Damn near 2 years later, (a month and a bit away from).. See how intentions, so easily, turn to bitter brown wax in my ear holes instead of channeling south through the right arm and  onto the screen. Via a keyboard of course! 

But, any motion is motion so I'll take the fact I'm even writing this as progress! Coffee wise I no longer neck the MCT, though I still think it's benefits are valid.. They just don't fit in with  my current scheme of eating

Which is.....

...........Intermittent fasting.  

Not that this would be evident if one references the last 24 hours during which I've eaten a 3 burger burger, (including 1 x bottom of the burger brioche bun and a load of fries.. Not too low carb you say, but with diet in check reckons I'm metabolically flexible enough to take it. Even though I struggle to reconcile the industrial seed oil my chips were most definitely cooked in).  Breakfast for lunch the next day... 2 x paleo bars and a tin of mackerel.. Which, upon reflection aint a lot.

Anyway.. Back to the fast:

General day to day is a 20/4 eating window, (low carb of course), but also like to throw in a 24 - 48 hour fast once a week or so. usually after the weekend, it helps me re-set and get back into a decent eating habit. Then the week is spent fluctuating between a 36 hour fast or a 20/4 window!

Benefits, (anecdotal)

Though there are touted benefits such as: 

Autophagy - The natural, regulated mechanism of the cell that removes unnecessary or dysfunctional components. It allows the orderly degradation and recycling of cellular components

Apoptosis -   Actual cell death. It is a form of programmed (regulated) cell death that allows cells to self-destruct. The cell self-destructs without causing any harm to its surrounding environment. Apoptosis is a clean and tidy process of your cell breaking down its internal components (proteins and chromosomes) and disposing of them in a way that allows surrounding cells to use the “left-overs” for their own benefit.

But from a personal perspective I am MUCH sharper 36 hours into a fast.. Energy levels are higher and focus is markedly improved. My favorite 'in fast time' is a Saturday morning after a 36, (or more), hour fast:

Saturday

Wake up - Morning yoga, (a daily staple), cold shower then a run. Home for a black coffee. After which my sustainable energy levels are through the roof. Where they remain! 

There are many factors in play here, not least the fact I'm not at work and have a weekend with the family, (always, well, mostly, an energy/mood boost).. There are the effects of the caffeine and the exercise, though its all done a a gentle heart rate, (well below 180 minus age), barring spikes for high intensity.. But that's a whole 'nother blog right there.. Hmmmmm, other blogs you ask?! Well, what's winking at us from the blogging future is:

• Cold Showers
• High Intensity Workouts (Brief)
• Yoga
• Chanting
• Micron Workouts

Daaaaaaaaaaamn.. I sound like a second rate Bran Kearns, (whos podcast B'rad is up there in my top three)..  Which seamlessly leads me to a future blog:

• Podcasts

 Though the list goes on.. So many subjects, so little time!

*Note* the above was written February 2021.. My diet has evolved again to suit my situation/expenditure.. Next blog to reveal more!  

MCT Oil, Breakfast and some other stuffs...

Shit the bed,

Today I was reminded what a good MCT oil feels like. 

This morning I went out for a 'wake up' run, (just a couple of MAF miles before work - and was treated to yet another beautiful sunrise). Then came home, did some body weight exercises and whipped up a Bullet Proof Coffee:

*Coffee, (Currently on the Lavazza Ora)

*Double Cream, (Extra thick)

*Grass fed, organic butter, (from the local market)

*MCT Oil, (Qetomax Pure C8 MCT oil - 500ml)  Qetomax on Amazon

Now this stuff is the inspiration for the post.. Picked it up from Amazon for £16.99, a bloody bargain! 

I started off my Bulletproof Coffee life with the 'Bulletproof' Brand, lazy I know but it was a surefire way to step in at a decent level. a little pricey though, so I shopped around and bought some cheaper stuff, (3 x 250ml bottles for £17.50), which didn't come close. It may have been doing the job under the radar but I felt no energy boost, or anything for that matter. It was a blend of C10 70%(ish) and C8 30%(ish) mind you.. And the new stuff, (the Qetomax), is 100% pure C8 MCT Oil. This is al still relatively fresh to me but it's been shown that the C8 (Caprylic acid), MCT's are the bomb when it comes to:

• ketone body production
• Energy and gut health
• And they strongly induce  anti-oxidative enzymes 
  

I felt an almost instant boost of energy with todays B.P Coffee and my energy levels remained elevated for hours. So, as you may have guessed, the Qetomax gets a huge thumbs up from me and, as the title suggest, another fine example of things not being created equal. Something I need to bear, (or should that be bare), in mind before my next supplemental jaunt through the uncharted waters of the probiotic!

Anywho, to get back on point, breakfast, (which wasn't actually my point... But is now), comes, for me, in 3 guises, (excuse the 4th below):

1. Bullet Proof Coffee
2. Omelette
3. Sweet F.A
4. Well, this really isn't a '4' as I don't eat it for breakfast, it's more reserved for an evening snack if the fancy takes me.. Home made paleo granola.

1. The B.P Coffee - Usually twice midweek after a morning run and some strength training.

2. The omelette - Usually 3 times midweek on non run mornings, and intermittently on a Saturday when I have brekkie with the family.

3. The Sweet F.A - Comes on a Sunday, typically my long run day. I always run the long ones fasted and then eat at lunch. Or I'll sometimes have a B.P Coffee when I get back which sees me right until tea time..

All of the above is pretty flexible. If I'm not hungry, I won't eat breakfast. Though, (there's always a 'though'), sometimes even if I'm not hungry I whip up a B.P Coffee to drink as I stand in the garden and watch the sun come up! 

….I bloody love these fresh spring mornings and have seen some amazing sunrises this year, not only from my garden but: 

On my runs

From my bedroom window

And... On my way to work

Wow.... From coffee to Sunrise..

…..This seems like a decent place to wrap things up, (and Alt+Tab to a neglected screen), since the sun has well and truly risen on my working day, and I'm lagging woefully behind.

Just wanted to move my inside thoughts, (and MCT elation), to outside!

Have a good day out there!