Blog

Jan 31

When we left our heroes last week things were mostly novel & new. They were uncovering a few buried truths about their daily habits, finding a few ways to make them a little better, and maybe even nudging their health in the right direction in the process. The undeniable data in front of their faces made it easier to confront the brutal facts, which like a trailer for some sort of terrible movie was a realization that they sort of LOVE simple carbs but the feeling wasn't mutual - they mostly just felt tired and empty inside. And, since this is usually when the hero starts their slog through the dark cave which inevitably includes a fight with some beast that was previously too big to defeat without newfound inner strength, we pick up our story with our heroes in a similar environment - the pantry. Filled with snacks, some that were previously thought to be "mostly OK", it turned out the shelves were actually packed with sneaky little gremlins just waiting for the clock to strike the witching hour. Now back to our story...

Onto Hack 3

If hack 1 (the vinegar preload) was interesting but not super tasty, then hack 2 (the veggie preload) was far more likable. Not a huge surprise from a preference perspective, we both generally like the freshness of a good salad, but having one consistently every evening makes the benefit much more obvious. 

For Lindsay, the changes have been most clearly related to energy levels. In her words, "It's hard to quantify 'feeling better' but you definitely know it when you do - more energetic and less lethargic at the end of the day for sure". In regards to measurable changes - "I haven't really lost any weight per se, but I do notice my clothes fitting a little better and I feel like my workouts are better" - which of course are all early signs of progress for those working to make health changes.

For me, as someone who is typically trolling for snacks by 4 PM, hungry enough for two servings by dinner, and still easily swayed by the snack gremlins a few hours before bed, the effect of consistently putting in a fiber "fill" before the main dish was real and obvious. Timing it before dinner made it easy to push off the late afternoon snack and, in line with one of the major health benefits of consuming foods that are both high in fiber and low in process (slower digestion makes you feel fuller), I have found myself far less hungry when starting on the main dish. I now eat a little slower and 1 serving at dinner feels filling enough. It's a small change but a lower calorie-load later in the day is generally a good thing, as this review of the research shows. The pantry gremlins still called in the hours before bed in the first few days, but since progress is motivating it was easier to say "no". The result? I was down more than 5 lbs in the first 14 days, and my sleep, which was pretty good to begin with, has continued to get better as going to bed "fully empty" has become the standard. 

It probably shouldn't surprise me since shifting eating to match wake-sleep cycles tends to improve metabolic health as reviewed here, but in addition to my Garmin sleep and HRV data continuing to improve, I have definitely been feeling more refreshed in the morning which makes everything easier, including starting hack 3 (5 minutes of exercise immediately before or after eating). We've tested stairs, various forms of push-ups (wall, stairs, floor, etc), air squats, walking fast enough to be huffing and puffing, and even a rowing machine - all seem to work pretty well. To be clear, it doesn't outright stop the rise in blood sugar, as expected there is a normal rise and it's sharper after high-carb foods but logically the blip resolves far more quickly when the muscles are primed and ready to soak it up for use.

Crowd-sourcing

One of the coolest things that's happened during our little experiment of ours, is YOU. I've had several people reach out, curious to learn more, ask good questions and even offer some ideas. One person suggested kombucha over vinegar as a tastier & gut-biome-boosting option. As it turns out, there is a small study from a team in New Zealand that supports it. I could definitely see this becoming part of the final ("extra") 5 days. Another wondered (paraphrasing) "Are you trying to eliminate the rise and fall totally?" - the answer here is no, this is a normal and healthy metabolic reaction, however like most things seeing extreme reactions by the body only in extreme circumstances is probably closer to "right"...so that's the goal.

Device Hiccups 

Several people have also inquired about the devices we are using and whether we like it so far. For those considering a similar experiment I would say, up until day 15 it would've gotten a strong thumbs up. On day 15 however, when it was time to change out the sensor (each lasts 15 days), things got a little off track. Lindsay's new sensor didn't pair with her phone and so she had to pause her portion of the test while a replacement was being sent and my values were very different from my first sensor. To be fair - Dexcom's (the parent company) customer support bot was great and Lindsay's replacement was in the mail within 24 hours of the issue being reported and I am getting my brain wrapped around the sudden jump in my baseline, something that, given our sensors' inability to calibrate against a fingerstick blood test to give the truest value, like a prescription-only model does, is probably reasonable. So while building in 5 extra days in our experiment for glitches now seems smart, it also reinforces the fact that these devices are on the health side of the spectrum and more educational than medical or diagnostic.

Last up (hack 4) is starting the day with a "savory breakfast". Tune in next week to learn how it went.

Have a great weekend,
Mike E.