In this 2022 annual food for thoughts I regret I am unable to fully detail all insights, due to mix of obligations both personal, and financial. Considering also the re-brand collateral/s – the new website development, Final Cut Pro X entire motion graphic libraries base recreation, new range of content and before then the self-learning trial & errors months on end – all remains sadly – ongoing. If that doesn’t seem enough there is still the major rewrite of the parent manuscript I am still yet to complete, but so far 75-80% of the way through.
Poor visibility / lack of viewerships aside – I care not for the fact remaining to this day that I am still insignificant, almost invisible even – as a content creator and aspiring author. But my circumstance and ambitions remains largely my own.
For those who are new to this concept initiative, may I invite you to read the introduction and overview of this concept initiative, who I am, and since 2016 I present my independent thoughts inbetween decentralised (or alternative) nutritional science concepts; within realms of Economics and a little philosophy.
Disclaimer recite
- You are witnessing someone else’s entire entire year’s worth of N=1 insight. Timely readership on your end is greatly appreciated.
- Whatever “I” deemed disclose for myself as appropriate, it is interpreted thus as so only under my own circumstances and on the basis of numerous N=1 explorations in the life of CKD+IF. My case may not translate the same unto you and your’s very own. Hence for anything you demand be it specific enquiries surrounding exercise, training, biochemistry, physiology, and/or nutrigenomics ~ you’d be well encouraged to liaise elsewhere by and from someone else’s more indemnified profession, preferably amidst alternative and/or independent practitioners.
- If your circumstance is already terminal and/or under any clinical supervision please exercise your own courtesy to never casually take anything here from this concept initiative as panacea. All health and/or wellness reclamations remains truth be told ~ an individual indemnity and responsibility.
Summary
Firstly, the most blessing of all news. Without disclosing too much out of industry privacy and respect, I have since March 2022 slowly reclaiming my finances despite new challenges presented to me (a family decision, that is) to relocate. This required me to save, despite 5+ years living frugally on welfare ¬ towards a deposit with a real deadline approximately just less than one (1) year from the date of this food for thoughts.
Let me frankly remind all visitors, new or old, that my concept initiatve centers around alternative nutritional experiences, amidst imposed – that is, structurally imposed, themes of Economics. If you are not in any way prepared for this additional introspection, on top of nuanced nutritional science then please look elsewhere. Further, I am not here to platform myself as an ideal template. Whether you can learn or not at all from this entire concept initiative is out of my own hands but instead ¬ on your’s to decide.<rant>
The most significant endeavour this entire year has been my very first experience with extended fasting, taking place in later parts of November on two (2) occasions. Reason for me to do this is not just yet mere recreational self-challenges, but also to reflect on my above circumstances on pending challenges for the coming year.
Another significant “investment” this year was my very first nutrigenomics consult throughout June-July 2022. For those unaware, nutrigenomics demand not just reading dozen of pages handed to you and be done with it. Expect anywhere up to the one-hundredth page report ~ demanding your attention. Once again being far too busy this year ~ a significant Final Cut video presentation on these insights as well also full-featured blog writing still remains ongoing as I am needed elsewhere around the clock.
Fitness training this year have been somewhat difficult to schedule, but thankfully and surprisingly improved in some respect overall considering the markedly higher signs of metabolic stress. Timely productivity, time under tensions, limited rests, and less egoistic intensity ~ six+ years strong, four times per week. The ‘difficulty’ I refer to is simply recoordinations for stress management day in and out; such that I have to shift Friday’s training to a fasted late afternoon training on Saturday instead, and thereby begin my refeed allowances from there onwards.
There were unfortunately one or two occasions where my pre-existing condition (suspected Ankylosing Spondylitis / L4/5/S1 disc annulus degenerate) did flare during compound movements. But thankfully, within a week of rest and greatly reducing all oxalate sources ~ seem to help me slowly recover.
So that leaves us what exactly has been my nutrition formatting daily, throughout this entire year of 2022? As usual ~ Cyclical Ketogenic + Intermittent. 18 hours but less than 20 hours of weekday fasting. Erring at times towards higher end of caloric range to accommodate stress demands both physiological and psychological. And on average, though not 100% at the time ~ lowering my fat intakes to favour protein macro ratios.
My refeeding or what I’d say carbohydrate allowance(s) days now typically however to more than 24-36 hours.
Challenges and mysteries ahead.
This year, despite a clear blessing to financial safety, nonetheless remains without present and new challenges.
(Third party concerns and assurance statement) Let me first of all disclaim, for the interest of privacy, publicity and non-disclosures I can only share what I am comfortable with without opening myself any social scrutiny, disdain, stigma, or frown on my circumstance amongst whomever I interact on daily basis. Please read my public Concerns & Assurance Statement for more details. Prime reason why I decided to declare this statement because I live in a rather small, and closely surveyed community where any one (1) person would be aware of a dozen or so acquaintances. Self-authentication /free thinking here is at few times condemned as “Tall Poppy Syndrome”.
The most obvious challenge is obviously – the overall change of lifestyle affecting stress handling, QOLs / surrogate quality of life. Each carry its own repercussions too lengthy to be featured here in one writing. But suffice to say the elephants in the room most people / content creators in nutritional science don’t want to talk about ~ and which of course I am experiencing them all is none other than signs of Metabolic Stress. Rising cortisol, faster Glucagon response, heat / cold tolerance (or intolerance) changes, changes to overall NEAT / non-exercise adaptive thermogenesis, sleep quality/transition/depth/awakening changes, etc. etc.
A TLDR thus is granted at this point. I am more or less surprised; at my own self that despite level of stress people usually raise concerns, I am still able to somehow reframe them – each and every passing day, irrespective anyway and anyhow whether I am tired or not, dusk to dawn ~ as a passable day. Mostly day and often to night in a fasting state (in usual 18:6/20:4 formatting, saving one and half days for refeeds) .
In terms of supplementations and as per what is suggested from my nutrigenomics – have been somewhat a mixed blessing. A number of these supplements, which most are truth be told – are I bothered to use, if at all throughout my adulthood. As I believe much of them is easily obtainable by food alone ~ namely B12, B6, B3, and methylfolate / MTHFR support. Once again I cannot detail my findings here in this space alone.
I am a person of “Science” who, given my prior years of exclusion and reinclusion philosophy ~ would frown at gobbling up many variables in one (1) go. B3,B6,B12, MTHFR support, all at once or what-have-at-you in a giant pill ~ without controlling, researching and reflecting their independent significant effects, in isolation, in a true fasting state. The more anxiety one gets by introducing more variables at once is in my humble opinion – clouds even more confusion by simply carpet-bombing everything at once.
Nevertheless, I am happy to submit my preliminary yet premature insight on B12, and B3 on the next part.
The last and least newsworthy ~ my public experiences amidst <censored> mandated pharmacology this year. This could not have been more untimely and inconvenient~ as I experienced the most diresome effect on the second dose, whilst in the middle of probation employment period. Were I be deemed in anyway insufficient or unable to work, my employment would immediately end right there and then. And soon – next to no choice but returning to welfare stigma. Suffice to say ~ people still to this very day ridicule me with all manner of linguistics.
My response to all who frowns against me as such, from hereonwards is simply this ~ live your own convictions and your beliefs. I’d say the same to who’d frown either at:
- my open-ended ideas,
- the (compromised / odd) way of me speaking in front of camera,
- my principles on dieting;
- and before then – my “ramblings” on other things atypical against pedestrian normalcy.
People only hear what they want to hear. But all I can say is live-it-forward. Live your own convictions. But always remember, income governs outcome.
So that ends first of two part. Next comes highlights, downs and my ending thoughts, coming soon.
Live-It-Forward,
AW.