I've been part of this forum for a couple of years now. The regimen that I have constructed is mainly based on diet because that's where I see most improvements generally. Some people might find what I do as being a bit boring but I'd still be interested in thoughts or opinions.
I might have to become a member again because that way you can edit your original post. Editing below is just going to get messy.
My aims:
1. Longevity (even if was an extra year or two, this isn't something I'm overly obsessed with as I put far greater focus on number two, below)
2. Better quality of existence. Increased wellbeing and awareness. Increased spiritual conectedness with myself and the universe. I don't think I'll ever be one of the heard again that just accepts its sedated existence (yes that is what most of the population are.... zombies).
My rules:
1. Carb restriction... Based on the food that I eat this usually means I am doing calorific restriction to some extent. I aim for about 50g of carbs and some days it may sneak up to 70/80g.
2. No pharmaceutical drugs. I have been experimenting for the past couple of years and my brain is pretty fried in that respect. If I take an SSRI and it's been a few weeks of absinence I notice it'll kick straight into the theraputic zone each and every time (which is great if you want to take these things long term and have no interest in the short term side effects) but this also shows how tolerant i have become to the inital start up effects of the SSRIs (hypomania, agitation,etc). So with my intention no longer being on going through the drugs route I have decided to give up drugs of all kind completely and hopefully over the course of time my receptors will upregulate again and get me back to where I was. I originally started a mission with pharmaceutical drugs based on a misguided idea that they were the only things that were able to help me. I was wrong. I can only speak for myself but I have tried pretty much all pharmaceuticals now and it doesn't matter what their mechanism is all they do is provide a 'blanket' over your symptons. With diet I have found that this is actually giving me more meaningful benefits. I swear i read somewhere that having a diet high in carbs activates 5HT pathways and this leads to to inflammation and increased cortisol response. I'd have to dig up the studies on my hard drive. Anecdotally I can confirm this from how I felt on the Ketogenic diet which I trialled a while back. Although I felt pretty shitty during the adaption phase my stress response improved dramatically. I notice the same on my current diet which is carb restrictive. Of course the real challenge is sticking to it and not giving up.
3. Eating a sensible fat/protein/carbohydrate ratio. There is always lots of debate here and everyone disagrees with each other showing science that argues something either way. I don't have the time to agonize other such stuff, in fact I have very little interest in studies when it comes to this to this subject. I have learnt over the years and probably through my OCD like tendancies (it benefits me in some ways) to take note of how I feel when I eat/drink something and I have been able to construct a meal diary around this so I can find it easier to stick to. I have found high carb intake to generally make me more sleepy and possibly a bit dopey (this is definitley the case when I add wheat back in). Eating a good amount of fat seems to be culmalative in terms of benefitting my brain (When I try diets I will trial them for a while and higher fat seems to be great in this respect). I also noticed that eating sufficient protein in every meal seems to do wonders for suppressing my appetite. I am aware of studies showing excessive protein to be harmful to the body though so going overboard isn't something that I have any interest in.
So I have learnt to keep my ratio at about 60/70% fat (mostly monounsatuated, saturated and polyunsaturated). I will eat about 20% protein and 20% carbohydrate.
4. Supplying my diet with antioxidants from varying sources. But not going into overdrive with this as what I supply with anti-oxidants seems sufficient.
5. High intensity exercise three times a week. Sprinting, sit ups, press ups, chin ups. Weight lifting I do daily mainly working around the core of my body (back, chest, legs). The lifting isn't intensive by any means but it just gets my body working and I feel better for doing it each day.
6. Eating no grain of any type.
7. Eating no processed food of any type. Prepackaged meals, processed sugar of any type, sauces, dips... Whatever has been made by man is something I have no interest in when it comes to food. Of course you could argue that some of the food that I eat has probably been processed to some extent but let's not obsess over stuff like that. This regimen is designed to have flaws, every regimen will. It works for me right now but of course I'm open to criticism (constructive) and advice.
8. Dairy is ok. I notice no adverse reactions at all from milk, cheese,etc.
9. No alcohol (or limited pretty much to the point where it's not an issue). This may change if I am out with freinds. Being sociable is more important than health. With me though my work seems to be my life so seeing my freinds is rare treat. Even if I did have the means of going out each night I wouldn't do it because I don't care for the effects of alcohol really. I enjoy the low level buzz you get after two or three drinks but I'll stop there.
10. Monitor n-3/n-6 ratio. If everthing is cool here based on the food that i am eating then supplementing fish oil won't even be that critical. At the moment I am taking 2g a day.
11. Keep my OCD/ADHD/Depression (bipolar) - whatever the fuck it is in check. I suffer with symptons with all of this to some extent and I notice improvements in all of it when I keep my dietary limits in order with what I outlined above. So...... no giving in to peer pressure, no giving in to cravings, just all out militant determination to keep my 'condition' in good state. If I start gorging on pastries and sugars I notice very quickly how I start to decline and crumble. Everything from my spiritual wellbeing to my quality of existence. But this leads me onto the most important thing.....
12. Have fun. For the past two years whilst I've been teaching myself heaps about my disorder(s) and learning a lot I have forgotten what it is like to have a social life. So this is the reasoning for me documenting my ideas down here and revealing all I have to the world. People might think I'm a a bit of a dick for disclosing so much about myself but that's the person I am and if you met me in real life you would see exactly the same guy. I suppose my mood disorder put me onto this journey in the first place but now I need to start enjoying myself. I am not a bad looking guy and I have things going for me so I have joined a dating site. A girlfreind would be cool. I have been contacting my freinds a lot more recently, hopefully rebuilding the bridges that have been dying due to my overworking.
Supplements
AM
Upon waking:
Indium Sulphate XL - East Park - 1 drop
With morning food:
Trans Resveratrol - Rev Genetics - 2,000mg
Schizandra berries - Indigo Herbs - 4,000mg
Vitamin D (gel caps) - Healthy Origins - 2,400iu
Rhodiola Rosea - New Chapter - 300mg
Fish Oil - Carlsons - 2,000mg
MID DAY
Nothing.
PM
Nothing.
PRN:
1. I take Tongkat Ali for *ahem* obvious reasons. If anyone wants to know the source I use just PM me. This stuff is the shit for libido trust me. Jesus christ my orgasms are intense when I take this. Note: I only take this when I need to (i.e, I have a girl about).
2. Muira Puama and Damiana. I'll use these if I run out of Tongkat.
3. Picamilon. I'll use this when I cycle off rhodiola which will decline in effects after a week or two. I like picamilon a lot and it was one of the first things I ever tried. I find it a lot more kinder on my brain than piracetam.
Diet
I'm not eating grass fed meat at the moment but if anyone has any ideas of any good websites that do delivery within the UK I'm all ears!!
I say I am from Bristol but I'm actually about 30miles away so this is my nearest city so i can't get to these places that sell grass fed produce unfortunately. Hence why I'd be interested if I can find a site where they might deliver this to your door? Do these sites exist? I'll need to start looking int it. Supermarket, mass public meat isn't something that I want to be eating too much of really and with meat being the cornerstone of my diet it might have detrimental effects long term.
Anyway, right now i can't really be bothered to go into the design of my meals that I have constructed but they all fit the criteria of the fat/carb/protein ratio I listed above. My idea of breakfast might be to have pork chops with a rocket salad for instance. I'm not a muslei type of guy, well not any more.....
So I'm just going to list the foods that I eat:
Watercress salad, rocket salad, brocoli, potatoes, carrots, sweet potato, tomatoes, sprouts, blueberries, rasberries, strawberries, avocado, beetroot, brazil nuts (used sparingly because of n-6 content), walnuts, goji berries, olive oil, balsamic vinegar (used very sparingly on salads), olives, beef, bacon, pork, chicken, duck eggs (free range), cacao, hemp seed, spirulina, whey protein (in and around weight lifting).
Although I feel good on my diet right now sometimes I may feel a bit jittery. When this happens I'll add in a piece of fruit or something (usually a banana or an orange) and this usually calms me down a bit.
I don't bother with a multi vitamin based on my the foods I eat here... But please do say why I should take one of that's what you think guys... I know there are a couple of good ones around at the moment... Maybe taking a multivitamin is just standard good practice despite how nutritious ones diet might be?
Phew... Been typing this thing for over an hour now... Feeling like a lie down.....
Thanks for reading.
Thorsten.
Edited by Thorsten2, 16 September 2011 - 10:05 PM.