I took most of the last two weeks off for a little reflection. I feel like we have come to somewhat of a crossroad at 180D, one where many of the old tangents are falling away. The roots of 180 started with a pretty firm boner about natural diets, the diets of our ancestors and of traditional cultures ? taking it on faith that if we did as they did, disease would cower and tremble in fear of its nemesis ? nutritional excellence. But as the story unfolded, layer upon layer of complexity kidney-punched that na’ve fantasy of utopian health until it was more or less pissing blood.
When writing 12 Paleo Myths, I had even more epiphanies. In one chapter I discussed the ‘supranatural,? or better than natural properties of our modern food environment over that which is capable through nature alone. For example, cooking, an unnatural act compared to the rest of the animal kingdom, gave humans a huge selective advantage and allowed us to evolve in new ways. This unnatural act did us a huge favor. And when you realize that it was superior precisely because it is ?unnatural,? you can pretty much drop the romanticized infatuation with ?nature? and ‘traditional diets.? Sure, they are not without merit and should be discussed, studied, and form at least a part of every health researcher’s overall viewpoint. But to pass every scientific discovery or real-world observation through a traditional culture or caveman approval process is pretty stupid.
In short, I’m now a lot more open-minded about things that are not ?natural.? If you wanna have a conversation about branched-chain amino acids, I’m up for it. My kneejerk reaction will no longer be, I don’t trust anything that ain’t natural ? just eat a steak!? I used to make jokes about anything that came in a white powder, as if it was obviously poisonous because the Kitavans didn’t need anything in a white powder to survive. But that is a biased and closed-minded way to be. There’s no reason to frown upon modern technological advances outright (although countless are extremely harmful, don’t get me wrong).
And with an open mind, it cracks open a whole new world of possible solutions for people. Many of them a lot more simple and realistic than sentencing people to a life of fermenting, stock-making, allocating outrageous amounts of time and resources to obtain utopian food, and? well you get the picture.
Another aspect of the new 180D will be a big emphasis on simplicity and a high ratio of reward to effort. If 80% of the results can be obtained without discussing or understanding types of fat eaten, types of carbs, traditional cultures, GMO’s, organics, long lists of substances filed into ?good? and ?bad? categories, etc. ? then why Mercola everyone to death over the small details? ??I’m not really interested in long-winded debates about what constitutes optimal. ?Anyone who is thinking about what they are eating beyond a few basics has probably had their life eclipsed by their diets. The food we eat was never meant to take life away from us. It is meant to give life to us. I speak from experience. I have no regrets, but it’s certainly time to move on and take further strides towards communicating with those that haven’t spent a half decade in the bowels of the internet’s alternative nutrition scene trying to micromanage every bite of food they consume.
I’m also super bored with long-winded intellectual escapades about diet. I’m sure my restless brain will never be immune to going down a few rabbit holes from time to time, but it’s time to focus in on the simple stuff and learn more and more about what makes us tick. Forgive me if the site starts to lose some of its brain candy-ish appeal, but a lot of the brain candy being served up here gets rapidly converted to dietary anxiety and overthinking on behalf of the readers. I hope future posts are lower on the Anxiety-emic Index, triggering a slow, gradual release of knowledge into the brainstream.
Another change you should prepare yourself for is less of an established audience appeal. This one hurts, because I love writing to you guys and gals out there that have been following along for a while. But every time I find myself wanting to send a person in the ?real world? a post about a health problem they might be having, I go and read through the relevant posts and each one has so many references to things that only my ongoing audience would understand (this site is practically written in WAPFese) that they become confusing, entangling, ineffective, and ultimately not very impactful.
As much as I love to entertain an audience, ultimately I would rather reach people that, if they were to find this site and take some of the information to heart, they would achieve inexpensive, do-it-yourself, medication and surgery-free results that surpass what the medical and pharmaceutical industry can provide. And surpass it by such an order of magnitude that they will be shocked with amazement, as my current girlfriend has been. She had no idea that the answer to her chronic conditions was so easily within her grasp, required only a handful of changes so simple, and could be resolved within a matter of just a few short months. No doctor she has ever worked with realized this either. And there are millions of others out there just like her. Having a brainiacal site written in WAPFese, RAYhili, and Mercoliola will forever keep a barrier between them and my information.
Expect some simpler posts. They may be more boring for you 180 diehards, but they will be more shareable and noob-friendly. The current format excludes 95% of the general public from the conversation based on the level at which the material is written combined with countless obscure references to prior conversations and esoteric health theories. This must not go on any longer!
And we shall see what my future involvement in the comments section is gonna look like. I’m not sure. I will probably be a lot less interested in having long-winded theorization fests with a small group of health fanatics than I used to be. I also think it’s a little bit of an injustice to shell out tips for people to try without knowing much about their personal situation. My comment involvement will probably be to answer questions that are asked about the article written directly ? to clarify things and to better help readers grasp what I’m saying. But I suppose it will depend a lot on what the post is on, how tethered I am to my computer the week of the post (I hope to be spending more time away from the computer this summer than I have in many years), and what does end up surfacing in the comments.
Anyway, it should be fun. And I hope my writing comes back to life with bizarre and unexpected humor as I write each article for someone finding the site for the first time. Don’t want anyone confusing this joint for Livestrong or Webmd, yuck.
What do you peeps think about this unofficial semi re-launching?? Does it sound good or am I sounding like a douche having a midblog crisis?? Am I kidding myself thinking that I can connect with anyone that hasn’t completely run through the gauntlet of extreme diets before they find me?? Should I just keep writing orthorexic porn and accept my niche as a Metabolism Messiah lurking in a dark corner of the alternative health underworld?? Or is this a great move that will finally break 180 out of health nerd purgatory ? taking it from a site that entertains a few thousand weird diet veterans to delivering a truly viable alternative for the average Joe who is sick of ineffective medical treatments?
Nope. You’re a deluded DOOOOUUUUCHEEEE.
Kidding. It’s a good idea, and will get people sending posts to their friends more often.
Great idea.
I’m new to the blog, and have no idea, for example, what WAPF is — when you use initials or other non-everyday terms, it would be great if you could clarify what they mean the first time you mention them in a post. I mean every post, you can’t assume that people will understand the jargon, though it may be old hat and boringly obvious to you and your old readers. I look forward to the change — note that this post is still written in what I guess is WAPF-ese, whatever that is.
Oh yes, this is very much written to the long-time followers. But it will probably be the last. I intentionally seeded it with obscure references to even better prove the point.
Or alternatively you could get the Acronyms 2 WP plugin (do you even use wordpress?). Visitors can then hover over the word to know what it means. Once you have entered all your abbreviations into the plugin list you can use them to your heart’s content!!
But further to the conversation, I would definitely love to see more ‘laymans terms’ type posts being quite a newbie in these parts.
I’m actually glad to hear it. Don’t get me wrong: I’ll miss being able to hear all the cool rabbit trails and research, but I honestly am not even sure what your “basics” are at this point, so I’m looking forward to it for my OWN benefit.
The only thing that would be douchey, imo, would be to convert it into a tacky “insert your dollar here” blog that only wants to collect readers, scare them into buying every product they’ve got or are marketing for someone else, and then leaves you at the gates, without any information to go further. I’m not saying you shouldn’t get paid. Make your money! You deserve it. But what I’ve always loved about you is the value and sincerity you bring. THAT is what has made you stand out.
You’re doing great, Matt. I’m looking forward to the changes!
I agree. I have really been enjoying the posts over the past year and have really come a long way in my health and relationship to food because of them. But . . . I still don’t quite know where exactly Matt stands now.
Sounds good to me. My husband thinks so, too. He’s telling friends about your site, and thinks that your “new” format sounds like what the folks he’s told about you would be looking for. No tutorial required before sending them to your site – just the warning that you might be a little off color now and again. :)
Now and again… LOL
I guess I’m happy for you and sad for me. I get it. I think it’s a good move for the site.
I think its a good idea too – as a somewhat newbie I get lost…
I think the ebooks are a great place to delve in deep.
Also – would you consider having a forum? So we can search and discuss stuff by topic? It might stop questions from repeating themselves for each visitor.
And I’d love some distilled recommendations. I got your Diet Recovery book 2 months ago, but it already seems out of date.. like now candy & ice cream for breakfast and less liquids.. I’m still confused about optimal metabolic recovery and have hit a wall at 96.8.
I’m excited for 180D
Another thing’s for sure – some of those books of yours need a significant re-write.
Diet Recovery will be the first re-write, and it will be totally different with tons of new elements. I’m really excited about it. It will come out this summer.
Just recently bought the diet recovery book. Not happy to know it’s going to change :-(
don’t worry, Matt will give you the updated copy at no charge. He’s good like that.
I hope this is the case because I just bought it too :D
Yeah I just bought it too and half way through, quit reading it because of the contradictions between what I’m reading here and in the ebook. I don’t feel I wasted my money as there’s a lot of good info in there, but with a re-write, I’m glad to hear deb says about giving us the re-write at no charge (if that’s true?). I hope so.
I think your move as you described here is a good one. I would love to send people here, especially clients I work with here and there, but I don’t because it would be too confusing for them so I have to break it down for them and also I don’t like the foul language. I love the knowledge you have and encourage you to keep writing though! Your blog has helped me greatly.
The idea behind it won’t change that much. What I write will. It will be a lot more about how to read your body’s signals and a lot less about food specifically, or trying to explain away things like Kitavans and Pimas. And you’ll receive the new edition when it comes out ya whiner!
I hope I get one too! I bought it about a month ago or so. *whine whine*
I just sat down and re-read Diet Recovery from cover to cover last night, highlighted all the important stuff in green and started consuming mass quantities of (healthy) food TODAY. What do it do until summer??? Ice cream for breakfast, right? And lunch?
Hey Matt,
Has the re-write for DR been done yet? Or, when it is, will those of us who own it receive the update or need to repurchase? I will admit I do get somewhat confused between DR and then reading EFH.. so I’m looking for clarification on a few things. Thank you so much! I don’t comment much, but you’ve had my support since last spring and your work has always resonated with me, regardless as to what anyone else thinks!
Sounds really good, Matty. One of the reasons we long-term followers love you so much is you’re always willing to reinvent 180D. I’m tired of the orthorexic rabbit holes too. They’re exhausting and I don’t have time for them anymore!
Will you be coming through NYC this summer? If so, you must meet my magnificent new baby boy!
Yay Gazelle! Congrats on the little badass! Finally someone to challenge Brock’s little badass kid! No plans on NYC, but I don’t really make plans, and do a lot of unexpected things :) So you never know!
Thank you!
Yeah I agree with Cameron. I want to send my friends here without them having to get up to speed with years of blog posts. I do love ur “masterdebation” but I came here recently and realllyyyy benefited from your “new” ideas. Weirdly today before you posted this I thought to myself, “i don’t have to pursue learning EVERYTHING I POSSIBLY CAN ABOUT NUTRITION ANYMORE!” It felt good to feel a bit of this “freedom” you have been talking about. THANKS!
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Go for it! I still think you might need to flex your nerdiness against ortho gurus once in a while. But I don’t think you can resist some of that anyway so nothing to worry about on that front. Onward and upward Matt.
Would love to see one of your new posts spell out just what the handful of simple changes were that turned your girlfriend’s health around.
And for folks like me that read your posts regularly, but almost never read the comments, it seems when I do, I’m completely out of the loop as you’ve added nearly another post’s worth of info in the comments. I love to read, but for Pete’s sake I’ve got other things to do so cut to the chase in the body of the post.
Love your humor and willingness to check out all angles in the search for easily found and maintained health!
Well, I’ve been uber-confused as to what kind of transition’s been going on for the past few months, as I showed up as you were leaving some of your ideas behind. I fluently speak WAPFese, but looking for ways to eat clean and not be psycho about it. I’m glad I didn’t jump into the hard-core whole-foods-eating aspect of the original RRAF program – there was no way I was giving up my sugar. All that to say I’ll be curiously following along to see what’s up in the future, because you’re obviously onto something. I just couldn’t figure out where your train of thought was headed! I’ll be watching for updates of your e-books and some clear direction of what your specific conclusions are. Buen suerte!
Add me to the list of folks cheering you on in this new direction! I love your blog and all the nerdy discussions that you have here. I love all the directions you’ve gone, and how you have introduced me to things I may not have found on my own (RBTI, RRARF, etc.). However, the two things that are my very favorites about your philosophy are these –
1. You are not married to any particular diet/health strategy. You jump into something for the benefit you see it provides or for its potential, and you are just as willing to jump right back out again. You’ve not hitched your future and reputation to any particular wagon, so you are willing to bail out if need be. Refreshing…and the reason that I repeatedly introduce people to your site.
2. Your ideas about pursuing health seem to be similar to mine. For years I have attempted to get out of this health rut I am in. I’m tired of being tired and I want to escape the feeling that life is passing me by while I try to figure out how not to feel like dog crap all the time.
In an attempt to do so I have fallen into the trap of feeling like there is a miracle diet that will free me. I’ve bounced from one diet to the other, feeling like a diet whore that will do any crazy thing (can we say juicing 2 qts of carrot juice a day for a couple years???) that promises health. I have resented every minute and every stinking bite of food that I hate, but have justified it by saying that “this must be what I have to do to be well.”
Then I started to read this blog. I have loved this evolution that you have been going through because it has mirrored my own. I still feel awful more often than not, but I find myself unwilling to sign on for the next difficult thing or the next expensive elixir that promises to make this all go away (and not just because I am so broke that I can’t afford them anymore). I shake my head while I listen to (or read) the words of the “experts” who know that if you just stop cooking your food, or avoid carbs, or spend the day in the kitchen preparing everything the way your ancestors did you will finally have perfect health.
I love that you are looking for the path of least resistence (where food is concerned) in your quest for a fulfilling life because that is the place that I find myself. I’m too tired to jump through all these hoops, and I love that you are finding easier ways. I couldn’t possibly care less if those ways include ice cream, oreos or Coke. I’m over feeling superior to those poor wretches who are silly enough to eat the standars american diet, because some of them feel better than I do! I love junk food and wouldn’t mind one bit if I could eat it and feel good. Whatever.
Bring on simplicity. I could use some at this point in the game!!
Yikes! That was long!! :(
Yeah but it was awesome!
Well said!
Love it! Well said Mitzi
Excellent, Mitzi–especially the “diet whore” bit LOL. I want to feel and look better, sure, but I am so tired of making what I eat more the focus of my life than LIVING my life.
“Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God. And remember the richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least.”
Thanks for the encouragement, everyone :) After I hit the submit button and saw how long that rant turned out to be I assumed most folks would just scroll right on by it. Glad it hit home with someone besides me. I am too sick and tired to work so hard at not being sick and tired! It’s a crazy place to be!!
I look forward to seeing what you throw out. ( or up, lol). Many of your recent ( last year or so) posts have confused me beyond where I want to go and have periodically stopped checking in. Going this way, going that way. so New is good, change is good, even mid life crises are good, though I know you are not even old enough yet to have one of those. Keeping things fresh for you is good, keeping life interesting is good.
I saw a post on Facebook today that said “If things aren’t adding up in your life, start subtracting.” sounds like good advice, and something you might be pursuing. I wish you luck.
Aw Mattie.. you know that whatever you do I will still come and haunt your ass. I think it’s a good move. I know how it gets and I too have reached the end of the rabbit hole chasing days. I feel happy for you and the fact that you will reach more folks that don’t’ want to know about crazy ass stuff like RBTI, WAPF, GAPS or any other fraggernockle bullshit.
Love you always
your hag mom
xoxoxo
Fraggernockle is the actual fake word.
Fraggernockle is now in my lexicon – thank-you.
Wait, now you’re using words like “Fraggermockle.” You really think a first-time visitor is going to know what the hell that is? You’re gonna scare ’em away Hag!
I have accused of such things before. In my opinion it’s all fraggernockle bullshit.
In other news, Jack Kruse. did not make the cruise. HAHAHAHAHAHAA
sorry
Great! I often want to send folks here, but I know they’ll be lost and won’t stick around. I also agree that I’m not sure what your basics are these days.
Matt,
You are being true to yourself. I really admire that. I say GO FOR IT! I for one, intend to always “read” you. Boring, exciting, new, old, shitty, snotty, revealing or not, I think you are one of the bravest persons I’ve ever come across and you can NOT get rid of me.
Here! Here! I agree!!
If I am understanding you correctly it will probably be a very good change. As a nurse I am constantly required to break down information to a suitable level for the general public. I would love a website filled with basic, good, reasonable, and attainable health information that I could send my patients to look at. Definitely keep a focus on the metabolism since it is the underlying problem in most cases but the easier and more simple you can make it the better it will be to the general public. There is to much “nutrition gospel” out there and if you can keep exploring but also streamline I think you will do well.:-)
There will be plenty of focus on physiology, metabolism, and its relationship to various health problems. No doubt. But I don’t think I’ll be discussing the minutiae of diet much anymore because people really have to learn more about how their bodies work and unlearn what they know about nutrition.
Can’t wait to hear your basic ideas on all this. What is important, what is not so important, learning how the body really works. I guess that’s been the search all along!
As a lifelong 180er, I say YAY! for the, errr, 180 :)
Looking forward to the new 180s.
Amen. I’ve enjoyed reading your blog/website for the last couple of years but still get confused with all the acronyms. The dietary snobs may not agree but keeping it simple is usually best.
And I just hafta add this (cause it’s so related – as you all will see)…
I found it interesting (and kinda sad) how a peep in a recent comment, said, “…in this fight we call life.”
Life doesn’t have to be a fight.
And life will stop being a fight when you stop fighting yourself. When you stop fighting your body, and your true wants, and your true desires, and your true passions, all that is true for you. They are all there for a reason. And all are as valid to your life as hunger and thirst.
Stop listening to other people about what you “should” eat (isn’t that what landed you here in the first place?). And stop listening to other people about what you “should” want, what you “should” do… everything. Listen to yourself. Discover and follow your bliss. It’s there for a reason. A great reason. You.
And incidentally, that is the true path to health, true love, true success, true happiness. Truth.
Be true to you and life will be true to you… in amazing ways. And if you’re honest with yourself about what you truly want, life will give it to you.
Great idea, as a newbie I think I’d love it ! I was just catching up with all the acronyms with my favorite being ETF ! Perhaps we can now add in MOM … messiah of metabolism.
I have also been following Paul Jaminet’s PHD whose website features a new look this week – no doubt with similar goals as yours. Best of luck.
Just a thought …
By the time you’ve made this switch, I think the blog should be called “540 Degree Health”.
Why not go for 720D or even 900D? Tony Hawk would be proud!
I’m the Tony Hawk of health? Yes!!!
some of your ideas i do actually have to filter through my wife who has followed you for a few months and has been in a few of those rabbit holes you refer to over the last few years ( WAPF, raw, china study to name a few). I do believe you do have a lot to teach and as a bodyworker for the last 19 years i can identify with having to educate the general public with info that is bachelor degree level & higher. you are doing it well and doing a good job of not taking yourself as seriously as most nutrition “gurus”, bloggers, etc. as a matter of fact the humor is the best part about your website, as it seperates you from all of the people trying to scare us into anorexia “for our own good”.. keep the faith.
I’ll be interested to see how you change. I think it will be nice for for you to write to a different audience, one who hasn’t been here for a long time. I’ve just found your website in the last few months and there are times when I’m lost, and I’m a pretty smart gal! Yes, I’ve figured things out, but still…
What I’ve learned most from you is that I need to follow what feels right for me and not to get so stressed out about food. That said, eating sugar (the white stuff) just doesn’t make me feel good and I’m grappling with food issues which I know you don’t want people to have, so I’ll be interested to see what you have to say that’s new.
I did buy your ebook. Are you going to have a cheap addendum for us who have already bought it? Or will you just blog about the new highlights?
Anyway, I’m just rambling, but I think every blogger has to do what feels best for him/her. This is about your message, and if you feel you need to change your delivery, then you must need to.
Yeah, as with any re-release of an eBook, those who already got it will get it for free – unless it comes out with a bunch of new bells and whistles. If so, the $19.95 spent will be applied toward the new edish.
“Anyone who is thinking about what they are eating beyond a few basics has probably had their life eclipsed by their diets.”
I love you, Matt, and you have changed my life. I will be eternally grateful.
But you are missing the point here. Life cannot be eclipsed by food. Because life is food and food is life.
Go to Italy. Or Spain. Or France. Or Greece. (I could go on. And I will. I’m going to Portugal for the first time this week.) These people are obsessed with food. OBSESSED. It’s only the freak Americans who have lost all spiritual connection to food and have turned it into a never-ending chore — like Sisyphus rolling that boulder up the hill for eternity.
I’m not saying that Europeans are obsessed with food in the way that we are. We are obsessed in an unhealthy way. We sit around arguing about PUFAs and MSG, refusing to eat at a restaurant because the fish is not wild-caught.
Europeans, on the other hand, LOVE food and they revere it. The revere it so much, they go out of their way to protect it. They have the kind of love affair with food like we have when we are 18 having our first big romance. Only this romance lasts their whole life.
You know that scene in Eat Pray Love when Julia Roberts is in Napoli and she says, “I’m having a relationship with my pizza”? That’s what I’m talking about.
The first time I went to Italy, I stayed at a bed & breakfast run by a foodie and his family. He taught us how to make pizza and we went hunting for truffles and wine tasting. He was American — actually he was Swedish/Chinese and his wife I think was from Laos but they met working on Wall St. They decided they wanted to open a B & B and they chose a place they had never been, where neither one of them spoke the language. Enter Tuscany.
He told us a story about the first PTA meeting he attended when his 5-year-old started kindergarten in this small Tuscan town. The Italian parents spent 3 or 4 hours talking — and 90% of the time they were talking about FOOD. In Italy, lunch and dinner are always 4 courses.
And in Italy, the kids (even kindergarteners) get a hot 4-course lunch.
The parents went on and on. “What will the children eat?” “Where is the olive oil from?” “Which farm?” “Oh that farm? Yes that is a good one.”
This was my experience everywhere I went in Italy. From Florence to Montepulciano to Rome. People are obsessed with food. They’re always talking about food, what they ate at their last meal, when they’re going to eat their next meal, what they had last night, etc. etc.
And you know what? It’s the same in France. The French have a competition every single year for the best baguette in Paris. When I visited Paris the last time, I went out of my way to sample the best baguettes — and you know what? They really were that much better. Worth walking across town in freezing rain.
The French also have the AOC which governs how cheese must be produced. These people are fanatical about raw milk cheese. And you know what? It REALLY does matter. Raw milk Epoisses cheese in France makes the pasteurized version of Epoisses we get here taste like crap. (I mean, hey it still tastes great — but it’s nothing like the real thing.)
I went with a group of girlfriends and they all agreed (and we were not drunk on the wine yet), the raw milk cheese was *almost* as good as sex.
This comment is long enough, and besides, it’s good to end on a high note (sex).
Ann Marie,
I’ve been thinking along the same lines lately and reading up on the French’s relationship with food. Have you read “Bringing up Bebe”? Very interesting comparison of French and American child-rearing attitudes. Those kids are mostly on formula but are taught 1) restraint 2) to respect food and they dine incredibly well as soon as they can take solids. Of course they’re healthier (and much better behaved!) than the average American kid.
Right on Anne Marie! I just saw Eat Pray Love and almost wrote down that whole speech Julia Roberts said to her Swedish friend as they ate pizza in Italy, and had every intention of posting it on this site.
Gazelle-that’s funny. I just finished working on the book you just mentioned for work. Frickin loved it and don’t even have kids.
And MATT! right on. I really like the direction you’re headed and it will be easy to refer people beating themselves up about food and health to you.
I love me some Cheese. <3
Just letting this fly. No time to proofread or make it shorter. Well, I just don’t wanna take the time to lol :)
Yes, the difference is those other countries/cultures have a “healthy” (sorry, had to do it!) relationship with food – compared to the very unhealthy relationship Americans have with food. And there’s a reason for both, which is not even related to food.
Partly because Americans have become convinced – mostly by marketing hype (= for profit) and society who listens to it – that food is the cause of America’s health decline and obesity epidemic. And that this food is bad and this food is good/better/healthier – whatever the $agenda$. Ahem, like the beverage companies’ bottled water “drink more water it’s good for you and the more the better” gimmick, for instance.
Yep, the health-minded folks totally bought it (pun intended)! And they are still makin’ a killin’ off those who refused to drink their um “unhealthy” sodas, gah! They gotcha – one way or another! Of course. It made sense, right? Water has to be good for us, right? And the more the better, right? That’s what they wanted you to believe. And you did.
I did too, for a month or two. Until I thought, wait a minute! Something is just not right here. It suddenly occurred to me (while sitting on the toilet peeing for the 100th time that day!) that the reason I was peeing so often was because my body was trying to tell me to stop drinking so much damn water! I would drink and it would throw it right back out! Why? Well, duh! It doesn’t need it! So I went on a research mission (which led me down a whole other path – good one) and I uncovered the truth about water. And that my body was right. And that I should always listen to it and not marketing hype or the media or anyone else.
If you are peeing often and throughout the night – your body is talking to you – listen to it. Stop drinking so much water! If you’re NOT drinking a lot of water or other fluids BUT you are still peeing often, your body is telling you something else. Eat. You’re not eating enough food in general or getting enough salt or sugar or something’s lacking. This is why it’s a good idea to EAT THE FOOD and to eat a *wide variety* of food. Plus it’s way easier (and more stress-free) than trying to figure out what it is. But usually your cravings will tell you what it is. That’s your body talking to you again. Listen to it :)
And over the years, Americans have become convinced that anything that tastes good is bad for you. That you must suffer and deprive yourselves if you want to be healthy. That “cravings are baaaad!” Well, those other countries/cultures are real life contradictories to this.
But the really HUGE and key difference is stress. Those other countries/cultures live relatively low-stress lives compared to Americans. And… another key is they live life with passion! See, even when it comes to food. Americans, however, complicate everything! Including food. And so they stress about everything!
Those other countries/cultures make for great cases that it’s not the food. It’s the stress. And as a result of stress, American’s tend to use food to comfort themselves. They eat when they’re not hungry. Some out of boredom – nothing better to do – little to no fulfillment in life. Some eat out of stress – because they hate their job, for example, the one they got to please everyone but themselves and to pay for things that they thought would make them happy – house, latest and greatest cars, gadgets, etc. (more marketing hype)… instead of doing what they really love and what would really make them happy.
And some are stressed out because they’re in unhappy or unhealthy relationships – settling for being with someone rather than no one – or they don’t want to hurt someone, or afraid to leave, or afraid of change, whatever the reason.
But whatever your sources of stress, it is the stress that is at the root of your issues with food, health, weight, low quality of life. It’s not food. Not even processed food.
People have also become convinced that it’s “processed” food. They believe the more we’ve processed food over the years, the worse things have gotten. That seems logical, right? Well, those other countries and cultures are a real life contradiction to that as well. What America doesn’t “see” is just how much more stressful life has become, in America, over the years.
And it’s mostly self-perpetuated… from listening to and trying to please and make everyone else happy instead of themselves. Depriving yourself of anything in life is damaging to your heath. Not just when it comes to food and cravings, but depriving yourself of your other wants and needs as well – and doing so to please others or out of fear of what others will think – is the most damaging kind of stress – both physically and psychologically.
Stop focusing on food, diet, nutrition, health, weight. Or what other people think. Focus on you. What makes you happy. What makes you feel good. What gets you excited everyday. If you don’t know what those things are (that’s part of the problem), find them and then follow them. Then the other things fall into place. Health, weight, true success, true love, true happiness. I’ve seen it happen for lots of peeps.
UGH! That’s it for me. Gonna get off this computer and go walk on the beach and wade in the ocean – because it’s one of the things I love to do. It makes me feel good. It makes me smile. And smiling makes others smile. Smiling at someone can make their day. And I love to see it on their face when that happens… that makes MY day! It’s a vicious vicious cycle lol :)
Oh and the reason why I’m able to go to the beach in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week, is because I don’t have a “job.” I follow my passions instead. And they always more than provide my monetary needs, as well as my happiness. Oh and my good health :)
PS. That hasn’t always been the case for me (for those who are thinking it’s easy for me to say or that it’s not that easy). I’ve gone through most of those things too. Made it to the other side. Learned from them. And I’m still learning. I love learning something new :)
LOVE THIS!!! Thanks for this comment!
Crystal, so glad that it spoke to you. Mission accomplished :)
Haha! “contradictories” should be “contradictions” – oops! Guess that’s what I get for not proofing, huh? lol Someone was so kind to point out my typo for me (and laugh at me, I mean WITH me). Is contradictories even a word? Seems to be contradictory info on that lol ;)
Anywhat, would be really awesome of you Matt to correct my “contradictories” and delete this comment. Or not and peeps can feel free to laugh at, err, WITH me too :)
I’m disappointed you haven’t commented on the word “boner” yet. Are you feeling okay? This is not like you!
I let the sleeping boner lie.
uh.
yeah.
sorry again… out of control over here.
Haha! Deb you read my mind. I just love you :)
Love you back!
Boners, seen one, seen them all.
Ok, that did not sound right.. :-)
they are all delicate flowers, each one unique.
Yep, never felt better :)
Sorry to disappoint ya Matt. Make no mistake though, boners definitely rank way up there for me in real life real context. I’m just uninspired by boners on the internet. Hey you asked! :)
C,
Couldn’t agree with you more. It’s like you’re in my head! lol Being a free spirit suits me much better. I was never good with staying in the box. Not sure why I ever thought I had to. If I only knew then what I know now…I wouldn’t of learned a thing! :-)
Blessings and love,
Jennifer
“It’s like you’re in my head!”
I get that a lot! :)
But then some people just think I’m nuts! lol Like Yves did :)
Thanks for sharing that Jennifer :)
This is such a wonderful comment. I will literally bookmark it so that I can come back and read it again. I’m dealing with a real health issue with my kiddo so I really do have to be careful about our diet, but this is such a wonderful overall attitude. I have no doubt that most of my current problems stem from stress.
This is really interesting research concerning cultural differences, including those between FRance and the US:
http://grist.org/food/2010-11-15-americans-stop-multitasking-eating-alone-french-claude-fischler/
When living in FRance, it used to drive me nuts that I couldn’t just fix myself a mug of tea without everyone being appalled: “But we’re all going to have tea at 4:30! ” … The only time I saw people snacking was when they had smoked dope ….
Where’s the ‘like’ button? Thinking about food this way makes me SO happy.
“Expect some simpler posts. They may be more boring for you 180 diehards, but they will be more shareable and noob-friendly. The current format excludes 95% of the general public from the conversation based on the level at which the material is written combined with countless obscure references to prior conversations and esoteric health theories. This must not go on any longer!”
I agree. More people need to understand what it is you are saying and it needs to be more accessible. These debates about Peat and PUFA and paleos are so arcane. Whenever I tell normal, everyday people about the paleo people who are mad at me because I’m eating more carbs, they (1) laugh, then (2) express disbelief — “what’s wrong with carbs?” then (3) say, “what’s a paleo?”
When I tell them about you and your blog, they come back and say they can’t understand what you’re going on about.
See, because nobody cares. Or in other words, those of us who do care are a very tiny minority. As my husband said once, “Your niche is way too small. Handicapped lesbians with shellfish allergies.” Not that that is who my audience is, but that is how small it is. FRINGE!
When I told him that people in our circle have issues w/ Whole Foods because they sold out for whatever reason or have “vegan agenda” he says, “Huh? What? I would have never noticed that in a million years. Who cares?”
Oh and thank you for making the posts white instead of black. I started reading your blog regularly after you did that. If this is a buffet, we need to make it easy for people to eat the food.
Said more succinctly, “I would have written a shorter letter if I had had more time.”
I follow your blog too and couldn’t agree more with this article. Food gives life! I love all of it, but it still should be *food*. Real food. Thanks for your comment. I was hoping you’d chime in here :).
Jenn
I meant that I couldn’t agree more with YOUR COMMENT :). Not the article…lol. But I do also agree with parts of the post. I believe it should be easily understood by a broader audience.
Jenn
Thanks Cheesy. I won’t be writing my posts like I’m an idiot. I think people are afraid that my writing will lack intelligence or wit. No freakin’ way. But as it is now, people that come to the site for the first time probably feel like they’ve walked into an intense mystery thriller set on a foreign planet where everyone is speaking Clingon that started an hour ago.
When I started reading your site, my first thoughts were – exsqueeze me? baking powder? I had no idea where to start and about 75% of it didn’t make sense. It was a lot like trying to dive into research journals. Making your thoughts more accessible to the general public seems like a useful endeavor. I know it would have helped me, and I even started with a solid baseline understanding of health and nutrition!
I’m all for it. Maybe once you establish a wider audience they’ll ask you to write an article for a major publication like NY Times … I would expect that article to contain some bizarre humor and 80s references though!
I’m excited! That’s what I love about your stuff Matt! Always willing to move forward and try new things.
I love it! I’ve wanted to share your posts, too, but couldn’t find the right ones. Please, please do posts on paleo/low carb and why it’s bad!!!! Almost everyone I know seems to be trying it, and it’s making me crazy. LOL.
Also, it’s kind of difficult to share a post with women that starts out with “a pretty firm boner.” Just sayin’. LOL
The boner part was the highlight for me! Don’t most women like boners?
I thought women liked boners? Are you referring to women on low-carb diets not liking boners? That would make more sense, from a physiological standpoint.
Lol!
I’ll check in from time to time. I am glad you are doing this, but until you have it figured out “enough” where you have some concrete things etablished I won’t be doing doughnuts in the morning with you. I do LOVE good food AnneMarie! and I always eat as much as I want. I stopped feeling guilty about that some time back. My exercise is latin and freestyle dancing b/c I love the hell out of it! :D Haven’t been able to do it for a few years but getting back into it now that my husband is home most weekends and my body is responding soo quickly! My girlfriend thought I lost 20 lbs from one to the next after dancing. Crazy huh!
This site could use more topless babes.
^tits or gtfo
No freakin’ kidding!
I’m feeling like a loser for buying Diet Recovery like two months back because you’ve turned around soooo much. It was by no means a waste of money, and it totally changed my awful and disordered attitude towards food, and also made me way more awesome in and out of bed. So thanks ^_____@.
I’m glad you did and aren’t sticking to what you no longer believe like an arrogant dick, and I’m glad for the emotional advice, but you should give a discount or something to college girls like me who want the new information on what “the food” is now but already bought the outdated book.
Ditto for a senior on Social Security!
That’s the beauty of eBooks. You get new editions for free. The premise and objective won’t change much, just the point of focus.
“Expect some simpler posts.” I don’t think you can pull that off. :-)
You’re probably right! But I won’t make as many references to past conversations that only 300 people remember.
While the Europeans may be occupied by food in one way, I think we here in this county are also occupied by food-but differently. I don’t know-but I think it may have something to do with the lack of a true food culture. I mean what are really the true native foods our our county? Anyway that discussion could go on forever.
Onto another point, I’ve been reading all types of food blogs for years now (gluten-free blogs, WAPF blogs, raw food blogs, etc..) the thing that gets me sometimes is that being exclusive with food is a privilege. I mean in the third world are they really thinking about food combining, alkaline vs. acid, getting in their omega-3’s or rushing out to the natural foods co-op to stock up on the latest supplements. I mean some folks are just trying to get by-work, feed the family, and have absolutely no time (or perhaps not even a computer) to “research” about the newest food/health thing. One thing that opened my eyes to this has been my own experience. I started reading about diet and got a great deal of useful information that helped me and my eating habits. However, I started to get anxious if I read something concerning how toxic everything is (aka mercury fillings, toxic water, the need for detox diet,
etc.) so I took a break from the interwebs. Really I think we in this little food world of ours need to expand our horizon-how about stress reduction, improving relationships, growing spiritually-those things are also extremely important (even more so) than our obession with diet. I remember one day I had a marathon food making session in the kitchen-but by the end of my long cooking session I was so snappy and tired that I had a hard time being kind to those around me. Looking back at that I think that I needed a bit of perspective-yes cooking at home is good, but loving those who you around you-I think that is much better.
All the best with the new blog!
Nothing wrong with food cultures, but I happen to like the fact that I can spend my day reading interesting things, having sex, doing some physical activity, writing, hanging out on the beach, and other things that I like other than cooking all day. The convenience food era is great if you take advantage of it in ways that make your life more fulfilling.
“The food we eat was never meant to take life away from us. It is meant to give life to us.” ~ Yes ~ thank you for this. And i trust that whatever you write is what you are supposed to write ~ if you were just trying to please people, you’d go crazy, because there will be those that are drawn to what you share and those who will move on.
Thanks for your unique perspectives ~ ultimately no “point of view” is the last say. We are all evolving and unfolding ~ it’s enjoyable to read what’s clear to you.
I also love hearing this, as I think you’ve got a wealth of knowledge but sometimes I dread reading your posts because I want more practical information than what they have to offer. I’d also really like to see some better organization of the information you have here so that if I want to explore a topic that you’ve written on, I have the option. For instance, I wanted to get a better grip on hyperinsulinism, but there was no easy way to look at the posts about it. I ended up having to bookmark the posts on my browser so I’d be able to re-read them. Maybe you could tag and categorize by topic so that doing something like that would be easier.
You have a girlfriend? ????????? Noooooooooo! I’ve had a 180 degree crush for a while & still dreamed I had a chance…..darn :(
My girlfriend is very sharing, lol. Come join the party baby! haha.
It’s not gay if it’s a 3 way
This sounds like a great idea to me. It also seems like the natural next step for really applying everything you’ve learned. Instead of moving away from it, you’re going to be distilling it into a much more accessible format. And doing that requires a lot of knowledge and experience, as well as open-mindedness.
Personally, I’m really excited for it. Open mindedness and simplification are two things this blog could really benefit from. It’s good you can step back and be critical of your work for the benefit of your readers.
I hope you can move in whatever direction you have to with the full confidence that you have the support of your longtime followers. Through all the discouragement and uncertainty that’s bound to come eventually as you rework this blog, remember that there’re a lot of people who know and appreciate how hard you work and how much you care.
P.S. This reworking seems desperately needed today because the general public needs the most education about these things. But health nerds like me who’ve burned out could also really benefit from having information that’s easier to digest. Pun kind of intended. Personally, I’m starting to leave some of my pride behind as I enter the “please help me” stage again — which most people are in. A lot of people are desperately in need of help, and I can’t think of any other better way than “teaching a man to fish” by teaching him the basics and giving him a feeling of control. Information overload can do the opposite, and make people feel out of control and more confused than ever.
So as far as what your goal is, I think you’re dead on. Being open-minded will make your blog more accessible, as people will feel less defensive — so in turn, they’ll be more open-minded about your ideas. And of distilling your knowledge and experience into a simpler, more accessible format will help a lot. Put the two together and I think you’ll have a lot of success with your goal of reaching (and effectively helping) a broader audience.
“Distilling”
That’s exactly what I’ll be doing. And not making the blog like a 3000-hour movie with 487 characters that people keep walking in on halfway through.
Great post and no doubt a good move. When I first came across this blog I dismissed it because of it’s style. Only after reading some stuff and realizing you had a good way of thinking I sticked around.
Now I will miss your humor though :'(.
The humor is going to be magnified. Don’t worry!
This post would have been helpful a week and a half ago before I bought Diet Recovery! Thanks a lot!
Now you get the old one and the new one, a better value than people who buy it months from now!
It’s funny that you are doing this now because I have been thinking recently how there are so many people I know that could benefit from this (just about everybody), but could care friggin less about anything beyond carbs, fats & proteins (and some don’t care about that). I have been on the 180D Express for 2 years now. I talk about this crap and send people here all the time but have yet to have one single person seem the least bit interested in any of this. My sister is on Body by Vi, my wife is on Weight Watchers, and my best friend’s testosterone levels are about the same as my 12 year old niece’s. They are crying out for you Matt, heed to their calls.
ditto
I think it’s time the blog came around to this. I get some of the 180 concepts but the overall picture is still confusing to me. Or maybe it’s that I get the overall picture but there are a lot of details I don’t know. I’ve already come to the realization there can’t be endless nutritional debates. At some point we know enough, or have come full circle enough, we just need to live our lives, and it’s time to start organizing the information in a way to really benefit people. Johnny Lawrence is right. Just about everyone is doing something with their diet either for nutritional or body comp goals. What you’re really offering is freedom. It’s time to start unraveling your deeper understanding from all the inside references and endless nutritional debates. I applaud this move.
I’ve had the same problem with your website. I’ve known people that have been looking for information but the posts are so ‘specialized’ I haven’t sent out links to your website a lot of the time. Also, I assume (and hope) that you will be writing in a less ‘familiar’ style and more ‘official’ style. Yes, you are funny, but I feel it takes away from the message. Thank you for all the information, and as a curiosity, what where the simple changes your girlfriend implemented?
I hope to do a post about the girlfriend. Don’t want to jinx anything though.
I think its a good idea. It has been obvious to me that you have been pretty bored witht the blog since RBTI and, no offense, but I havent really been very interested in it myself since then. I loved the old blog and am glad that I found it when I did (about two years ago). When I first discovered it, I spent hours a day reading old posts until I was completely caught up. I am definitely gonna miss those old posts that I felt applied directly to me and what I had been through diet/health-wise, but I am very intersted to see what the new 180D will be all about.
Matt, I think it would be cool if you compiled a bunch of your favorite old posts into one book. I know there are some out there that I still go back and read every now and then. Maybe you could take some suggestions from old followers on what to include in it. I don’t know if anyone else likes that idea, but I know I would buy one. Just a thought. Thanks, Matt.
Yes, cut the BS by all means, your posts are full of it and that only eggs on the professional commentators. You write really well but I get a hint that all the sarcasm is there to cover for a lack of content. What exactly other than don’t pee clear and pig out after periods of wacky dieting are you trying to say?
Not that I’m criticizing you, I’m just as confused. For example, I just listened to the East west Healing Ray Peat serotonin/endotoxin interview on your widget and oh man, other than wanting to shoot the interviewer, (talk about sandbagging Ray Peat info so you run to buy interviewers services based off him divining RP info that was made incomprehensible in interview), all the serotonin LPS stuff is scary beyond hope. If any off it is true, people are screwed beyond belief because there is no way your going to get out of that tangle by eating this or that or reading somebodies blog and jumping up and down on Tuesdays.
So here is what I think you should do. Go take a road trip up to Oregon and camp out by RP and find out if any of that shit is true then clearly get RP to spill how to get out of those out of those out of control endocrine run away systems he talks about. You did it for the quack in west Virgini and came away with “don’t pee clear”, I’m sure an RP road trip can yield so much more than the current “drink OJ”. Somebody has to get to the bottom of this RP stuff because my spidy sense tells me its asking the right questions, in the right ball park. I’m an engineer and I can tell you things work great with little input for a long time but get them out of control from a control systems theory perspective and they can be close to impossible to get back into normal operating parameters. This is what Ray is ultimately talking about.
Incidentally Paul Jaminet thinks trouble shooting hormones can’t be done, and he might be right but maybe you could go find a few tools after hanging out with Peat that could act like a health reset button when combined with some sensible eating and alot of play could just maybe snap people back out of that serotonin hell RP keeps talking about.
Bottom line, somebody has to settle RP theory before it gets picked up and turned into AM radio quackery and snake oil. I think that guy is you. (We even have a guy “whispering” RP now, new website coming but I won’t name names). But go to straight to the source, no tea leaf reading.
Also, take some pictures of RP, what kind of shape is he in? Does he really have much in the way of helping real people? Ask him directly…what does it take and what can people do to get out of these negative feedback hormone/inflammation loops people are stuck in? Solve that problem. Also, what testing can be done to confirm these problems?
There is only so much blog reading and BS study reading people can do before somebody has to do something original otherwise its all the same recycled garbage. I think you are perfectly suited to be the “investigative reporter” of the health world actually going to the source and finding something new that all the blogesphere can write about ad nuaseam. “Matt Stone here in India asking Swami skinny bones how fat Americans can get healthy” that kind of thing, but start with Peat. Oh yea, I read all you Peat stuff to date on your site and I got “drink Oj and Milk” and eat a carrot. If that is it the bad hormone cascade is going to win. Good luck.
+1
+2.
Perry has it right. 180 has become too much about “don’t worry, be happy” woo-woo. This is unfortunate because there used to be a real substance to the blog that offered an alternative viewpoint. Maybe most of the people on this blog really are diet obsessed and psychosomatic, in which case it’s exactly what they need to hear. Matt talks about reaching a broader audience, but I don’t think he will find it. Look around you; do Americans really need to be told to stop worrying and eat more convenience food? What do you think they are doing already? Most people I know could care less about what tey eat and are in pathetic condition. What do you think all of us were doing before we became health-junkies? I couldn’t give a rats arse what I ate. My “diet-obsession” is in response to real health problems not vice-verse. Or maybe it’s “stress” that is the cause of our problems and we just need to relax. Sorry, if anything the causality is backwards. poor health = lowered resistance to stress. Blaming stress for health problems is a cop-out.
I think a lot of readers here are riding a placebo wave (boner?) to be honest, the irony is that it shares the same pattern many are railing against. The anti-diet becomes the diet. The anti-belief the new faith, etc.
“Look around you; do Americans really need to be told to stop worrying and eat more convenience food? What do you think they are doing already?”
Worrying. Stressing. About everything! Yes they need to be told to stop worrying – about convenience food – and everything else. Food is not the problem. Stop worrying and get a life. A life that YOU want. Not the life that you think you should have. Or that everyone else has. Or that everyone else thinks you should have.
“Most people I know could care less about what tey eat and are in pathetic condition. What do you think all of us were doing before we became health-junkies? I couldn’t give a rats arse what I ate. My ?diet-obsession? is in response to real health problems not vice-verse.”
Yeah because, like most everyone else, you blame your problems on food. Food is not the problem. Your life sucks. That’s the problem. Oh and BTW, it’s “COULDN’T care less” but yeah you’re right, they “could” care less and they should!
“Or maybe it’s ‘stress? that is the cause of our problems and we just need to relax. Sorry, if anything the causality is backwards. poor health = lowered resistance to stress. Blaming stress for health problems is a cop-out.”
And that’s precisely why your life still sucks. You’re too scared to do something about it. THAT is the cop-out. That and blaming food for your problems.
Oh wait. What am I thinking? You’re probably right. I’ll tell ALL those people I’ve seen transform their lives and health by eliminating the stress in their lives and following their passions (also known as getting a life!) – who are now happy, healthy, lean, living a life they love, and (finally) loving the life they live – that they are wrong. And they should go back to stressing about food and life.
Thanks for saving us from ourselves :)
“Worrying. Stressing. About everything! Yes they need to be told to stop worrying ? about convenience food ? and everything else. Food is not the problem. Stop worrying and get a life. A life that YOU want. Not the life that you think you should have. Or that everyone else has. Or that everyone else thinks you should have”
You obviously have no clue how disease works. Sorry. Why we have a health care system is beyond me, I mean don’t people know they can will themselves to get better? Fail.
“Yeah because, like most everyone else, you blame your problems on food. Food is not the problem. Your life sucks. That’s the problem. Oh and BTW, it’s ?COULDN?T care less? but yeah you’re right, they ?could? care less and they should!”
I don’t blame my problems on food.
“And that’s precisely why your life still sucks. You’re too scared to do something about it. THAT is the cop-out. That and blaming food for your problems.”
Again, incorrect. I’ve been knee-deep in doing something about it for some time.
“Oh wait. What am I thinking? You’re probably right. I’ll tell ALL those people I’ve seen transform their lives and health by eliminating the stress in their lives and following their passions (also known as getting a life!) ? who are now happy, healthy, lean, living a life they love, and (finally) loving the life they live ? that they are wrong. And they should go back to stressing about food and life.”
And what happens when disease prevents you from following your passions? Again, you’re being incredibly naive about health and disease. Maybe you suffered from a psychological problem, or psychosomatic illness? You’re projecting your problems onto everyone else, but it doesn’t work that way.
“You obviously have no clue how disease works. Sorry. Why we have a health care system is beyond me, I mean don’t people know they can will themselves to get better? Fail.”
You think I’m the one who’s naive and doesn’t have a clue. Just an observation :)
Yes actually I do know how disease works. And I know how stress works. Not just from personal experience, research, and education. I’ve worked with many people with their various health, weight, food issues, and so on. And I know that stress is the number one *root* cause of health, weight, and food issues. And more often than not is at the root of mental issues.
But you don’t know that because the heath care system (not to mention the health & nutrition industry – and let’s not leave out the alternative health industry) doesn’t want you to know that. There’s no profit in it. It doesn’t sell unnecessary drugs, surgical procedures, supplements, and so on. But yes I agree. Why we have a health care system is beyond me too. Big fat FAIL. But hey big fat profits though.
“I don’t blame my problems on food.”
Oh I must have misunderstood when you wrote this:
“Most people I know could care less about what tey eat and are in pathetic condition. What do you think all of us were doing before we became health-junkies? I couldn’t give a rats arse what I ate. My ?diet-obsession? is in response to real health problems not vice-verse.
Sorry. My mistake.
“I’ve been knee-deep in doing something about it for some time.”
Precisely. Knee-deep in your “diet-obsession” (your word). Stress! And you totally missed the point – which was skip the obsession with diet (stop blaming food) and do something about your (stressful) life – like getting one that you love and that makes you happy. The kind where… you know how people with “jobs” look forward to the weekend? Well you look forward to everyday. I’m always having to ask people what day it is because I (and lots of other happy peeps) don’t count down the days to the weekend.
And saying what if disease prevents you from following your passions is a cop-out too. That’s just an excuse. Again, because deep down you’re really too scared to follow your own path. And I understand. But be honest with yourself. If you are able to get on the internet and comment on blogs and research for hours for the miracle cure diet, then you are able to find things that make you happy. If you really tried.
“You’re projecting your problems onto everyone else…”
Interesting you should say that :)
But seriously, excuse my sarcasm. My comments were extreme to make a point. And to shake you up a little lol. And hey you started it!! Haha. Kidding. No really, don’t take it personally. I’m harmless. Really :)
I had a suspicion you might not be ready. Hang in there though. Hopefully Matt can help. I’ll leave you in his hands.
I do hope you find your happy place. Sincerely :)
PS. Not living the life you truly want to live is the most insidious of chronic psychological stresses.
C, I appreciate you willing to be amicable. The reason I sell short the stress idea is I have pretty much zero stress outside of chronic health problems. I make a good living working from home half the time and have huge latitude at work in a field I’ve been passionate about since grade school. I have zero negative/unhealthy relationships. I have pretty much zero obligations and can do whatever I want on the weekends. Just last month I took a 3 day vaca out of the blue in another country and had a blast. Where’s all this mystery stress coming from?
To give you an idea of where I am coming from-
I’ve had migraines since I was a kid. Never had a care in the world what I ate. After years of doctors, specialists, medications I gave up on it and went on living my life. Unfortunately that lasted 3-4 yrs before the slow deterioration culminated in bipolar episodes. Long story short I started looking at nutrition and diet, stopped eating gluten, grains and dairy. In 1 week I had an 80% reduction in headaches, improvements in cognitive ability, etc. So yes when your disease compromises your brain to the point of being dysfunctional it does get in the way of accomplishing your goals. I’ve known enough people and experienced it myself to know that the brain is biological. If you think you’re in control and directing your life at fiat you’re sorely mistaken. I’m not saying things are deterministic, I’m saying “just relax it’s in your head” doesn’t work if your problems are not psychological or social in origin. I’ve been reading Matt’s blog for about 2 years. Went enthusiastically into RRARF for 6+ months. Unfortunately it worsened headaches, insomnia, and other cognitive problems. I need my brain to work and enjoy life, so I quit it. I’ve said before I think RRARF is great if your main problem is orthrexia nervosa. If you’re on restrictive diets because you have to be, then being flippant about what you eat just doesn’t work. I’ve learned that the hard way more than a few times. So yea, I’ve tried the ostrich approach; it’s failed.
For a while I was a true-believer in RRARF and would sell other people on it. In retrospect I feel quite silly doing so and feel like those paleo/low-carb people that do the same. Maybe a 12 myths of 180 is in order too :).
My original post was lamenting that science and curiosity here is on it’s way out. I like(d) 180 because Matt challenged existing ideas with plausible alternatives, but I feel that has given way.. He’s said before he doesn’t care now about the how and the why, just whether it “works” or not. Now, I have a lot to thank Matt for and respect what he does; he introduced me to peat, made me re-examine and eventually refute the paleo dogma, shed low-carb, etc. so I don’t feel bitter that rrarf did not work for me at all, but I see the same attitudes (the zeal, the “duh, it works you just have to try it”, and so on) people have about rrarf, or the 180-approach, that people have about vegan, paleo, etc. and find it ironic.
Yves, thank you for sharing your experiences and your thoughts. Wishing you the best in your journey :)
Yves, I wanted to come back real quick to apologize to you for my extremely sarcastic rant. I had hoped that you would see the humor in the intentionally extreme way over the top sarcasm as I did. But I know that doesn’t always translate well in written text.
Anyway, again, I sincerely apologize. And I do care. And I hope you find your answers. Hugs and peace and happiness and all that cheese too :)
I have a family history of dibilitative migraines. My mom was in bed most of my childhood, her mother had them, then after puberty I got them. Through my travels with my hormones I have learned that low progesterone has been the culprit for me. So much so that during my 5 days off of the bio-identical I would always get that period migraine. Granted before bio-identical progesterone I would get it when the weather changed or what ever. Now I take it every day, and no migraines. I have very high estrogen in my family. So right now I am trying the “Ray Peat Asperin experiment” as well. Good-luck, I know what it is like.
Angela, thanks for the comments. Migraines run on both sides of my family too. I was going to try progesterone (or buy some for my mom!) after reading Ray’s books, but never did try it. I should revisit it. I was on thyroid on-and off much of last year. Found it helped with a lot of things, but not migraines unfortunately.
C,
Sorry if I came off as harsh as well. I had in mind when I responded a childhood friend that has been very ill for several years, to the point of being on oxygen and a feeding tube. Doctors told her she was fine and it was in her head before she was diagnosed with a rare infection (they’re still not totally sure what she may have). I have family members who have suffered with mental illness and can see the destructiveness and stress that the disease causes. Maybe this blog was never the place to address issues like that to begin with.. It’s more the domain of Jaminet, Peat, or Emily Deans. I am open to anything working for someone, which is why I am interested in the how and the why. There’s a whole toolbox out there not just hammers. Anyway, I’m happy that rrarf has benefited you. cheers
C, your comments read like asshole zealot syndrome; somebody who thinks they have all the answers and anyone who doesn’t “get it” just “isn’t ready”.
Grow up and actually listen when someone talks to you instead of shouting what you believe in their face.
dcx,
Thank you. Duly noted. I agree that text is too often miss-taken from its true intent. Which is why I really don’t like this forum of communication much. So gonna go do something else… more enjoyable :)
Thanks, really :)
If I may step in here as a newcomer to this blog…
While I agree that stress, orthorexia etc can lead to health problems… so can food. I speak as a celiac who wasn’t dx’ed til age 30. What Yves said above about poor health = lowered resistance to stress was, in my case anyway, very true. I went gluten-free and my brain literally changed. Not only could I handle stress much better, but I stopped interpreting so many things as stressful. Depression, anxiety – gone, honestly like I’d snapped my fingers. Try as I might, I can’t conjure up one of my old ‘black moods’, they just went away (as did intense cravings, food/eating obsessions, and a whole host of other problems.)
So rather than snarking on someone for ‘blaming food for their problems’, please realize that yes, there are people for whom food, in some way, fracked them up physically and/or mentally. Personally, I spent enough time blaming myself for my problems… and as it turned out, it was, largely, the food. As you said, “Food is not the problem. Stop worrying and get a life. A life that YOU want. ” If you’d sid that to me 7 years ago, I’d have replied with “I’m trying – and I have no idea why I can’t!”
I totally agree with Perry.
Sounds tasty.
I could never quite pinpoint why your site was difficult for me to get to grips with. It’s a shame, as I find you the most refreshing of any health blogger on the interbutts these days. I always put it down to some kind of Paleo-Google conspiracy.
Though you are right to move away from them, I will miss the confusing nerdfests in the comment threads. Perhaps someone could spin off a new forum for this or something.
Also: Peat! Peat! Peat! Peat!
Matt,
I am wirh you…go for it! I have found (personally) the blog getting a bit too nerdy around nutrition…a lot of talk about certain foods to eat and diet tricks…all things that to me ago against the simplicity you demonstrate. Looking forward to what you come up with…you changed my life man…saved me actually.
Matt,
You’re cursed with sincerity. You might as well embrace it.
Life is change. Change is life.
I look forward to seeing what you do next.
I will be glad of this change. One thing I would also be glad of is a little more in the way of READ THIS FIRST! type material that gives a really basic overview of your philosophy as it stands at the moment. It’s changed a lot and reading back through old stuff just isn’t that enlightening. I rarely see you write anything like a list of the top things you think a general person can actually DO to improve their health (besides “eat a lot of food”, not that that’s bad advice!), or even a way to approach thinking about food that you think is good.
So yeah, a little more simplicity and a little more structure to your ideas would probably go a long way. :)
Shit, I’ve been reading this blog for what- 2 years? and I’ve FINALLY figured out what you are talking about and NOW you want to make it noob-friendly?
Haha! Better late than never!
I actually think it’s a great idea, because I often want to send people here but I know they won’t want to go on that same 2-year adventure with you that I did.
I dunno Matt, I liked your blog as it was. The nutrition blogosphere is full of blogs aimed at the lowest common denominator, and yours is one of the few good ones that is aimed at people who actually have something between their ears and is actually worth reading. You have carved out a niche for yourself and there’s not many other doing what you do (Hunt Gather Love is another good one I like in the same vein). Its not just that yous are both excellent writers (which yous are) but yous write about interesting stuff that goes well beyond the basics, explore unconventional ideas and are prepared to challenge conventional paleo wisdom and call people out on their bullshit. That and the sense that what you write is written purely on its own merit rather than as a marketing tool to flog shite like supplements or try and get as many website “hits” as possible.
Once you start trying to shift away from the intellectually stimulating stuff that you do so well and try to appeal to the masses and judging your success by how many visitors your site gets, then it potentially becomes a slippery slope. How long before you cash in on your hard won credibility and sell out to the almighty dollar?
Will we as readers have to start worrying that if you start writing a series about, say, antioxidants that perhaps its just some sneaky prelude to you selling some antioxidant supplement or new improved master control formula? Or boasting in every other post about how many visitors your site gets per month, and even start changing what you write in order to make your site more “Googlable” like this tool:
http://freetheanimal.com/2012/04/jack-kruse-neurosurgeon-leptin-reset-and-cold-thermogenesis-controvery.html
I shudder to think. You’ve made a great thing here Matt, just be careful you don’t go over to the dark side. And even if you do dumb down a bit to attract more noobs, I hope you will still call out dietary bullshitters and dish out the blog equivalent of justice, American style!
http://www.pixiq.com/article/shocking-video-of-kelly-thomas-released-watch-with-caution
I won’t ever sell supplements, don’t worry. One thing I’ve sworn to is to never sell something on my site that is NOT information. I don’t wanna find out that my local news reporter is talking about how great some cancer drug is only to find out later he’s a stockholder in the company. Same thing here.
I’m not gonna write dumb shit either. But make my posts stand alone better, instead of appearing like a half chapter in a 6,000 page novel. It’ll be alright amigo.
True that.
Biggest Douche in the Blogosphere goes to…. Richard Nikoley!!!
I think that’s exactly what you need, Matt.
I’ve gotten a ton of good stuff from your site, but there are lots of times I’ve struggled to see what, exactly, the bottom line is. If you’re trying to educate and (ultimately) change people, I think it’s an imperative that they know exactly what your bottom line is.
I think you got closer to that with your “Eat the food” mantra, but I think it was never clear what lasting change you wanted to produce with ETF. ETF so that you can be skinny? So that you can increase metabolism, regardless of the consequences for body composition? So that you can reverse degenerative conditions? I think sort of starting over and saying, bottom line, what’s important to you, and what you’re trying to achieve is going to be really important.
Just my take, as a guy who gives feedback for a living. If you want any sort of elaboration or anything I’m happy to do that.
Brilliant; all of it.
I especially love this : “The food we eat was never meant to take life away from us. It is meant to give life to us.”
Can’t wait to see what you have in store. I’m here for the ride!
Onward and outward, brother. I think this is a good call, especially if you don’t want to find yourself swimming in obscurity forever.
And anyway, you’re not in that old headspace anymore. So let it go. Your writing will be easier, less stilted when you’re not trying to harangue it into an ill-fitting suit anymore. Write what comes easy, what makes sense.
I’m still reading.
Rob A in the hizouse!
just saying hi
I always had a hard time following all the different ideas you wrote about over the last years – everytime i start talking about my nutrition my girlfriend is telling me to shut up because almost every month my preferences are changing :-D i never brought my body temperature up to 36.5 C because i wasnt able to be consistent or was too confused – and i don’t like to eat the same foods every week and fast everytime i’m going out – so i’m really looking forward to the new 180D and hope to learn something
I’m ok with your more moderate/less extreme approach. It gives a good balance to the more extreme ideas. But I hope you don’t start supporting GMO’s! That’s going too far! :) but serious.
I don’t support GMO’s. But I don’t talk about them either. Because people can still improve their health without worrying about whether or not what their eating has GMO’s in it. You’d have to live in a cave somewhere to avoid GMO’s in the U.S.
I’m staying put. :)
I knew it was a just matter of time and kept tabs on you for that reason. Nice to hear about the evolution. Great move! :-)
Don’t throw everything away Matt! You have compiled quite a great cohort who started RRARF-ing around the beginning of the year (including me). Results should start pouring in, in about 4 to 6 months. One of the benefits of this site for your followers is hearing patterns of results to relate to. Having so many using the same treatment, mobilized in one area overides issues of controls. PLEASE don’t let that go. Keep a forum open for upcoming RRARF process issues and results.
Even if your girlfriend did cure chronic issues with simple changes, there were still complex mechanisms at play. If you truly want to be more helpful to more people, you have to stay involved in what those mechanisms involve. Keep exploring that. Like what Anne Marie (Cheeseslave) was saying, there are unshakable principles (with food) that the past million years have given us. Loving food means defending it. What we should actually hold on to can’t be that simple. This is your ‘achilles heel.’ Modern foods may directly be somewhat ‘therapeutic’, but if processing it hurts us in the long run (getting shorter by the year), then it should never be considered as an educated option. You’re closest to finding a sustainable solution, don’t throw it away.
More interested in the mechanisms than ever. Never fear! And those principles with food are VERY shakeable. Humans are evolving at a rate never before seen to keep up with the rapidly-changing world. That’s why there are so many surprises – too many to file things into good and bad categories. Even doing so can make the “bad” foods more attractive depending on how one integrates the information on a psychological level. My future writing will probably look like a lovechild of Geneen Roth, Ray Peat, and Chuck Klosterman.
With some 80’s funk thrown in.
A girl can dream…or a hag.
I’m glad you are going to be bringing in Geneen Roth. I feel that there is so much emotion around food, at least for me, that I struggle with every day. I think that the emotional connection has been missing to a certain degree.
I’ve been re-reading some of Geneen’s stuff, and it makes so much damn sense to me.
I like ol’ Geneen. I just think she uses way too many words to express simple concepts. The same could be said about me too I guess, but overall she is a great contribution to this endless health conversation.
Oftentimes, and especially when speaking to the general public, and the non-science-minded, the uneducated, and/or the grossly misinformed public, you need to use more words to explain simple concepts. And I find that they need real life analogies and stories that they can relate to too.
This is why I tend to elaborate a lot lol! For example, just saying “stress” or “chronic stress” isn’t enough. People, in general, tend to think of stress as just regular everyday stress like at work for example. And some don’t know what “chronic” stress even means. But when I elaborate about all the different kinds of stress and all the different sources of stress – and distinguish between acute stress and chronic stress – and even throw in real life examples or analogies – then people can relate and “see” it more clearly in their own lives.
That’s been my experience anyway :)
I’d like to see a resource or post address this for those of us just starting out – a sort of “what to expect” so we don’t panic as the scale goes up and the headaches come on. I imagine the range of normal is wide, but I’d like some support and reassurance without having to look so hard for it.
I am a relatively new reader, and only “found” you in the last few months, so for me this won’t be a huge shock. For what it’s worth, I really loved this post and look forward to the changes. The reason I was drawn in to your site is that you offer something unique, and to me it looks like the changes will draw upon your strengths, particularly your unique perspective amongst an Internet filled with people painfully focused on minutia. Bring it on, I say.
Good post Matt. In addition to “Diet Recovery”, it almost seems like you are recovering from your own OCD, and I mean that in a positive way. Sort of like watching a committed athlete finally kick back and enjoy some booze.
I was all about Paleo for about 1 year, then it just started to piss me off how suddenly every fucking food was being demonized, and you’re supposed to tip-toe through life, much like you not so subtly eluded to in your post. Now I think Paleo is a great term to sell shit, right up there with the word “organic”.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the minutiae and rabbit holes, but after a while, ya just gotta eat something and quit worrying about it.
Hey Matt,
Stumbled upon your sites a few months ago. You and Ray Peat and others really make me think. I read your stuff and have hope and yet feel deflated at times too because there is no one answer for everyone. Ray Peat seems okay with regular white sugar and is anti fish oil. I’d never heard of anyone being anti fish oil. This was really amazing for me to read. I read some of your work on digestion and the idea that probiotics and fiber are not always a good idea is intrguing.
I used to get really worked up about paleo, low carb, vegan, etc. debates. But, I decided at some point that I really didn’t care what was scientifically supposed to make sense. Every diet seems to have research and anecdotal evidence to back it up. I decided all I cared about was feeling better and being healed. If eating regular white sugar could do that then by God I would do it regardless of what others may say. I’d follow the Rice Diet if it made me well and would not care a bit how many arguments there may be about how bad grains and carbs are.
Anyway, I digress. I have learned from you and Ray Peat and others that many ways to health may be possible. I look forward to learning more. Thank you Matt.
I started reading your blog around the time you started the rbti stuff. I completely agree that it would help you to reach a broader audience to stops using obscure references and terms that don’t make sense to a new reader. But I think while your recommendations will be great on what TO do for better health, your firm stance on what NOT to do has been just as valuable to me. It seems like every single health bog I’ve read is full of what someone thinks you should do, but you’re the only one I’ve found who makes the point that there will likely be a big downside to all of these diets that so many claim are “the answer” to health problems. Your blog is a very important answer to the often asked “what harm could it do?”. So please don’t neglect that side of it. There may be a huge prospective audience who has never heard of the paleo diet and has never considered cutting out carbs or something, but they aren’t the ones that really need to hear what you have to say.
this is a good point!
Matt are you going to have a forum?
I am one of the noobs (only found your vlogs and blog a couple weeks ago), so thought I should comment. I like the new direction, for simple understanding’s sake, but I also like the challenge the old format posed for me to uncover the evolution of your current conclusons. How real! You use yourself as a guinea pig and you document the process. I’ve never seen anything like it and I hope you don’t stop sharing the details.
I simply can’t believe I’m not dieting anymore. I’M NOT DIETING ANYMORE! Holy tamoley. It’s nuts. You are a cocky son of a bitch…and I love ya.
Huge congratulations on not dieting anymore!
:)
Matt, I believe this move you’re wanting to make in the blog/site and your message and goal is exactly right! As much as I’ll miss the more personal “inner 180 circle” posts, you will be doing so much more, for so many more people who could so greatly benefit with the direction you are taking. It is noble and it’s time! People need truth, always, and you have a lot of it to share!
I would like to toss out an idea for us 180 diehards, and to give your inner Metabolism Messiah an occasional opportunity to unleash its orthorexic porn side…a monthly email newsletter, for those of us who like your dark, snarky, inner health overlord persona. It would give you an opportunity to rant at least once a month, unfettered and unleashed from your alternative health underworld, to release the pressure valve, but still keep the blog/site on track for all of us, noob and diehard alike.
But whatever you decide, I will keep reading. You have an incredible amount of knowledge and information to share, that will literally change the quality of life for many, many people, so your goal is noble, and worth girding your loins and battling upward and beyond!
Best of luck in your battles for health and wellness, and getting the truth out there…keep fighting the good, messy fight. We will follow…
(Oh, and for that newsletter, please sign me up! :-)
Let’s hear it for simplicity! No more confusing posts with RRARF, WAPF, or ETF. It was too much for the noobs and I often walked away thinking WTF?!
As your reader, it’s fun to sift through all the health jargon, seeing all these people posting in Klingon to each other knowingly “Well, I was RRARFING and then I followed the RBTI but do PUFA’s really matter or is HFCS the problem but I saw that whole Mercola/Lustig thing but it made me realize that Barnes and Peat and Lee are really right and when you think about it maybe I need more progesterone but I’ll be needing more sterols to form it so maybe I’ll just bypass the adrenals and ovaries and just use it transdermally, or maybe I should just try a ten day milk fast instead! Jeiarch?” (That’s KIingon for understood. It’s in Star Trek 3.)
But I don’t think you could stay in that vein of thought if you tried. Firstly, it’s not good business to try and play to a niche crowd when your audience could be much bigger, and secondly, the material you’re promoting these days has an inherently broader appeal. So you could stay here in the backwater and fight with people over your ideas or you can take ’em to the streets and see what your average American with eczema and a yo-yo dieting problem has to say. I think the answer is clear. You’re gonna be a star, baby!
oh hey, this is way unrelated, but this has been really getting to me and your mention of humans evolving at high speeds made me remember- Okay, so I have bad teeth. Terrible teeth. But I’ve never had a cavity in my life, and this is with lax brushing habits until I was a teenager (excuse me, I was a motherless, white trash child). They’re bad in the sense that my mouth is inhumanly small so it doesn’t fit the right amount of teeth. My mouth didn’t even produce them all. In fact, I have two baby teeth, hard as nails, no rot, no decay, no looseness, hanging out where adult teeth should be, but my body never even formed them. And I’m 27. Also, my bottom row is fairly crooked and my teeth are all pretty tiny. So they’re weird looking, but the uniqueness of their weirdness always seemed pretty cool to me, and at a young age I figured it probably had something to do with evolution. Human’s mouths are getting smaller as time goes on because we’re not having to tear into raw flesh and chew huge amounts of fiber to extract a decent amount of nutrition, so maybe my mouth is just extra small, in comparison to everyone else because I’m so evolved?ha ha! But seriously, maybe. It was that frame of mind that shielded me from being self-conscious about them in middle and high school, so that saved me a lot of pain I guess. Okay, but then I started reading all these Weston A Price people and it turns out my teeth are a deformity, totally fucked, awful, my mother not breast feeding me has ruined my life, blah blah blah and now for the first time ever, I’m looking at my teeth wondering what a mouthful of dental work would cost. Which is stupid because if I’m suddenly concerned about my teeth being the result of actual mineral and vitamin deficiencies, it’s not like getting a set of veneers is going to change the health and history of my mouth, just the appearance. But anyway, yeah, my teeth are terrible, not healthy, but I’ve never had a cavity in my life. So what the hell is that? If my teeth weren’t mineral rich and strong, wouldn’t I have had at the very least, a tooth ache by now? What do you think?
Hmm yeah. Your teeth sound pretty strong. :P
I have a friend who had braces, and had to get her wisdom teeth surgically removed, whereas mine came in just fine and I never needed braces. So my palate is better developed. But she’s never had cavities. And I have had MANY. Recently, one of my teeth even chipped off when I bit a fork accidentally. -.-
Anyway my friend grew up eating a normal diet, with lots of candy. I had barely any sugar or dairy as a child, and was vegan for a little while. I’m pretty sure my teeth got a lot stronger when I was a teenager and semi-following Jordan Rubin’s diet, with the raw dairy and cod liver oil and stuff. But now, after like a year of not eating much calcium, they are too soft. =/ You are lucky your teeth are strong. :P
I’m curious as to what sort of conditions or whatever allow for well-developed dental arches, and what allows for strong, cavity-resistant teeth. Cause there seems to be different causes for each, although everything is all related. In one of Ray Peat’s articles he wrote that when one doesn’t have enough calcium and progesterone, your body doesn’t store calcium in the correct places or something like that. There was probably more to it. XD
IT’S SO CONFUSING. MATT PLEASE WRITE SIMPLE POSTS EXPLAINING HOW TO POSSIBLY CORRECT PROBLEMS LIKE THIS. Oh right. That’s the plan. I think it will be awesome, and I’m really really happy you are going in this direction. :D Cause even though I’ve read your blog for a while, I’m not really obsessed with nutrition enough to be into the super geeky parts. I just want to feel healthy and do other stuff. XD
Um, don’t know. But I have really weak teeth and had a bunch of those uber-sensitive cracks in them, as well as 2 cavities in my front teeth. Since taking Min-Col, all the cracks have filled in mostly and are no longer sensitive AND one cavity in my front bottom teeth has filled in and the other cavity is like 2/3 filled. Also, my jaw is filling out–it’s crazy. Kind of awkward to just close my mouth as my bite is affected.
Also, my teeth don’t feel weak, like they’re going to fall out.
Oh, been taking Min-Col since August…
Wow. So wait, why again is Min-Col preferable to any other multi-mineral? I’ve used Krebs Chelates and blackstrap molasses as mineral supplements. Why is Min-Col the best?
Wish I knew! Can’t remember. I think it’s actual ground (rock?) mineral…There’s probably info in the comments section of old rbti posts, but that could be a pain to track down.
Oh thank you so much Karen. :) I’ll give it a try. My Grandmother is in her eighties and her teeth are all originals. I think that’s ideal. :P It’s great to hear yours have improved so much. :D
Interesting about your jaw.
Matt, this sounds seriously great to me. I think you have a good handle on what the next best step is here, and I can’t wait to read what you have in store for us. Looking forward to more e-books too! You’re the best :)
These are great sentiments and I completely agree.
90% of the fitness and wellness industries are catered to the 2% of the population, often the elite or extreme (which if you’re allergic or intolerant of certain food items, or have particular physical limitations is probably necessary in those cases).
Can’t beat the training program that LeBron James is doing right?
I need to be eating like Lance Armstrong because I ride to work, and Lance is at the top of his game.
Often we look to specificity at the expense of developing our own foundations.
There is a lot of simplicity to be found, that the majority of the population can apply, and is therefore more useful than the training programs or diets of the few special cases.
Individualization is still important, but there are a lot of universalities that apply across the board to the overwhelming majority, that are just trying to be more specific than they need to be, or probably should be.
Excellent post, I personally am looking forward to reading more.
This is a great move Matt. All my friends that have interest in nutrition etc get referred by me to 180 but it is probably too daunting/head asploding initially to relative newbs. I’m sure in the near future you’ll have a much wider audience with the change just from 180ers referalls!
Go ahead Matt, write anyway you want, I’ll figure it out either way, and I’m sure it’ll be entertaining. Nice one on the GI and I thought saying Sissonese would be funny. I still read his posts sometimes, smart shit, or at least it seems. I bought white bread intentionally…then I found out its whole grain white bread. CON FLABBIT! I’m thinkin maybe its cheaper to produce whole grain stuff since its less processing right? So maybe one day there wont be any grains stripped of their toxic stuff =( Like what general mills is doin to their cereals, or has done. I doubt any of you realized I was gone or here to begin with, but here I am, and about 45 pounds heavier so far since December. If I didnt have a sprained wrist (since last year..) I’d be doin chin ups and pull ups like a spider monkey, psyche…I’m too much of a ogre do to do that =) and Hello if anyone is reading. Corena, I still take zinc and vitamin c when I feel somethin comin.
I’m reading Bob. Just not commenting as much. But sometimes it’s just too hard not to lol. So I give in and just do it. Wouldn’t wanna deprive myself :)
Really glad to hear that the Zinc/C thingy is workin’ for ya!
Egon Spengler: There’s definitely a very slim chance we’ll survive.
Peter Venkman: I love this plan! I’m excited to be a part of it. Let’s do it!
I haven’t done too many extreme diets, except when I was a teenager, quite a ways back by now. At this point I’m a previously obese woman, trying not to regain my weight. I’m glad you’re changing your format, a lot of this minutiae is boring, at least to me. But then again, I like fat AND carbs, enjoy sugar, though not apparently as much as most Americans, not even afraid of MSG. I used to think the WAPFers were a bunch of scary evangelists, but they are looking more reasonable compared to other stuff I’ve found lately. WTFever, there are better things to do, such as get off the computer more often, enjoy life, enjoy food, stress less. As you said. Go on with whatever you’re going to do, I’ll still read.
Hi,
I’m new to the site, and I love it! Spent hours browsing the message board over the last few years.
Anybody heard of cybernetic transposition? It offers a method to talk to your subconscious and talk it into raising your metabolism by, say, five per cent. I’ve not tried it yet, but I plan to.
Let us know how that goes!
As yes, the same process is used for other gains…
“Cybernetic Transposition as taught by Stuart Lichtman is a process in the Ebook ” How to Get Lots of Money for Anything Fast” ”
I’d rather use it to get money than squeak out a mere 5% metabloic jump. When you are rich, people won’t care how you look and you can be a jerk and be loved for it. :)
hey Matt!
been with you since meeting you at the WAPF Wise Traditions sh*t-storm in VA (thankfully I did not partake of the painful diarrhea suffered by many), loved the “sacred self” handle, remember fondly the days of Bruce and the AV Skeptics, avidly read 180, and look forward with great anticipation to your new direction.
keep on truckin’!
SheBear
I also bought Diet Recovery a few months ago. If I understand you correctly I will automatically recieve the new, updated one or do I do I have to “sign up” somewhere..? I was also going to buy the fatloss-book…didn’t you sell it for 19.95 just a while ago and now it’s in a package for 39.95? Are you going to re-wright that one too?
Can’t re-write them all. Would rather keep coming out with new ones. But Diet Recovery is sort of the bread and butter of the site, so gonna work on a revamp of that one over the summer. You’ll get it when it comes out.
Best of both worlds? Sometimes it’s just nice to delve into it and satisfy the brainiac in me. This could easily be achieved by links or references to more lengthy technical post or articles somewhere else on this site or somewhere else where you feel the subject is being discussed in a sensible fashion.
Just for the record: I am not here as a result of random mutations over billions of years but was created by God through His Son Jesus Christ. Matt, I appreciate what I have gleaned from your blog and am thankful that it has lead me to learn more about Adrenal Fatigue which I am convinced I have as the explanation of it and symptoms fit my experience. It’s a shame that modern medicine doesn’t recognize this except in an extreme form. They have offered me no help. How can you tell someone that is tired all the time: We don’t know what is wrong with you. It makes no sense whatsoever that someone would fake being constantly fatigued. Do you really think I want to spend my time and money trying to get better just to get attention? Of course “you” is not directed to anyone on this blog since you all understand. :)
Ah yeah, that does suck. I can relate. =/ One Doctor told me I had LBS = Lazy Bum Syndrome. XD He had no idea what the problem could be. Haha.
Anyway interesting fact: I used to looooooooooooove to consume %100 baking chocolate and other adrenal stimulants. But soon after I started eating sugar again, large amounts of it I might add, my cravings for the stimulants went away. I find even milk chocolate pretty gross now. XD It’s insane. I never thought sugar, the food I most avoided throughout my life, would help me so much. I have more energy and overall calm now. :) I have to be careful to eat enough though, or I regress.
All the best with finding healing and energy. Might be worth going to a Naturopathic Doctor, if you haven’t already.
I’m excited that you are continuing the site, as we need a forum for those of us who didn’t quite vibe with paleo. i regained the 15 i lost, plus 15 more…and i’d feel very lonely and confused if not for the community on your site. i’m going to stay tuned :) thank you!!
Hi Matt,
just read your blog. Great change in approach. I think the site needs to be more accessible. It can be kinda complicated for people without a nutritional background (I felt like I needed a degree just to understand some of the stuff).
Although I ?m sure you couldn’t cut out all the obscure pop culture quotes.
So Go for it. I think the idea is to help as many people as possible.
Big up!
Stephen
Follow-up post on Jimmy Moore! Or, failing that, your take on the paleo sh**storm that is the Jack Kruse phenomenon. It’s all TOO entertaining to ignore…
Yes! Please critique the others – that’s like comparison shopping. We need to know why the differences are valid or not.
Well, I’m for a simpler version. I’ve been a fairly long time follower/reader but this is my first post. I do get confused by the rapid changes (I bought Diet Recovery in February) and the whole kit and kaboodle of 180 ebooks in Dec of 2010, and even considered doing some of the Challen stuff last summer, but much has changed and I can’t always keep up with the blog comments. I’ve longed to send a few private e-mails because as much as I love the idea of RRARF and was totally blown away by the woman who ate like a fiend and got her metabolism up, I have tried it twice for 30 days and can’t seem to increase my temperatures and metabolism.
Not to single anyone out, but Cheeseslave’s post is a good example of the incongruity around here. In the U.S., our problems is that we “sit around arguing about PUFAs and MSG, refusing to eat at a restaurant because the fish is not wild-caught.” But we’re supposed to emulate the French, who allegedly “are fanatical about raw milk cheese.” What?
It seems like the current consensus is (a) Don’t worry too much about what you eat. You can eat something very similar to the SAD (including all the pizza, breakfast cereal, ice cream, etc. you want). (b) Get your “competitive advantage” by little known tweaks like not drinking enough water. (c) Criticize/ridicule all the diet purists out there. After all, who wants to look like Mark Sisson or Doug Graham when you’re 60? We’re going to be on a couch, munching our Pringles and enjoying the good life (along with diabetes, high blood pressure, laxatives, etc). As long as our pee is yellow, we’ll all be fine.
Good Luck with your new approach Matt!
I do however have one puzzling question…..lately my metabolism&temps have been raised and I feel mentally more human most of the time,however since doing so I’ve noticed I have this incredible white tongue,which is a sign of yeast overgrowth, which I didn’t have when I was eating a lot less/lower carb. I thought the raised metabolism was supposed to attack/diminish all these critters and not make them even worse? :s
I have come a long way myself in the food game. In the end it is all about the present moment, your body will tell you what you want. I don’t do the “Ray Peat Diet, or WAPF diet, or 180 health diet even”. I do the “Corey” way. Sometimes I eat Taco Bell. Lately I’ve been doing tons of raw milk/broth with liver at least twice a week, then eating a whole pizza with coke later in the night. Getting tons of Vitamin A/D and calcium/minerals have made my teeth incredibly strong, but WAPF would frown at my processed food and sugar consumption. Dietary dogma should bee done away with, but I think following a few “principles” is very helpful. For me, it has been the nutritional kernel base + high calories of whateverthefuck I want. Haven’t felt better and I get all the benefits of junk/soul food and high nutritional food without either of the drawbacks. (junk food = possible nutritional deficiencies, (high nutrient food = low calorie consumption and orthorexia tendencies). This may not work for everyone but has been great for me.
That’s aweeeeesoooooome. :D
KISS (Keep it Simple, Stone)
I have read the post AND all the comments and can say without a doubt that this blog has the BEST comments ever…so it’s worth my time…and that’s saying a lot, since I’m far more protective of my time than ever before.
And if you are, you may or may not want to read on since I’ve got a LONG comment below. But I really wanted to say it and felt like this might be the last time I could rant to this extent. ?
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Many good points have been made, but I think the overall consensus is that you should do what you want, Matt. And I suspect some of the flack you’re getting lately might be simply because you have waivered and are offering what people are considering non-answers. I don’t think that’s completely fair. I love that you are willing to shift as you go, based on new understandings and experiences and feedback. I think as readers and fans we have to remember we can’t have it both ways!
I suspect we often don’t want to admit how much we really want to be told what to do. I’ll admit it. My life has been so exhausting that there is total freedom in having someone tell me exactly what to do and when. There, I said it. How very Fifty Shades of Grey of me, huh? But Mommy porn aside (is it sad that I was totally satisfied with the orthorexic porn here?) I think the point is simply that it’s easy to forget how few true answers there are. But we are led to believe that they exist because we think there HAS to be a way to ?fix things? right?
And perhaps there is, but I’ve come to the conclusion’slow going as it is’that it is all about our *complete* lives. We don’t live in a vacuum and we have to stop thinking of diet and nutrition in terms of that. And I think that is the point Matt has been trying to make. At least that’s my take away.
For all the arguments about whether it’s about the food or not about the food, I do believe that our *obsession* with it is truly as unhealthy has any of the problems that may be with it.
My thinking on the whole oversimplicity of ETF (and, for the record, I like combining ?WTF, ETF? ? I would put that on a sign and picket outside Jenny Craigs if I had more time) is that the pendulum has swung. Or at least’s Matt’s did. Woah. Hey. What you do on your own time is your biz, but you did say your GF is open, right? ;)
My point is actually that when you come to terms with something NOT working or you tire of what you WERE doing, your response is often a bit more extreme in the OTHER direction. Matt has researched his brains out for years and been on the various bandwagons and overanalyzed (wha?? I don’t know what that’s like! Ha). So of COURSE his response will be to oversimplify as a mantra for the first steps in healing.
I lived the last five years of my life in stress, both good and bad, often feeling trapped frequently feeling blessed. I am the mom of two young children (4 and 1 ?) and cared for my Mom, who had Alzheimer’s, in my home until last summer. She just passed away on Christmas. The whole process was devastating to me physically and emotionally – and I say that honestly while still appreciating the depth, wonder and life lessons that it offered me as well. I stand here a better *person* but with a serious physical *imbalance* that I believe is a direct result. In truth I am still assessing what the stress and lack of sleep and emotional devastation has done to my body.
I happen to be Matt’s perfect demographic because, as a Mom who is overweight and has been struggling with all the LC/paleo options — trying like hell to control the ONE thing I could and at least ?look good? — it is VERY freeing to be told to ?just relax already?. I was at least borderline orthorexic. And I never gave proper consideration to the rest of my life and how they could either make or break my ?healthy? approach.
Here’s the key, though ? it doesn’t mean that is how I achieve my health. It’s just the first STEP. Like RARRFing. I swear it’s such a common problem in the world of nutrition and health for people to get to step one and settle in like that’s it for the long haul. WTH? Remember how people thought the Atkins diet was the Induction period, period? I’m not trying to be pro-Atkins, I’m just trying to make a point that we need to look further.
And that is the PERFECT segue to say Yes, Matt, talking more about biodfeedback and what to do about it is the ideal ?next step? in my book! I think Matt always wanted to do the ‘teach a (wo)man to fish? approach and concentrating more on helping us to listen to our bodies and understand what they are saying will go a long way in helping us find our own customized paths to wellness. (Please note there are many people commenting here who are obviously well on their way, so I’m speaking for myself and other mid-way folks and/or noobs.)
All the best on your new approach, Matt. I’ll still be reading…
You probably wont even read this far down, my friend, but I believe it is a great idea. I will miss the fun we’ve had over these last several years, but there have been countless times I wanted to refer people to your site but then didnt because I knew they wouldnt be down with it. I think this is for the best and will turn you into a “real” business. Good luck, my friend. We will all continue to read and look forward to doing so!
-Drew
I have to admit , I will miss the old 180 but I am always open to new things and looking forward to the new 180! I have been a follower for almost 2 years now. I read the initial books such as 180 Metabolism. RARRF worked for me. It took some time but I feel much better. I have actually tried some of the new ideas , like the sweet stuff for breakfast, ice cream, etc… but I think I will incorporate some of the old ideas with the new because with my body I have discovered this works for me. Now if anything changes , well then I guess the old ways have to go but for now I will just keep an open mind and see what Matt has in stor for us!
I think you are very smart to go in this new direction — the masses need you, Matt!!!! If you build it, they will come! (We will all help spread the word)
Mental Poisons>Physical Poisons. The only time I start thinking about food and what I’m eating is when I don’t feel right or am unable to do the things I want to because of my physical condition, which is rare these days. Ironically, I’ve realized that one of my big life passions is cooking. Spent the whole day yesterday making stuff, was incredibly relaxing.
I hate change. Even when they change the weathergirl…..
I prefer confusion to unconscious dogma.
Hi. Could someone tell me where I can ask about a problem I’m having regarding the diet? Or is here alright? Thanks.
I just bought your ebook on a recommendation from a friend and this is my first time perusing your blog, so I have to say I am glad to hear you’ll be simplifying a bit, as I’m tired of the same discussions and back and forth. I’m one that’s been doing it for years and haven’t even been on the computer for months, so I’ll be damned if you’re going to suck me back in, but I’m at a loss for what to do now. I don’t feel like I’ve been dieting for a long time now, but after reading a bit here, I’ve been doing some pretty stupid things none-the-less and my thyroid, adrenals, vitamin d, cholesterol, WBC and ferritin are at all time lows for me after a year of eating the most “nourishing” I have in my life. So something is wrong, and at the risk of throwing my fate at your feet, I’m just tired and really wanting someone to tell me what to do and what to eat to make it all better! Though I must admit (and I’m a naturally gullible and humorless person, so forgive me if I didn’t “get it” :) that your recommendation to eat candy alligators for candida has me more confused than ever and not something I’m even close to willing to consider at this point. ;)
Looking forward to more straight forward recommendations that actually produce results!
I started this diet after years of eating mostly proteins, and to suddenly start shovelling carbs into my mouth in large quantities, well needless to say, I did not feel good AT ALL. I got very very very tired, I could hardly move and terrible headaches. I thought maybe that was because I wasn’t digesting the food very well. So I have ordered some betain HCL and will give the diet another shot. Has anyone else experienced that? I am afraid to try the diet again incase I get sick again.
Do you think the betain HCL will help me next time? Or do you think the ‘sickness’ was an intial healing phase or something?
Those are all normal when increasing carbohydrate intake dramatically. I would expect water retention, worsening skin, crazy moods, bloating, extreme fatigue, and sometimes brain fog and headaches too. That usually starts to fade by the 2nd or 3rd week. If not, some adjustments need to be made.
I did find that I had increased a jeans size in rather a short period of time, must have been water retention because I just don’t put on weight that easily. I wish I could have kept it going for longer than a week but I thought I was doing more harm than good so I got scared. Perhaps the Betaine HCL will ease some of the symptoms. As for the bad skin, crazy moods, bloating, brain fog …I had all those before.
Man I hope this diet does what it says on the tin. I am so tired and cold all the time. It’s not nice having to wear woolly jumpers in the summer!
Cheers Matt.
Also Matt …when does body temp normally start to increase after starting the diet? thanks.
As a “noob” I greatly appreciate it. I find it sooooo hard to follow your other posts. From what I’ve gathered you’ve changed your opinions on certain things, does that I mean I should still get the Diet Recovery book?
My goal is to lose weight, permanently, without having to obsess about food and make it this elephant I have to carry around on my back all the time. Is your Diet Recovery bookstill good for that?
Thanks for your honesty
I like this idea. I just found your site yesterday while researching some information on Paleo. I think the new route would help more people.
Thank you.
Happy to hear you will be gearing the site more towards newbies. I am not really newbie but am giving this concept a 2nd goaround.. with my own twist. I suffered a ED before the first attempt and gained reallyyyyy fast. I want to increase my temps w/ as minimal gains as possible while ETF. I remember back 8 years ago when I was getting married. I would ETF, but not eat dinner and maybe walk a little or light workout (nothing really crazy) and i was the thinnest in my life. I ate HUGE lunches mainly with ice cream, meat, fats. So, I have decided to incorporate all of this after my 30 day juice fast experiment… (i lost over 20 lbs in 30 days but it was HELL lol). However, I think juicing did some good but i think the length of it was too long. I got my period after it going MIA the month before juicing. Back to food i put on about 4-5lbs back. But I dont want to have to diet per say. My temps are good though! So perhaps juicing helped reset something ie: thyroid? But i was also taking thyroid supportive supps during the juice fast.. too many variables. I digress…
My question is this…. Is there anything wrong w/ eating 1 or 2 meals per day rather then the recommended 3? If i eat large bfast and/or lunch, i am not hungry for dinner and i think this does line up w/ your recommendation to stop ETF after 2pm. Seems to work well for me as my metabolism seems to be somewhat in good shape now, and im ready to rid some of this excess weight. Can i start using my rebounder and maybe do some running again too?
Thx for ur assistance.
ps- started this yesterday… am already down 2lbs.
Wow, I’m so glad I found this website! I look forward to learning more. I’ve read some posts and I’m extremely curious now! ….
I stopped dieting over a year and a half ago and decided I will NEVER diet again (the years of dieting were so stupid anyway.. I was a healthy weight, but of course wanted to be unrealistically uber-thin, which now just looks gross to me. Now more concerned with feeling good than any fad health diet or regime! I’ve been trying to eat intuitively, but from what I’m learning from the information I’ve read hear so far, I’m thinking that…..
My intuition is kind of “screwed up”, because my metabolism is still running super slow?…. I had gotten hard into the diet and binge cycle for quite a while, and even though I have stopped dieting for a year and a half, my eating habits are still VERY WONKY. I try to just eat normal according to what I’m hungry for, but I’m often not hungry at all in the morning, and then half the time at work I don’t have time to sit down and eat the amount I need to eat to get full (I’m a slow eater!), and then I’m pretty ravenous once I get home from work. Then I eat TONS, and then I’m not hungry the next morning…. cycle repeats! And those night time eating sessions almost ALWAYS involve a good amount of carbs and sugar. I will say that I feel a million times better than when I was dieting (ie. no restricting!), but my cravings are still all over the place, and I still don’t feel right…..
RIGHT, as in…. when you’re a kid and you just eat right without thinking about it, and you feel good. My feet and hands are always fareeeezing, and my morning basal temps have always been very low (96’s to low 97’s post ovulation).
I wonder if this whole 180 degree health thing makes my Christmas phenomenon make sense: Since I’ve been eating intuitively, the last couple years at Christmas when I have time off (am less stressed), and eat TONS of everything (good and bad), I feel BETTER than the entire year! I sleep good, I actually loose 3-5lbs (waaaa?), and it makes no sense! But the formula seems to be:
-less stress
-more sleep
-more food (alllllll kinds of food)
I don’t know if that’s just a fluke or what. But Matt, I am certainly willing to try what you’re suggesting. I’m tired of cold hands and feet, and I’d like to just feel normal again. I will be checking in to learn more, and will probably be buying your e-book once the new version comes out!
well i’m new to your blog but not to diets or the lingo. well you know otoh do you think the regular people can be reached? obviously you do or you wouldn’t want to make changes. why shouldn’t the regular people learn the info. hmm well sure.
Matt,
As a “noob” to this site who just realized about 4 days ago that I’ve been orthorexic for quite some time, I want to let you know that you have been a tremendous help to me, as I don’t have the money to consult a nutritionist or psychologist to help me with my recovery. I started reading your website a few days ago and am currently on day 2 of the first stage in my recovery, which is to allow myself to eat whatever my body is craving, whenever it wants it. After a little over a year of being strict Paleo (and countless years before that of counting calories and restricting the “evil” macronutrient du jour), I really don’t remember the last time I listened to my body and fed it what it was asking for (how stupid!). I have been blown away by the results I’m seeing already. Just letting go of the anxiety over eating a bowl of cereal or a sandwich has done incredible things for my mental health, and I think my physical health is bound to improve as well.
That said, I think this proposed change in format is a wonderful idea, as the site was kind of daunting to me at first. I’m glad I dug around a bit to find the information I needed, but it would be great if it were more obviously accessible.
And to all your regular readers and commenters, I just want to say WOW. What a stark contrast from Paleo/Primal sites — everyone here is so kind, relaxed, and supportive. I feel privileged to have found this community.
Thank you!
So, do you still stand behind all your books or are those going to change as well?