User kirk - PaleoHacks.com

Answer by Kirk for Any fellow cavemen in the Saint Louis area?

2012-10-03T23:31:17Z

It's not so much the store as learning how to cook low-cost paleo. The county library has several good paleo cookbooks. (I like the flexible recipes described at the back of It Starts With Food; the county library has 6 copies.)

In the meat category, grass-fed is typically expensive. You can get decent meat at Schnucks and Dierbergs. I avoid Shop n Save due to too much water in the meat. And TJs always seems too pricey for me. If I'm going to blow money on meat, I'm going to Whole Foods.

For stretching your dollars, learn how to cook stews. You'll have to decide which tubers you allow yourself to eat; I like potatoes, yams, and sweet potatoes. I tend to buy organic tubers due to fears of pesticides and because I can afford a pricier tuber. If you are a fan of the PHD like I am, then organic white rice is a good way to stretch your food dollar.

As for other stores, I agree with what has been said about Soulard and Global Foods (if you can afford to burn the gas).

Answer by Kirk for Minimalist Footwear for Cycling

2012-08-04T23:28:55Z

I bike 4 times a week, about an hour each trip. I'm more of a enjoy-the-hawks-and-flowers kind of rider than a Tour de Whatever cyclist outfitted in an aerodynamic Micro-Max jersey. Recently I switched to a bike which allows me to sit with my back straight most of the time. So if you're that kind of bike rider, you might find the following helpful.

I wear SoftStar shoes, RunAmocs, with the 5mm trail shoes. They feel great. If you go with SoftStars, be sure to get the 5mm soles. I tried wearing my 2mm RunAmocs but with those I could feel the pedals too much.

I much prefer RunAmocs over the Merrell cross-training shoes which I had been using the previous years.

Answer by Kirk for Suggestions for my binge cycle recovery plan?

2012-05-09T23:57:06Z

The easiest way to stop binge cycles is to use Shangri-La Diet techniques. One technique is nose-clipping, and what follows is my description of how I do it. While holding your nose closed with one hand, use the other hand to drink an oil you are willing to ingest. (I currently use cream.) Then rinse out your mouth multiple times with water. If you can tolerate them, put on swimmers noseclips for the next 5 minutes or so. When you remove the noseclips and start breathing, breathe in through your nose and exhale out through your mouth, ten times. That should clear out any residual flavor. You must surround noseclipping with one hour of flavor-free eating/drinking, on each side. For example, if you stop eating/drinking at 9am, then at 10am you can noseclip oil, and then at 11 you can eat again. It may take up to a week for this to take effect; do not expect immediate results. The amount of oil to ingest varies; one rule of thumb is to take 2 times in calories your weight in pounds. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, ingest 300 calories of oil.

There are other SLD techniques; investigate the book or the blog or the forum for more info. I'm relaying what works for me.

As for an immediate binge, if you are about to engage on a binge, that is, if you are just about to enter your kitchen, then, if you have just a little bit of willpower left, you can try to overwhelm your appetite control systems by using the following technique (my own invention): consume small quantities of strange combinations of food. For example; a date with a dab of mustard; a baby carrot with a layer of ketchup; a grape with a half teaspoon of a spice mixture. It is best to prepare this list ahead of time and have it stuck to the refrigerator. About ten combinations. I have never been able to go beyond the fifth combo. These must be eaten one right after the other, as quickly as you can while still paying attention to the flavors.

Answer by Kirk for How to stand up while using standing desk?

2012-04-13T23:21:32Z

From a tai chi perspective, it is better to stand with 100% of your weight on one leg than it is to stand with the weight evenly distributed on both feet. The foot of the unsubstantial leg rests on the floor with as little tension in the leg (and foot) as you can convince yourself to allow. When you tire on one leg, shift to the other. Variety and more effort can be introduced by bending the knee of the supporting leg . . . just make sure that the knee points in the same direction of the foot, so as the knee moves forward in space, it moves in the same direction of the supporting foot. Typically, the foot of the supporting leg points at a 45 degree angle from the direction your torso faces.

Answer by Kirk for Salmon patty recipe? A filler substitute in particular.

2012-04-02T23:03:08Z

For binding the salmon and egg (and vegetables), I use potato flour. Mashed potato makes a good filler.

Answer by Kirk for Are standing desks as awesome as we think they are?

2012-03-09T14:22:59Z

I switched to a standing desk months ago, and feel healthier for doing so, and cannot think of any detriments to my health.

During those times when I scan the Internet for fun, I switch my weight from foot to foot, placing 100% of my weight on the substantial leg. This is a deliberate tactic which has helped strengthen my legs. It is easy to remember to shift weight as I transition from site to site.

When I concentrate on an engaging task, such as programming, then I stand 50-50 until such time as the lordosis resulting from my imperfect posture makes enough noise, and then I'll stretch out the problem. When I programmed whilst sitting, poor posture took much longer to register its complaints, and thus I consider programming while standing to be superior to programming while sitting.

I find writing to be more difficult while standing than sitting, but I cannot explain why. I also find reading long documents more difficult while standing. But then, long documents are best printed and read far away from the distractions available with a browser.

Answer by Kirk for Bulletproof coffee: scam or awesome?

2012-02-23T00:48:26Z

Here is my roundabout confirmation of the benefits of wet-processed coffee. I noticed 30 years ago that regular coffee made the muscles in my neck and back tense. That's when I switched to organic coffee (which, as you may guess, was a bit more difficult to find back then.) My speculation back then was that the chemicals used on regular coffee affected my muscles. Several years ago I noticed that, even though I drank organic coffee, it was disturbing my system in some undefined way, enough for me to consider dropping coffee. Then I tried the (local to me) Goshen coffee. It's what I've been using ever since, except for the occasional disappointing attempt to use another brand. I see there's a thread on Marks Daily Apple forum where the participant called Goshen who said that most of their coffees are wet-processed.

I have tried using pastured organic butter in my coffee, but I can't discern any functional difference between using butter and cream, other than taste. Anybody know why butter would be better than cream, given that cream is used to make butter? (I suppose there's already a thread on that somewhere.)

Answer by Kirk for Anyone else have issues with the concept of a fat setpoint?

2012-02-13T04:23:47Z

I find multiple lines of argument in favor of a fat set point. These include (1) underfeeding studies on normal-weight subjects, who regain their weight once they are able to eat ad libitum (2) overfeeding studies on normal weight subjects, who voluntarily reduce calorie intake after the study until they return to their original weight (3) the 'Liposuction and Fat Regain' study described by Guyeynet (4) the rat studies by Kennedy and other researchers as described in Roberts 'What Makes Food Fattening' paper (5) the success some people have when using the Shangri-La Diet, even when consuming inflammatory foods such as canola oil and sugar water for the flavorless calories and (6) the body uses set points for other systems, such as heat regulation.

There are, I think, three theories as to what modifies the fat set point. The first is the flavor-calorie association as argued by Seth Roberts. The second argument is that the brain gets confused when the regulatory logic hears too many conflicting and noisy signals and thus cannot detect when the body carries excess weight. (Extending the metaphor of the set point as thermostat, visualize some prankster who keeps placing a large block of ice in front of the thermostat.) The third is that the brain detects insufficient nutrients and thus orders excess consumption in the hopes of acquiring those nutrients; to overfeed, it must move the set point to a higher value.

Answer by Kirk for Hack Protein Fasting?

2012-02-07T00:13:32Z

I have been practicing both types of fasts for several months. Usually it's for 16 hours, but sometimes 14 or 15 and, more rarely, 17. I find the true fasts more stressful, especially starting around the 14th hour. The use of coconut oil in my coffee (along with cream) makes the protein fast more easily tolerated.

On the down side, my fingers can get cold during the final few hours. (Part of that is due to my office being a 62 degree room during the winter). Also, it can be difficult to concentrate during the final hours of the fast, so I find it best to schedule highly-engaging activities for that time.

On the positive side, although my wife has suffered three major colds during the past year, I caught only one of those. I also think both types of fasting help me control overall daily food intake.

I have a question: in a comment thread ( of evolutionarypsychiatry) the person there said, about using coconut oil during a fast, "The lauric acid in the coconut oil will stimulate an insulin response. That insulin will stop autophagy dead in its tracks."

Anybody have an informed opinion?

Comment by Kirk

2012-08-23T22:25:06Z

I second the tai chi recommendation. The difficulty is finding good teaching. The Frantzis book titled 'Tai Chi Health for Life' is a good intro to tai chi and explains how to find a teacher. Other possibilities include the books titled 'The Egoscue Method of Health Through Motion' and Gokhale's '8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back'.

Comment by Kirk

2012-04-07T17:52:08Z

What Dragonfly said.

Comment by Kirk

2012-03-28T17:21:07Z

This is an interesting concept. It joins a couple of ideas I have seen in Tai Chi Chuan books; that the slow movements of TC gently massage the internal organs, and some TCC masters have cured their own very serious illnesses by taking up TCC. I second the request for links about neuromuscular interventions.

Comment by Kirk

2012-03-22T02:44:32Z

I'm from St. Louis and have been wheat-free for 20 years. I didn't know about Pi pizza, thanks! Note: their menu says that their gluten free crust has rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, egg whites, olive oil, vegetable oil and water. So the vegetable oil may be non-paleo, depending upon what it is.

Comment by Kirk

2012-02-16T03:27:42Z

I second the recommendations for both Gokhale and Egoscue. Her book costs about $15, and his book (The Egoscue Method of Health) costs about $11. There's enough material in both books to keep you improving for years. And if you can find a good t'ai chi ch'uan instructor, and with a lot of work on your part, TCC can lead to profound structural changes.