It’s that time of the week again. Paid subs can ask anything related to biohacking, fitness, nutrition, lifestyle, supplements, peptides, nootropics, performance-enhancing chemistry, or whatever else comes to mind.
Regarding your recent x post on what to do if skinny fat, BowTiedOx offers different advice for skinny fat. He says to eat at a caloric maintenance or 200-300 cals above TDEE. Curious on your thoughts and which advice is optimal. Why do you say to cut to single digit bf% and why specifically on keto?
If you read the post, those are my thoughts. I don't have much else to add to that topic.
It all comes down to insulin sensitivity. Skinnyfat means you are insulin resistant. Insulin resistant means your ability to build muscle is impaired and you will disproportionately accumulate fat mass.
Single digit bodyfat is the best starting point for a bulk. You have a lot of room to gain fat without compromising body composition or insulin sensitivity. Keto isn't a requirement, but it's better for restoring insulin sensitivity and the appetite suppressant effect makes the aggressive cut easier.
Hey, i know you do a lot of research on reversing balding. I was curious if you know of any supplements / ways to reverse the hair darkening (lol) that can come with age, or what causes it. I noticed my hair is much lighter than it used to be, I am getting more sun and overall less stressed than i was in college/corporate work, so I assume it's something with cortisol? Would be neat to know more, and something nobody seems to have asked before lol
I have 20mg of MK-677 and was planning to try it by taking 5mg one time (4 total times) over the course of a couple weeks 1 hour pre-workout to see how it affects me. However, I've heard if used improperly or if nutrition isn't solid it can contribute to a growth in resistance to insulin. Are there any precautions I should take nutritionally or daily routine-wise to make this its most effective? Right now trying to gain some weight and would be using it to aid in that.
Happy new year. Do you have any supplements or vitamins that you would recommend for adults that are having trouble staying focused completing tasks? Thanks in advance
What’s a high level explanation of how anabolics help build muscle? Is it all about increasing nutrition partitioning? So if lifting weights and in a caloric surplus, the enhanced lifter partitions the calories torwards muscle more efficiently versus the natural lifter?
I live in New England this time of the year the sun is rare! I’ve heard great things about Vitamin D supplementation but not sure if the hype is real. Is it worth supplementing? If so, can you recommend the best Vitamin D supplement on the market as well as one which is more economical? Thanks!
I'm not a fan of Vitamin D supplementation. When you produce it naturally, it's a slow trickle throughout the day. When you supplement, you're spiking your serum concentrations 10x or even more at once and it doesn't get distributed throughout the body the same way either. There's a lot of research that suggests Vit D supplementation can cause calcification of the arteries, calcium deposits in inflamed areas of the body, and can have a negative impact on bone mineral density.
The crazy thing is Vitamin D is 1 out of 100s of benefits from sunlight. It's not the reason lack of sun causes depression, brain fog, and a whole host of other issues. UV light is needed to kick off 100s or even 1000s of biological processes in the body.
So what's the solution?
1) I like to get some Vitamin D from cod liver oil (800iu per serving) because it's not an absurd amount like the 2500iu or even 5000 the supplements have and it has many other beneficial nutrients too.
2) Sperti Sun Lamp. It's expensive, but it'll pay for itself after a few weeks of productivity and energy. It mimicks the daylight sun and induces vitamin D synthesis PLUS all the other benefits of day time sun you'd get like improved: Energy, libido, cognition, mood, immune system, appetite, protection against many diseases, blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, among many others.
Best strategies to raise free testosterone? My total is around 500-600 but free is 9-10 normally which is at the low end of reference range. My diet/sleep/workouts are very solid, and I take tongkat, shilajit from nootroopics depot as well as L-carnitine, magnesium, vit d/k, b vitamin complex. Anything to add to supplementation/routine/lifestyle that would be a difference maker?
On vacation and with Christmas I’ve been enjoying some drinks and eating a lot of carbs. For sure have gained some weight/bloat which I’m sure is mostly water weight. Any advice on what to do to get back into the swing of things and lose the weight fast?
I'm about to write an article on this. Best way IMO is a nice HIIT session for 30 minutes followed by a 2-3 day fast. Should be all you need unless you've been going hard on calories for a whole month. If that's the case, maybe 1-2 weeks of a 1000 calorie deficit. You could do keto if you want the appetite reduction benefit as you'll already be in ketosis after 2 days of fasting. Otherwise you can cut with carbs, but try to keep them as low as possible and fats on the lower end as well.
Carbohydrate metabolism and insulin response is impaired when sunlight deficient.
Most of out ancestors were keto by default in the winter, as fruits and vegetables didn't grow. This obviously doesn't stand for tropical/equatorial climates, but they also had a ton of sunlight.
Any advice regarding oversleeping? I have hashi’s but my dosage of levothyroxine is dialled in, my endocrinology bloodwork is dialled within decent ranges too. Hitting gym 3x and doing HIIT 2x per week too.
Maybe its just because of the holidays but been tired even after a 8h sleep and most days have been sleeping 10+ hours
So much could be going on here. How's sleep quality? Caffeine is notorious for wrecking sleep quality even if you haven't taken it in 12+ hours and don't feel it. Taking 2 off days a week and sticking to 100-200mg in the morning only makes a big difference.
Sleep study is probably the best move. Could have minor to severe apnea impairing sleeping quality, or a multitude of other issues.
There's really too many possibilities. Something as simple as mold in your house, even if it's not visible could be causing this.
Nutrient deficiency is another low hanging fruit to go after. Magnesium at 1g+ per day? Huge improvement in sleep quality at this dose. Sufficient iron, Vit D, b vitamins? Maybe a Sperti lamp and a methylated b complex is the way to go. You can track your nutrients from your food over the course of a few weeks with the Cronometer app.
Circadian dysfunction could also be at play here.
Do you use bluelight filter apps on your phone, computer, and TV? Wear blue blocks at night? These 2 things usually fix restfulness issues as well.
I'd start with sleep study and blue blocking and take it from there.
Regarding your recent x post on what to do if skinny fat, BowTiedOx offers different advice for skinny fat. He says to eat at a caloric maintenance or 200-300 cals above TDEE. Curious on your thoughts and which advice is optimal. Why do you say to cut to single digit bf% and why specifically on keto?
If you read the post, those are my thoughts. I don't have much else to add to that topic.
It all comes down to insulin sensitivity. Skinnyfat means you are insulin resistant. Insulin resistant means your ability to build muscle is impaired and you will disproportionately accumulate fat mass.
Single digit bodyfat is the best starting point for a bulk. You have a lot of room to gain fat without compromising body composition or insulin sensitivity. Keto isn't a requirement, but it's better for restoring insulin sensitivity and the appetite suppressant effect makes the aggressive cut easier.
What type of training split would you suggest for a newbie coming off a cut?
Followed your tweet advice of dropping down to single digits, now looking for the optimal way to pack on muscle
Push Pull Legs never fails.
https://bowtiedbiohacker.com/p/my-ppl-program-for-building-muscle
Hey, i know you do a lot of research on reversing balding. I was curious if you know of any supplements / ways to reverse the hair darkening (lol) that can come with age, or what causes it. I noticed my hair is much lighter than it used to be, I am getting more sun and overall less stressed than i was in college/corporate work, so I assume it's something with cortisol? Would be neat to know more, and something nobody seems to have asked before lol
Would you supplement alpha yohimbine every morning before fasted cardio with l cart(oral) and the dose?
I have 20mg of MK-677 and was planning to try it by taking 5mg one time (4 total times) over the course of a couple weeks 1 hour pre-workout to see how it affects me. However, I've heard if used improperly or if nutrition isn't solid it can contribute to a growth in resistance to insulin. Are there any precautions I should take nutritionally or daily routine-wise to make this its most effective? Right now trying to gain some weight and would be using it to aid in that.
Happy new year. Do you have any supplements or vitamins that you would recommend for adults that are having trouble staying focused completing tasks? Thanks in advance
I’ve been on and off TRT. What’s is your recommendation TRT or optimizing test through supplements and red light. No need to maintain fertility.
What’s a high level explanation of how anabolics help build muscle? Is it all about increasing nutrition partitioning? So if lifting weights and in a caloric surplus, the enhanced lifter partitions the calories torwards muscle more efficiently versus the natural lifter?
I live in New England this time of the year the sun is rare! I’ve heard great things about Vitamin D supplementation but not sure if the hype is real. Is it worth supplementing? If so, can you recommend the best Vitamin D supplement on the market as well as one which is more economical? Thanks!
I'm not a fan of Vitamin D supplementation. When you produce it naturally, it's a slow trickle throughout the day. When you supplement, you're spiking your serum concentrations 10x or even more at once and it doesn't get distributed throughout the body the same way either. There's a lot of research that suggests Vit D supplementation can cause calcification of the arteries, calcium deposits in inflamed areas of the body, and can have a negative impact on bone mineral density.
The crazy thing is Vitamin D is 1 out of 100s of benefits from sunlight. It's not the reason lack of sun causes depression, brain fog, and a whole host of other issues. UV light is needed to kick off 100s or even 1000s of biological processes in the body.
So what's the solution?
1) I like to get some Vitamin D from cod liver oil (800iu per serving) because it's not an absurd amount like the 2500iu or even 5000 the supplements have and it has many other beneficial nutrients too.
2) Sperti Sun Lamp. It's expensive, but it'll pay for itself after a few weeks of productivity and energy. It mimicks the daylight sun and induces vitamin D synthesis PLUS all the other benefits of day time sun you'd get like improved: Energy, libido, cognition, mood, immune system, appetite, protection against many diseases, blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, among many others.
Wow, GREAT answer!
My recent blood work shows a high total T4 and free T4. Could this be caused by bromantane or sabroxy use?
Hello ,how about using SAM-e for methylation
It's a good methyl donor. Is homocysteine high? Would say TMG is essential 2 and methylated b complex is also a good idea.
Best strategies to raise free testosterone? My total is around 500-600 but free is 9-10 normally which is at the low end of reference range. My diet/sleep/workouts are very solid, and I take tongkat, shilajit from nootroopics depot as well as L-carnitine, magnesium, vit d/k, b vitamin complex. Anything to add to supplementation/routine/lifestyle that would be a difference maker?
On vacation and with Christmas I’ve been enjoying some drinks and eating a lot of carbs. For sure have gained some weight/bloat which I’m sure is mostly water weight. Any advice on what to do to get back into the swing of things and lose the weight fast?
I'm about to write an article on this. Best way IMO is a nice HIIT session for 30 minutes followed by a 2-3 day fast. Should be all you need unless you've been going hard on calories for a whole month. If that's the case, maybe 1-2 weeks of a 1000 calorie deficit. You could do keto if you want the appetite reduction benefit as you'll already be in ketosis after 2 days of fasting. Otherwise you can cut with carbs, but try to keep them as low as possible and fats on the lower end as well.
How to kill candida
Thinking of doing a mini keto for the new year. When you run these how long do you usually do it for?
4-12 weeks. Winter is the perfect time of the year to do this due to the reduced sunlight.
Thanks. Just out of curiosity why is keto best to do when sunlight is reduced?
Carbohydrate metabolism and insulin response is impaired when sunlight deficient.
Most of out ancestors were keto by default in the winter, as fruits and vegetables didn't grow. This obviously doesn't stand for tropical/equatorial climates, but they also had a ton of sunlight.
Any advice regarding oversleeping? I have hashi’s but my dosage of levothyroxine is dialled in, my endocrinology bloodwork is dialled within decent ranges too. Hitting gym 3x and doing HIIT 2x per week too.
Maybe its just because of the holidays but been tired even after a 8h sleep and most days have been sleeping 10+ hours
So much could be going on here. How's sleep quality? Caffeine is notorious for wrecking sleep quality even if you haven't taken it in 12+ hours and don't feel it. Taking 2 off days a week and sticking to 100-200mg in the morning only makes a big difference.
Sleep study is probably the best move. Could have minor to severe apnea impairing sleeping quality, or a multitude of other issues.
There's really too many possibilities. Something as simple as mold in your house, even if it's not visible could be causing this.
Nutrient deficiency is another low hanging fruit to go after. Magnesium at 1g+ per day? Huge improvement in sleep quality at this dose. Sufficient iron, Vit D, b vitamins? Maybe a Sperti lamp and a methylated b complex is the way to go. You can track your nutrients from your food over the course of a few weeks with the Cronometer app.
Circadian dysfunction could also be at play here.
Do you use bluelight filter apps on your phone, computer, and TV? Wear blue blocks at night? These 2 things usually fix restfulness issues as well.
I'd start with sleep study and blue blocking and take it from there.