12 replies to this topic

[thanatophobian]

Body spec:
- Eastern Asian male, late 20s.
- 6ft 0.5inches, 140lbs, 28.5inch waist. Slender, fair skin tone.
- Walking/cycling 1-3 hours per day, no other workouts.
- Never smoked, don't drink.
- No baldness.

Fasting regimen & Medications/supplements
- 23 hour dry fast, 45min~1hour eating window around 6~7am everyday. Sometimes 2~4 day prolonged fasts, dry fasting for 36 hours maximum and water fasting the rest. I started dry fasting because water fasting caused water retention.
- 1g metformin
- 500mg Ashwagandha extract with concentrated withanolides (for withaferin A, which is metformin/rapamycin mimetic, was on rapamycin prior).
- 650mg aspirin
- 0.04% tretinoin microsphere topically every night. (Accutane 12000mg accumulative prior)
- Limited sun exposure no more than 30mins of direct sunlight, physical sunblock everyday.
- 5:30am wake up

Whole plant diet (Same meal everyday):
- Red miso soup + napa cabbage/daikon/red lentils/black beans/turmeric/cloves/black pepper/ginger/garlic/cayenne pepper/oregano/parsley/sesame paste
- Asian sweet potato
- Natto
- Green+black tea + apple cider vinegar
- Kimchi
- Red or green apple
- Grapefruit or Asian pear or seasonal fruits
- Almonds and walnuts, sometimes chestnuts
- Soy milk + cacao or cocoa powder + cinnamon + flaxseed + toasted whole oats + blueberries + blackberries
- Sometimes frozen kiwi or persimmon, dried dates, dried fermented persimmon
- Around 900 ~ 1400 calories total depending on substitutes, moderate protein restriction.

Results and anecdotes (I do labworks on myself):
- Fasting glucose around 60~75mg/dl
- Total cholesterol always well below 110mg/dl
- Tryglycerides 50~70mg/dl
- Platelets always below 200
- White blood cell around 3.9~4.2
- CPK around 25~ 35u/l
- Resting heart rate 38~ 50bpm
- Blood pressure 65~80sys, 40~65dia
- Signs of frequent ketosis despite relatively high plant carb diet.
- Physiological age from calcium testing, around early 20s or less
- Noticeable bloating after each meal, goes down slowly throughout the day. Not IBS extent. I mean it's obvious since I eat all the above in one seating within an hour... 
- Very, very susceptible to coldness and constant cold hands/feet. Not terrible.
- No kidney failure symptoms nor damages.
- No lack of energy nor fatigue.
- Urine osmorality usually 850~900, pH around 6.0, color is always yellow never diluted nor dark/brown/red.
- Dealt with acne til mid 20s, now almost flawless skin but minimal dry peeling. No acne for 2+ years.
- Low libido, hardly ever masturbate nowadays. Probably few times a month when not dating. Lack of interest in dating and sex in general.
- Usually get good sleep from 10pm~5:30am, but insomnia sometimes.
- Quite noticeable hair loss, but also noticeably fast regrowth, no baldness signs and pretty thick. No white hair.
- Never had cold/flu/sickness

Are any of these making me feel better or live longer? I do not know. I can provide additional lab results if anyone's interested.

Edited by thanatophobian, 20 December 2018 - 05:41 PM.

[RichardAlan]

Your results are very impressive indeed.  Can you say a bit more about why you decided to take the 1g of Metformin.  Thanks

[thanatophobian]

Your results are very impressive indeed.  Can you say a bit more about why you decided to take the 1g of Metformin.  Thanks

While doing undergrad studies, I wanted to find the most affordable way of life extension by food and the least number of drugs.

 

Metformin+aspirin seemed to be the most cheapest combination for mTOR inhibition and CR mimetic along with other CR mimetic food I consume, and withaferin A from withanolides extract as rapamycin mimetic but its bioavailability is unconfirmed.

 

And withanolides extract seemed to have some effect on insulin at least. For some reason, even after consuming 1000~1400cal in one seating including lot of fruits and dried dates and whatnot, my insulin does not spike above 70, whereas I would sometimes get a big spike just from metformin+aspirin for an hour or so. Only questionable thing from blood results is that my sodium level tends to be on the higher end.

 

I think turmeric+black pepper, green+black+white tea, prolonged dry fasting, and withanolides extract showed the most noticeable effect on me.

[RichardAlan]

While doing undergrad studies, I wanted to find the most affordable way of life extension by food and the least number of drugs.

 

Metformin+aspirin seemed to be the most cheapest combination for mTOR inhibition and CR mimetic along with other CR mimetic food I consume, and withaferin A from withanolides extract as rapamycin mimetic but its bioavailability is unconfirmed.

 

And withanolides extract seemed to have some effect on insulin at least. For some reason, even after consuming 1000~1400cal in one seating including lot of fruits and dried dates and whatnot, my insulin does not spike above 70, whereas I would sometimes get a big spike just from metformin+aspirin for an hour or so. Only questionable thing from blood results is that my sodium level tends to be on the higher end.

 

I think turmeric+black pepper, green+black+white tea, prolonged dry fasting, and withanolides extract showed the most noticeable effect on me.

 

Thanks, You mention tumeric and black pepper.  I've purchased something similar from Alive By Nature. Did you find a good source for that supplement? 

[Mind]

You are starting early in life! It should pay dividends down the road. Please keep us informed about any testing going forward and any changes in your regimen.

[thanatophobian]

Thanks, You mention tumeric and black pepper.  I've purchased something similar from Alive By Nature. Did you find a good source for that supplement? 

 

I do not take spices in supplement form, I combine them raw in the miso pot. I add about 6g tablespoon of turmeric and two teaspoons of black pepper. 

 

Although some spices are heat-sensitive as to their nutrients, I found that if I let the boiled soup cool and then add spices and miso paste, degredation can be minimized.

 

And if black pepper can increase the bioavailability of turmeric by 1000% and I take around 5~8 grams of it, then I think a supplemental form is needless as well as enjoying some good turmeric taste! 

[thanatophobian]

You are starting early in life! It should pay dividends down the road. Please keep us informed about any testing going forward and any changes in your regimen.

 

I hope so and will do! 

[tunt01]

Any reason why you eat so early in the morning?  Why not mid-day?

[thanatophobian]

Any reason why you eat so early in the morning? Why not mid-day?

There has been multiple meal timing studies, suggesting early morning meal the best overall. Around 5am is when blood glucose and insulin are the lowest. Breakfast showed weight loss and the lowest insulin spike compared to the same meal/calories eaten at lunch or dinner, also naturally eating less. Also to do with circadian rhythm.

As I am eating one meal a day within an hour, I eat early in the morning which leaves me satiated throughout the day til evening when glycogen is low and already in fasted state, also to note any readily available glycogen can be burned off with exercise. All I need left to do is just sleep, ergo never feeling hunger; in fact I never feel hunger. Added the freedom of not worrying about when and what to eat for the rest of the day, leaving me to be more time efficient.

If I eat later in the evening in contrary, then glucose/insulin will already be up high and a large meal will make a huge spike that lasts way longer, and more glycogen will be stored as I'll sleep in a fed state...not good for many reasons.

[tunt01]

There has been multiple meal timing studies, suggesting early morning meal the best overall. Around 5am is when blood glucose and insulin are the lowest. Breakfast showed weight loss and the lowest insulin spike compared to the same meal/calories eaten at lunch or dinner, also naturally eating less. Also to do with circadian rhythm.

As I am eating one meal a day within an hour, I eat early in the morning which leaves me satiated throughout the day til evening when glycogen is low and already in fasted state, also to note any readily available glycogen can be burned off with exercise. All I need left to do is just sleep, ergo never feeling hunger; in fact I never feel hunger. Added the freedom of not worrying about when and what to eat for the rest of the day, leaving me to be more time efficient.

If I eat later in the evening in contrary, then glucose/insulin will already be up high and a large meal will make a huge spike that lasts way longer, and more glycogen will be stored as I'll sleep in a fed state...not good for many reasons.

 

I think it's better to exercise in a fasted state, not to use exercise to burn off glycogen.  The circadian rhythm aspect I'm not sure I follow.  If NAD+ rises throughout the day and peaks mid-day, it would seem to me that a mid-day meal is most appropriate.  If you ate between 12-3 PM, your sleep probably wouldn't be effected, even though you wouldn't truly be in a fasted state.  Part of the value of glycogen storage is to carry the body through sleep and the night.  I'm not sure what the best time of day to be fasted is (from a daily, circadian standpoint), but if I had to guess it's during the AM 5-12 AM.  Again, that's a total guess.

 

Your #s are excellent, so what you are doing is working.  I'm not as familiar with these AM single meal studies, that I've seen bandied about.  I just naturally dismissed them, because I felt human physiology dictates that you have an awakening cortisol response, you mobilize available glucose from liver/gluconeogenesis, human beings should be active and mobile throughout the day (foraging food) and then replenish glycogen stores at some point later in the day.

 

The circadian rhythm data on NAD+ peaking mid-day and the additive benefits of exercising in a fasted state, plus given the diurnal response to glucose in the AM, indicates to me that a mid-day might be slightly better (all else being equal).  Most of what I've seen from Mark Mattson indicates exercise and then eating thereafter.

Edited by tunt01, 26 December 2018 - 01:48 PM.

[jroseland]

Try salsa or latin dancing. That will do something for you libido.

[bosharpe]

Any plans to add to or modify your routine and what you take as you enter your 30s?

[thanatophobian]

Any plans to add to or modify your routine and what you take as you enter your 30s?

 

I would consider additional drugs, supplements and ingredients given profound study results. However I'm concerned about anti-synergistic drug interactions if I just start taking bunch of supposed anti-aging drugs like dasatinib or foxo4 etc.

 

I am transitioning from the previous daily 23HR dry fast one meal a day, to currently 23HR water one meal a day 5 days a week and 48HR dry fast once a week. I did so because I noticed a bit of water retention on my face and I work as a model/musician, thus the modification to my routine because my appearance is a priority. Also I cut down on the amount of raw cruciferous vegetables due to stomach bloating/gas, and increased fermented cruciferous vege intake, mostly cabbage kimchi and daikon kimchi. I found daikon even when cooked til softened makes me...fart all day long. Fermented seems to have none of those side effects.

 

48 hour complete dry fasting is noticeably tough though, at around 36HR I get hard headache and feel like I am half unconscious. But after that point, I'm able to go longer than 48 hours with a lot of energy. And I usually have some facial redness due to retin A use, but facial inflammation completely goes away and my skin turnaround period is noticeably faster as it peels. 

 

Upon refeeding, I feel incredible and there is no weight regain even after 5 days. No weight loss either surprisingly, I always maintain BMI around 17.5~18 despite 5 days OMAD and 48HR dry fasting every week on CR. Sounds like pseudo-science but I really do feel the effects drastically.

 

I attached some unedited photos of my facial skin from a recent photoshoot. I had a lot of acne before I started fasting and anti-aging regimen, and now almost 5 years never a pimple, only some hyperpigmentations from previous acne . Downside is I still get mistaken as a high schooler or a college student sometimes and not a good thing in business settings.

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Edited by thanatophobian, 11 March 2019 - 07:23 PM.