14 replies to this topic

[Awareness]

Hello all,

It has been quite some time that I have been viewing occasionally on this site and I have finally bit the bullet and registered.

I have been looking into and partaking in CILTEP for about a total of a year, taking it for a span of six months before stopping due to financial strain. Recently I have found my leftovers and have decided to continue to use my stack until my supply runs out. 

Furthermore, I have recently become intrigued by TULIP and am planning to start that protocol once my CILTEP runs out. 

Please offer me criticisms and critiques on all I offer. I am very interesting in others opinions.

Currently my stack and diet consists as follows

Stack~
4.8mg piracetam twice a day
4mg forskholii twice a day
500mg ALCAR once a day
500mg L-Phenylalanine once a day
250mg Uridine once a day

500mg artichoke extract twice a day
300mg Alpha GPC twice a day

Supplementation~ (Once a day)
Vitamin K2 (per bulletproof protocol)
Vitamin B Complex (Raw brand) {To aid Uridine}

Calcium D-glucarate (per bulletproof protocol for cleansing)
800mg elemental magnesium (before bed)
200mg Potassium (before bed)
Lions mane (before bed)
2 New Mood (Onnit) {Before bed}

Diet~
Each day I aim to consume 3500 calories of the cleanest food I can financially obtain. I start the day with high fats and transition to carbs throughout the day in order to reach the calories I need. I make sure to eat as many vegetables as I can, I avoid fruit, I eat the cleanest meats I can find (grass fed, uncured, pastured), I follow the bulletproof lifestyle for the most part. I consume my trademark "Green Drink" each day which consist of the following:
1-2 Tbsp 100% Grass-fed Butter

1 Tbsp Spirulina (Hawaiian)
1 Tbsp Chlorella (Taiwan)
1 Tbsp Chia Seed
1 Tbsp Hemp Seed
1 Tbsp Bee Pollen

1 Tbsp MCT oil
1 Tbsp Raw Honey
1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar (Braggs)

1 Tsp Maca Root Powder (Organic, Raw)
1 Tsp Camu Camu Powder (Organic, Raw)
1 Tsp Noni Powder (Organic, Raw)

1/2 Tsp Matcha Green Tea Powder

2 oz. Fermented Cod Liver Oil

4,000-6,000 iu Vitamin D
1 Tbsp Upgraded Collagen
1 Scoop 100% Grass-fed Protein

Activity~
Currently I am doing Occum's Protocol with a friend of mine, hence the caloric goal. I work at a pool with plenty of time climbing trees, swimming, walking around (Barefoot 100%) and just overall trying to stay moving. I aim for 7.5 hours of sleep a night, trying to keep to my body's natural cycle.

I think this is the most I have ever explained myself to anyone. As I stated above, I am more than open to any and all suggestions, criticisms, critiques, and feedback of any kind. Let me know if you have questions of any kind. Thank you all. Peace.

[Awareness]

One thing I have been struggling with lately is the addition of fat during occums protocol. I take Alpha Lipoic Acid in order to make sure that the carbs I ingest go into my muscles rather than being stored as fat. It is difficult however to maintain a ketonic lifestyle while to take in 3500 calories. Any recommendations on foods to use or how to best take in the amount of calories without gaining fat?

[GoingPrimal]

Wow, hefty green drink! And I thought I consumed some foul tasting things.. 

 

You haven't listed what goals you'd like to achieve with this stack and diet, so it's hard to comment on how effective it's going to be. That said, your nootropics stack is decent if you're just looking for an overall "lift" in cognition. You've picked great supplements (vitamins and such) that are hitting the foundations, so thats really good.

 

Your diet sounds pretty good, as long as you're eating clean and eating plenty of veggies, which it sounds like you are. I'm not sure the logic behind beginning with fats and transitioning to carbs is but if it works for you no reason to stop. Also, 3500 calories is pretty high - I understand this is for the workout regimen and might be ok short term but I wouldn't want to stick to such a high number for long unless you're massively active. 

 

As for the green drink,  a teaspoon of Camu Camu berry is what, almost 1000% vitamin C? Don't think it would all be getting absorbed so it might be better to spread that dosage out. Are you sipping the shake throughout the day or just pounding it all at once? I would think it might be beneficial to sip daily so your body can better manage all the nutrients, if you're not doing so already.

 

Now for some critiques.. First I don't think Alpha Lipoic Acid ensures that the carbs you ingest go solely into your muscles - if so it probably would have been huge news and certainly would have taken the bodybuilding world by storm. I don't doubt that Dave Asprey's products are quality, but shop around, because you can find all the stuff he sells at a much cheaper price - remember, you're not just buying a product from him but the whole "Bullet-proof/Upgraded" shtick, and it's costing you more. As for the fat issue, if you're consuming 3500 calories a day and aiming for ketosis, you'd have to be exercising a lot to not put on a few pounds of fat. 

 

My last piece of honest advice is, don't be quick to buy into hype and don't try to take any shortcuts. If you've got your diet, sleep and lifestyle dialed in the rest should fall into place, and there usually isn't any need for expensive and flashy name brand supplements. 

 

Best of luck and keep us updated.

[Awareness]

First off thanks for the response!

Surprising the green drink is no longer foul as it once was but instead I look forward to being able to have it every day and actually enjoy the taste (strange as that may be).

As for goals for my stack and diet I am hoping to achieve optimal brain, mind, and body function. It is working thus far with the only hiccup being the body aspect but I am working out the kinks on that. Also I will be switching from my CILTEP to the basic TULIP stack of CoQ10, PQQ, artichoke extract, and the laser sometime in the next week or two so we shall see how that transition goes. I find that my currently stack allows me to go into the flow state very easily and am curious as to how things may or may not change with the TULIP protocol.

Since I posted last, a few things have changed. I stumbled upon research stating that carbs may not be beneficial post-workout and from there have gone back into full-blown ketosis. It is going very well and I have even dropped some body fat. I agree that 3500 calories is not the best long term solution but according to the Occam's protocol, my muscles are in need of that many in order to heal fully. This then will enable me to complete the following workout successfully. That being said, I do plan on shifting back to an intermittent fasting protocol once I am finished with my current protocol and after that a strength gain protocol.

Currently I do drink the green drink all in one go but completely agree with your idea to spread that out throughout the day. I will do this from now on and post an update in a week or so. Much appreciated.

Well put for the Alpha Lipoic Acid. Would you then recommend I halt my intake for a week to see how it fares with my ketogenic state and only use on a refeed day? Secondly, I agree about the bulletproof brand being where the extra cost goes to and have been shopping around more and more. The fat is not the biggest issue, but shouldn't my body be using those calories to heal my tissues after my workouts? I ask because the failure for Occam's protocol is unlike any I have ever heard. On your failing rep, when you can no longer raise the weight, you then hold it there for 5 seconds followed by lowering it millimeter by millimeter in order to obtain the maximum amount of muscle fatigue(possibly more along the lines of muscle tearing).

I appreciate your last bit of advice as well. This has actually been something I have been consciously working towards and it has been good thus far. 

Additionally, Do you happen to have any recommendations for transitioning from CILTEP to TULIP? If not no worries, just curious.

Thanks again for your reply and I will post an update soon on how the changes are going.

[GoingPrimal]

Good goals. Yeah there will be hiccups, we never really reach "optimal", just break through to new levels again and again. Interesting about the flow state with CILTEP, I've been meaning to give it a try for a while now and that may be just the push I needed. Be sure to let us know how TULIP goes, make sure to post on the official TULIP thread and might as well update on here too so I don't have to go searching through the many TULIP posts   Also, which laser did you wind up buying? Been curious about TULIP as well.

 

How much longer are you doing Occam's Protocol for? By all means finish, but look into carbs and testosterone. Just as how too little fat prevents you from creating enough testosterone, levels can also dip if you go too long without carbs. If you're doing refeed days this may not be an issue, but might be something to research. 

 

I think ALA is a great supplement, so no need to stop, and it may be one of those supplements that improves insulin sensitivity or act through some other mechanism to allow carbs to enter muscle tissue preferentially over adipose tissue, its just that the effect isn't going to be very pronounced. For example I read somewhere caffeine has the same effect, though I can't site my sources for this.

 

I've not read into Occam's Protocol, I only know that it was developed by Tim Ferriss. He's generally a pretty smart dude, so I would assume his program is decently researched. Yeah you'll definitely need more calories (and nutrition) if you're doing an intense exercise regimen - I personally haven't read much on fat helping muscles to recover, more about carbs and protein doing that, but it very well may. Try it out and let us know! Or do two weeks with no carbs post workout and two weeks with carbs post workout, and look for changes. Btw, Occam's protocol sounds pretty brutal.

 

I don't have any advice for the transition from CILTEP to TULIP, other than maybe give yourself a week or two "washout" period in between. If you start feeling bad or foggy brained in the beginning of TULIP, but its really because of having just stopped CILTEP, it would skew your results. Or don't, I rarely do any washout periods myself, but it's a thought.

[OneScrewLoose]

I think you have a narrow, near-OCD level fixation on supplementation and what you put in your body. I think supplements/drugs are great, but that's only one approach to making yourself better.I think a regular meditation practice would be fantastic for you. Check out some guided meditation by Jack Kornfield. This book is great for learning simple exercises: http://amzn.to/1sJCLs5

 

One problem that many of us have is taking a dualistic approach to the mind, specifically that mind and body are separate. We see mind as the software and the brain as the hardware. This is a bad way of looking at things. Our thoughts and feelings themselves are states of neurotransmitters in our brain. We have the expression "mind over matter", but the truth is that mind is matter. The brain and the mind are the same thing. I recommend the book "The Mystery of Consciousness" by John Searle for more thoughts on this. This is the guy who came up with the famous "Chinese Room" thought experiment.

 

Drugs/Supplements effect neurochemical changes in your mind/brain. Thoughts, meditation, social interaction effect neurochemical changes in your mind/brain. Why limit your approach?

Also, where do you get your piracetam?

[Awareness]

GoingPrimal:
 

The flow state is by no means a constant, but it is definitely easier to get to that point on CILTEP. I am almost out of my Piracetam so I will be stopping either the end of this week or early next week, taking a two week break per our conversation, and starting TULIP. As for the laser, I bought the 96 led one on ebay as recommended and will be purchasing the 48 led one shortly. This is Lostfalco's recommendations for lasers: 
 

Laser Dosing Recommendations:

1. Remove glass cover and place LEDs directly on skin. They get a little warm, but nothing to worry about.
2. Laser whole brain, before bed
3. Start with 30 seconds per location. You can always increase. Minimum effective dosing is VERY important with LLLT.
4. 2 days on/1 day off OR every other day. DO NOT use every day. =)
5. 850nm, 96 LED, 9 individual "regions" on sides, top, and back of head AND 850nm, 48 LED, 5 individual spots on forehead along hairline (roughly).
Total Time: 7 minutes. Try this for 1 to 2 weeks before increasing dose time. (Note: ALL is currently provisional.)
96 LED array: http://www.ebay.com/...=item232c0ac99b
48 LED array: http://www.ebay.com/...=item3a80a68672

 

I am planning on continuing Occam's protocol until I reach 200lbs (currently 183 +/- 2lbs). I have looked into ketosis enough where I understand that refeed days are necessary and plan on having my first for this period of complete ketosis this upcoming sunday. I looked into testosterone and carbs and it seems that ketosis is fine with it if refeeds occur. Furthermore, I am also undergoing an orgasm control routine where I wait anywhere between 8-30 days in between each one. I think that this may add in something but cannot cite my source currently. Maybe if I have some free time today I will do some digging. Finally, because of all of this, I can easily testify to the immense amount of testosterone flowing through me. I would actually say it is the most it has ever been but have no results to back that up. Just personal opinion.

 

The protocol is decently brutal during the sets but at the same time, when each workout lasts <30 minutes and I have 4 days of rest in between, its interesting and really nice that the results are still coming in. I have lowered my calories slightly in order to find a balance to where I am no longer adding fat but staying constant. I will be in a deficit for a bit to shed a couple % points but once I am between 8 and 10 I will up my calories again to maintain that percent. I believe my nutrition to be on par because I agree with OneScrewLoose that I am very OCD about what I put into my body. Typically in a day I consume a large (4 cup) salad with either sardines, salmon, or chicken on it, my green drink, a protein drink (chia, hemp seed, grassfed+vegan protein mix, egg yolks, cream, coconut milk, mct oil, stevia, and homemade nut butter), and a dinner choice of protein and fats (eggs and bacon, chicken and butter, grassfed hotdogs, etc.).  I make all of my own food and rarely consume anything processed unless I processed it myself. Along the same lines, I have been drinking my green drink throughout the day per your suggestion and have found that I have more overall energy  Thanks for that tip for the green drink and I shall definitely continue.

 

I will do a washout period and I appreciate the suggestion of two weeks. I will post updates when the time come.

Thanks again for the discussion!

[Awareness]

I think you have a narrow, near-OCD level fixation on supplementation and what you put in your body. I think supplements/drugs are great, but that's only one approach to making yourself better.I think a regular meditation practice would be fantastic for you. Check out some guided meditation by Jack Kornfield. This book is great for learning simple exercises: http://amzn.to/1sJCLs5

 

One problem that many of us have is taking a dualistic approach to the mind, specifically that mind and body are separate. We see mind as the software and the brain as the hardware. This is a bad way of looking at things. Our thoughts and feelings themselves are states of neurotransmitters in our brain. We have the expression "mind over matter", but the truth is that mind is matter. The brain and the mind are the same thing. I recommend the book "The Mystery of Consciousness" by John Searle for more thoughts on this. This is the guy who came up with the famous "Chinese Room" thought experiment.

 

Drugs/Supplements effect neurochemical changes in your mind/brain. Thoughts, meditation, social interaction effect neurochemical changes in your mind/brain. Why limit your approach?

Also, where do you get your piracetam?

Would you mind going a little further in depth on this? I am curious as to whether you are talking specifically about either my green drink, vitamins, CILTEP stack, or a combination of all three. I will definitely check out both of the books you suggested and will take your suggestion as a sign to begin my meditation practice today. In this case do you have any personal recommendations or insights that you could share? Furthermore, my girlfriend is going through yoga teacher training and one thing they talk about is how meditation can sometimes not be completely beneficial if the person is not in a place of peace yet. What are your thoughts on this?

I wholly agree with you that the body and the mind are not separate. On the note however, the topic of "soul" can be brought up. I use quotations because even though I use the word soul, it can be represented by true self, higher self, collective unconscious, what have you. Do you think that the soul comes into play during meditation and if so, how? Additionally, do you think that the soul and the body/mind are separate?

To your third point, are you recommending that I continue with both practices or specifically one over the other? Or even that that they can play off of each other in a beneficial manner. 

I bought my piracetam from new star nootropics, Here is the link. I bought the 1kg package which lasted me about 3 months or so at 9.6g a day.

Thank you as well for your insights!

[Matman32]

Although being ketogenic has its perks, I don't think it is sustainable or beneficial long term. I do think it is a great hack to do it a few times a year (as it seems to be like fasting). I also think it is a great strategy in case of cancer or neurological problems. The reason I think it is a bad idea to do it almost every day is gut bacteria. Without sufficiant varied fermentable fiber, you won't be able to maintain an optimal microbiome that will keep you insuline sensitive and maintain inflammation very low (you could try to test it with american gut project). Greens won't be enough. At least look at resistant starch and scFOS supplements. Excluding fruits is an exemple of how extreme this thing become. I tried it for a while: I felt mentally great, lost too much weight, had plenty of energy dip and became constipated. As the other extreme diets (like being vegan), it is very challenging to optimize. 

[Awareness]

Matman32:

My salads do include more than greens but after looking further into resistant starches I agree that I may be lacking. I saw that zucchini is a decent source of resistant starches. What are your thoughts on this? I could easily add this into my salads each day. Otherwise I will try green banana flour in my green drink and see how that goes. 

I appreciate your criticism.

[Matman32]

I didn't know about zucchini. Green banana flour is supposed to be a great source. I personnally add up raw potato starch from bob's red mill to a glass of water twice a day, it gives vivid dreams and perfect poops hehe. Resistant starch is great, but it doesn't feed a wide variety of gut bugs like inulin and FOS can (leeks, onion...). The greater the variety of fiber and vegetable, the more diverse the microbiome. I think it is the hot subject in health research right now, as I think it will make research looking at macronutrients ratios obsolete. Alot of apparently unrelated diseases also seem to start in the guts.

[OneScrewLoose]

I think you have a narrow, near-OCD level fixation on supplementation and what you put in your body. I think supplements/drugs are great, but that's only one approach to making yourself better.I think a regular meditation practice would be fantastic for you. Check out some guided meditation by Jack Kornfield. This book is great for learning simple exercises: http://amzn.to/1sJCLs5

One problem that many of us have is taking a dualistic approach to the mind, specifically that mind and body are separate. We see mind as the software and the brain as the hardware. This is a bad way of looking at things. Our thoughts and feelings themselves are states of neurotransmitters in our brain. We have the expression "mind over matter", but the truth is that mind is matter. The brain and the mind are the same thing. I recommend the book "The Mystery of Consciousness" by John Searle for more thoughts on this. This is the guy who came up with the famous "Chinese Room" thought experiment.

Drugs/Supplements effect neurochemical changes in your mind/brain. Thoughts, meditation, social interaction effect neurochemical changes in your mind/brain. Why limit your approach?

Also, where do you get your piracetam?

Would you mind going a little further in depth on this? I am curious as to whether you are talking specifically about either my green drink, vitamins, CILTEP stack, or a combination of all three. I will definitely check out both of the books you suggested and will take your suggestion as a sign to begin my meditation practice today. In this case do you have any personal recommendations or insights that you could share? Furthermore, my girlfriend is going through yoga teacher training and one thing they talk about is how meditation can sometimes not be completely beneficial if the person is not in a place of peace yet. What are your thoughts on this?

I wholly agree with you that the body and the mind are not separate. On the note however, the topic of "soul" can be brought up. I use quotations because even though I use the word soul, it can be represented by true self, higher self, collective unconscious, what have you. Do you think that the soul comes into play during meditation and if so, how? Additionally, do you think that the soul and the body/mind are separate?

To your third point, are you recommending that I continue with both practices or specifically one over the other? Or even that that they can play off of each other in a beneficial manner.

I bought my piracetam from new star nootropics, Here is the link. I bought the 1kg package which lasted me about 3 months or so at 9.6g a day.

Thank you as well for your insights!

I am just talking about your overall focus on supplementation/food versus other aspects in life. How much do you focus on exercise? Your social life? Hobbies?

That place of peace crap is bullshit. Sounds like she has a hippy teacher who talks about "energy" and other useless nonsense. There's a lot of misconceptions about meditation (like it's about "achieving inner peace" or even worse "clearing your mind". It's largely about increasing awareness and mindfulness, and/or becoming a more passive observer to ones own thoughts. For example, one exercise I like is to imagine each thought that comes to your head as a cloud floating by. Each cloud/thought comes, it's their for a moment, and then it's gone. If you're not "in a place of peace"/have high anxiety, it's a great exercise to become a detached observer to your own thinking, so that the more daunting or damaging thoughts no longer trigger a downward anxiety spiral, allowing you to take control; the thought is their, moves on by just like a cloud, and then on to the next one. You don't even need to be in a particular posture to do this, which is another misconception. You just need to be sitting/standing/laying in such a way that it allows you to focus on the exercise. You could even do it on a bus.

If I were to extrapolate based just on that comment, I would say her yoga teacher is a lousy yoga teacher and would recommend a new one. That might be going a little far based on that one comment, but that's a hell of a thing to say. I love yoga by the way, I've been practicing on and off since 2007 or 2008, I don't quite remember.

I am agnostic on the existence of a soul. My philosophy in life is that if there is one, I'll find out when I die, and if there isn't, when I die, I will no longer exist and be able to give a fuck. I don't reject the idea of a soul, but I live a materialist (philosophically speaking, nothing to do with money) approach to life. That means I also don't really believe in a collective consciousness. However, the unconscious mind has an incredible amount of processing power. Not due to anything supernatural, but just because of the way it's wired. The more complex a problem, the more efficient your mind is in processing it while not consciously thinking about it versus thinking about it. Ever have no idea what to do in a math problem/writing prompt, step away for an hour, come back and have a eureka moment? That wasn't coincidence, that's because your mind was doing shit while you weren't thinking about it. For a specific example of this phenomenon, Google the "spacing effect".

I am recommending both practices and more. I'm just saying don't be so narrow in your approach to life by reducing everything to supplementation/food. But as far as supplementation, what is your goal with each of those supplements. Why are you taking what you are taking? Don't be afraid to go into detail for each individual one.

I miss the days when Piracetam was $20 for 500g. :(

Edited by OneScrewLoose, 23 October 2014 - 07:37 PM.

[GoingPrimal]

Developing a meditation practice is one of the best "hacks" one can do for their life. OneScrewLoose is right, there's no reason not to start right away, although within some schools of yoga they do teach a few things before suggesting one begin meditation. There's a reason meditation starts at the 6th limb within classical Raja Yoga, but by all means, its not mandatory to do other things first. 

 

As per your "soul" questions, that's largely up to you. I personally believe in the collective unconscious, the "mind-at-large" and have what one would call a "mystical" view on life - and this is after years of being an atheist and die-hard materialist. As the soul relates to meditation, I can only say that traditionally (within yoga at least), meditation is used to calm the mind to such a degree as to reveal the truth about the "soul". Anapanasati is a great place to start in meditation, very simple yet highly effective, and the approach OneScrewLoose uses would be very complementary. 

 

And of course it's good to take a broad approach on self-development and not expect massive breakthroughs just from nootropics or a certain weightlifting protocol, but they're a good (and fun) place to start. Keep experimenting with different ideas, focus on growth in many areas (socially, mentally, financially, physically, etc) and read up on different ways to enhance your life. 

[Awareness]

Matman32: Still have yet to purchase banana flour


OneScrewLoose: I understand where you are coming from but let me assure you that I have been putting this much effort into (almost) all aspects of my life for some time now. My social skills have increased dramatically (I was homeschooled for a total of 10 years), I have my fitness/exercise goals and know how to work towards them and am doing so, there are some areas where I acknowledge that I need to improve but im putting effort into those as well. I guess why it may seem that I stress nutrition so much is because I believe that it is our foundation. I am just trying to make my foundation as strong as can.. As for hobbies, I am working to find the balance but honestly I enjoy cooking all of my own food, and being aware are in essence my favorite hobbies. I definitely find it all very fun.

I appreciate your insight into meditation and have been adding it into my practice. I also have purchased both of the books you recommended and after scanning through them, think they will both be valuable assets. I am especially intrigued about "The Mystery of Consciousness". Thank you for the recommendations.

As for my girlfriends yoga instructor, she seems to be enjoying the class tremendously and gaining a lot from it. So as of now, it seems to be the most beneficial option for her.

Do you think that we are able to tap into a ability to shift a problem into our unconscious in order to better solve complex problems? As for the spacing effect, I can definitely use this to help me learn french. 

I appreciate your recommendation for open-mindedness and agree. As far as what each supplement is for, The CILTEP is for optimum cognitive function, the vitamins and to make sure that my body has all of the raw material it needs in order to function at its highest level possible. The green drink is along the same lines and I have actually been looking into switching up my routine for that a little bit. I will go further into this below.

40 for a kilo would be nice indeed haha.


GoingPrimal: I have started my meditation practice. I am doing a minimum of five minutes a day and each week adding another five minutes on to that. My biggest problem is relaxing my eyes. I have trouble just letting them go crazy in my head. Inner trust issue of sorts haha.

Could you elaborate on your "mystical" view on life?

Thank you for the link, I will be looking into that.

I completely agree here. Its something to do each week. an experiment on myself to see how I respond to certain situations. I also appreciate that you put financially on here. It gives me a kick in the rear to put more effort into that than I currently do. I do use stumbleupon to find resources and snippets of information that I put to use as well as maintain an open mind to all opinions.

UPDATE: I have been spreading the green drink out with still beneficial results. I actually looked into pricing and because of that I will be looking into the nutritional information for the drink. My reason behind this is I think it may be possible to consume half of the green drink that I am currently. I think that for someone who is trying to switch to a healthier lifestyle that my current serving would be appropriate but for myself with my current lifestyle, I think that 1/2 of what I am currently doing will still provide the same benefits. Smallest effective dose in essence. Further into this, after looking into the nutritional information of the green drink, I will then be more able to determine whether it is necessary to still take certain supplements. Thoughts?

My CILTEP is coming to a close. I have three more days counting today. After that I will be off of everything for two weeks and then will initiate TULIP. more updates still to come.

Occams protocol has been giving me some difficulties. Because of this as well as the fact that I believe I have not been failing my sets properly, I am now doing what is called the big 8. Here is a link to the information on it. Essentially it is Occams protocol but instead of separating the work outs into two days, doing all exercises once a week. I used this week to get a feel at where I should be restarting in a way at and will post an update next thursday.

Thanks all for the responses and insights. I apologize that it takes me a while to respond but I do read your posts the same day you post them. I prefer to sit on the topics discussed for a while before responding.

Stay aware friends.

[Awareness]

Update:

The big 8 is taking me a little bit of time to get used to it but I believe I am slowly getting on track. I was fasting during an 18 hour period on the monday before my wednesday workout but decided to no longer continue this as I have not been able to complete my sets.

I am starting TULIP tomorrow, pretty excited. The two weeks without CILTEP have been interesting. I am still very aware, but definitely noticing the things that I am not remembering.

The green drink has been going well, still have yet to research the nutritional information. 

My meditation has been going well. I am going for 10-15 minutes at a time and slowly increasing over the weeks. I have had some experiences where I felt as though I became more one with the universe as a whole yet other times I find that I have a hard time calming down to get to that state. 

As always, any suggestions are appreciated.