My Protocol for Peak Mental Performance and Clarity
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Day three of segueing into ketosis, producing ketones naturally. Current blood concentration of beta hydroxybutyrate around 1.2 millimolars. Loves the mental acuity. Does 4 to 6 weeks of nutritional ketosis once or twice a year as cheap insurance against neurodegenerative diseases in family and metabolic dysfunction.
APOE profile: ApoE 3/4. Relatives who are 3/3 developed early Alzheimer's. Needs less sleep in ketosis, wakes up very alert.
For decades, did minimum 30g protein within 30 minutes of waking—still a great option. Now does intermittent fasting, fasting until 2-3 p.m.. Woke at 7:30 a.m., had cacao with cacao butter (under 3g net carbs) due to jet lag (arrived midnight). Keeps net carbs under 10g daily for fast ketosis, especially with 16-18 hour fasts and 6-8 hour eating window. Exercise depletes liver glycogen, trains body to produce ketones even with carbs in eating window.
After cacao, sat in hot tub and meditated 10 minutes using Waking Up app (Henry Shukman, mindfulness/Zen practice). Got out (chilly Austin, 37°F low), brief pool immersion, cold shower. Then deep work prep without interruptions.
En route here, 15 minutes prior: Nitro cold brew from Starbucks + 15ml exogenous ketones (BHB bonded to 1,3-butanediol)—reservations about long-term liver toxicity, uses intermittently for 4 days transitioning to ketosis. Natural production around 0.9 millimolars earlier.
Protocol developed through years of experimentation. Treat life like a lab: gather scientific information, experiment, find what works. Your results may vary.
Weight trains late afternoon. Would do Zone 2 training mornings if no podcast, fasted. Likes fasted cardio for ketosis to deplete glycogen faster. Avoid high-intensity or resistance training mornings as it spikes glucose via stress hormones/cortisol (elevated mornings) + caffeine. Had mild headache yesterday. Intermittent fasting key to quick, painless ketosis entry—done dozens of times, including 6 months continuous and cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD) for 1999 National Chinese Kickboxing Championships (cut weight, get lean, maintain/add muscle).
CKD: glycogen depletion workout then spike carbs for ~15 hours weekly, leveraging insulin for muscle storage/anabolism while averaging ketotic. Pioneered by Mauro Di Pasquale (Anabolic Diet), Dan Duchaine. Too brain-intensive now—protocol serves life, not vice versa.
Single-tasking 4 hours without pharma stimulants gives competitive edge. Possible with health/exercise. Discussed Dave Baszucki (Roblox co-founder/CEO), funds metabolic psychiatry research via foundation (incl. ketogenic therapy, Chris Palmer at Harvard).
Ketosis like modafinil without short-term power/long-term penalties. Never took SSRI for depression, used trazodone for sleep (early monoamine oxidase inhibitor, repurposed sleep aid like Unisom antihistamine). Proper keto diet better than SSRIs for serotonin/mood stabilization/elevation (no peaks/troughs). Chris Palmer research. #1 for mood management, removes bottom 50% negative affect, bumps positive baseline 20%. Ketosis potentially poet's protocol.
Four affect profiles (innate baselines of positive/negative emotion intensity):
- Mad scientists: High positive + high negative (high highs/lows). Hard to marry.
- Cheerleaders: High positive + low negative. Happiest, but bad bosses (avoid bad news/criticism).
- Judges: Low positive + low negative. Steady, good for surgeons/nuclear operators.
- Poets: Low positive + high negative. Most creative/romantic. Ventral lateral prefrontal cortex active in ruminative depression, business plans, symphonies, falling in love—explains poets' depressive/creative/romantic traits.
Self-management starts with knowing your profile (test at website). Manage mood: elevate positive or manage (not eliminate) negative (sadness/anger/disgust/fear protect). Ketosis manages both for mad scientists. For speaker: fasted morning exercise + caffeine administration + diet manage negative affect without dampening positive.
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