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The Shovel will Fail You in Obesity, Finances & Life

A few years ago, my family and I set out to build a pond.

I have always loved Koi and the serenity of a Koi pond in my own back yard was very enticing. I spent about a year planning my design and the location.  I dreamed of a serene evening after a very long, hectic day seeing patients relaxing beside the pond.  The sound of trickling water, the occasional splash from fish, the cool breeze passing over the mist from a water-fall would sooth my soul after a busy day in the office.

I envisioned the perfect area.  An unused access path, previously worn by the previous owner with truck and trailer traffic, beside my now expanded patio. Twenty feet wide, thirty feet long and four feet deep. . . that seems just perfect.

I pulled out my shovel and set about digging. Eager to begin and filled with the energy of the final product, I set to digging.  What could be so hard about digging my own pond?  Think of the exercise I will be getting.  Thoughts spurred me on.

Minutes later, chest heaving, face glistening with sweat, I stared in dismay at the ground. All I had to show for my wild digging was a small 1/2 inch dent in the dusty Arizona top soil.

Sonoran Clay

Over time, calcium-carbonate, along with other minerals, accumulates and dissolves into the topsoil of the very arid regions of Arizona Sonoran Desert.  It forms a two to three-foot layer of soil called “caliche.” Periodic rains carry the calcium as far as three feet down into the soil, then the water rapidly evaporates in the blistering Arizona heat.  This often forms two to three feet of soil that is “literally” harder than concrete.

With tremendous zeal, a great deal of sweat and a round of painful blisters, I broke my third shovel on this impenetrable ground.  I realized this was much more difficult than I thought.  I pulled out the back-hoe attachment for my small farm tractor.  After a few hours and few gallons of diesel fuel later, still very little progress occurred.

Multiple weekends and evenings of digging in the Arizona caliche left me with three broken shovels, a ruptured hydrolic line in my tractor, anger that my expensive back-hoe attachment didn’t work, and only a small dent in the ground near my patio.  Even the brute force from the tractor would not budge the clay.  I wondered if dynamite would be effective?  (My wife would have none of this idea).

With my exuberance quashed, I concluded that this would require much more measured exhuming.

Escape From the Prison

We often imagine, with great delight, the removal or destruction of that which enslaves or imprisons us.  We dream that just a little sweat, exertion of a few shovel scoops of dirt and the foundation to our prison of obesity, addiction, debt, and depression are exposed.  A few extra scoops and we imagine freedom from that prison cell.

If only I had a jack hammer and a bigger, more powerful scoop, I imagine . . . I could make short work of these manacles that bind me.

But, our manacles and prison cells do not so easily give way.

The failings of our sharpened spades and powerful back-hoes form a new, even stronger fetter – the belief that our prison cell is unbreakable, that our challenge is just too great. These failings usually leave a person cured of any further desire to break free.  It quashs the dream and solidifying the depression of stagnation.

The in-fecundity of my shovel, no matter the strength and effort put behind it, was not cause to quit.  It was life’s lesson that prisons and shackles often only need a simple tool.

Enter the pick-axe.  During this process my wife said, “Honey, why don’t you use the pick in the garage?”

“If my shovel and the back-hoe didn’t work, there was no way I was going to break through this clay with a pick axe.” That was absurd, I thought.

Yet when I humbled myself to try, it was simple.  The pick-axe was unpretentious.  This simple tool allowed for an almost effortless stroke to a small area of weakness in the caliche.  A large flake of soil would pop free with each stroke. The process was repeated.

Scale by scale, the dragon’s flank was exposed. Careful work of the pick-axe began to loosen layer after layer, section after section, pellicle after pellicle.  Yes, it was slow work. But, each swing was a small victory.

At each little victory, my heart would leap, the dream would become ever clearer.

Working this magic again and again until finally the specter was weakened enough to pull out the shovel.  And, further work, allowed for bringing back the powerful back-hoe, in gratifying scoops.

The excavation that I thought would take two months took me fourteen.  But, it was gratifying.

I learned a powerful lesson. Wherever life has pinned you, fettered you or barred you in, put down the shovel, and pick up the pick-axe.  Second, if you really listen, your spouse may point out the tool you really need. Don’t be afraid to chip away at it a piece at a time.

Finances

Stop waiting for the sharper shovel or the bigger back-hoe to dig yourself out of your harrowing debt, mega mortgage, or your income dwarfing spending. The jackpot or financial windfall won’t come. While others await the jackpot, put down your shovel and shoulder your pick-axe.

  1. Pick one small debt and begin to pick at it by applying just a little extra each month until it is gone.
  2. Cancel your extra cable, sell the motorcycle and payoff the 21% interest credit card.
  3. If you must, pick up a side-hustle for extra to sharpen the pick.

Once you’ve lifted one flake, chip away at the next. Making progress will make it easier to continue.  It doesn’t matter how long it takes, just keep at it.

Marriage

You long for resolution of the apathy, progressive resentment and mutual stalemate that permeates your relationship.  You look in vain for the bigger shovel that will uncover the treasure that years of apathy have buried. You long to uncover your dreams and needs that have been covered and hardened under the clay of resentment.  The shovel and the back-hoe won’t help you here.

Drop the shovel.  Shoulder your pick-axe.

  1. Kiss your wife every time you leave, even if it’s just for a ten minutes to run to the convenience store.
  2. Hold her for five seconds longer every time you hug.
  3. Find a gift you can give her once a week, just because.
  4. Put down your phone and look her in the eyes when she talks to you and listen. Really listen and the flakes of hard clay will unveil the beauty of her soul.
  5. Find a way to praise her every day, even if it is through a simple text.

Health

You long to rid yourself of your addiction to sugar, bread, stress, and sleep deprivation.  You’ve tried to scoop them out of your life.  You even hired a trainer with some muscle to force you to change.  You’ve tried in vain to save yourself from yourself.

Trying to use the shovel here is like trying to use the shovel on steel forged walls of your life’s prison fortress.  Forget the shovel.  Shoulder your pick-axe.

  1. Start with one meal and make some substitutions.  My dietary plan can help you with this.
  2. Go to bed an hour earlier. Really, you’ll be surprised that the focus you have will more than compensate for the hour of lost time in the evening.
  3. Add a quality vitamin to your morning routine.
  4. Take ten minutes and do 20 push-ups and 20 sit-ups, then take a 10-minute walk.
  5. Simply remove the “white stuff” from your meals. You will be amazed at the results.
  6. Put down your phone for 30 minutes and read that book you’ve been meaning to read, instead of surfing Facebook.

Grand-standing with your back-hoe doesn’t help you.  Just swing the pick-axe once or twice.  Simple daily picking with the sharp point weakens the hardest of ground and the prison walls in our lives.  It takes time, so be patient.

Find the weak point, apply the pick.  Day by day, little by little you will be free.

I’ve been there.  I’m with you.  Keep me posted on your journey.

If you’re looking for a program that teaches you how to do this, check out my membership site.

Quest for Life of Happiness #DocMuscles #KetonianKing #BaconBoy

Keto Happy – Do You Live A Life of Happiness?

Founded by the Secret Society of Happy People in 1999, August 8th was officially named the National Day of Happiness.  It was a day created to recognize and express happiness.  (I personally think it should involve the sharing of bacon, but some may disagree.)  Most people, whether they admit it or not, are searching for happiness.  (Most people are searching for bacon, too, . . . but that is for another article.)  We hope for happiness, we aim for happiness,  and we wish happiness upon our family, friends and neighbors at holidays and birthdays.  It appears to be a desired condition of the soul.

In medical school, we learn that the body is almost 80% water.  One of my professors intelligently quipped, “if you’re unhappy all day, that means you are essentially a cucumber with anxiety.”  For many people, happiness is really hard to find.  Money is hard to find . . . but, that’s because it gets wasted by people trying to find happiness

What exactly is happiness?  It is a transient condition or state of cheerfulness, contentment, satisfaction or pleasure.  Many people mistake meaningfulness as happiness.  Meaningfulness to one’s life is more enduring.  For example, suddenly having a wind-fall of cash may make you happy for the short term.  However, what you actually do with that cash over the next few days, months and years is what brings degrees of meaning to your life.

Basics of Happiness

Happiness is based upon your emotional & spiritual vision, and how living your life aligns with the principles you hold most valuable.  You can’t control all of the circumstances of your life. Things both good and challenging will happen to you that you never expected. However, you have control of your own happiness. You and I are the architects of it.

In working with a majority of patients who are over 65 years old, I have found that the older we get, the more we look back and realize that external circumstances don’t really matter or determine our happiness. We determine our happiness.

How do we increase our level of happiness?  There are 10 Simple Steps to Happiness:

1. Improving Health

As a doctor, I’m a huge advocate of improving your health which plays a dramatic role in happiness.  Losing as little as 10 lbs has been shown to improve energy, decrease your risk for major disease, improve sleep, improve sex life, and decrease inflammation.  Improvements in any of those areas will reduce stress and anxiety and increase happiness so you can imagine while improvements in ALL of these areas could dramatically change your life.

As an advocate of the ketogenic lifestyle, I’ve found that the majority of my patients are able to lose 5-15 lbs each month for the first three months using this approach.  They average 2-5 lbs pf weight reduction each month there-after while following a ketogenic approach over the long term.  Understanding that this is one of the long term keys to success in happiness I want to make sure you know that I’ve developed some custom strategies to help with this and will share them with you below.  This lifestyle decreases risk for diabetes by 75%, improves mental clarity, and slows the aging process. (Who wouldn’t want those side effects while eating bacon?)

2. Savor Daily Experience

BaconWrappedJalapeno #DocMuscles #KetonianKing
Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos

First, savor the daily experiences.  We live our lives at such a high speed, we often neglect to take time to enjoy the experiences around us.  A recent trip in down town Amarillo, Texas, brought me to the front doors of a restaurant that served cream-cheese & sausage stuffed, bacon wrapped, jalapenos (try saying that 5 times fast).  I had a bit of time and decided to try them.  It was the first time in 3-4 days that I actually had the chance to slow down and savor the place around me, the flavors of the food, and the atmosphere of the restaurant.

BaconWrappedJalapeno #DocMuscles #KetonianKing
Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno’s & Happiness

Just taking a bit of time to savor these things made this experience a very memorable and happy experience that I probably won’t soon forget.

Take 3-5 minutes today to just think about where you are.  Savor the smell of a rose, the color of the sky, the shape of the clouds or the sight of a bird. These sensory images can, and will, leave indelible memories and release dopamine and serotonin naturally in the brain.  Savoring the daily experiences of life can be part of the process of meditation we will talk about below.

3. Volunteer

Volunteer #DocMuscles #KetonianKing HappinessGet involved and volunteer in meaningful activities around your neighborhood, church & community.  Research shows that voluntarily giving of time increases happiness in the giver.  It also allows one to see, participate with and help those around you who may be less fortunate.  Volunteering your time and energy regularly increases your gratitude we will discuss further below.

4. Express Gratitude

Expressing gratitude daily has been shown to dramatically increase your sense of well-being and happiness.  Expressing gratitude requires awareness.  It requires you to take inventory of everything around you (something you will already be doing if you are savoring your daily experiences).  Gratitude can be expressed in a journal, through prayer & meditation, or directly to those around you.  However, expressing gratitude requires effort.Christ Leper #DocMuscles #KetonianKing

In the Judaeo-Christian view, expressing gratitude is actually a method of expressing faith.  The 17th chapter of Luke holds a biblical example of this concept. When the leper returned to express his thanks to Jesus Christ for being healed, he wasn’t told “Your gratitude made you whole.”  Christ told him, “Thy faith hath made thee whole.”  He implied that the act of expressing gratitude is a demonstration of faith, a necessary and essential process in human development.

5. Recognition of Personal Value

I’m not talking about your bank statement or personal financial statement.  I’m talking about recognizing the value of your soul.  The only successful non-medication based program to help people overcome addiction is the 12-Step Program through Alcoholics Anonymous.  The essential second step of the twelve is recognition that a power greater than ours is involved in our lives.  Whether, you believe in God or a greater universal power, recognition of your value is an essential perspective to gaining happiness.  This has been demonstrated thousands of times through the 12-Step Programs.

Often, the feeling we have of our personal worth is based on the love and interest we receive from those around us. Yet, this love is sometimes lacking. The love of men is often imperfect, incomplete, or selfish. What if you looked at yourself with the same benevolence, love, and confidence that God does? Imagine the impact it would have on your life to understand your eternal potential as God understands it. If you could view yourself through His eyes, what influence would that have on your life?  Recognition of this principle is essential to making any lasting change.

6. Become Who You Are

The celebrated Greek poet, Pindar, said, “Become who you are.”  Isn’t this a paradox?  How does one become who they already are?

Many of my and the younger generations grew up to the sounds and images of The Lion King. You probably remember the scene where Simba receives a visit from his father, Mufasa, the deceased king. After his father died, Simba fled from the kingdom because the guilt he felt about his father’s death. He wanted to escape his responsibility as heir to the throne.

Lion King #DocMuscles #KetonianKingHis father appears to him and warns him: “You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the circle of life.” Then this invitation is repeated several times: “Remember who you are. … Remember who you are.

Simba, completely shaken by this experience, decides to accept his destiny. He confides in his friend, the shaman monkey, that it “looks like the winds are changing.”

The monkey replies, “Change is good.”

And Simba says: “But it’s not easy. I know what I have to do. But going back means I’ll have to face my past. I’ve been running from it for so long.”

“Where are you going?” the monkey asks him.

“I’m going back!” cries Simba.

(This is also a great movie because of the “bacon references:”)

YouTube player

Admit it. You smiled didn’t you!

7. Meditation

Meditation Grand Canyon #DocMuscles #KetonianKingMeditation and prayer have been shown to actually change areas of the brain that relate to stress management and mood regulation.  People who meditate regularly over long periods of time have better ability to find and maintain positive states like joy and compassion. Richard Davidson and his colleagues found that meditation increases brain activity in areas related to happiness as well.

8. Relationships

Happiness has been linked to quality relationships as well.  Robert Wallinger, psychiatrist at Harvard University, conducted a 75 year multi-generational study on happiness.  He found that the quality of the relationships was powerfully connected to happiness. Lonely people were less happy and had poorer health.  People with higher-quality relationship or social ties were the happiest.

However, it wasn’t just having a relationship, but having one with a stable and consistently caring person that made the difference. Having lots of acquaintances or being in a relationship with an unreliable or abusive partner did not make people happier.  Amazingly, listening (savoring shared experiences) and complimenting (expressing gratitude) improve the quality of relationships.  (Sharing your bacon improves relationships as well.)

9. Food

A number of studies have demonstrated that a ketogenic diet increases gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a key neuro-hormone signaling satiety and pleasure, in the brain.  GABA increases sensations of happiness and euphoria.  (Yes, this is why eating bacon makes you and I happier.  It’s probably why the thought of bacon in the video above made you smile.)  Shifting into a ketogenic state at least periodically has the effect of increasing your sense of happiness throughout the day.   It is actually the ketone that does this.  Whether you get into ketosis through diet alone, or through the use of exogenous ketones, both methods are effective in aiding you in your quest for happiness.

10. Allow Others to Help

I know you are probably familiar with the term it is better to give than receive but did you know there is evidence to support the reverse is true too?  That happiness also comes from allowing others to help? Think about it. When you are helping others, especially when they appreciate it, you feel happiness or joy. Others experience those same feelings when they are able to help you. Think of a child that wants to make you a meal. No matter what it looks like when it gets to you, you smile and feel happy at the effort, the child smiles back proud at their success. There is happiness in giving and receiving. 

 

So today’s your chance to receive.  As a doctor, I find myself shying away from sharing this information with you directly because I never want anyone to feel like my efforts are about me. I’ve spent years learning and understanding the benefits of a Ketogenic lifestyle and spent additional years researching products that work and my local patients are experiencing tremendous results! A friend told me that not sharing this information with people directly was actually being selfish. (Ouch!) “When you know someone has a problem that you can solve, shouldn’t you share it and let them make their own decisions?”

Although that was painful to hear, it helped me commit to being more direct about how I can help all of you to feel better. If you are ready to change the way you feel and want to live a happier, healthier life, the time is NOW.  Put these 10 steps in action and enjoy the benefits of a KetoLifestyle. If you want to know more about what I do, keep reading my blog, join my weekly newsletter and watch me Live Stream every week on Facebook Live & Periscope giving you free tips and tricks to stay healthier. If you know you are ready for a change, and you want to see how I can help, check out the variety of Ketogenic programs I offer to help you find the Happiness inside You! Because we all love gifts and they make us Happy, in honor of #NationalHappinessDay, you should see a pop up here for something special!  ] Be sure to click here to go to the Keto Kart and cash in on better health!

However you decide to approach your day today, choose to be happy.  It really is up to you.

Outside of the Box

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.

– Mark Twain

Why should we limit ourselves to thinking outside the box.  Can’t we just get rid of the box?

True discovery consists in seeing what everyone has seen . . . then, thinking what no one has thought.out-of-the-box

People were burned at the stake because they refused to believe the Earth was not the center of the universe. They were beheaded because they had a sneaking suspicion that the world was not flat.

Is it really that hard to accept that our weight gain and diabetes is driven by a hormonal signal, and not by gluttony or caloric intake of fat?diabetes global warming

The challenge with the current thought model on the cause of obesity is that it does not account for metabolic syndrome. In the practice of medicine over the last 15 years, an interesting pattern has emerged.  I noticed that there was a spike in fasting and postprandial insulin levels 5-10 years prior to the first abnormal fasting and postprandial blood sugars.  These patients were exercising regularly and eating a diet low in fat.  But they saw continued weight gain and progressed down the path of metabolic syndrome.  10-15 years later, they fall into the classification of type II diabetes.

The only thing that seems to halt this process in these patients is carbohydrate restriction.  Fasting insulin levels return to normal, weight falls off, and the diseases of civilizations disappear as insidiously as they arose.

So you tell me, is the world flat?  Is the Earth the center of the universe?

Low-carb is bad