Permission to nag.

Couple things on my mind today that I'm going to hash out in a blog.

I feel like a tremendous amount of people carry around way to much baggage.  They carry around things they wish they would have said but didn't because it's not that big of a deal.  True, it may not have been that big of deal.  But when you let lots of nbd's add up, they turn into one really big deal.  Especially if those nbd's all involve the same person.

This happens a lot in marriages.  It can be something as simple as not picking up last nights dirty laundry and putting in the hamper.  This is a simple request you ask of your partner and it's really not a big deal so you don't say anything if they don't do it.  But then something else happens, they leave toothpaste residue in the sink.  They don't put the dishes away.   There's pee on the seat.  All those nbd's add up.  And then when a big deal happens, all the nbd's come out too.  And things get ugly.  You'd wish you'd have said something earlier, because the big deal would have been much easier without all the baggage of the nbd's weighing on you.  

In fact...if those nbd's bother you, I'd make the claim that you owe it to the other person to tell them every single time.  It doesn't have to be mean.  Just something simple like, "I really wish you'd put your dirty laundry before you go to bed."  Whether they do it or not is irrelevant.  You let it off your chest, after that it's on them.  Even if you have to tell them every morning.

This goes beyond inside the house.  What if things other people do bother you?

I get this with my job on occasion.  I paint houses.  I try to be thorough and make sure things look good.  I would much rather have someone inquire about a spot on the wall that's bothering them before I'm finished.  That is...if they are aware of it.  But even if they wait till the end, I'd still rather have them tell me about it, instead of not saying anything.  If they don't say anything, every time they see it they'll think negatively and wish they would have said something.   I could write a book about that one thing alone.

Just be honest with people.  Let feelings out as you have them.  Otherwise they will cloud your future emotions and feelings about people.  People deserve an opportunity to change.  And if people don't even know they are in the wrong or if they are hurtful, how will they know to change if you don't share how you are feeling?

If you don't like church because of something a church did to you.  You owe it to yourself and to them to let them know.   It gives you a chance to let the hurt off your chest and it gives them an opportunity to know so they don't unintentionally hurt others the same way.  This one hits really close to home for me.  I hate church.  But I love so many of the people in church.

If you don't like avoid a restaurant because of the cleanliness or a servers bad attitude but you love the food, you owe it to yourself and to the restaurant tell the manager or owner.   Why?  So you can enjoy their food and the restaurant has a chance to bring attention to the needs.  And it gets it off your chest.

What about a family member?  What if they do things that bother you?  Shit, that's a tough one.  Let me know when you have that one figured out.   Too many times I default back to, "there's something I should have done differently and I wouldn't feel this way."  This isn't helpful for your own well being.  We could have all done things differently.

Going back to the above scenario of picking up dirty laundry.  What if you had to ask your partner every day to put their clothes in the hamper?  Wouldn't that be nagging?  NO!!!  They should just pick up their clothes.  Since when was the one that asked a simple task to be done the one in the wrong?  Pick your clothes up, simple as that.  Anyway.  Just some thoughts.

Sharing how you feel isn't nagging.  Not in the least.

I have to be true to my convictions

I really don't like MLM's.  At all.  But I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

MLM's create a vision for you that has everyone walking around with a dollar sign hovering over their head.  And you'll feel ok making money off of them because you have a product that they want and think they need.  

There is a product that is gaining huge popularity, exogenous ketones.  I just want to set the record straight.  I think it's a fine product if used in the right way.  But if you use the product in the right way, you don't really need the product.  Let me explain.

The claim is that it puts your body into ketosis.  Ketosis is a natural metabolic process that converts fat cells into energy in the absence of glucose.  So...you finally burn off the stored fat from the donuts you ate ten years ago.  You do this through carbohydrate restriction.  It's natural.  Meaning for the vast majority of the population you don't need to buy a product to get this to happen

This is why I cannot promote the use of these products, especially under the umbrella of an MLM.  You can achieve the same exact results without the product.  And no, you can't have your cake and eat it too.  This is not an eat whatever you want and then drink this drink so you can burn fat product.

I asked several health and wellness professionals about the use of exogenous ketones and here are some of the responses I got.

 -Here is the deal: Keto is currently on "hype" because a lot of MLM companies are pushing it hard.  

-Exogenous ketones do have "a place": as a nootropic, to improve concentration, even cancer treatment and prevent or help with epileptic seizures.  Also, they can improve sports perfomance. 

-Exogenous ketones DO NOT help with fast loss.  They may even inhibit fat loss. 

-Ketones are a by-product of fatty acid metabolization that your body can use as energy (well, only BHB, as acetone and acetoacetate are waste products).  If you give your body exogenous BHB... it amps down lypolisis: why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free.

  Remember the body utilizes macros in certain order: Alcohol (ethanol) > Carbohydrates (glucose) > Protein (Aminoacids) > Fat (Fatty Acids)

-If you give your body the end product it will always use it first, as it requires less energy to process. The body wants to survive and conserve energy. 

-The product does not "PUT YOU IN KETOSIS" - it introduces ketone bodies in your body. Different things. It is false ketosis in a way.

The only time I would ever recommend using exogenous ketones is if you were already following a ketogenic or low carb diet for several months and we found a need for them as described above (cancer treatment, seizures, nootropic, etc). 

But that's just the opinion of someone not trying to sell a product.  Take it or leave it.

I found this article from a well respected ketogenic community.   It's worth checking out if you are interested in this product.   to-ketone-or-not-to-ketone.

If that wasn't enough reason.  Over the past year I have helped lead or encourage a small group of people in following a ketogenic or primal aligned diet and we've collectively lost well over 3000 pounds and reversed many autoimmune diseases.  And we haven't used a special powder or pill to do it.  OR worked out ridiculous hours at the gym.  OR had to eat crappy cardboard flavored diet food.