MasterSelf Year One Page 18

  The last bit I’ve thought of here is this: Imagine if we could have, once a year, a huge festival, a Carnivore’s Carnival of sorts (but done in a way that doesn’t infringe on Lemony Snicket’s trademarks). Everyone could come together and learn some skills during the day at seminars or workshops, eat a big smoked pig or something comparably delicious together for dinner, and then let loose at night.

  This is more or less what I’ve been considering since this weekend, and I’m going to figure out how to make it happen- as soon as I can find someone to give me the latin word that means the opposite of carnival’s original meaning.

  Until next time, thanks for reading and see you after another week of the all meat diet!

  The Carnivore Challenge, VI

  Hello again, friends! I’m now three weeks into proper carnivore- meaning this week is the home stretch for my 30 Day Carnivore Challenge. I have to say, I don’t see myself going back to eating the way I used to after this. There’s something incredibly convenient about being able to cook one’s whole meal in a few minutes in one pan (whether that’s burgers, steak, bacon, or eggs). It certainly saves me a huge amount of time on both cooking and dishes, and I rarely have to think about meal plans- with the exception of eating out.

  I’m not the first to mention it, from what I’ve seen, but there is definitely a stark difference between the ease of carnivore when one is cooking at home versus the surprising difficulty of dining out. Everything has hidden starches or some other kind of carb, there are always additives and other extraneous crap, and it’s almost impossible to find anything that is sugar free. One of the only places I’ve found that will do you right is In-N-Out- they didn’t have too much trouble when I asked for two 4x4s, nothing but meat and cheese. On that note, it seems that cheeseburgers are about the only thing that works when eating out on Carnivore.

  This is where I find my difficulties with this way of eating- not with cravings (I basically only crave cheese and sour cream), not with hunger (it’s an incredibly satisfying diet), but with my attempts to operate outside of my house. If carnivore is continuing to get more popular (as I suspect it is), there is definitely a huge opportunity for whatever business-minded person would like to go make some gas station pemmican bars or some other high-fat food for carnivores on the go. Seriously, I would pay for some pre-made pemmican that doesn’t have any honey or berries or whatever the hell everyone who sells it feels compelled to add in. That goes for beef jerky as well- why can’t they just make it sugar free and unflavored? Is that so much to ask?

  Obviously there is an unfilled niche in the market- and I bet it’s going to grow.

  One interesting thing I’ve noticed recently is that I’ve started eating less on average. The first few weeks (including the non zero carb ones) I was eating three meals a day consisting of fairly large steaks. However, in the past, let’s say, week and a half, I’ve been eating smaller steaks, lighter breakfasts, and I don’t know that I’ve finished my lunch in a while. I’m not sure what could be the cause of this, but it’s interesting and unusual.

  Before Carnivore, I don’t know that I would have believed that I could be full after such a small amount of food. To be honest, I was rarely ever satisfied after a meal, even if I was stuffed.

  Thanks for nothing, breadsticks.

  Now, I’m full for hours with no snacks, no cravings, and no desire to cheat or eat between meals. It’s really incredible, and I’m not sure that a person who hasn’t tried Carnivore could really understand what it’s like, simply because the experience is so foreign to what we’re used to, food-wise. It definitely changes one’s relationship with food- with the exception of a celebratory post-mandatory-overtime-weekend ribeye, meals are less of something to look forward to. That’s another thing that’s really hard to convey, but it’s true.

  I guess there isn’t too much more that I can say this week- nothing terribly eventful happened as far as the diet is concerned. On the bright side, it turns out that WalMart sells turkey legs, so I’ll be grilling some of those up later on today.

  That’s all I got this time, see you next week at the end of the 30 Day Carnivore Challenge!

  The Carnivore Challenge, VIII: The Meat Only Meal Plan

  Hello again, friends! As of the time of my writing this, I have three days left in my 30 Day Challenge- the home stretch is here. Truthfully, it hasn’t been very much of a challenge. I really enjoy this way of eating, and I will certainly be continuing it. I’ve totally adopted the meat only meal plan. On top of that, I don’t know how I could go back to the standard American diet, having learned what I have about the dangers of carbs and sugars. Like I said at the start of this experiment, I was essentially sold from the jump, and looking back, I feel the same way.

  One awesome fact I just learned (courtesy of the fine folks on the Zero Carb subreddit) is that Alfredo sauce (homemade, of course) has no carbs in it. It’s basically just butter, heavy whipping cream, and cheese- and it goes really well with ground beef. Note: If you’re among the people following this series who is not actively attempting Carnivore, the appeal of ground beef as an entree is something you will likely never understand. Tough luck, I know. To make things stranger for you outsiders, all this talk has forced my hand, and I’ll be buying a pound on my way home from the Coffeebar.

  In light of the encroaching end of this challenge, I’m going to be wrapping up the important things I’ve learned for those of you who care to try it yourself. Most of this has probably been covered by the earlier chapters, but we’re going to consolidate.

  The number one rule for those of you who would become carnivores is this: get used to reading the label of everything you buy. The sheer amount of added carbs and sugars in places where they should not be is astounding. I’m still mad about Starbucks finding a way to sneak carbs into bacon, egg, and cheese bites. It boggles the mind- what compelled you to destroy something so beautiful? Truly I say to you, I will never forgive them for that, and here I am at a different coffee shop.

  Alright, now that that’s out of the way, here’s some more important bits. The number two rule- hydrate like a crazy person, and supplement electrolytes. The caveat here- don’t drink within 45 minutes before or after a meal, especially when you’re getting started, and especially if it’s a high fat meal. Just trust me on this one.

  Rule three- buy discount meat, or if you have the means, buy bulk. You would be amazed at the quality and quantity of meat that I’ve gotten on the discount rack. Everything averages half price, or you’ll get two (or three) for the cost of one. I almost exclusively buy from the discount rack, and there has been no noticeable difference in taste.

  Speaking of taste- essentially every steak I have cooked has been seared for somewhere from 1:30 to 3:00 (it was a massive ribeye) per side, averaging closer to 1:45. For the uninformed, that’s basically blue rare- mostly raw. I have experienced no issues related to foodborne illness whatsoever. On top of that, I have also eaten something in the vicinity of 20 lbs of bacon in the past several weeks with no weight gain whatsoever. I don’t drain any grease, and I don’t trim anything from the meat.

  Common dietary sense says that shouldn’t be possible, yet here we are.

  To get more in depth, my meals have consisted of primarily fatty beef, bacon, and eggs (in order of proportion). An average breakfast has been either a steak, a steak and bacon, or bacon and eggs (fried in the bacon grease). Because of the limited zero carb options at Tesla, lunch has been steak and bacon, or occasionally plain cheeseburgers from the food trucks. Dinner was mostly steak and bacon, but I once ate the majority of a rotisserie chicken, minus the breasts (the most bland cut of meat known to man). I had salmon one time, but I did not find that satisfying at all. Last weekend, I made a turkey leg, which was delicious, but due to the low fat content, also not terribly satisfying either. That one made me sad.

  That brings me to the next rule- ensure you’re getting the appropriate level of fat in your food. Vilhjalmur Stefansson, who
you may remember from an earlier chapter, spoke about something called “rabbit starvation” or protein poisoning, which is a terrible ailment caused by trying to sustain oneself on lean meat (like the titular rabbit). While you’d have to really go out of your way to avoid fat to accomplish this (and why the hell you would do that is anyone’s guess), it’s still important to be aware of. Just eat fat, it’s delicious- how hard is that?

  That’s basically it for the week. By the time you’re reading this, my 30 days will have been up- and I’m going to modify my rules a bit going forward. Exactly how, I’m not sure, but I will definitely be adding spices.

  Until next time!

  The Carnivore Challenge, IX: The Ground Beef Diet

  Hello again, friends! The time has finally come- my 30 Day Carnivore Challenge has ended. However, that does not mean that I will stop eating zero carb. On the contrary, as of right now I have no plans to change my (primarily ground beef) diet. This way of eating has been one of the most dramatically different experiences I’ve ever had, and I once went 40 days on just water for comparison. Carnivore seems to provide nearly all the benefits of fasting with the added bonus of getting to eat food- go figure.

  I’ve experienced two notable changes in the past week. The first is that I’ve really only had an interest in eating ground beef. I was thinking about getting a steak the other day, but when I got to the meat aisle in the store, it just didn’t sound as appetizing as the ground beef. If you’ve been following anything of this blog so far, you’re probably used to me saying bizarre shit, but that bit is honestly the most strange of all.

  Had you told me at the beginning of this challenge that I would prefer ground beef to a ribeye, I would have laughed in your face. However, here we are, and I’ve had ground beef for essentially every meal for the last week.

  One of the coolest parts about eating ground beef (73/27, for the record) is that it’s extremely cheap. Five pounds of the stuff is like $14, whereas ribeyes run just a bit less than that for a single pound. As far as preparation goes, I have incorporated spices back into my cooking. Currently, I’ve been using a packet of Goya’s fantastic Sazón seasoning and a dash of Worcestershire sauce, then either adding some sour cream or Alfredo sauce. I also tried it with some Velveeta cheese, which was incredible, but I think that may have some trace carbs, unfortunately.

  The second interesting change that I’ve noticed is that in the past week, I’ve lost seven pounds out of the blue. I’m not sure if this is because I’ve finished the adaptation process, or if it’s because of the ground beef. It’s very strange considering that I maintained the exact same weight since the very beginning until now. That leads me to believe it’s probably the ground beef, but I can’t know for sure. Regardless, I’ll likely continue with ground beef until I feel so compelled to eat otherwise- the stuff is very satisfying.

  Where does this leave the future of the Carnivore Challenge? If I’m being honest, I hate ending these series because they’re easy content and very fun to write. As of right now, I’m planning on writing what will be the final chapter in a month, just to check in on my continued progress. Unless something changes, Ch. X will likely be covering 30 days of ground beef, but that won’t be an enforced rule.

  With all that said, thanks for coming along for the ride! If you have any interest in trying Carnivore, give it a shot. It’s stupidly easy to adhere to and it will dramatically change the way you feel. If anything, it’s worth 30 days of your time- it certainly was worth mine.

  Until next time!

  Syzygy, I: Emergence of the Modern Myth

  “It is a psychological fact that as soon as we touch on these identifications we enter the realm of the syzygy, the paired opposites, where the One is never separated from the Other, its antithesis. It is a field of personal experience which leads directly to the experience of individuation, the attainment of the Self.”

  -Carl Jung, Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious

  There exists a mythological, archetypal symbol that is present in essentially every culture, but somehow this concept remains largely unknown. This archetype is known as the Syzygy, or the united opposites. You have certainly seen this symbol before in the Yin-Yang or the Star of David.

  Aside from being a 21 point word in Scrabble with no vowels (you’re welcome for that), the syzygy represents the inseparable nature of opposing concepts, most specifically masculine and feminine. We’re going to be analyzing the concept through two lenses (which I think you will find are markedly similar)- first, through the emergence of the syzygy myth, then through the personal experience of the concept in a practical way as it refers to the understanding of the Self.

  To reach the emerging myth of the syzygy, we must first begin with the earlier stages of myth. These stages are more like overlapping eras, although there is an apparent progression from the less developed to the more developed. The primary stage, so far as I can see, is animism, or the belief that all things have an inherent spirit or essence. For the sake of this article, we won’t go deeply into animism, although I will theorize that the purpose of animism is to develop the distinction between separate concepts in the mind through ritual.

  Next came the development of polytheism, or the pantheon of gods. This phase is most easily represented with the Greek (and Roman) pantheon, with the many gods representing distinct phenomenon in the world. It would seem that the attribution of personality to these natural processes was the ritualization of an attempt to understand their workings. As a result, as human knowledge advances, the pantheon retreats into obscurity. There isn’t much use for a thunder god if one sees the storm as a material occurrence rather than divine wrath.

  As the pantheon retreats, the monotheistic god emerges. It’s very likely that the “one true god” appears as the last man standing between the competing tribes and their personal mythologies. What remains after the fight is a catchall deity who is impassive and wrathful, as nature is a cruel mistress. The randomness of life and the mysterious workings of the world can be justified with a god that observes and punishes, but also one who rewards the virtuous. To greatly simplify Jordan Peterson’s thoughts on the topic, ethics and our conceptions of the divine are in fact a system of rules that encourage the best possible outcome. Obviously, no one can win all the time, but an ethical person (servant of god) is rewarded, even when tested to extremes (like Job).

  We can observe the change from the wrathful monotheistic deity (of the Old Testament) towards the kinder, personal deity who “is love” (in the New Testament). From a functional perspective, the outcry against Jesus of Nazareth by the Jewish priest class, the Pharisees, actually represents the failure of the old myth to address the changing world. As a result, an innocent man was put to death for violating the overcomplicated religious rules of the Pharisees.

  The fundamental change in the myth is represented best by Luke 17:21 (KJV),

  “Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”

  The Pharisee belief was rooted in the physical realm, so their interpretation of Jesus was that his declarations about kingdoms referred to the tangible world. However, what Jesus effected was the creation of a personal deity- a god for the individual, rather than the people.

  This myth, however, met its match after the Enlightenment era. As a result of our increasing development of the sciences, we lost the ability to have a genuine faith in a higher power that does not require disagreement with science and a rejection of the world. This is explained best with Nietzsche’s famous quote:

  “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods sim
ply to appear worthy of it?”

  As Nietzsche’s life (and eventual death) would prove, the death of God here is equal to the rise of nihilism as the ruling philosophical problem. Nihilism is the scourge of the age- having lost God as a central source of meaning, we have entered a cultural Dark Night of the Soul. Nietzsche believed that we could conquer nihilism with the creation of a new system of values, or a “transvaluation.” However, he failed to accomplish this, and I believe that his attempts are what killed him.

  I suggest that the religion of Christianity, the Enlightenment, and even Nietzsche failed to understand the actual purpose of the myth of the Christ serves. First, we have to deconstruct the myth a bit- the common interpretation is that Jesus of Nazareth, an innocent man, was sacrificed by his divine father to absolve the sins of mankind. This presents a few massive issues-

  Mankind is inherently sinful (as a result of the Fall from Eden.)

  An all knowing God created Man, with the knowledge that they would become sinful.