Personal

Getting to that next level

September 8, 2009

The past three months have been trans formative. It’s been a learning process of who I am, what I want, and where I think I am going. Looking to the last quarter of the year, I’m hoping for an even more bigger step to make myself better and those around me even better. It hasn’t come without some setbacks, and some challenges, but staying focused on the end goal has made the journey even more special. The next 12 weeks will be very important, for it’s a chance to showcase all of the items that I have been working on all of 2009.

Here’s some changes for me that will take place during the 4th quarter of 2009.

1) Moving out of my beloved condo and moving to LA part-time

2) Adopting the raw food lifestyle for good making wellness a central component of my every day activities

For the past 3 months, I have taken up a strictly raw foods diet and I have had tremendous results from dropping 4 pants sizes, increased strength, flexibility, and endurance, to vital statistics such as lower blood pressure, body temperature, and a more restful sleep pattern. I have recently taken a two day hiatus from the diet, and one thing that I have recognized is that all the cravings that I have had, have been overrated. It was great to have pizza and BBQ for the Labor Day weekend, but I realized that it’s possible to have a lifestyle that excludes those foods, and I feel great for having made the change. Although I have no set goal in terms of weeks or days that I’ll stay on this diet, but what limits I will maintain when taking a meal off for a holiday, special occasion, circumstance, etc. is no more than 1 meal a week.

3) Attacking opportunities, and putting pride aside

I have accomplished a great deal, and I should not be ashamed to seek help, ask questions, and humble myself. Now is the time to accomplish the goals I have set out to have, and there are too many opportunities that need to be attacked.

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My 30-day experience doing the Raw Food Diet plan

July 21, 2009

I don’t know how I got tricked into doing this, but a challenge from a sibling is the best way for me to do anything. It’s just one of those things where if they can do it, I feel like I can do it as well. My sister, a vegan, challenged me into a diet for 30 days where you consume only raw fruits and vegetables defined by the raw diet experts. There may have been a great deal of placebo effect in the results, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

Some of the purported benefits of a raw food diet, as taken from this Wikipedia entry are:

Raw foodist believe that digestive enzymes (such as amylases, proteases, and lipases) aid digestion. ^[48]. Heating food above 104-120 degrees Fahrenheit degrades or destroys these enzymes in food. ^[49]

Raw foods include bacteria and other micro-organisms that affect the immune system and digestion by populating the digestive tract with beneficial gut flora. These are generally killed by cooking. In addition, many Raw-Foodists, particularly Primal-Dieters, are believers in the hygiene hypothesis, a concept which focuses on the health benefits of exposure to parasites and harmful bacteria which builds natural resistance.

Raw foods have higher nutrient values than foods which have been cooked. In addition, processed food and convenience food often contain excitotoxins (flavor enhancers) which can cause excitotoxicity. Foods with added chemicals, preservatives, additives, colouring agents/dyes of any kind are frowned upon by raw-foodists.

Wild foods (organic or natural foods) are more nutritious than domesticated foods or industrially produced foods.^[50]

Cooked foods contain harmful toxins which cause chronic disease and other problems,^[51][52] Heating oils and fats can produce trace amounts of trans fats.^[53] Heating sugars with proteins or fats can produce advanced glycation end products (“glycotoxins”, see also Maillard reaction).^[54]

Raw foods like fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants and Raw Foodists believe they can help to stifle signs of aging.^[55]

Eating cooked foods can lead to acidosis.^{[citation needed]}

Raw Foodists believe that opioid peptides, present in cooked foods, are harmful and highly addictive.^{[citation needed]} However, opioid peptides are found naturally in the human body and known to play an important role in mood regulation. They are also formed during the digestion of plant proteins; for example Rubiscolin is produced during digestion of the widespread protein RuBisCo.

So here’s my experience with the Raw Food diet, inspired by this blog post (my experiences are mostly anecdotal for the fact that I didn’t think I could make it the entire 30-days, so no need in spending an entire day checking all of my vitals.):

Adaptation

The first four days were extremely difficult. The biggest challenge was figuring out what to eat, having an idea of just how much food I really would consume, and getting adjusted socially to being that guy who ordered a salad with no dressing, and only raw veggies. I posted my plight on Twitter to see what others would say, hoping that folks would think I was crazy for trying it, so that I could have that chip on my shoulder and be held accountable. It worked.

Challenge

This wasn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination. What made it easier was that my sister and mother were doing it at the same time, so I could get that emotional support, and free food when I needed it most. I started out with a mostly fruit diet, but they were able to introduce me to so many alternatives of vegetables which made it considerably easier. Also, Karyns Raw, a raw restaurant in Chicago provided a nice alternative to gourmet dishes which tricked me into hedging those cravings. If you take a look at her menu, they have everything from Raw Ice Cream, Raw Chocolate, sandwiches, raw salad dressings, and other tasty items as well. Whenever I had a huge craving, I went over there, got some food (albeit pricey) and I was fine for a couple of days. My diet normally consisted of very high protein, high in saturated fat, and very high in sodium. Even if you go to Subway and Eat Fresh, if you look at the sodium contents of their Chicken Breast sub without cheese or many toppings, you are exceeding the daily allowance of sodium for the entire day in most countries. Just check out the RDA of sodium in the US versus the United Kingdom. You’ll be shocked. I began to enjoy food for the first time, and eat 10 times during a given day, and not feel guilty on the back end. My taste buds started to come back, and I could taste the sweetness in fruits that I couldn’t taste before.

Mental Clarity

One of the most amazing and unexpected benefits of this diet were the mental clarity as a result of this extreme diet. I noticed that I could be more positive, didn’t have any mood swings, and I felt really, really good. This is somewhat of an addictive feeling. After day 4, I didn’t want to cheat on the diet because I liked feeling so good.

Exercise

Since I was coming off of a significant back injury, I was unable to work out until the past week. I had been out of the gym almost 5 weeks. I expected to be considerably weaker than the last time I was in the gym, but to my surprise, i was even stronger than before. I was able to do considerably more reps of the same workout without struggling and I felt more explosive than before. Doing cardio, I felt like I could go longer without the same drain and strain. A 45-minute session on the treadclimber felt so easy. It was remarkable. It will be interesting to see what happens long-term with strength and endurance. (This experience was also consistent with this blog post)

Blood Pressure

Without putting my whole medical vitals out there, I will say that my blood pressure dropped over 20 points, which is incredible to me, because there is no medication in the world that can do that. It really gets you thinking about self-medication versus real medication, and warding off diseases and being overall more healthy.

Energy and Sleeping Habits

Another incredible benefit from this diet is that I was sleeping so much more sound through the night. I previously was known to be a big snorer and wake up several times during the night. But if I’m eating complex foods, foods that are tough to digest such as various meats, my body is working on overdrive throughout the night to process that food, which can lead to indigestion and other side effects. Instead, I don’t snore and I sleep very soundly, giving me so much more energy throughout the day. I rarely take naps now, and with mental clarity, I feel like my days are substantially more productive.

Raw Diet Conclusions

Doing this diet for 30 days has really changed my life. By omitting all of the previous things I used to eat, that would make me feel less than good ended up being easier and easier to stay away from. I like feeling good, and this diet makes me feel good. I see why it’s an attractive diet for athletes, especially amongst triathletes. If I had to do it over again, I would have become a raw foodist in high school, combined with bikram yoga, and plyometrics. I wonder how much better I would have been athletically. I enjoy this diet so much, that I’m challenging myself to continue the diet till Thanksgiving to see where it leaves me. A daunting task for someone who’s just done 30 days, but I am looking forward to the challenge and I’ll report back of the benefits. I’d imagine that the benefits will plateau at some point, but as long as I have the mental clarity and energy, it’s worth the sacrifice.

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Happy 30th Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

June 9th, 2009

I know I keep my blog mostly about business, entrepreneurship, and technology, but I wanted to acknowledge a great feat that means a tremendous amount to me.

Today is my parent’s 30th anniversary. In today’s day, where we’re busier and more stressed than ever, we see marriages fall apart left and right. It hasn’t been easy, or for anyone, but today’s special day is dedicated to my parents who have overcome significant obstacles to be where they are today, and having raised three very successful children.

In many ways, my dad, Emile Sr., from Haiti, and my mom, Emily Diane, from the West Side of Chicago, is an anomaly in many ways. They, along with my Grandmother, who is another parent to me, have overcome tremendous obstacles to be successful contributors to society. I’ve been given so much, been so blessed, that in many ways I feel that I can dream big because my parents have accomplished many dreams with far less resources than what I have had.

With my parents, it has always been about their children. They have sacrificed in so many ways that today’s professional family will not do. Growing up, I did all sorts of activities to keep me busy, engaged, and educated. I did everything from tennis camps, baseball camps, piano lessons, guitar lessons, swimming classes, cooking classes, volunteering, soccer camps, arts and crafts, museum tours, math and science camps, and fishing trip, just to name a few. It’s been a major part of why my interests are so vast and diversified and why I want to accomplish so much in this very short life. If I added up the amount that my parents have spent on education alone for myself and my siblings, they could easily have a couple of Bentley GTs paid in cash. But they saw the importance of education, and were willing to spend the money that most parents couldn’t afford, or didn’t want to pay for.

So thanks mom and dad, for all you have done, and all you continue to do for me, and the family. You’re an inspiration, and I’m looking forward to celebrating the 40^th anniversary.

Thank you. I love you guys.