From BY re “My Crazy New Eating Strategy” in the Mar. 4 issue
“Fasting works well for the exact reason you mentioned. You are eliminating the insulin peaks and valleys that lead to craving and binging. The lack of hunger is a pretty magical side effect. It’s a lot easier to diet when you don’t have a devil on your shoulder telling you to eat something.
“I fast for 16 hours a day and have five meals in the remaining eight hours. I’m currently getting 3,000 calories a day and losing a pound every month or so. I’m actively putting on core muscle as well. Total weight loss… 145 lbs since May 1, 2023.
“My ‘secret’… no added sugar foods. Like you, I have no cravings because I have no insulin spikes. It can be a giant pain in the ass going to restaurants. I feel 30 years younger, though… and I’ll take that trade any day.”
My Response: Wow… 145 pounds! That’s amazing!
The thing I like best about this eating plan is that I give myself permission to indulge in anything – ice cream, candy, cake, booze. The only restriction is one hour.
The first few days on it, I was eating 2,400 calories per meal, which is more than my normal range (1,800 to 2,100). But since then, I’m eating less. Not because I’m restricting myself, but because, knowing I can eat all I want, I eat just until I’m full.
From IK: “What’s your investment strategy right now?”
“After trying a bunch of different assets, I’m not sure which one can be a reliable strategy that I can lean on for the next 20 years. I’ve got some money in mutual funds, stocks, crypto, and some real estate. But I don’t have one go-to strategy. Since you’ve walked the path I’m on, I was wondering if you could share any insights on what’s best and any resources you’ve found helpful?”
My Response: I don’t think there is one go-to asset class today. There are too many seriously dangerous economic issues, such as the US’s $33 trillion debt and the inevitable digital dollar. And then there is AI. That has the potential to change the world fast and completely.
My strategy, like yours, is diversification, including gold and direct investments in small businesses I control.
From GA: “Totally agree about Nicaragua”
“I totally agree with what you said about Nicaragua in the Mar. 4 issue. I’m more comfortable and feel safer here than in the US, as well. I say this with a great deal of sadness, but then I’m from the fascist state and city of NY. I’m at Rancho now… own several properties here for about 14 years.”
From IR re my goal-setting routine:
“I’m reading The Pledge. Thoroughly enjoying it. I’d like to know what kind of planner you use to keep track of your progress in achieving your short-term/ long-term goals. Digital? Manual?”
My Response: Thanks for the question. When the book was first published, I was asked about that a lot.
Back then, I used a commercially produced paper journal and planner for my daily goals, and I used a Word document for my yearly and monthly objectives. When writing with a pencil became difficult for me (basal arthritis), I switched my daily records to Word and created a template that has itself evolved over the years as I discovered more ways to maximize my productivity,
Whether keeping track of my progress online or on paper, I’ve always highlighted the important-but-not-urgent tasks on my monthly, weekly, and daily to-do lists to remind me to handle them early in the day when I could use my best energy to move them forward.
Online, I am able to visibly reward myself for accomplishing specific tasks by changing their colors. I initially enter them in red, then change them to black when accomplished or blue when half-accomplished. And I copy/paste all of my completed goals for each month at the bottom of the document.
I know this sounds very anal, and it is. But I still get a bit of a good feeling every time I change a task from red to black.
From EA: “Can you help me?”
I shortened EA’s VERY long message to these three paragraphs:
“I am a 22-year-old entrepreneur who has been following your work and has been inspired by your writing. I have decided to reach out in faith, hoping that you will have an interest in a problem that horrifically kills so many. The problem is that 100% of reported home fire deaths in America happened in homes where fire alarms were present but did not work. You can check that statistic here on the official US Govt. FEMA website.
“I believe that you may be able to help me on my mission to put an end to this problem and save the lives of countless people now and in future generations. I hope to hear back from you, Mr. Ford, to receive any guidance, wisdom, and even funding if you would like to contribute towards a seed round.
“Thank you for taking the time to read this. I really appreciate all the work that you’ve done and all the wisdom you’ve shared through your writing. It has already changed my life and the lives of countless others.”
My Response: EA, if you can send me your business plan in no more than 100 words, I can help you. I will give you my advice in a future blog post so that other readers in your position can learn from it.
