Yeah, you heard it here first. And only here. I'm done with raw food.

Why, you might ask? The whole reason I was even eating raw in the first place was because it helped with polyphasic sleep. I'm not doing that anymore, so I have to really evaluate the benefits of it. I feel great, but I also felt great when I was eating along the lines of my skinny snob diet. When I was doing that and working out people constantly were telling me that I look better than ever. Now they just cower in fear and throw garbage at me. More to the point - if I have any goal as far as health goes, it's to bulk up a bit (15-20 pounds of lean mass). Eating raw is definitely not helping that. I also want to live forever, but my old diet is very much in line with that as well. So, it's back to regular food for me.

The other benefit is that it's a lot easier to accomodate my diet anywhere I go. Because of raw food I had to stop going to most restaurants that I enjoy, other than my weekly cheat meal. I think I'm doing away with that as well.

Hayden is also interested in bulking up, so we're going to do it together. We both weigh the same amount right now, so we'll have a little friendly competition. In fact, I have given him not only permission, but clear instructions, to punch me in the face if I don't stick to the plan. It's going to be a hardcore regimen, so any motivation I can get is good motivation. If it comes to that, the punch will come as a surprise and will be videod and posted here.

I'm going to be taking pictures weekly as well as weight and body fat measurements. I'm going to set up a tripod in my closet and wear the same thing every time so that any gain / loss will be really noticable. Maybe I'll go nuts and throw up all the stats that my crazy scale provides. So for those of you yearning for pictures of me in my skivvies, rejoice! For the rest of you - I've got nothing.

"Tynan, you're a huge quitter. Keep eating raw!"

Maybe I am a huge quitter. I actually hate breaking streaks. My first girlfriend in high school and I ate dinner together 250 nights in a row, largely because neither of us wanted to break the streak. It's possible that this is all just justification, so read it with a grain of salt.

I see myself as highly adaptive. I think I quit things when they fail to serve me any longer, but ALWAYS after I have gotten through the hard part. I could easily keep eating raw for the rest of my life. It's not a matter of will power or discipline anymore. I could also keep being polyphasic. But at some point it's important to evaluate my goals and decide which of my habits are supporting them, and which aren't.

Also, I love totally immersing myself in weird subcultures, learning everything I can, and then taking a step back.

• Take pickup, for example. I was hardcore - I moved across the country to live with the best PUAs in the world, and ended up teaching with them. I got over my fear of approach, and basically any other insecurities I had (other than going for the first kiss which still freaks me out a bit). I went out 21 days in a row. Now I never go out. I don't even try to pick up girls. But now because of subconscious habits, girls seem to love me. And if I see a girl I'm totally into, I know that I have the ability and confidence to get her. I don't NEED to be a pickup artist anymore.
• Running is another example. Thanks to a bet with Hayden (I've GOT to write this story sometime... remind me when I slow down posting), I got hardcore about running. I had huge calves and ran 10 miles. I hated every minute of it, but I got past that 3 mile barrier that's hard to break. Now I never run, but I know that it's something I can do, and it gave me some appreciation for exercise.
• I'm not polyphasic anymore, but I know that if I need more time, I can switch. I know it's possible. I understand the value of a nap.
• Being a professional gambler enabled me separate emotion from money, and to critically analyze the odds of everything. It may not sound like a valuable skill, but it's one I use nearly every day.

Anyway, you get the point. I think it's extremely important to get past the pain barrier. Don't be someone who eats a raw meal, be someone who is a raw foodist. Not someone who ran, but a runner. I see 95% of people get up as soon as they hit that pain barrier. What's the point? You've gained nothing except for the knowledge that you're weak.

There are definitely a bunch of great raw foods that I will continue to eat, and once I get older I may switch back completely for health reasons. If I ever want to lose weight, I know I can do it easily.