Snarkyfishguts: DBL

[Snarkyfishguts]

My buddy and I postponed our hike tomorrow to next week. It's been raining a LOT so our hike wouldn't have been safe. We both agreed we were super beat from a long week and that we'd rather sleep in anyway. We'll shoot for next week. 

 

I exercised for 50 minutes today! It's going to be a maintenance week though for sure. I seriously doubt I will lose weight this week after eating so much over the last couple of days.  Whatever happens, I'll work from there. That's the best I can do. 

 

I'm off to bed! YES! It's early!  I don't care! Goodnight!

 

[Snarkyfishguts]

Weigh day is tomorrow and I don't think I will have lost weight. I am mentally prepared to have gained a little, in fact.  It was a hard week though, and next week will be hard too, but I'm ready for it, so it won't be like this past one that snuck up on me.    This weekend has been wonderful for just slowing down, logging off, and getting things done. I feel really good and ready to kick butt. My butt, mostly  

 

Nerding out about reading about brains

Spoiler

I'm reading about dopamine and how the brain works a little bit. There was a doctor on Instagram, and I can't find it again, but he said that scrolling releases dopamine in the system and how too much isn't good for a person and can lead to a dopamine deficient state. I'm also reading how ADHD is from dopamine deficiencies and how impulsivity and addictive behaviors can be caused by trying to get more dopamine when the transmitters are worn out or blocked. 

 

And then I'm reading how diet choices can impact this, and video games have a similar impact as the scrolling and I wonder...So many people my age are getting diagnosed with adult ADHD, and I'm wondering how much of that is from the activities we grew up doing.  So many of my friends ate a LOT of chips and Little Debbie Cakes, and Mt. Dew, and were on AIM for hours and My Space and then Facebook came out in 2004, and we're looking at 20 years of social media use  at least as a society and dopamine hits and blue screens which we know can disrupt sleep cycles and our brain functions. 

 

My whole point is what if a lot of the ADHD diagnoses aren't cases that were missed when we were kids, but a result of behaviors over decades that have altered how our brains function? How would the brain function if we took away those constant dopamine hits throughout the day? Not just like a month without social media, but YEARS of change? I'd also like to see a correlation between dementia and parkinsons with these habits, specifically social media, screen time, and packaged foods. I bet there are studies out there, so I'm going to just kinda read about it for a while. 

 

 

[Emma]

Absolutely fascinating. Must learn more.

[Snarkyfishguts]

7 hours ago, Emma said:

Absolutely fascinating. Must learn more.

Definitely! I'm going to pace it out though so my brain can actually labsorb the information. I also am using one of my notebooks to ask questions so I can write my answers down. It's going to be fun!!

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

7 hours ago, Emma said:

Absolutely fascinating. Must learn more.

 

Interesting, and I look forward to hearing more about your research.  It's all chemicals and receptors .... like insulin resistance, dopamine resistance could be a thing??  

 

Honestly, it would help make sense of so many "ADHD cases missed in childhood"  by parents, teachers, and pediatricians.  

[Snarkyfishguts]

Weigh-in 230.6 (-.3) 

 

This is definitely a last minute turn-around weigh in because I got weighed on Thursday and the scale said 231.9 and it kicked my butt in gear.  I feel like I'm back on track now, so I'd like to finish the month under 230. 229.9 counts, but my current aim is 228. I find not thinking about the round numbers helps keep me from getting psyched out about going past them.   Let's see if it happens! I'll do my best. 

[Snarkyfishguts]

11 hours ago, Chris-Tien Jinn said:

 

Interesting, and I look forward to hearing more about your research.  It's all chemicals and receptors .... like insulin resistance, dopamine resistance could be a thing??  

 

Honestly, it would help make sense of so many "ADHD cases missed in childhood"  by parents, teachers, and pediatricians.  

Yes! this is what I'm thinking too.  IIt would just be interesting to see what studies are out there and really understand it better. I read that when a person does cocaine, that they can burn out their dopamine receptors creating that dopamine resistant effect, and I'm just wondering if long term scrolling/screen use has a similar effect. And if it doesn't, well, then we know that's what is true now. 

[Shello]

Great thoughts and questions!  That's super interesting.  Thinking of the impact on our generation with 20 years of social media and scrolling, just think what kids born with those toys will be like as adults.  

[Snarkyfishguts]

So this guy did a thing that got a LOT of attention before COVID 

The Definitive Guide to Dopamine Fasting 2.0 - The Hot Silicon Valley Trend (linkedin.com)

 

Apparently, people really misunderstood what it was about. They thought they needed to cut out all things stimulating to then feel MORE when they resumed activities, but that just isn't how dopamine works, as explained by THIS guy who was clearly exasperated by the common folk lol. Dopamine fasting: Misunderstanding science spawns a maladaptive fad - Harvard Health

 

Today I danced to Benny and the Jets in Kohls while the clerk sang along and played air guitar. We both belly laughed and it was a great moment to the day. She was the instigator of joy and I appreciated her greatly. 

 

 

[RES]

I had to laugh at this part "You can’t “fast” from a naturally occurring brain chemical"

Common sense is not as common as it sounds like it should be...

[Snarkyfishguts]

1 hour ago, RES said:

I had to laugh at this part "You can’t “fast” from a naturally occurring brain chemical"

Common sense is not as common as it sounds like it should be...

Yeah, it was kinda poor word choice to call it a fast, but he did get the attention he wanted so maybe not? Lol

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

19 minutes ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

Yeah, it was kinda poor word choice to call it a fast, but he did get the attention he wanted so maybe not? Lol

 

And, just think about how much better it sounds when you explain to someone that you're not ignoring their texts and posts .... you're doing a dopamine fast!!  

[Snarkyfishguts]

 

Just now, Chris-Tien Jinn said:

 

And, just think about how much better it sounds when you explain to someone that you're not ignoring their texts and posts .... you're doing a dopamine fast!!  

It DOES make it less personal!  

[Snarkyfishguts]

Dad update: most of his restrictions are lifted. He can lift up to 30 pounds now. He saw the heart surgeon and got X-rays and everything looks clear and good. 
 

 

[Snarkyfishguts]

Spoiler

Well, so far my reading doesn't really link causation of excessive screen use and ADHD, but that people with ADHD are more susceptible to endless scrolling because of their time blindness and probably although no one said so that ADHD folks have lower dopamine levels so it probably feels really nice after a good scroll.  I do suspect that the stigma attached with ADD when we were kids and the irresponsible prescribing of ritalin for any behavior problems has led to a lot of people developing coping mechanisms and strategies to deal with it and it's just harder and harder in a world that is getting more distracting.  I also think in this case social media has helped because people who are getting diagnosed as adults are saying "OMG, I have this thing and I'm not losing my mind!" and other people are going "Wait, a minute...."  

 

I also think like any diagnosis that gets trendy, there are people who are getting misdiagnosed or self-diagnosing incorrectly. It's like the gluten-intolerant people who can eat bread again. (thinking about my one cousin, and rolling eyes) And I think that getting diagnosed is easier these days because it's on the forefront of everyone's mind.  I also realized I went down a rabbit hole with this one, as my initial thoughts were about the long term effects of screen use, dopamine, and our future health. 

 

 

These three articles address dopamine and scrolling, and why it's not great for you.

 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/tracking-wonder/202206/breaking-out-the-doomscrolling-cycle

 

https://www.theguardian.com/global/2021/aug/22/how-digital-media-turned-us-all-into-dopamine-addicts-and-what-we-can-do-to-break-the-cycle

 

 

https://brain-feed.com/blogs/the-science/dopamine-and-social-media-the-science-behind-scrolling-for-hours

 

This one is about dopamine deficiency, which was interesting. 

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22588-dopamine-deficiency#:~:text=Low levels of dopamine can,linked to low dopamine levels.

 

I think for me, this is it for my reading for a while. I've really enjoyed learning more about how dopamine works and how screen use impacts it, but I don't think I'm going to see the type of research I'm looking for until I'm much older. In the meantime, I am going to follow the advice here, and have dedicated screen free time  to focus on doing stuff in my physical environment and less in my virtual environment.

Spoilered for length, but sharing thoughts related to dopamine readings. 

[Snarkyfishguts]

I woke up angry yesterday and looked at the calendar and realized it's ovulation day. I skip ovulating because of the pill, but I still get really moody.  Recognizing this,  I set my phone down, and got busy. Mom and I cleaned the windows, I did all my daily chores, had an amazing work out and did some extra cleaning.  In the evening, we went out and looked at the Blue Super Moon.  It was very big and bright. 

 

Dad can't get into Cardiac rehab for 5 weeks. The woman at the first place we called said "we're having a meeting to discuss opening more slots for people like you so the wait isn't so long" and we'll find that out today. so we'll be able to know by the end of today. 

 

I'm not losing weight the way I need to be so I suspect if I look at my logs, it'll be the same story of too many chocolate and not enough vegetables and I know without looking my exercise is a bit lacking these days, choosing to do more chores and stuff. I think i can do more than I give myself credit for, so next week, I'm going to embrace being active.

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

7 minutes ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

Dad can't get into Cardiac rehab for 5 weeks.

 

 

Good job managing your reaction to all of the weirdness.

[Snarkyfishguts]

8 minutes ago, Chris-Tien Jinn said:

 

 

 

Right? He needs to be in there sooner. He’s gonna just exercise on his own and keep in mind he can’t do push ups and stuff like that, but I am hoping they call back today with a better date. We would all feel better if he was having his vitals monitored and also having someone keep him from pushing too hard. 

[Snarkyfishguts]

Today was a good day. I ignored my phone from 10am-4pm, and it was really lovely. I got so much done, I felt focused and content, and not anxious.  I'm going to try it again tomorrow. 

 

Ernie tried out for the school play and GOT A PART!!  I am so excited and proud of him!

[Snarkyfishguts]

 

I pulled a butt muscle! One of the smaller ones around my hip, so I have to rest it for a few days and see if it gets better. I can’t lift my leg much or push myself up on it because it causes a lot of pain around the hip. I figure I did it while digging holes for new flowers and made it worse while hiking with my buddy yesterday. I found some gentle exercises and stretches to do and have some ice packs and a ton of ibuprofen. While I am a little bummed about it, I’m okay

 

In non-scale victories, I lost an inch and a half around my waist and I can carry a purse on my shoulder without it sliding off! So there is progress being made here, no butts about it. we’ll see how weigh in goes tomorrow! 

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

13 minutes ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

In non-scale victories, I lost an inch and a half around my waist and I can carry a purse on my shoulder without it sliding off!

 

Congrats!!!!!

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Oh no

[RES]

1 hour ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

In non-scale victories, I lost an inch and a half around my waist and I can carry a purse on my shoulder without it sliding off! So there is progress being made here, no butts about it. we’ll see how weigh in goes tomorrow! 

I love your attitude surrounding this  

[Snarkyfishguts]

2 hours ago, Chris-Tien Jinn said:

 

Congrats!!!!!

Thank you!

2 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Oh no

I snorted! SpongeBob has all the butt jokes!

1 hour ago, RES said:

I love your attitude surrounding this  

? in this case, it’s more fun to be the butt of the jokes than feeling sorry for myself 

[Snarkyfishguts]

Weighed in at 231, and I'm okay with that. I'm going to be focusing more on healthy habits this week than trying to get the scale to go down, and that usually works in getting the scale to go down. LOL I think because I'm not stressing about the numbers and just feel good about how many vegetables I'm eating. 

 

I took my BP and it's 119/83 which is a huge improvement from my average 135/93 last month. I'm going to keep checking it, and we'll see if that's my new average or where I fall for September but losing weight is helping, so hopefully I am taking care of my body in time to prevent serious shit from happening. I still feel the red digital timer ticking down in my head so that means I gotta keep going