Are people destroying their teeth?
I feel like recently everyone and their mothers are putting on veneers, dentures everything even though their teeth are healthy. Is it just me that thinks this has to be some kind of scheme there is no way everyone just got a mass psychosis and started wanting fake teeth in their 20s.
72 hour fast update: done with it, here is the immediate data
Ok so i made it. 72 hours, nothing but water, black coffee, and electrolytes. Here is everything i tracked immediately after breaking the fast before eating anything.
inbody scale: body fat 22.8% (down from 24.1%), skeletal muscle mass 42.6kg (down from 43.2kg), visceral fat level 4 (unchanged). Scale weight down 3.1kg total.
The muscle loss number is the one i was most anxious about and honestly it is less bad than i expected. 0.6kg is not nothing but given that i was completely sedentary for 72 hours and eating zero protein i was bracing for worse.
Fasting glucose at hour 72: 61 mg/dL. Lowest it got. Felt fine surprisingly, no dizziness or brain fog at that point.
Ketones at hour 72: 3.8 mmol/L. Hit meaningful ketosis around hour 18 which was faster than i expected.
HRV: dropped to 51 by day two then came back up to 58 by the end of day three. Interesting pattern.
Energy and mental clarity: day one was rough, day two genuinely surprising, day three felt almost normal. The mental clarity thing people talk about kicked in around hour 36 and it was real.
Breaking the fast with bone broth right now. Will post the 72 hour refeeding scan when i have it.
starting a 72 hour fast: here are all my baselines before i go in
I finally decided to stop reading about extended fasting and just do it. 72 hours starting tuesday. Fully terrified, very committed.
Before i start i wanted to document everything properly because going into something like this without baselines feels like a waste of a perfectly good experiment.
Here is what i tracked this morning:
inbody scale: body fat 24.1%, skeletal muscle mass 43.2kg, visceral fat level 4. The main thing i want to track is what actually gets lost during the fast and whether the muscle loss fear is as bad as people say or just gym bro mythology.
Fasting glucose: 84 mg/dL. Will be tracking this every 12 hours during the fast with my CGM.
Ketones: 0.2 mmol/L at baseline. Curious how fast these climb and at what hour i actually hit meaningful ketosis.
HRV: 62 on my garmin this morning. Tracking daily throughout.
Energy and mental clarity: scoring both on a simple scale every morning and evening. Fully aware this is subjective but i want something to compare against.
Will be stepping on the scale immediately after breaking the fast and then again at 72 hours post refeeding to see what actually came back and what stayed off.
Has anyone here done an extended fast with proper tracking before and after? Really want to know if the muscle loss numbers are as bad as the anecdotes suggest or whether the data tells a different story.
Will post the full results here when it is done.
Are people that wear sunglasses just not training their eyes enough?
Experiment Log: Wearing Sunglasses Daily (1 Week)
Objective:
Test whether wearing sunglasses regularly makes sunlight tolerance worse or if that’s one of those things people just say
Context:
I’m usually completely fine without sunglasses. Bright sunlight doesn’t really bother me, which apparently makes me the odd one out because almost everyone around me (friends, family, random people I know) seems physically incapable of existing outside without them
This made me wonder: have I adapted to sunlight by just never wearing sunglasses? And if I start wearing them regularly, will I somehow make my sunlight tolerance worse?
Protocol:
- Wore sunglasses every time I went outside during daylight
- Same routes, same general outdoor exposure
- Duration: 7 days
- Tracked: light sensitivity, comfort outside, adjustment to bright sunlight
Results:
Day 1–2:
Immediate quality-of-life improvement. Less squinting. Less feeling personally attacked by the sun
Still felt unnecessary because I was already functioning fine without them
Day 3–4:
Fully adjusted to wearing them. Outdoor time noticeably more comfortable
Started understanding why people become emotionally dependent on sunglasses
Day 5–6:
Noticed something interesting: taking them off in bright sunlight felt significantly harsher than before. Not painful, just noticeably more intense
Began wondering if I accidentally weakened my superpower
Day 7:
Went outside without them as a test. Still manageable, but sunlight definitely felt brighter than I remembered
Not enough to make me “need” sunglasses, but enough to notice
Conclusion:
Sunglasses improved comfort immediately, but I may have become slightly less tolerant to bright sunlight after a week. Hard to tell if this is real adaptation or just getting used to not being flashbanged by daylight
Notes:
- n=1
- Started with unusually high sunlight tolerance
- Short test period
- Comfort may bias perception
Next:
Possibly stop wearing them again for a week to see if tolerance resets
If you used to be fine without sunglasses and now can’t leave the house without them, I need your data
I forget my work notes so I decided to try writing them down on paper instead
Experiment Log: PC Memos vs Physical Notebook (3 Weeks)
Objective:
Test whether writing notes in a physical notebook improves memory/recall compared to keeping everything in PC memos
Context:
I’ve used PC memos for years because they’re convenient, searchable, and always open somewhere on my desktop. Problem is: I also completely forget they exist once minimized
Decided to test switching important notes/tasks to a physical notebook to see if I’d actually remember things better
Protocol:
- Week 1: PC memos only (baseline)
- Week 2: physical notebook only
- Week 3: mixed usage
- Tracked: forgotten tasks, note recall, frequency of checking notes, general mental organization
Results:
Week 1 (PC memos):
Fast and convenient. Easy to dump thoughts instantly
Main issue remains unchanged: “out of sight, out of existence.” Would write something down, minimize it, and mentally erase it from reality
Also accumulated a disturbing amount of tiny unfinished reminder windows
Week 2 (physical notebook):
Slower, but noticeably more intentional
Remembered things better simply because writing them by hand forced me to process them for an extra second
Unexpected downside: notebook created a false sense of organization. Writing something down felt productive even if I never acted on it
Also spent an unreasonable amount of time trying to make the notebook look neat
Week 3 (mixed):
Best results overall
PC memos better for fast temporary information
Notebook better for things I genuinely need to remember or prioritize
Physical presence of the notebook helped a lot. Harder to ignore an object sitting on the desk compared to a minimized window hiding behind 14 tabs
Conclusion:
Notebook improved recall more than expected, mostly because it forced more active engagement with the information
PC memos are better for speed
Notebook is better for memory
Neither system prevents me from writing down tasks and then emotionally avoiding them
Notes:
- n=1
- Recall measured informally
- Personal habits heavily influence outcome
Unexpected side effect:
Became weirdly attached to crossing things out physically. Tiny dopamine reward system activated
Next:
Possibly testing a hybrid system long-term instead of trying to force one method for everything
If anyone else switched from digital notes to physical notebooks (or the opposite), curious which one actually stuck long-term for you
Been using water filter for a year now
Experiment Log: Replacing Tap Water with Filtered Water (1 Year)
Objective:
See whether switching from regular tap water to filtered water makes any noticeable difference long-term
Context:
About a year ago I switched almost completely from tap water to filtered water. Not because of a dramatic health scare or anything, I just kept hearing people talk about taste differences, skin improvements, “cleaner” water, etc. Eventually curiosity won
Protocol:
- Main drinking source switched from tap to filtered water
- No intentional increase in total water intake
- Same general diet/lifestyle during the year
- Duration: ~12 months
- Tracked casually over time: taste preference, water intake, skin, digestion, overall quality-of-life differences
Results:
Month 1:
Immediate difference in taste. Tap water suddenly tasted much harsher once I got used to filtered water
Also noticed I was naturally drinking more water because it tasted better. Not dramatically more, just less resistance to drinking it
Month 2–3:
Started preferring filtered water to the point where tap water felt “wrong.” Hard to describe scientifically, but noticeable
No major physical changes at this stage. Skin, energy, digestion all mostly the same
Month 4–6:
Water intake consistently higher than before without actively trying
One unexpected side effect: became annoyingly sensitive to different water sources. Could suddenly tell when water tasted metallic, chlorinated, or “flat”
Month 7–9:
At this point filtered water became baseline. Any non-filtered water immediately noticeable
Still no dramatic life-changing health effects. No magical glow-up. Mostly quality-of-life differences rather than physical transformation
Month 10–12:
Biggest lasting change is behavioral. I drink water more consistently because I actually enjoy it now
Also realized a lot of the “benefits” probably came from increased hydration itself rather than the filter specifically
Conclusion:
Switching to filtered water did not turn me into a new person, but it noticeably improved how much I enjoy drinking water, which indirectly improved hydration habits overall
Main measurable outcome wasn’t health, it was compliance. I simply drink more water now because it tastes better
Notes:
- n=1
- Long-term observational experiment, not tightly controlled
- Possible placebo effect
- Regional tap water quality likely matters a lot
Unexpected side effect:
I became one of those people who can identify “bad water” immediately, which is both annoying and embarrassing
Next:
Possibly test mineral water vs filtered water or different filter systems long-term
If anyone else switched long-term, curious whether you noticed actual physical differences or mostly taste/hydration habit changes like I did
This one’s a bit more casual, but I switched to WASD movement in League.
Experiment Log: WASD vs Point-and-Click (6 Sessions)
Objective:
See if switching to WASD movement actually changes anything or if it’s just a different way to play.
Context:
Most of the games I play use WASD, so it already feels natural to me. Decided to switch in League for consistency across games.
Protocol:
Sessions 1–3: WASD movement
Sessions 4–6: continued WASD (no switching back)
Same role/champions as much as possible
Tracked: CS, positioning, control, frustration
Results:
Sessions 1–2:
Still rough at the start, but less shocking than expected since WASD already feels familiar.
CS dropped a bit. Positioning inconsistent. Mostly struggling with combining movement and ability usage.
Sessions 3–4:
Adjustment phase. Movement started feeling more intentional.
Less hesitation, fewer random missteps, but still slower than my old playstyle.
Sessions 5–6:
More comfortable overall. Movement felt controlled, especially in tighter situations.
Still not as smooth as point-and-click, but no longer actively fighting the controls.
Conclusion:
WASD makes sense if you already use it in other games. It didn’t instantly improve performance, but it started to feel more natural over time.
Notes:
n=1
Prior WASD experience helped with adaptation
Short test period for a full control switch
Next:
Keep using WASD longer to see if it fully replaces point-and-click efficiency.
If anyone else has made this switch, curious if it eventually becomes equal or better long-term.
Experiment Log: Cheap Gaming Chair vs Normal Office Chair (10 Days)
Objective:
Test whether a cheap gaming chair performs better than a standard office chair or just looks like it should
Context:
Switched from a normal office chair to a budget gaming chair. Same desk, same hours, same suffering
Protocol:
- Days 1–5: cheap gaming chair
- Days 6–10: normal office chair
- Same sitting time (~6–8 hours/day)
- Tracked: comfort, back pain, posture, how often I needed to adjust
Results:
Days 1–2 (gaming chair):
Feels impressive at first. High back, “support,” looks like I should be productive. Slight improvement in posture just from sitting more upright
Days 3–5:
Reality sets in. Cushion feels stiff. Lumbar support is aggressive but not necessarily helpful. Found myself adjusting constantly trying to get comfortable
Days 6–7 (office chair):
Immediate relief. Less structured, but more forgiving. Easier to sit normally without feeling like I’m being positioned
Days 8–10:
Consistent comfort. Not perfect posture, but less pressure points. Overall less awareness of the chair, which feels like a good sign
Conclusion:
Cheap gaming chair = looks supportive but feels rigid and over-engineered
Normal office chair = less dramatic, but more comfortable for long periods
Notes:
- n=1
- Gaming chair was budget tier
- Office chair was basic but not broken
- Aesthetics vs actual comfort clearly different
Next:
Test higher-quality gaming chair vs office chair to see if the result changes
If anyone has invested in an expensive gaming chair, curious if it actually fixes these issues or if it’s the same experience with better branding
Experiment Log: Switching to Zero Coke (~2 Weeks, intermittent)
Objective:
Test whether switching from regular soda to zero version changes anything beyond calories
Context:
I don’t drink soda daily, only when I order food (roughly every 3ish days). Switched to zero version without changing frequency
Protocol:
- Replace all regular soda with zero version
- Same ordering habits (~every 3 days)
- No other diet changes
- Duration: ~2 weeks (multiple exposures)
- Tracked: taste satisfaction, cravings, energy, any noticeable differences
Results:
Trial 1–2:
Immediate awareness that something is different. Not bad, just… off. Slight aftertaste
Also noticeably sweeter than expected, which made me drink it slower and not always finish it
Trial 3–4:
Adjustment phase. Difference less noticeable, but still on the sweeter side. Continued drinking it slower than regular
Trial 5+:
Normalized. Taste accepted, but still feels sweeter than regular. Intake naturally a bit lower because of that
Conclusion:
Switching to zero is mostly a taste adjustment across repeated exposures. Unexpectedly, the extra sweetness made me drink it more slowly and sometimes less overall
Notes:
- n=1
- Intermittent exposure rather than daily use
- Taste perception likely subjective
Next:
Test whether switching back to regular feels different after this
If anyone else only drinks soda occasionally and has tried this, curious if you noticed changes in how much you drink per order
Experiment Log: Scar Tape on Smile Lines (7 Days)
Objective:
Test whether using scar tape on smile lines produces any visible change over a short period
Context:
Saw claims that silicone scar tape can help smooth lines. Decided to test it on smile lines instead of actual scars
Protocol:
- Apply scar tape to smile lines daily (primarily overnight)
- No other changes to skincare routine
- Duration: 7 days
- Tracked: visual change, skin texture, overall difference
Results:
Day 1–2:
Skin looked slightly smoother immediately after removal. Effect faded within a few hours
Day 3–4:
Same pattern. Temporary smoothing, no lasting change
Day 5–6:
Started questioning if I was just rehydrating the area overnight rather than actually changing anything
Day 7:
No noticeable long-term difference compared to baseline
Side effect:
If I slept on them weirdly, the tape would crease and I’d wake up with new temporary lines in completely different places. So effectively trading one set of lines for another
Conclusion:
Scar tape creates a short-term smoothing effect, likely from hydration/occlusion, but no visible lasting change in smile lines over 7 days
Notes:
- n=1
- Short duration
- Application consistency may affect results
Next:
Test longer duration or compare with dedicated skincare products targeting the same area
If anyone has tried this longer-term or has data on silicone tape for non-scar use, curious if results improve or stay temporary
Experiment Log: “Wearing Dr. Martens All Day Without Breaking Them In” (1 trial)
Objective:
Test whether breaking in Dr. Martens is actually necessary or just a myth people exaggerate
Context:
Bought new Dr. Martens. Looked durable. Felt solid. Decided to trust appearance over collective human warnings
Protocol:
- Wear brand new Dr. Martens for a full workday
- No backup shoes
- Normal walking volume (\~8–10k steps)
Results:
First 2 hours: completely fine. Confidence increased. Began questioning why people complain about this
Hour 4: slight discomfort. Ignored
Hour 6: noticeable friction. Still ignored
End of day: consequences fully realized. Blisters formed. Walking became a calculated activity
Removing the shoes felt like escaping a situation
Conclusion:
Breaking in Dr. Martens is not optional. It is a mandatory process that I chose to ignore
Notes:
- n=1
- Overconfidence was a major variable
- No contingency plan
- Warnings from society were accurate
Next:
Gradual wear before committing to full-day use
If anyone else has gone through the Dr. Martens initiation process, please share your experience