December 5, 2023 - Tangents, Adams, Fasts, Brooks

This week, I defend whichever "me" I am on charges of going to fast around 3,700-year-old corners.

Nuggets of Information: Babylonian Teens Were Just as Bored as Today’s Teens 

Whenever I ask, "Who came up with trigonometry?", the most common answer I get is "Duh, we all know it is Greek astronomer Hipparchus, the Father of Trigonometry!" Well bad news, you Hipparchus-loving know-it-alls. The Babyonians came up with it at least 1,000 years earlier. University of New South Wales mathematician Dr. Daniel Mansfield and his team posited the intended use of a 3,700-year-old Babylonian tablet that contains the earliest known trigonometry tables. 

The Babylonian table, named Plimpton 322, has an interesting history. In the early 20th century, Edgar Banks, a diplomat, antiquities dealer and amateur archaeologist who is said to be the inspiration for Indiana Jones, excavated the tablet in southern Iraq.  New York publisher George Plimpton bought the tablet from Banks, and in the 1930’s, bequeathed it to Columbia University. For the next 90 years, mathematicians argued over the intended use of the table, until Mansfield and his team figured it out.  

"The huge mystery, until now, was its purpose – why the ancient scribes carried out the complex task of generating and sorting the numbers on the tablet. Our research reveals that Plimpton 322 describes the shapes of right-angle triangles using a novel kind of trigonometry based on ratios, not angles and circles. It is a fascinating mathematical work that demonstrates undoubted genius." 

In this YouTube video, Dr. Mansfield explains why the Babylonian system of trigonometry is so interesting. It all comes down to fractions. We use a Base 10 - which gives us only a couple exact fractions– 1/2 and 1/5. Babylonians used a Base 60 system – like we do for time. This leads to many more exact fractions. Historians credit this more precise form of trigonometry as the main reason King Tut moved from Arizona to Babylonia.  

Enrichment: Do You Know Adam Booher? 

Two years ago today, after having severe stomach issues, I checked into the hospital with pancreatitis. For months leading up to this, I had been treating my persistent gut issues with antacids, Pepto, etc. The lack of focus on my diet, health and fitness, combined with a fun mix of too much alcohol + Advil, had put me in the ultimate “Before” state. When I heard a doctor say 1 out of 5 people don’t survive pancreatitis, that sunk in.  

Every time I focused on my health, I saw results. But then I’d lose focus. This time, it was different. I quit drinking alcohol, eliminated Advil, started back with a diet that avoided sugar and refined carbs, started walking, started journaling, started fasting, increased walking, joined a gym. It took me one year to drop 100 pounds. I’ve dropped another 30 since then and feel in complete control of my weight and overall health. Last January, my doctor said I was his most improved patient. I’ve never felt better. 

Last week I went into the office for an all-hands video meeting. I saw a guy I had worked with closely about 10-12 years ago. He was part of my interview process 12 years ago, and even showed me to my desk on my first day. When we started chatting, he asked what I was doing. As I explained it, he had a puzzled look on his face and said “Do you know Adam Booher?” I was surprised – I said, “I am Adam Booher!” He was equally surprised. He didn’t recognize me. I’ve had that happen periodically. Always funny to me. 

When I look at the pictures of me from 2 years ago, and to be honest, the 15 years before then, I see myself - a familiar image, a bigger version for sure, and I have a mix of emotions. I feel bad for that guy. I know he felt lucky and happy and grateful about most of his life, except for his appearance. If only I could talk to him and let him know it isn’t really that difficult to change. I also feel regret for not being healthier – mostly for my family.

I’ve gone from someone who didn’t care to someone who wants to help others. I want folks to know that working to improve an area of your life, especially relating to health and wellness, is one of the most worthwhile daily activities you can do. I created a website about what I’ve done. If you want to talk about eating habits, gut health, fasting, walking, routine/habit development – please reach out. I really would love to share what’s worked for me and pay forward the encouragement I’ve gotten on my journey. Let’s get together for mocktails and wedge salads!

Workshop: One Week Update on Post-T-Giving Efforts 

Last week, I reviewed my plan for shedding those Thanksgiving pounds, and getting back on track with my routines. Here’s the Week 1 update! 

I easily moved back into a low-carb eating plan. As this is my typical eating plan, it really was easy. I enjoy protein shakes – I like Arbonne’s Simply1 Vanilla powder (it is low-carb), combined with cashew milk, blueberries, collagen peptides and creatine. To this, I added a little bit of MCT oil. MCT oil helps kick you in to ketosis. Between that, the low-carb eating, exercise and fasting, I figure I was back in ketosis by Tuesday afternoon of last week. That means my body had used up all the glycogen stores as fuel and was now burning fat reserves. In addition to protein shakes, I had plenty of protein and fat focused meals, with some fiber. Salmon, steak, eggs, salads, veggies, keto pizza and sandwiches (on keto bread). I am not complaining!  

In looking at my social calendar, I realized that for a 4-day fast to happen, with 2 days of refeeding, I needed to start it last Friday, Dec. 1^st. My final calories were around 9:00pm Thursday night. Friday was easy – as I have done alternate day fasting for a while, skipping one day was no big deal. I had black coffee in the mornings, water in the afternoons, and diet tonic water with a little lime juice in the evening. I also started taking electrolytes – sodium, potassium and magnesium. I also regularly take supplements, but during the fast cut out the fat-soluble supplements, and kept the water-soluble ones: Apple Cider Vinegar, Fish Oil (D3), a probiotic and Vitamin K2.

I was never hungry during the fast – well not physically hungry. I was definitely psychologically hungry – walking near Waffle House at 6:15am, and smelling bacon – that was tough. From commercials on TV to Insta videos about cooking – I was exposed to food a lot. But I knew it was all in my mind and could quickly move on to other thoughts. Grand total fasting time: Approximately 106 hours.  

At the time of this newsletter being sent out, I will have started the refeeding window. The recommendation is to take half the time you fasted to refeed, so for me - two days. This is very important, as my digestive system has basically gone to sleep. To wake it up, I will start with some V8 vegetable juice, then a few hours later have some beef broth, then move on to a protein shake. Still limiting carbs so autophagy will continue. Still taking electrolytes. Day 2 will introduce salad, cooked veggies and eggs. By day 3, I’ll be back to normal.  

As for the rest of the plan, it has been going well. I’ve walked a lot, despite some bad weather we had. KP has joined me for some of those walks, which is always fun. I’ve been stretching and have enjoyed it enough that I want to do more of it. I’ve gotten my preferred amount of sleep, which is a big help when fasting – less hours you are awake thinking about food. I have not turned my exercise routine into a daily habit yet. Still working on that.  

Oh – as for that walk I suggested we take last week - I’ve heard from a few readers who said they would be interested. Here’s the plan – those of you who want to walk who are in the Atlanta area, let’s meet up this Saturday – Dec. 9^th – at 9:30am at the Keswick Park Community building (3496 Keswick Drive, Chamblee, GA). We will walk up to MET Brewmasters for those that want to grab a beverage, then take the Rail Trail through Chamblee, then loop around the high school and back to Keswick Park. Roughly a 3-mile walk, on nice, paved paths. Let me know if you can join us!  

I’ll do my final update next week, sharing pics from our walk, letting you know how refeeding went, and what my numbers showed. Thanks to all of you who have reached out, or run into me on my walks, and have given encouragement.  

Selected Content: Finding Albert 

I recently saw a list of the top 10 best-selling DVDs of all time, and while I was pleased that I had seen all 10 of them, I was a little surprised at #1. No – it wasn’t Paddington 2 (an almost perfect movie). It was Finding Nemo. (My favorite on the list is The Dark Knight.) I enjoyed Finding Nemo – it is a fun adventure story set mostly underwater, with strong writing and characters. The basic story is a widowed father clown fish, Marlin, who goes on a quest to find his son, Nemo, and along the way meets lots of other interesting characters, including Dory, a forgetful blue tang fish. Marlin is voiced by Albert Brooks, one of my favorite actors/directors/screenwriters.  

Brooks was born “Albert Lawrence Einstein” on July 22, 1947, into a Jewish show-biz family in Beverly Hills. He decided to change his last name to Brooks, most likely due to some Swiss patent office clerk with the same name who had a weird theory about bosons. Or maybe it is because the name “Einstein” violated the “I before E except after C” rule and would likely be associated with idiocy forever. Brooks’s name change worked out well – as he is often called a comic “genius” by his peers, something that surely would not have happened with the name Einstein.

Brooks was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1987’s Broadcast News, acted in Taxi Drive, Private Benjamin, and Drive, and wrote/directed/acted in Modern Romance, Lost in America and Defending Your Life. It is this last movie, 1991’s Defending Your Life, that I want to focus on. This movie is one of my all-time favorite movies. It is incredibly clever, unique and entertaining. Albert’s character dies and goes to the afterlife – where he has to go through a trial to see if he has moved past a fear-based life and is ready to ascend into the great beyond, or get sent back to Earth to try again. Brooks is joined by Meryl Streep, Rip Torn, Lee Grant and Buck Henry. If you haven’t seen it, do so immediately. It is just so amazing. 

I recently watched Albert Brooks: Defending My Life on HBO/Max. This wonderful documentary features his old high school buddy, Rob Reiner (Meathead, The Princess Bride, This Is Spinal Tap, Stand by Me, A Few Good Men, When Harry Met Sally), and scores of A-listers including David Letterman, Chris Rock, Conan O’Brien, Sarah Silverman, Jon Stewart, Steven Spielberg and Larry David. The convention of the documentary is an interview – My Dinner With Andre style – where Brooks and Reiner cover Brooks’s childhood, the death of his father, his relationship with his mother, appearances on the Tonight Show, his contributions to the origin & format of Saturday Night Live and his films and television appearances. 

I highly recommend this funny, touching documentary. And I implore you to watch Defending Your Life. Both are available on HBO/Max. If you don’t subscribe, just come over and I’ll watch it with you.