Self-Experimentation

Running the experiment on one's own body makes the question of which diet is better answerable without dependence on external authority. Focused attention on a target behavior is presented as making behavior change more likely. Patrick can run fasted but does not tolerate lifting or harder workouts without eating. Direct first-hand results from personal experimentation produce a higher level of certainty than consuming any number of studies or success stories. The article contrasts engineering-style isolation with applying multiple interventions when the main goal is a functional outcome. The article draws a parallel between accepting unexplained artistic results and accepting observable results in health experimentation. The article distinguishes deliberate tracking for behavior change from passive data collection. The optimal diet may differ between individuals, which is why self-experimentation is more informative than population-level consensus. The article cautions that this follow-up cannot establish isolated causal effects because it is not a clinical study and used multiple interventions simultaneously. Biohacking recommendations in the article are not presented as univers…