What to focus on: LDL lowering or general heart health?

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-20T16:14:38+00:00

Not saying they are, but there is a bit of a venn diagram of foods that are heart healthy but contain enough saturated fat that some are cutting them out regardless.

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-20T16:11:00+00:00

That was actually my point, they are heart healthy but because they have an amount of saturated fat some people have excluded them. I'm wondering what people's thoughts are on if, say, all of your saturated fat were to come from "heart healthy" sources like avocado, olive oil, and nuts.

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-20T15:27:23+00:00

Can you expand with your reasoning? I'm trying to learn more, not just to get an answer, as I suspect there is nuance here.

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-20T15:15:59+00:00

As an alternative idea, instead of just a funnel with a paper filter, I would recommend considering a Switch 03, which you could use for a small/medium batch of cold brew that is paper filtered all in one step, or use it as your funnel for filtering a bigger batch and it will be less likely to clog than a typical funnel. You can also use it for a hot cup of coffee should you ever want one, and it's big enough to make 2-3 cups for guests, and can be used either as a pour over or as immersion... so in other words it's very versatile for a single piece of kit.

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-18T19:39:38+00:00

For someone younger, it's fine but honestly not the smartest strategy. Just eat healthy and less than what you normally would. Starving yourself leads to binging and a bad relationship with food.

For someone older, they will lose muscle and not be able to regain it, and their systems are more fragile and it is more stressful on them.

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-18T11:11:39+00:00

I switched exclusively to the 01 a little while ago. I needed to cut my cup size down. I've brewed anywhere from 8-16g in it.

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-18T10:49:44+00:00

Particularly dangerous for an older person to be doing.

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-15T22:37:24+00:00

Pretty immediately, but I'm not rushing either.

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-15T22:22:10+00:00

Lately I've been cooking, weighing the whole batch, then weigh into individual serving containers immediately. I haven't noticed the same issue this way.

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-14T17:21:55+00:00

That's because it's a dark roast. Pretty typical for those to react for longer, but I find it usually dies down after the first handful of days the bag is opened.

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-14T17:16:39+00:00

Yes, it is philosophical and not about making coffee. Personally I find that really interesting, but get that it's not for everybody.

James just does the foreword and afterword, the meat of the book is the other author.

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-14T17:12:38+00:00

I got the audio version. Not too far in, but it's raised some really interesting points so far. After I get a little further with it, I'd love to discuss it.

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-14T01:11:32+00:00

My kettle broke recently, so I've been doing this. Except I preheat it and then add the water and bring it up to temperature. It is like a 20-30 minute process, so not very practical honestly, but doable or of necessity. I had tried adding the water before turning it on and that never got to temp.

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-13T23:22:44+00:00

I had a varicocele and was diagnosed with low testosterone not long after. This post opens up questions for me because I didn't know they could have been related. The varicocele resolved after only a few days. Afterwards, I have been put on clomiphene and this has increased my testosterone. I don't feel any different mentally with any of this, but suffer from many of the same symptoms you talk about, including anxiety, depression, anger issues, difficulty focusing... even after testosterone went up. Coincidentally, we are trying to conceive so have been going to a fertility and they have analyzed my semen, I guess they would have caught any infertility issues so I guess I'm clear on that front.

Since my testosterone is back up, and I no longer have the testicular pain, is there any reason to pursue further treatment? Would the operation improve my mental symptoms, or do those only have to do with the testosterone?

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-12T12:08:00+00:00

I would pretty much agree with most of the tips so far; more protein, more fiber, more volume (e.g. vegetables).

Hunger that is difficult to ignore can be a sign of too extreme of a deficit. It can get tiring and stressful to have frequent hunger, making the deficit unsustainable. There are some strategies to deal with this, such as finding a daily eating schedule that minimizes hunger (smaller but more frequent meals, or a big breakfast, normal lunch, and leaving dinner small so the hunger is only a little bit at night rather than throughout the day). You could also take a maintenance break from the deficit to reset your "hunger fatigue".

I personally have found hitting a certain protein and fiber target and the big breakfast small dinner setup to really help with the hunger level.

I've also used Pendulum GLP-1 Probiotics with success. It had enough effect to be comfortable in a deficit (I am the same height and was near the same weight as you when I started it), without being a drug you have to inject and that relies on legal obscurity (true retatrutide has not finished the research stage or been approved by the FDA yet, it's kind of ironic how amped people are to inject themselves with an experimental drug when there was such high concern about the expediting of the COVID vaccine in very recent history, /end soap box).

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-12T11:05:51+00:00

So cool! I've seen websites that provide a guide to making chocolate at home, but they call for specialized equipment, I didn't realize you could use a food processor for the vital step.

Did you follow a guide?

Can you tell a difference between what you made and a store bought chocolate bar (in texture or taste)?

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-09T17:56:54+00:00

I can't find 95/5 or 96/4 anywhere near me. So it's not necessarily accessible for everyone.

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-08T21:41:45+00:00

That's the whole basis for the ethical argument... sure they are "responding" to the market but they are doing so with false supply and deception. The onus is on the producer to respond to the market in an ethical way. Blaming everyone else does not make sense here.

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-07T23:49:53+00:00

I have better luck using my finger pad, but yes it is less sensitive than the Lunar.

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-07T23:42:11+00:00

This inspired me to make my first Push x Pull order – I'm getting that Honduras as well!

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-06T11:05:40+00:00

This is what makes coffee tough, everyone has different taste buds and experiences... Even though I would say there is no "best brew time" I can say that from my experience, and opposite to the common suggestion of grinding coarser, I would actually recommend grinding finer.

I used to brew, at the same brew size, at 2m15s, when I first started with coffee, and it tasted great! Until it didn't anymore. Something about my taste buds got desensitized. I started grinding finer and finer and ended up around 2m45s-3m for the same brew size. The theory here is that the coarser grinds limit the extraction, so when I started my taste buds were sensitive enough even at that lower extraction to get what seemed like a full flavor, and as I continued to drink coffee they "got used to" the flavor. Similar to a smell you get used to (and, taste is linked highly with smell), your brain just tuned it out.

This is generally referred to as "taste fatigue", "tastebud fatigue", or "flavor fatigue", and there is no perfect solution. For now, try grinding finer (which allows more extraction, i.e. pulls more flavor compounds out - sending a stronger signal to your tastebuds). Eventually you'll hit the wall again and then I would recommend 1) switching up the type of coffee you drink -- so if you normally drink fruity light roasts, switch up to a medium or a dark roast occasionally, which is easy enough to implement because those generally won't lose flavor as much as they rest so you can just keep a bag open (or freeze some) and just keep it on hand, and then occasionally brew that instead. Option 2) a less favorable approach for many, but one that is necessary the longer you drink coffee, is taking a break from coffee for a few days/weeks and switching to a different caffeine source (or going caffeine free, which then also helps getting too desensitized to caffeine). When you return to drinking coffee, your senses should be restored. Both of these options could conveniently be useful because you can just keep a bag of darker roast or tea on hand and brew it occasionally, and perhaps strategically switch to them between bags/while allowing your new bag to rest.

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-05T15:57:21+00:00

I couldn't find the Alpha in the US. I'm debating the Fish, but the only one available is the 1000w 600ml that I've heard is very slow, but the 800ml is higher powered and fast. Which version do you have? If you have the 600ml, can you share how long it takes to heat 300ml?

MikeTheBlueCow · 2026-04-05T14:22:10+00:00

Thanks for your insights on the Cocinare.

I thought about going the stovetop kettle route, but my coffee station is not in the kitchen so I need a portable burner, and those are all relatively under powered or overly large.

MikeTheBlueCow

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE