Eliezer_Yudkowsky comments on The Unfinished Mystery of the Shangri-La Diet - Less Wrong

22 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 10 April 2009 08:30PM

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Comment author: AlexU 10 April 2009 09:37:16PM 0 points [-]

So, maybe staying thin requires Herculean effort for some. Why turn your back on that particular challenge? Elsewhere you seem to take a lot of pride in your determination to "save the world," which seems like no small feat. Don't try to lose weight -- lose weight!

Comment author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 10 April 2009 09:39:59PM 13 points [-]

I can starve or think, not both at the same time.

Comment author: AlexU 10 April 2009 09:45:20PM 0 points [-]

I'm sure you've seen the psych research suggesting people have a finite amount of "willpower" they can exercise at a given time. It probably does make sense for some people to worry about hard-thinking (or other endeavors) than staying in top shape.

Comment author: jimmy 11 April 2009 02:43:45AM *  6 points [-]

It's not just that you only have so much "will power" that you ration, it's that your brain doesn't work when you're starving.

I had to cut weight for wrestling in high school (from a healthy 185 down to 160) and the will power to not eat wasn't even that difficult (though it did suck), but I still couldn't think well.

Comment author: probDot5 15 October 2015 03:02:32PM 1 point [-]

I love this comment. It reminds me how some days my brain is working like a champ and I can tackle any complex programming job with ease. Other days I'm simply aware that my brain is pretending to be a much less smart person's brain, and I should stick to more menial projects. If my job required me to be smart every day, I'd have to pay much more attention to the food / sleep / whatever combination that determines how my brain works the next morning.