4 Fiber Bars in One Day is 4 Too Many Fiber Bars

I try to stay healthy.  Everything I read is telling me to eat more fiber - "It's good for your heart" "It helps your stomach" "It lowers the calories you intake".  Okay, you win society... I'll play your little game and eat some fiber.  What could go wrong?

I'm actually pretty familiar with the harsh effects of fiber, and if you are not, be sure to google it before you go all fiber crazy.  Back in my wrestling days, I would do whatever I could to shed a couple more ounces without actually having to workout.  The more fiber I took in, the more it pushed EVERYTHING else out (know what I'm saying?)... It makes you shit... like a lot

So in this midst of my new found obsession for health food, I decided to get back on the wagon and once again begin a high fiber diet.  Turns out that when you combine a protein shake, a glass of wheat grass juice, 3 cups of cottage cheese and 4 spoon fulls of chunky peanut butter with 200% of your daily value of fiber, it turns to stone... or explodes.. Scientifically, I cannot describe what was happening in my stomach, but it felt like world war 3 (stay with me here, the charisma stuff is coming).

It started on the train into the city.  I felt the McGurggles starting, but it wasn't too bad.  Walking over to the bar where I was to meet a friend was where shit got real.  I'm no literary mastermind so I won't try to impress you with some crazy metaphor here, but it hurt... a lot

I was meeting a friend I haven't seen in a while.  We weren't that close, but just felt like catching up a little bit.  I thought this was a perfect opportunity to put on my charismatic face and have a great conversation.  That is not what happened.

I tried to keep a straight face man, I really tried.  In the end, my effort was futile.  I was shifting my weight from side to side like an uncomfortable 4th grader asking a girl out for the first time.  As much as I tried to ignore this immense pain, it was the only thing I could focus on.  I wasn't able to listen to what my friend was saying, I wasn't able to stay present.  Furthermore, I could tell that she was starting to notice something was wrong.  My pain was starting to show through my body language and looking at her face, I noticed she felt uncomfortable because she knew I felt uncomfortable (follow me so far?).  

Our brains are so hardwired around our own lives, we take any signal of someone else being uncomfortable to be because of ourselves.  I can't say say for certain, but I can imagine the thoughts in her head going something like this:

"What the fuck is he doing?  Why does he look like he is about to shit himself?  Man, he looks so uncomfortable right now.  Is it because of me? Am I making him feel uncomfortable? What did I do to make him feel uncomfortable?  Great, now I feel uncomfortable... Thanks a lot Chris"

In the end I couldn't take it anymore.  I had to leave, but I couldn't just say goodbye and bolt.  That'd be weird.  I had no choice.  The only way to relieve this tension was to fess up and be honest.

"I really have to go.  I ate 4 fiber bars today and I now realize that was a huge mistake.  My stomach is killing me"

Her face of "This is awkward" melted away to reveal a more "Haha holy shit man that sucks" kind of face.  Immediately there was no more tension.  I put everything out on the table and made it clear that it was not her who was making me uncomfortable.  

I ended up actually leaving, the pain was too much to bear, but there are three things to take away from this experience:

1) Though your mental state is the main driver of your charisma, physical discomfort can be a HUGE liability.  Like I said in a previous post, what you're truly feeling inside will always come through in your body language, no matter how hard you try to hide it.  The other person will instinctively take this to mean that they are the cause of your discomfort.

2) Take every precaution you can to avoid any type of physical discomfort when you know you are going to have to be charismatic.  Where sunglasses to avoid the glare of the sun, take a shower to feel nice and fresh, and please please do not eat 4 fiber bars in one day.

3) If done all you can to prevent physical discomfort, but it comes anyway, just admit it.  Be open and explain it, that way the person you're talking to will know they are not the cause