weight loss by design a methodical plan for reducing your weight with guaranteed results josh karnes
TRANSCRIPT
Weight Loss By Design
A methodical plan for reducing your weight with guaranteed
results
Josh Karnes
Overview
Prologue: A Case for Christian Men
Introduction
Mathematical Model
Engineering a Solution
Plotting a Course
Staying on Course
Using the Tools
Prologue: A Case for Christian Men
Your Weight and Your Walk
Did God Create You This Way?
Is it a Sin to be Overweight?
The World’s View
For Married Men
Fathers
Your Weight and Your Walk
Stewardship of God’s gifts God gave us three main resources with which to
accomplish our mission in life: Spirit, Mind and Body Keeping our body healthy is an act of wise
stewardship, and an investment in our own futures, just as having a healthy mind and spirit
It is easy to rationalize a desire to be at a healthy weight as vanity, but it is not vanity
Did God Create You This Way?
It is a common excuse that God made you the way you are, which implies that there is nothing you can do about it
The fact is that God made you in His image This is true for your spirit, mind and body Life in this world has changed you
Is it a Sin to be Overweight?
The answer depends on why you are overweight There are reasons people become overweight
which are rooted in sin, such as gluttony and complacency, others; often the reason is deceit
Poor stewardship of our bodies is likely sin To change we must turn away from our
former ways
The World’s View
Right or wrong, the world often views overweight people as lazy and weak We must deal with reality, not an ideal We do not advance the Christian cause by
appearing lazy and weak in the world’s eyes It takes discipline to keep a healthy weight Our witness may be improved by weight
loss
For Married Men
Married Guys: your body does not belong only to you!
It is a sure blessing to your wife and family for you to achieve a healthy weight You will look better and be more attractive to your
spouse – this is a very good thing! You will be healthier and express greater energy You will live a longer, healthier life!
Fathers
Einstein says that example is the only way to teach; set a good example for your kids regarding health, weight and discipline
Your focus on your health shows your children that you care about being there for them in the long run
You will have more energy for your kids and be a better dad
Introduction
Engineering SolutionsNot Exactly What You Think…
…But it’s a Little Like What You Think…It’s Both Easier, and Harder, Than You
ThinkSidebar: Fitness
Reference: The Hacker’s Diet, by John Walker
Engineering Solutions
Success is a side effect of excellent process Engineers study the problem, identify the
cause, and design a solution which eradicates the cause of the problem
Once the problem has been solved once, it’s solved forever
An engineered solution has success built-in. Failure results only from poor execution
Not Exactly What You Think…
This is not a fad diet You won’t be told what to eat, or what not to
eat. You choose what you eat. Once you get into the
program, you will probably choose to change what you eat, but only because it makes sense
You control your results This is like adding a throttle and a speedometer to
your weight loss. Tools which put you in control
…But It’s A Little Like What You Think…
You will undergo a lifestyle change To lose weight, you have to change. There is no way
around it You will have to eat less food in order to make a big change
in weight Exercise can help, but it is not a viable solution for
substantial weight loss
The reality is, the old axiom “eat right and get regular exercise”, is pretty much right on
This is not likely to be fun. It is, however, worth it
It is Both Easier, and Harder, Than You Think
Most diets are maddening Poor feedback You feel weird and hungry, lack energy Don’t often have the results you expected
This diet is different The feedback is instant and excellent The results are up to you, you are in control of the
throttle You will still be hungry, but won’t lack energy nor
generally feel a lot different, since we’re not dramatically changing your normal diet
Sidebar: Fitness
Fitness, weight, appearance, strength, energy… which one? Generally, the term “fitness” may be overused to describe all of
these things Establish goals realistically
Fitness: Cardiac. Resting Heart Rate, Max Heart Rate, Muscle/fat ratio, endurance, recovery rate, metabolism
Weight: simply what the scale says, regardless of fitness level Strength: not related to fitness or weight Energy: Simply related to food intake and metabolism Appearance: You can look good without being fit, strong, or
energetic, and vice-versa Why do I want to lose weight?
Sidebar: Fitnesscont’d
What weight loss is NOT Losing weight will not make you fit, or strong
Fitness comes from aerobic exercise and active lifestyle Strength comes from strength training Fitness is not always equal to a thin physique
Losing weight may not completely improve your appearance
It’s possible to be both thin, and flabby. Losing weight won’t “give you more energy”
It will, however, reduce the amount of energy required for you to move around, so you’ll feel more energetic, unless you lose muscle as well as fat
Sidebar: Fitnesscont’d
Fitness, strength, and appearance are all valuable goals
Any weight loss program should be coupled with a plan to improve fitness, strength and appearance Aerobic exercise program Strength Training (lifting weights, etc.) Increase muscle tone/mass (targeted workout)
Because let’s face it, you just want to look good, feel good, and live a long time, right?
Sidebar: Fitnesscont’d
Most people’s weight loss dreams include elements of fitness, strength, and appearance (look good, feel good, live long & prosper)
Losing weight alone is probably not the answer You can lose weight and still:
Look soft and flabby Lack muscle tone, “hardbody” appearance Feel weak and lack fitness Have generally poor health
Be sure you are going to achieve your goal
The Hacker’s Diet
The Hacker’s Diet, by John Walker Book detailing the basis for this program Has excellent explanations of how it all works,
and fleshes out the math extremely well Highly recommended to read Available for free on the web (e-book)
Mathematical Model
Explanation of Model
The “Real Skinny”
The Trick
Explanation of Model
This program is based on a mathematical model: One pound of fat contains 3,500 calories of
energy Based on this model and a few assumptions,
we can calculate how many calories to cut to reach goals
There is a way to eliminate the assumptions
The “Real Skinny”
You must reduce your calories in order to lose any significant weight To lose one pound, based on the model, you have to
cut 3500 calories To lose a pound in a week (7 days), you have to cut 500
calories per day; this is a lot of food!
Exercise offers mostly false hopes Most types of aerobic and anaerobic exercise offer less
than 700 cal/hour of extra metabolism To lose one pound in one week with high-intensity aerobic
exercise alone, you must put in 5 hours of exercise; not likely.
The Trick
We can use control and feedback to determine what your metabolism is, and create an interactive custom plan Control: calorie intake
Careful logging of calorie intake, choosing when to stop eating
Feedback: the scale Any overage or deficit in calories will show up on the scale at
a rate of 3500 cal/lb We can determine your daily metabolism accurately
by measuring your calorie intake and weight daily
Engineering A Solution
Analyze the problem
Determine the cause of the problem
Develop a solution to the root cause
Implement the solution to eliminate problem
Elimination of the problem is the expected effect
Analyze the Problem
Problem: you’re overweight Not really the problem, but actually an effect
of the problem We need to find the real cause and fix it We know this is not the real problem, because you
were not born overweight. You got this way somehow
Being overweight usually results from the cumulative effects of eating too much day after day, other causes
Real Problem
Problem: your body does not know when to stop eating. Believe it or not, you eat too much.
For proof, see the scale. Welcome to reality
It’s not your fault. You didn’t choose to be this way. You’d fix it if you could
We can fix it
Determine the Cause of the Problem
“Broken feedback loop” in the body causes you to eat a tiny amount too much each day You are not consciously aware that you are eating too
much Amount is tiny: as little as 50 calories per day, or less
than one Oreo 50 calories per day extra food per day equates to 5.2
lb extra weight per year!! In 10 years, you are 50 lb overweight and must
struggle to maintain even that level
Develop a Solution for the Root Cause
Since the body’s feedback loop is broken, we need to develop an external feedback loop to use instead We can’t fix the body’s feedback loop. You’re
born with it. Fortunately we have mathematics and technology
Understanding of the basis for why fat is added to or burned from your body, we can develop a tool to bypass your body’s broken feedback loop
Implement the Solution to Eliminate the Problem
The solution: Diligently log what you eat and your weight Use the 3500 cal/lb model to chart a course for
weight loss Continue measuring calories and weight to adapt
solution to reality Implementation:
Calorie log, scale, daily attention, stop eating when we hit a calorie limit
Use computer tools for more advanced solution
Elimination of the Problem is the Expected Effect
Your body is a machine. If you stick to the plan, you will lose weight The only way the plan will not work is if you do not
stick to it The hard part is sticking to it
We develop support structures to help you stick to it
In the end, it pays to be obsessive and radically committed to the plan If you lack commitment to the plan, you will not
succeed.
Plotting A Course
Your Weight Loss Goals
The Psychology of Weight Loss
Healthy Rewards
The Value of Exercise
Your Weight Loss Goals
You need to set time-bound, concrete goals in order to be successful Set realistic goals. It’s very hard to lose more
than 2.0 lb/week. Set milestones if necessary Run the program for six months at a time. Set
goals to cover six months, and then re-evaluate
Get Support from friends and others on the program
The Psychology of Weight Loss
You like food – but it’s killing you slowly There is such a thing as “too much of a good
thing” You must turn your back on your desire for
food, and desire instead to be healthy Your “love” of food is a learned habit. You will
naturally break it after you abandon it
Healthy Rewards
Do not make food a reward! Many popular diet plans make food a reward for
success. Not a good way to discourage you from coveting food
Choose healthier rewards You will need new clothes… that’s an idea There must be something you enjoy other than food!
In the end, your improved health is its own reward While true, it’s hard to know how profound an effect this
will have before you have achieved it
The Value of Exercise
Exercise has value, but not really for weight loss It would take a huge amount of exercise to make a
significant, fast change in weight Diet is infinitely more effective
Exercise pays off in other ways Stress relief Better general health and longevity You will enjoy your life more if you are healthier, regardless
of your weight In the long term, it will be easier to maintain your healthy
weight if you have a regular exercise program
Staying on Course
Monitor your weight and calorie intake daily, be sure you don’t exceed your daily calorie limits set to reach your loss goal
Meet with your support group and hold each other accountable
Once you reach your goals, continue monitoring
Staying on Coursecont’d
Gather Support A support group can be very helpful
Pat on the back when you are on track Accountability structure to keep you on track
The “2-5 Group” The “2-5 Group” is a group of 2-5 men who meet
regularly for support and accountability
Staying on Coursecont’d
Your 2-5 group meetings Meet with the group of 2-5 men once a week by
email, phone, or in person, to check progress and get everyone on track
Keep each other accountable! Meet for one year
Meet weekly for six months to reach your goals Continue meeting weekly for six more months to be
sure you keep the weight off
Using the Tools
Excel Spreadsheet tool does most of the work for you
Log your calories and weight daily Stay under the Calorie Budget for the day You will lose weight!
Using the Excel Tools
Overview
Entering Data
Taking Feedback
Using the Graphs
A Quick Snapshot
The Grocery List
The Real Work
The Mechanics of Feedback
Overview
Tool: MS Excel Workbook Six sheets
Entry: where you enter all the data Graphs: gives you visual indication of your progress Sums and Averages: snapshot look at results Foods Calorie Listing: place to keep a list of common foods
Metabolism Chart: Chart to help with estimated metabolism Calc Data: where all the hard math is done
Help is available Move your mouse over most cells, or the “INFO”
cells, and a little help window pops up! Sweet!
Entering Data
Start by entering your data The “Entry” Sheet has a few types of cells
Yellow: These are required for you to enter data for the tool to work properly. Fill these in!
Light Green: These are auto-calculated fields. You cannot enter data here.
White: These description fields are for the text description of the food you eat
Bright Red or Green: The calorie budget fields will be green if you are within your calorie budget, and turn red when you go over
Entering Datacont’d
Open “Entry” sheet, and fill in the following Fill in the first cell (A3) in the “Date” column with the start
date of your six-month program Fill in the “Target Weight Loss (per week)” field at the top
right of the page with the number of lb/week you would like to lose (under 2 is recommended)
Fill in the Est. Metabolism field at top right with your daily calorie output estimate from the chart on the “Metabolism Chart” sheet.
Fill in your goal by scrolling to the date of your goal and entering your target weight in the “Goal!” column (you can have more than one goal!)
Now you’re all set-up!
Entering Datacont’d
Begin logging the data First in the morning, before you eat or drink anything,
take your weight, put it in “AM Weight” for the day Always use the same scale
As you eat food during the day, log everything in the “Cal” fields and the descriptions under “Breakfast”, “Lunch”, “Dinner” and “Other”
Remember drinks! Coffee creamer! “Other” is for snacks Be ACCURATE
If you are on an exercise or workout program, enter a “Y” in the “Work out?” column every day you work out
Taking Feedback
The tool will begin to give feedback as you enter data The Calorie Budget fields are your feedback
to tell you how much to eat each day They automatically adjust and give you a number
for how much is left for you to eat for each day While you are under the budget, the box will be
green. When you go over, it turns red Stay under! Keep it green!
Taking Feedbackcont’d
Active vs. Static The “Static Calorie Budget” is based on your
est. metabolism and lb/week goal only The “Active Calorie Budget” takes into
account your actual measured weight loss and metabolism
It automatically adjusts to your actual metabolism To start, use the Static Calorie Budget
Using the Graphs
The second sheet has three graphs Calories & Weight
This graph has your averaged weight and your daily calorie intake graphed together, plus any weight goals
Metabolism & Calorie Deficits Plots your average metabolism and the number of
calories fewer than that you eat each day Average Weekly Weight Loss
A Note about Moving Averages
Most of the data in the graphs and calculations are based on weighted moving averages An average over a certain number of days is taken,
with priority given to the latest data This smoothes the graph response and helps with consistency
of data The averages lag behind the “real” data by about the
number of days in the average If you use “7” moving averages, then the data will be about a
week behind You can adjust these on the top of the “Entry” sheet
The ideal numbers vary person to person
Note: Switch from Static to Active
You should begin the program by using the “Static Calorie Budget”
As time goes by and data is collected, the “Active Calorie Budget” becomes accurate
When the “metabolism” graph levels off, it is time to switch to the “Active Calorie Budget” This usually takes about 3-4 weeks
A Quick Snapshot
The “Sums and Averages” sheet gives a quick snapshot of your progress
You must enter your current weight in the yellow cell in order to get any calculations
This can be used as a quick guide to figure if you are hitting your goals Average lb/week loss is calculated here, as well as
your average metabolism and average daily calorie intake
The Grocery List
The “Foods Calorie Listing” sheet is like a “grocery list” for the foods you commonly eat
No data is taken from this sheet for calculation It’s here as a scratch pad for you to record the
number of calories in food you eat routinely Trust me: it’s handy
The Real Work
The real work is done on the “Calc Data” sheet You can peruse this data and see exactly how
it’s calculated, if you are insanely curious Much of the calculation methods are based on
logic presented in The Hacker’s Diet The active feedback math is unique to this
program
The Mechanics of Feedback
The key to this program is active feedback in the “Active Calorie Budget” This keeps your weight loss on track almost
absolutely, and adapts to your actual metabolism It works using simple math
Determine the amount of weight lost average per day Determine the number of calories input average per day Determine the energy used average per day (metabolism)
Weight loss x 3500 + calories in = metabolism Subtract calories required for weight loss target from
metabolism to get “Active Calorie Budget”
The Mechanics of Feedbackcont’d
Setting the budget You need to eat less calories than you output
in energy in order to lose weigh The rate is 3500 cal per pound With this program, you set a lb/week goal Calculate a daily target calorie reduction
(lb/wk goal) / 7
Budget is derived by subtracting the daily calorie reduction from the calculated metabolism
The Mechanics of Feedbackcont’d
This method is 100% accurate and effective It is not very fast to respond
It is based on history, so tomorrow’s budget will be based on yesterday’s output
Using moving averages means tomorrows budget may be based on the average output for the last 7 days or more
To not use moving averages results in poor results The ideal number of moving averages depends on how
volatile the data is; if the weight, calorie input, and lifestyle (daily) is very consistent, then the averages number can be reduced and the budget gets more responsive
The Mechanics of Feedbackcont’d
Though not fast, it is adaptive, corrects mistakes If you increase your energy output for a week, then
the budget for that week will be too small and you will lose weight faster than projected
The result is that the system will “learn”, and increase the budget for the next week to resume the projected weight loss schedule
If you then back off your energy output for a week, then the budget will be too large and you will lose weight slower than expected
The result is that over the two weeks, you will have hit your projected rate of loss, but not short-term
The Mechanics of Feedbackcont’d
The key is to be consistent Consistency in energy output (your activity level) and
in food intake will lead to consistent weight loss Barring regimented consistency, the key is to
look at it long-term The feedback is not very responsive in the short-term,
but since it’s self-correcting, over the longer term it will yield the right result
Since it’s a mathematical model based on real-world input, it is accurate and gets results
Performance Tuning
You can fine-tune the performance and response of the Excel tool Tune responsiveness of graphs Tune responsiveness and accuracy of “Active
Calorie Budget” You have to develop at least 3-6 weeks of
data in the tool in order to make changes that will not have a negative effect
Performance Tuningcont’d
# Moving Averages At the top of the “Entry” sheet are two fields
# Moving Averages for Weight, Calories # Moving Averages for Metabolism
These numbers are like the “damping factor” of the system
Changing these numbers tunes the response of the system
Performance Tuningcont’d
Overdamped, Underdamped Since the data (weight, calorie input, and metabolism)
are not only imprecise, but are also highly variant, the input should be damped
“Damping” smoothes the response
An overdamped system will be too slow to respond An underdamped system will oscillate A properly damped system will respond quickly
enough for the changing conditions, but not oscillate
Performance Tuningcont’d
Tuning the damping factors Weight, Calories
Observe the graph for “Weight & Calories” If it’s a smooth line, reduce the “# Moving Averages for
Weight, Calories” by one at a time until the line becomes “jerky”. Keep the smallest whole number that results in a smooth line
If it’s a “jerky” line, increase the “# Moving Averages for Weight, Calories” by one at a time until the line becomes smooth. Keep the smallest whole number that results in a smooth line
Performance Tuningcont’d
Tuning the damping Factors Metabolism
Observe the graph for “Metabolism & Calorie Deficits” – you’re looking at the metabolism line
If it oscillates (rapidly changes up, down, up, down, like a sine wave) or is jerky, then increase the “# Averages for Metabolism” until the line smoothes out
If it is smooth or level, then try reducing the “# Averages for Metabolism” until it gets jerky or oscillates, and then increase it until it is smooth again
Keep the smallest whole number that results in a smooth line.