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An Engineer's Guide To Weight Loss

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Re: An Engineer's Guide To Weight Loss

#11

Post by swombat »

scott_s wrote: post #5
swombat wrote: post #4

Lame article. First of all, that system (I've tried it) sucks. It requires constant attention and effort. I'd be surprised to meet anyone who's male and can be bothered to count their calories every day for more than 1 or 2 weeks (though some girls seem to manage, but they really care ). You won't lose much weight in 1-2 weeks, so this system will only result in making you feel bad for yet again failing to lose any s…

I'd be surprised to meet anyone who's male and can be bothered to count their calories every day for more than 1 or 2 weeks I take it you don't know any bodybuilders, or any guys in a weight-class sport, like wrestling, boxing, BJJ or MMA. I think exercise can be feedback unto itself. Performance gains in strength training and calisthenics come surprisingly fast.

(serious) body builders: a) aren't normal (they're a small minority) b) don't have 50 pounds of extra flab

This article is obviously not targeted at body builders.

Re: An Engineer's Guide To Weight Loss

#12

Post by Prrometheus »

I disagree with the exercising part. Playing pick-up and adult league sports around town is far more satisfying and less boring than an elliptical or treadmill machine. As a bonus, you get to satisfy some of your social needs as well.

I play Ultimate Frisbee and Basketball. I sucked at first, but eventually it taught my brain to think and react in new ways and I got better - which is pretty cool! For a guy like me who moves to a new city every two years, the social benefit of being part of the Ultimate Frisbee network cannot be overstated.

Re: An Engineer's Guide To Weight Loss

#13

Post by edw519 »

tungstenfurnace wrote: post #7

My goodness, if he'd advertised his thoughts as "The Cholera Diet: a great way to lose 20kg" they could hardly be less attractive. If he could discover why he desires cheeseburgers so much then perhaps he could find a way to _want_ to eat less. As it stands he is using force on himself and there is a heavy psychological price tag for that, as he acknowledges. This will effect the rest of his life in ways he may not a…

"The Cholera Diet"

There used to be a diet bar named "Ayds".

In the early 80's people just stopped buying them. Nobody wanted Ayds anymore.

Re: An Engineer's Guide To Weight Loss

#15

Post by rewind »

swombat wrote: post #4

Lame article. First of all, that system (I've tried it) sucks. It requires constant attention and effort. I'd be surprised to meet anyone who's male and can be bothered to count their calories every day for more than 1 or 2 weeks (though some girls seem to manage, but they really care ). You won't lose much weight in 1-2 weeks, so this system will only result in making you feel bad for yet again failing to lose any s…

What most people who have never counted calories don't realize is that once you know general counts for the foods you consume the most and once you realize what portion size corresponds to those calories, you're not doing that much counting. The reason is that most of us tend to eat the same types of food, You're only learning a bit at the beginning. After that, there is very little thought that goes into it and it becomes almost second nature because you get used to specific portion sizes for the main staples in your diet. You just have to be a little more careful of those "indulgence" meals or days or anything that might throw your count way off.

Re: An Engineer's Guide To Weight Loss

#16

Post by jgrahamc »

edw519 wrote: post #6

The real engineer's guide to weight loss: "The Hacker's Diet" http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/ Written by John Walker, author of Autocad. He claimed to have solved every problem he had except weight loss, so he just treated it as another engineering problem. Very interesting read for those with scientifically oriented minds. The Palm software is cool, too.

I've been following The Hacker's Diet (had 7kg to lose to get to my 'ideal' weight) and it's been relatively easy. At some point I plan to blog all the data, but I've been consistently losing about 0.6kg per week since I started 5 weeks ago.

Quick summary of what has worked for me:

1. Stopped eating anything between meals. I probably cut out 12 cans of Coke, 2 chocolate bars, and 2 cakes/treats per week. I estimate this at 2,640 kcal alone

2. Started listening to my stomach so that I'd stop eating when I was full, and didn't take second helpings that I didn't actually need.

3. Have been following the exercise plan and now avoid taking lifts or escalators.

4. I am not counting calories for my meals since excluding my between meals rubbish I eat fairly balanced food.

Also I'm saving money... basically I'm losing weight, feeling better and saving about 26 Euro per week. Since I plan to cut out that stuff permanently I'll be able to afford a spanking new iPhone after 6 months.

Lose Weight, Save Money, Feel Better, Get an iPhone!

Re: An Engineer's Guide To Weight Loss

#17

Post by scott_s »

swombat wrote: post #11
scott_s wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd be surprised to meet anyone who's male and can be bothered to count their calories every day for more than 1 or 2 weeks I take it you don't know any bodybuilders, or any guys in a weight-class sport, like wrestling, boxing, BJJ or MMA. I think exercise can be feedback unto itself. Performance gains in strength training and calisthenics come surprisingly fast.

(serious) body builders: a) aren't normal (they're a small minority) b) don't have 50 pounds of extra flab This article is obviously not targeted at body builders.

You assume males can't count calories. I know plenty who can, and do when the circumstances require it.

Literally counting every calorie gets old quick, but I think everyone should be able to estimate their calorie intake. It doesn't take long to calibrate your own intuition; after a week of paying close attention, most people should be able to guess the calorie contents of a plate of food.

Re: An Engineer's Guide To Weight Loss

#18

Post by misterbwong »

scott_s wrote: post #17
swombat wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(serious) body builders: a) aren't normal (they're a small minority) b) don't have 50 pounds of extra flab This article is obviously not targeted at body builders.

You assume males can't count calories. I know plenty who can, and do when the circumstances require it. Literally counting every calorie gets old quick, but I think everyone should be able to estimate their calorie intake. It doesn't take long to calibrate your own intuition; after a week of paying close attention, most people should be able to guess the calorie contents of a plate of food.

Agreed. I started counting calories a couple weeks ago. Once you get the hang of it, you can estimate pretty well. In most cases, you don't need to know _exactly_ how many calories you take in. Ballpark works just as well. If you're coming close to the limits you set for yourself, stop eating.

Re: An Engineer's Guide To Weight Loss

#19

Post by bvowk »

swombat wrote: post #11
scott_s wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd be surprised to meet anyone who's male and can be bothered to count their calories every day for more than 1 or 2 weeks I take it you don't know any bodybuilders, or any guys in a weight-class sport, like wrestling, boxing, BJJ or MMA. I think exercise can be feedback unto itself. Performance gains in strength training and calisthenics come surprisingly fast.

(serious) body builders: a) aren't normal (they're a small minority) b) don't have 50 pounds of extra flab This article is obviously not targeted at body builders.

They aren't carrying 50 pounds of extra flab ANYMORE. They don't just magically start with muscle and low body fat.

I started by losing 70 lbs of computer guy gut. And when it comes to keeping track of everything, if you're not going to actually do it right, why start?

Re: An Engineer's Guide To Weight Loss

#20

Post by pg »

gaius wrote: post #8

"Dieting and exercising suck. This is possibly the most miserable thing you can do to yourself. You are not going to have fun." Bzzzt! Wrong attitude. If you hate the exercise you are doing, find another one, there are more sports than anyone can count. If you hate healthy food, learn to cook, I guarantee that anyone who knows what they are doing can prepare a healthy meal that tastes better than pizza or a burger. S…

Yeah, that was weird. To me playing soccer is just about the most fun thing in the world.
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