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An Engineer's Guide To Weight Loss

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Re: An Engineer's Guide To Weight Loss

#21

Post by notauser »

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…

I walk for 5 miles every evening. It's not very strenuous exercise, but I'm always happy to do it (thank you BBC comedy on radio 4). I suspect doing something easy 7 times a week beats blowing off something hard every day.

The diet part was only hard for two weeks, which I got through by having only one day's food in the house at a time. Now not eating that much just feels normal.

Re: An Engineer's Guide To Weight Loss

#22

Post by ardit33 »

pg wrote: post #20
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.

second that. It is one the most geek friendly sports, it can be from very relaxing to very competitive (depending on who you are playing with). You don't have to be huge, extra tall, have any extra abilities to be decent in soccer.

And I love that there are soccer field sprinkled all over SF, and plenty of co-ed leagues (which tend to be more fun).

Plus, having a great run, gives you a certain natural high, that it is just awesome. Running all the way to Golden Gate Bridge from my home and back, feels just great.

Re: An Engineer's Guide To Weight Loss

#23

Post by eru »

jgrahamc wrote: post #16
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 t…

I read that guide, too, some time ago. Unfortunately, I am not overweight -- so no iPhone for me coming soon.

Re: An Engineer's Guide To Weight Loss

#24

Post by eru »

ardit33 wrote: post #22
pg wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

second that. It is one the most geek friendly sports, it can be from very relaxing to very competitive (depending on who you are playing with). You don't have to be huge, extra tall, have any extra abilities to be decent in soccer. And I love that there are soccer field sprinkled all over SF, and plenty of co-ed leagues (which tend to be more fun). Plus, having a great run, gives you a certain natural high, that it i…

> It is one the most geek friendly sports,

Soccer is _the_ jock sport in Europe.

Ultimate Frisbee is geek friendly even here, though.

Re: An Engineer's Guide To Weight Loss

#25

Post by mhartl »

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.

When I saw the link at HN I figured it was this. Thanks for posting it.

Re: An Engineer's Guide To Weight Loss

#26

Post by swombat »

misterbwong wrote: post #18
scott_s wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I did that too. The problem is, this system does not work "just as well". Certainly did not for me or anyone else I've spoken to. The "rough calorie intake" thing breaks down because our lives are not as regular as you imply. There are times when you will pig out, go on a bender and eat a load of food while drunk, and that's very natural and normal in today's society. At that point you need a feedback system that works whether you're sober or not.

Sadly, a general resolution to "watch your calories" just doesn't do it.

In order to work, a weight-loss system has to remind you each day of where you're at (in perspective with where you've come from). Ultimately there's only two measurements that count: your weight and your body fat percentage. Measure those every day and you'll be much further on the way to weight loss than by calorie counting. Sure, being aware of your rough calorie intake is useful supporting data, but you need to measure the end result to get the "proper" feedback.

The end result of weight loss is not calorie intake, it's loss of weight. If you want to achieve that end result, you need to measure it. Sounds simple enough, no?

Re: An Engineer's Guide To Weight Loss

#27

Post by umjames »

South Bronx Paradise!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_%28Aqua_Teen_Hunger_Force_...

Seriously though, if coffee is an appetite suppressant, what about the sugar and cream most people put in their coffee? Not to mention the fact that coffee servings can come in large containers too.

And recommending smoking to replace drinking? Surely he can't be serious.

Re: An Engineer's Guide To Weight Loss

#28

Post by pg »

eru wrote: post #24
ardit33 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

second that. It is one the most geek friendly sports, it can be from very relaxing to very competitive (depending on who you are playing with). You don't have to be huge, extra tall, have any extra abilities to be decent in soccer. And I love that there are soccer field sprinkled all over SF, and plenty of co-ed leagues (which tend to be more fun). Plus, having a great run, gives you a certain natural high, that it i…

> It is one the most geek friendly sports, Soccer is _the_ jock sport in Europe. Ultimate Frisbee is geek friendly even here, though.

Soccer is _the_ jock sport in Europe.

Yeah, it's strange. I convinced a friend who was visiting from Holland for a semester to play on a team with me, but he said he'd never do that at home.

Re: An Engineer's Guide To Weight Loss

#30

Post by ardit33 »

eru wrote: post #24
ardit33 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

second that. It is one the most geek friendly sports, it can be from very relaxing to very competitive (depending on who you are playing with). You don't have to be huge, extra tall, have any extra abilities to be decent in soccer. And I love that there are soccer field sprinkled all over SF, and plenty of co-ed leagues (which tend to be more fun). Plus, having a great run, gives you a certain natural high, that it i…

> It is one the most geek friendly sports, Soccer is _the_ jock sport in Europe. Ultimate Frisbee is geek friendly even here, though.

huh? I am european, and everybody plays soccer back home. I mean everybody (girls a little less, but usually at the beach). I hope you don't think everybody is a jock.

Are you FAT, you would be a great for a golie (if playing small goals). Are you tough, but kinda slow, play defenese. Do you have great endurance, then midefield, are you good at sprinting and shooting, then offense.

In soccer there is a place for everybody, as long as you can run some.

Ah, probably ultimate frisby is a very geeky sport, in kinda lame way. It is a very demasculating sport.

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