If you are very overweight, very weak, very inflexible, or very very anything negative, tracking even a mediocre variable will help you develop awareness that leads to the right behavioral changes. anything negative, tracking even a mediocre variable will help you develop awareness that leads to the right behavioral changes.

This underscores an encouraging lesson: you don't have to get it all right. You just have to be crystal clear on a few concepts.

Results will follow.

Enter Chad Fowler.

The Harajuku Moment "Why had I gone 10 years getting more and more out of shape (starting off pretty unhealthy in the first place) only to finally fix it now?

"I actually remember the exact moment I decided to do something.

"I was in Tokyo with a group of friends. We all went down to Harajuku to see if we could see some artistically dressed youngsters and also to shop for fabulous clothing, which the area is famous for. A couple of the people with us were pretty fashionable dressers and had some specific things in mind they wanted to buy. After walking into shops several times and leaving without seriously considering buying anything, one of my friends and I gave up and just waited outside while the others continued shopping.

"We both lamented how unfashionable we were.

"I then found myself saying the following to him: 'For me, it doesn't even matter what I wear; I'm not going to look good anyway.'

"I think he agreed with me. I can't remember, but that's not the point. The point was that, as I said those words, they hung in the air like when you say something super-embarra.s.sing in a loud room but happen to catch the one randomly occurring slice of silence that happens all night long. Everyone looks at you like you're an idiot. But this time, it was me looking at myself critically. I heard myself say those words and I recognized them not for their content, but for their tone of helplessness. I am, in most of my endeavors, a solidly successful person. I decide I want things to be a certain way, and I make it happen. I've done it with my career, my learning of music, understanding of foreign languages, and basically everything I've tried to do.

"For a long time, I've known that the key to getting started down the path of being remarkable in anything is to simply act with the intention of being remarkable.

"If I want a better-than-average career, I can't simply 'go with the flow' and get it. Most people do just that: they wish for an outcome but make no intention-driven actions toward that outcome. If they would just do something something most people would find that they get some version of the outcome they're looking for. That's been my secret. Stop wishing and start doing. most people would find that they get some version of the outcome they're looking for. That's been my secret. Stop wishing and start doing.

"Yet here I was, talking about arguably the most important part of my life-my health-as if it was something I had no control over. I had been going with the flow for years. Wishing for an outcome and waiting to see if it would come. I was the limp, powerless ego I detest in other people.

"But somehow, as the school nerd who always got picked last for everything, I had allowed 'not being good at sports' or 'not being fit' to enter what I considered to be inherent attributes of myself. The net result is that I was left with an understanding of myself as an incomplete incomplete person. And though I had (perhaps) overcompensated for that incompleteness by kicking a.s.s in every other way I could, I was still carrying this powerlessness around with me and it was very slowly and subtly gnawing away at me from the inside. person. And though I had (perhaps) overcompensated for that incompleteness by kicking a.s.s in every other way I could, I was still carrying this powerlessness around with me and it was very slowly and subtly gnawing away at me from the inside.

"So, while it's true that I wouldn't have looked great in the fancy clothes, the seemingly superficial catalyst that drove me to finally do something wasn't at all superficial. It actually pulled out a deep root that had been, I think, driving an important part of me for basically my entire life.

"And now I recognize that this is a pattern. In the culture I run in (computer programmers and tech people), this partial-completeness is not just common but maybe even the norm. My life lately has taken on a new focus: digging up those bad roots; the holes I don't notice in myself. And now I'm filling them one at a time.

"Once I started the weight loss, the entire process was not only easy but enjoyable.

"I started out easy. Just paying attention to food and doing relaxed cardio three to four times a week. This is when I started thinking in terms of making every day just slightly better than the day before. On day 1 it was easy. Any exercise was better than what I'd been doing.

"If you ask the average obese person: 'If you could work out for ONE year and be considered "in shape," would you do it?' I'd guess that just about every single one would emphatically say, 'h.e.l.l, yes!' The problem is that for most normal people, there is no clear path from fat to okay in a year. For almost everyone, the path is there and obvious if you know what you're doing, but it's almost impossible to imagine an outcome like that so far in the distance.

"The number-one realization that led me to be able to keep doing it and make the right decisions was to use data use data.

"I learned about the basal metabolic rate (BMR), also called resting metabolic rate, and was amazed at how many calories I would have to eat in order to stay the same weight. It was huge. As I started looking at calorie content for food that wasn't obviously bad, I felt like I'd have to just gluttonously eat all day long if I wanted to stay fat. The BMR showed me that (1) it wasn't going to be hard to cut calories, and (2) I must have been making BIG mistakes before in order to consume those calories-not small ones. That's good news. Big mistakes mean lots of low-hanging fruit.1 "Next was learning that 4,000 calories equals about a pound of fat. I know that's an oversimplification, but that's okay. Oversimplifying is one of the next things I'll mention as a tool. Oversimplifying is one of the next things I'll mention as a tool. But if 4,000 is roughly a pound of fat, and my BMR makes it pretty easy to shave off some huge number of calories per day, it suddenly becomes very clear how to lose lots of weight without even doing any exercise. Add in some calculations on how many calories you burn doing, say, 30 minutes of exercise and you can pretty quickly come up with a formula that looks something like: But if 4,000 is roughly a pound of fat, and my BMR makes it pretty easy to shave off some huge number of calories per day, it suddenly becomes very clear how to lose lots of weight without even doing any exercise. Add in some calculations on how many calories you burn doing, say, 30 minutes of exercise and you can pretty quickly come up with a formula that looks something like: BMR = 2,900Actual intake = 1,800Deficit from diet = BMR actual intake = 1,100Burned from 30 minutes cardio = 500Total deficit = deficit from diet burned from 30 minutes cardio = 1,600 "So that's 1,600 calories saved in a day, or almost half a pound of bad weight I could lose in a single day. So for a big round number, I can lose 5 pounds in a week and a half without even working too hard. When you're 50 pounds overweight, getting to 10% of your goal that fast is real real.

"An important thing I alluded to earlier is that all of these numbers are in some ways bulls.h.i.t. That's okay, and realizing that it was okay was one of the biggest shifts I had to make. When you're 5070 pounds overweight (or I'd say whenever you have a BIG change to make), worrying about counting calories consumed or burned slightly inaccurately is going to kill you. The fact of the matter is, there are no tools available to normal people which will tell us exactly how much energy we're burning or consuming. But if you're just That's okay, and realizing that it was okay was one of the biggest shifts I had to make. When you're 5070 pounds overweight (or I'd say whenever you have a BIG change to make), worrying about counting calories consumed or burned slightly inaccurately is going to kill you. The fact of the matter is, there are no tools available to normal people which will tell us exactly how much energy we're burning or consuming. But if you're just kinda kinda right and, more important, the numbers are right and, more important, the numbers are directionally directionally right, you can make a big difference with them. right, you can make a big difference with them.

"Here's another helpful pseudo-science number: apparently, 10 pounds of weight loss is roughly a clothing size [XL L M]. That was a HUGE motivator. I loved donating clothes all year and doing guilt-free shopping.

"As a nerd, I find myself too easily discouraged by data collection projects where it's difficult or impossible to collect accurate data. Training myself to forget that made all the difference.

"Added to this knowledge was a basic understanding of how metabolism works. Here are the main things I changed: breakfast within 30 minutes of waking and five to six meals a day of roughly 200 calories each. How did I measure the calories? I didn't. I put together an exact meal plan for just ONE week, bought all the ingredients, stuck to it religiously. From that point on, I didn't have to do the hard work anymore. I became aware after just one week of roughly roughly how many calories were in a portion of different types of food and just guessed. Again, trying to literally how many calories were in a portion of different types of food and just guessed. Again, trying to literally count count calories sucks and is demotivating. Setting up a rigid template for a week and then using it as a basic guide is sustainable and fun. calories sucks and is demotivating. Setting up a rigid template for a week and then using it as a basic guide is sustainable and fun.

"Just a few more disconnected tips: "I set up a workstation where I could pedal on a rec.u.mbent bike while working. I did real work, wrote parts of The Pa.s.sionate Programmer The Pa.s.sionate Programmer, played video games, chatted with friends, and watched ridiculous television shows I'd normally be ashamed to be wasting my time on all while staying in my aerobic zone. I know a lot of creative people who hate exercise because it's boring. I was in that camp too (I'm not anymore...it changes once you get into it). The bike/desk was my savior. That mixed with a measurement system: "I got a heart rate monitor (HRM) and started using it for EVERYTHING. I used it while pedaling to make sure that even when I was having fun playing a game I was doing myself some good. If you know your heart rate zones (easy to find on the Internet), the ambiguity non-fitness-experts feel with respect to exercise is removed. Thirty minutes in your aerobic zone is good exercise and burns fat. Calculate how many calories you burn (a good HRM will do it for you), and the experience is fun and motivating. I started wearing my HRM when I was doing things like annoying ch.o.r.es around the house. You can clean house fast and burn serious fat. That's not some Montel Williams BS. It's real. Because of the constant use of an HRM I was able to combine fun and exercise or annoying ch.o.r.es and exercise, making all of it more rewarding and way less likely I'd get lazy and decide not to do it.

"Building muscle is, as you know, one of the best ways to burn fat. But geeks don't know how to build muscle. And as I've mentioned, geeks don't like to do things they don't know know are going to work. We like data. We value expertise. So I hired a trainer to teach me what to do. I think I could have let go of the trainer after a few sessions, since I had learned the 'right' exercises, but I've stayed with her for the past year. are going to work. We like data. We value expertise. So I hired a trainer to teach me what to do. I think I could have let go of the trainer after a few sessions, since I had learned the 'right' exercises, but I've stayed with her for the past year.

"Finally, as a friend said of my difficulty in writing about my insights for weight loss, a key insight is my lack of specific insights.

"To some extent, the answer is just 'diet and exercise.' There were no gimmicks. I used data we all have access to I used data we all have access to and just trusted biology to work its magic. I gave it a trial of 20 days or so and lost a significant amount of weight. Even better, I started waking up thinking about exercising because I felt good. and just trusted biology to work its magic. I gave it a trial of 20 days or so and lost a significant amount of weight. Even better, I started waking up thinking about exercising because I felt good.

"It was easy."

It was easy for Chad because of his Harajuku Moment. It worked because he used numbers.

In the next chapter next chapter, you'll get your numbers.

That's when the fun begins.

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Chad Fowler, before and after his Harajuku Moment. (Photos: James Duncan Davidson) TOOLS AND TRICKS.

"Practical Pessimism: Stoicism as Productivity System," Google Ignite (www.fourhourbody.com/stoicism) This is a five-minute presentation I gave in 2009 on my personal Harajuku Moment. This video will show you how to inoculate your fears while leveraging them to accomplish what you want. This is a five-minute presentation I gave in 2009 on my personal Harajuku Moment. This video will show you how to inoculate your fears while leveraging them to accomplish what you want.

Clive Thompson, "Are Your Friends Making You Fat?" New York Times New York Times, September 10, 2009 (www.fourhourbody.com/friends) Reaching your physical goals is a product, in part, of sheer proximity to people who exhibit what you're targeting. This article explains the importance, and implications, of choosing your peer group. Reaching your physical goals is a product, in part, of sheer proximity to people who exhibit what you're targeting. This article explains the importance, and implications, of choosing your peer group.

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End of Chapter Notes 1. Tim: This type of low-hanging fruit is also commonly found by would-be weight gainers when they record protein intake for the first time. Many are only consuming 4050 grams of protein per day. Tim: This type of low-hanging fruit is also commonly found by would-be weight gainers when they record protein intake for the first time. Many are only consuming 4050 grams of protein per day.

ELUSIVE BODYFAT.

Where Are You Really?

The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.-Richard P. Feynman, n.o.bel Prizewinning physicist U ["Know Thyself"]-Inscription at Temple of Apollo at Adelphi [image]

Think fat is just under the skin? Think again. The above MRI of a 250-pound woman, compared to a 120-pound woman, shows the large fat deposits around internal organs. The undigested food is a reader-gagging bonus.

Update E-Mail from Subject X, Male:12/27/08Beginning weight 245 lbs.

1/30/09End of month #1 228 lbs.

3/1/09End of month #2 222 1/2 lbs.[Too little protein in the morning for the past 4 weeks; added 30 grams within 30 minutes of waking to restart fat-loss]

4/2/09End of month #3 203 3/4 lbs.[90 day weight loss = 41 1/4 lbs.]

5/1/09End of month #4 200 lbs.

6/1/09End of month #5 193 lbs.

7/1/09End of month #6 186 3/4 lbs.

7/31/09End of month #7 ------185 lbs.

It's somewhat demoralizing to only lose eight pounds in the last two months.

As far as my lifting exercises are concerned, there are five basic lifts.2 The two weights I am giving you are the poundage when I started and my present poundage. The two weights I am giving you are the poundage when I started and my present poundage.

1. Shoulder Press-10 slow reps3Starting weight-15 lbs. Present weight-75 lbs.2. Pulldown-8 slow repsStarting weight-50 lbs. Present weight-135 lbs.3. Bench Press-8 slow repsStarting weight-30 lbs. Present weight-90 lbs.4. Row-8 slow repsStarting weight-50 lbs. Present weight-120 lbs.5. Curl-12 slow repsStarting weight-15 lbs. Present weight-50 lbs.

Subject X, aged 65, was depressed by his slowing rate of weight loss. The real question was: should he have been?

The Deceptive Scale Looking at his exercise logs, he showed ma.s.sive strength gains in the three months where he showed the least weight weight loss. loss.

I didn't think this was a coincidence. He had almost tripled his strength in all movements, and to estimate 10 pounds of lean muscle gain over those three months would be conservative. This would make his actual fat-loss closer to 18 pounds, not the scale's 8.

His muscle gains slowed after this update e-mail, and the fat-loss once again began to show on the scale. He dropped from 185 to 173. Total weight weight lost: 72 pounds. lost: 72 pounds.

But total fat fat lost? It's impossible to tell. In a rush to get started, I hadn't insisted on getting his bodyfat percentage measured. lost? It's impossible to tell. In a rush to get started, I hadn't insisted on getting his bodyfat percentage measured.

Not that I cared much. For the first time in my life, I saw my father weighing less than me. During his annual checkup four months later, his doctor remarked: "You realize you're younger now than you were a year ago. You may just live forever." It was a stark contrast to his 245 pounds at 56 just a year earlier. My dad had gone from risk of sudden heart attack to looking and feeling 10 years younger in 12 months.

Regardless, he had become depressed about his results precisely when he should have been giving people high-fives. It takes just one such incident to ruin an entire program and months of progress.

How can you you prevent unnecessary moments of doubt? prevent unnecessary moments of doubt?

It just takes a few simple numbers to steer the ship-to know, without fail, when something is working and when it is not.

Until you finish this chapter, do not pa.s.s go.

If you want to skip directly to the actions, jump to "Starting Your Physical GPS" on this page this page. In fact, I suggest this for the first read through.

Choosing the Right Tools I used to have a signature move while driving.

About a quarter-mile or so before arriving at my hard-fought destination, often within 200 feet, I would come to the unwavering conclusion that I'd gone too far. Then I would U-turn and drive in the opposite direction, only to repeat the drill like a dog tethered to a clothesline. Best-case scenario, this shuttle run doubled my travel time. Worst-case scenario, I got so frustrated that I abandoned the trip altogether.

This is exactly what most people do with fat-loss and exercise.

Using a blunt instrument like a scale (the equivalent of the odometer in my example) people often conclude they're not making progress when, in fact, they are making tremendous progress. This leads to a musical chairs of fad diets and demoralizing last-ditch efforts that do more harm than good. To hit your target 20-pound recomposition, you'll need to track the right numbers.

The scale is one tool, and you should use it, but it is not king. It can mislead. Take this unedited feedback from Angel, who was two weeks into the Slow-Carb Diet at the time (see "The Slow-Carb Diet I and II" chapters):

After my cheat day on Sat.u.r.day, I gained 1 pound which is normal for me...week two, I lost that 1 pound. I didn't lose any [additional] weight on week two, but I'm not discouraged. I did manage to lose in inches. I lost an inch off my hips which is absolutely great. I lost a total of 1 inch off my thighs. Not so shabby either. So that's a total of 1.5 inches for the week. I'll take the inches. The grand total of inches lost from Day One: 5 inches...Yippee! No exercise either.

My driving issues ended when I bought a GPS device.

The GPS fixed my problem because it could answer the simple question: was I getting closer closer to my destination? to my destination?

In body redesign, our "destination" is a better ratio of body composition composition, not weight.

How much of you is useful muscle and how much of you is useless fat? Our constant companions will be circ.u.mference and bodyfat measurements. By the end of this chapter, you will have a starting point for your own physical GPS. This will guide you to your 20-pound recomposition goal.

Circ.u.mference is easy enough: use a tape measure. We'll cover the details at the end of this chapter.

But how do we actually measure bodyfat percentage?

It turns out, there are a lot of options, and the most common are the worst.

Skinning the Cat In one 24-hour period,4 I took more than a dozen bodyfat measurements using the easiest-to-find, as well as the most sophisticated, equipment available. I took more than a dozen bodyfat measurements using the easiest-to-find, as well as the most sophisticated, equipment available.

Here are some of the results, from lowest to highest:

7%-3-point with SlimGuide calipers 7.19.4%-Accu-measure 9.5%-BodyMetrix ultrasound 11.3%-DEXA 13.3%-BodPod 14.715.4%-Omron hand-held bio-impedance (second value after drinking two liters of water in five minutes) 15.4616.51%-4-site SlimGuide calipers

The range is 7% to 16.51%. So then, which of these bad boys is accurate?

The truth is, none of them are accurate. Moreover, this doesn't matter. We just need to make sure that the method we choose is consistent.

The following table shows the various techniques I considered, ordered from most to least error-p.r.o.ne.5 [image]

Provided by Luiz Da Silva, PhD., scientific advisory board, UC Davis National Science Foundation Center for Biophotonics Science and Technology.

After dozens of trials with multiple subjects, and taking into account both constancy and convenience (including cost), there were three clear winners:6

1. DEXA.

2. BodPod 3. Ultrasound (BodyMetrix)

The Top 3 DEXA.