From Fat to Fit

A lot of people have contacted me with questions related to my post “From Fat Quant to Fit Nerd Part 1” and “An Algorithm to Lose Weight?” in the TheQuantMethod.com. The main questions are:

1. What specific steps would people take to replicate what I did?
2. How long did it take to go half way from where I was in 2009 and now in 2011?
3. What specific technology did I use?

Those questions are going to be answered here, by breaking down the key elements according to their corresponding contribution in my change from fat to fit.

As I mentioned in my blog thequantmethod.com, I was able to lose those 60 plus pounds of fat and get in shape in a relatively short period of time by doing a lot of research in the subject, by being patient and setting up an objective function with constraints that met my specific needs. I took a top-down approach to the problem, an approach that was compatible with my Quant mentality. 

Fortunately, I had been collecting data about my own weight, body fat percentage, calories consumed, ratios of nutrients consumed, caloric expenditure, etc. since 1987. By doing some cluster analysis and correlation of my own weight gain with periods where I had done popular diets, a picture started to emerge. Although I am planning to show a complete analysis of the main things I discovered when I analyzed, these are some of the findings:

1. Weight loss during popular diets was mostly muscle mass compared to bodyfat 
2. Weight loss during diets was gained back a few month later
3. Diets that eliminated entire food groups decreased my energy levels and were difficult to maintain over time
4. My consumption of fat and carb was a lot higher that my consumption of lean proteins
5. Counting calories seems to help, but was not very consistent
6. My preference of exercises was lifting weights & cycling compared to cardio (running, jogging)

So, my research showed that in some periods of my life, I had done some programs where the weight loss was mainly fat loss, and in other periods, the weight loss was mainly muscle loss. Further analysis showed that my consumption of lean protein had been sub-optimal, and once I adjusted it accordingly, everything started to improve dramatically on the nutrition side.

I was able to identify other important factors in the psychological aspects of training, as well as in the use of technology and choice of exercises.  

So I created a body control panel in Excel in order to optimize every activity needed to reach my fitness goal. 

A summary of the key components and their contribution is in the table below.

Components	Contribution	Main aspects
Nutrition	40%	Macro nutrients Caloric deficit & surpluses Distribution of calories Timing of meals Starvation mode Carb cycling
Weight Lifting	20%	Sequence of exercises Rest Periods Choice of exercises
Cardio	20%	Steady State HIIT
Psychology	10%	Compliance Goal setting
Technology	10%	Record Keeping Balancing of aerobic & anaerobic activity Avoidance of overtraining

For specific resources and recommendations, go to the tabs "Required Resources", “Optional Resources” or "Technology".