9 ms·

The Hacker's Diet (2005)

• drallison 8y ago
  Most computer folks find John Walker's site, https://www.fourmilab.ch/ https://www.fourmilab.ch/, fascinating. Not only is it home to The Hackers Diet but it also hosts other things John has done. Start-up folks should read The Autodesk Papers, which details the growth of Autodesk.
• koolba 8y ago
  > Before sending this file to a printer, consider that the book is almost 250 pages long. My immediate reaction is how can someone with a programming background write 250 pages about a topic as simple as dieting?! So I skimmed it a bit and it’s quite a fun read! It’s reads as if the author is speaking directly to you, with both pure facts and colorful analogies. Looking forward to going through the rest.
  • retzkek 8y ago
    > a topic as simple as dieting Diet and nutrition has to be one of the most complex and divisive topics currently. There is an incredible amount of anecdotal advice and "scientific" evidence for every theory imaginable, driven by the vast diversity of the human population and commercial agendas. Or do you think in terms of "calories in - calories out = weight gain", which is as simple as it is useless?
    • hudbuddy 8y ago
      > as simple as it is useless I have found this mindset helpful. Is it regarded as useless in a dietetic context?
      • TeMPOraL 8y ago
        From what I observed, there are two factors at play that work to discourage this simple model: 1) The body is good at up and downregulating its calories use and cravings depending on what you eat. 2) The "calories in/out" approach doesn't depend on particular foods you eat, which means you can't sell your new magic fad diet without doing your best to discredit it.
        • AstralStorm 8y ago
          1) Yes, which is why it gets much harder to lose weight the longer the diet lasts, which makes more people do it as they don't get any effect. 2) Everyone wants a magic bullet, but sip far there isn't one. On the other hand, specific diets and restrictions may be easier to keep and cause faster or more weight loss than others, as well as suppress appetite more or less.
      • DanBC 8y ago
        > Is it regarded as useless in a dietetic context? Yes. For example, it's why a dietitian will tell you to eat whole fruit, and tell you not to drink smoothies or juices (apart from very limited amounts).
• mikehollinger 8y ago
  This takes me back! I ended up using the excel sheet that comes with this to start measuring myself, and literally ran my ass off on a treadmill over a couple of years. It’s good stuff, and I trusted it because he was “one of us.”
• krupan 8y ago
  I've been weighing myself every day and entering into the hacke diet online website for a good 6 or 7 years now. Seeing my trend (and not worrying about day to day fluctuations) has been a great tool to help me maintain my weight and not let it get out of control.
• fomojola 8y ago
  I built https://www.eatclock.com https://www.eatclock.com after I started reading this: I really liked the idea of an "its-now-time-to-eat" indicator. I tried to keep it super simple (one of 3 meal sizes, and no history editing) and there is quite some ways to go to get to full eat watch status from where I am, but it has been immediately useful to me just to have a weekly "you ate 49 times last week" email. After the third week where I ate 49 times I started paying a bit more attention (down to 42 now).
• aidenn0 8y ago
  Note that this diet does presuppose not just the hacker's love for numbers, but also the drive that founders tend to have. Just counting calories requires a certain sort of discipline and drive that many (including myself) do not have.
  • mehwoot 8y ago
    Counting everything you eat is pretty arduous, but at least being aware of how it works and how many calories are in the most common foods you eat can be immensely useful. It's a huge step up from most people's vague notions of foods being "good" or "bad".
    • batiudrami 8y ago
      Yeah it's definitely much easier to keep a rough estimate in your head. Just knowing that a piece of cheese is 400kJ, a beer is 450 and a can of coke 900 is worthwhile. People tend to underestimate their eating habits if they don't keep a rigorous diary but it's far better than nothing and was a big help in losing weight for me (along with working to find an exercise regime I could actually covert to a habit, even though I still hate every minute of it).
      • deleted 8y ago
        [deleted]
  • Swizec 8y ago
    I've been counting calories for at least 5 years now. It makes my life so much easier. That chocolate looks delicious. Can I have it? Normal person: Ugh but I didn't work out today. Humbug my belly is getting big. Those pants from last year are kinda tight. I'm a little peckish and bored. Hm agony for 20 minutes before you finally give in and have the chocolate. Then you feel guilty for the rest of the day. Swiz: Check calorie and macro tracker. Yup, all good. Eat chocolate. Enjoy life. Take 20 grams less potatoes at dinner.
    • kaishiro 8y ago
• julianz 8y ago
  I used this to lose a decent amount of weight a few years ago, it was a good read and quite motivating. Unfortunately I then got back into homebrewing, increased my craft beer consumption, and most of it came back. It's good to know what's possible though :)
  • lihaciudaniel 8y ago
    Don't lose hope. You scientifically speaking fell back into the habit. Instead of removing it replace with something else.
  • dawidw 8y ago
    Beer has female hormones which make belly and boobs. Try to switch to wine - producing, or at least consuming.
• bertr4nd 8y ago
  I've used this method for almost exactly 6 years now, and I have a very interesting chart on trendweight.com to show for it. My success has been rather mixed. In that time period I've twice lost 20 lbs and twice regained it. The first time, I gained very gradually, the result of having moved to an employer with free food, and needing to learn new habits of self control. The second time, I regained very rapidly, because I was a new dad, and really underestimated the combined stress of working and parenting. Hoping I can pull off a third time and keep it off.
  • mgiannopoulos 8y ago
    I’ve been using it for five years as well. I find that when I regain some weight (usually 2-3kg on vacations and holidays) I tend to loose much quicker than the last time. Have you noticed that?
    • bertr4nd 8y ago
      Interesting -I haven’t noticed that myself, but my weight tends to move in macro-trends: long periods of time when I’m either gaining or losing. I did notice that the second “losing” time was much harder than the first. Possibly reduced metabolic rate due to aging?
      • AstralStorm 8y ago
        That or reduced exercise. It can get you that extra 10% or so burn rate you need.
• cncrnd 8y ago
  The easiest thing to do to reduce your caloric intake is to start cooking...it's very hard to get to high calorie numbers if you are making your own food instead of eating out. Oh, and when you're hungry eat a meal first then snack later. Don't start snacking first or you can find yourself over indulging in chips to make up for the meal you didn't eat on time.
  • cageface 8y ago
    Cooking your own food is a great way to improve your health and also unplug from technology for a while. Restaurant food is usually way too full of oil, sugar and salt. Another very healthy way to reduce your caloric intake is to make fresh vegetables the center of your diet and then fill in from there instead of eating the occasional side salad.
  • cup-of-tea 8y ago
    When I started to cook I actually gained a huge amount of weight. I've no idea what you mean by being hard to get high calorie numbers. It's as easy as any other way: you eat too much food. It was only when I actually learnt what a sensible serving size was and actually weighing out my ingredients (especially carbs) that I became normal again.
    • cncrnd 8y ago
      Usually I just throw some meat on the grill and put it in a quesadilla or sandwich with various toppings. I occasionally make a salad, but very very occasionally. I feel pretty full and rarely take in more than 2k calories a day - I'm not limiting intake in any way. I've never struggled with weight though, just a few pounds after college prompted me to start cooking.
• cup-of-tea 8y ago
  I read the introduction to this and thoroughly disagree with it on multiple points. I'm someone who used to be obese but I've been in excellent shape (six pack etc) for more than eight years now. For a start, you should not be aiming to "lose weight". You should be aiming to maintain weight, and that weight might be lower than what you currently maintain. A diet is not a short term thing that is hard. If you think about it like that then when you finish "losing weight" you'll just go back to your normal mode of eating too much. This is what most people do. What you actually want to do is change your lifestyle forever. Changing your lifestyle forever cannot actually include counting calories. You are not going to do that for the rest of your life. Counting calories should be merely an educational exercise. Before long you should just know how much to eat. If you're the kind of person who can't drive a route you've already driven with GPS a second time without GPS then you won't have much luck. Learn to be that person. The biggest lifestyle change you can make is cooking everything you eat yourself and do not snack at all. Learn to be hungry and look forward to your next meal. I observe fat people all the time and they don't necessarily eat huge meals, they just eat constantly throughout the day. A hacker's diet should be one that is incredibly easy to follow. I eat two meals a day. I weigh out starchy ingredients because I know how much I need. I do not place calorific items into my mouth between meals. Never ever.
  • AstralStorm 8y ago
    Unfortunately for most of us, work lacks proper kitchens and reheated food is vastly inferior and harder to prepare. Plus you're not getting paid for the time cooking unless you work in a restaurant or as a house maid.
    • cup-of-tea 8y ago
      Why does it need to be hot? I eat room temperature food for lunch (not cold. I don't understand why people put their lunch in a fridge).
      • yial 8y ago
        I used to be about 50lbs heavier then I am now (not 6 pack yet ) but I found most of your suggestions to be similar to what work for me. I make my meals in advance for work, if I can’t pack a meal I simply don’t eat. (For example. Lunch may be a tuna sandwich made with 1 can of tuna(110 calories) soy sauce (6 cal) low cal mayo (10 grams, 45 calories) and two slices of light bread toasted in advance (90 calories ) and carrots or celery or an apple if I’m feeling adventurous. ) Otherwise I prepar my meals, and mostly avoid snacking. If I snack it’s going to be some carrots or similar that I log in a tracking app. Though now after a year of nearly continuous meal and excrsice tracking I have found I tend to eat appropriate sized meals.
• AstralStorm 8y ago
  The problem with such external drive is that it is trivially easy to flub. It takes one good binge to wipe out a year of a diet, one slip of control. The more you can rely on appetite control, the better.
• jamilbk 8y ago
  I made it through the first few pages and the author seems to treat calories from all sources the same. I wonder what his take on the theory that calories from some sources (e.g. saturated and monounsaturated fats) are generally not translated to fat in your body whereas calories from other sources (glucose, fructose) generally are. For example, a tbsp of coconut oil contains 117 calories while the same volume of sugar contains 48. Yet anyone following a ketogenic diet would argue in favor of calories from the coconut oil over sugar any day. Another great nutrition book for the analytically-minded among us (not actually a prescriptive "diet" despite the title): Perfect Health Diet http://perfecthealthdiet.com/the-diet/ http://perfecthealthdiet.com/the-diet/
  • lubonay 8y ago
    Then again, lots of studies point towards the keto diet being equivalent to a moderate-carb (e.g. 100-200g for an average person) diet that has the same amount of calories. Personally, I think low-carb diets seem to work better for most people, because almost all junk food is high in carbs, and therefore forbidden. Obviously if you want a healthy and lean body, you need to focus on healthy foods and keep the junk to a minimum.
• ameixaseca 8y ago
  Tracking what you eat is important, counting calories not necessarily. The calories-in/calories-out model misses a number of important factors like the effect of insulin on weight and lowering of BMR on non-fasted caloric restriction. IOW, 100 calories of fat are very different from 100 calories of sugar, and that's completely erased when everything is standardized as a simple "calorie".