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I got heavy into tracking personal data after spending a week in a cardiac unit in July 2017. My own tracking efforts have lead me to the absolute best physical

• elorant 6y ago
  Care to describe what devices/programs you're using?
  • hluska 6y ago
    Sure, I would love to but I'll warn you that this sounds a little fucked up (because it is). I was writing code and was two days from launching a startup when my heart went to hell. I called our local Healthline and was told to call 911 because "you are having a heart attack" but I'm a moron so decided to drive myself to the hospital. (I want to start with that story because I got myself into that mess by being a moron and figure that it's important you don't think this came from a place of intellect - it was 99% fear, trauma and trying to overcome the stupid defaults that got me into that mess in the first place.) The first day that I got out of the hospital, I had to move back in with my Mom. I decided to go out for a walk and was in such a bad place that two little old ladies (one of whom had a walker) actually smoked me on the path back to my Mom's area. I was remarkably close to killing myself after that experience and in all truth, if it wasn't for my daughter (she was 18 months old at the time), I would not be here to write this. My GP referred me to a psychiatrist. My psychiatrist is an amazing man and an incredible athlete. He suggested two tools that could help me with my cardio recovery but that have also been extraordinarily useful for my mental health. He recommended a Masimo fingertip oximeter and a training band by Polar. The Polar training band is/was amazing. My first Polar was an H7 with an XXL band. Now I use an H10 with a small band. I'm not sure that I would choose the Polar again if I was starting out now - at the time, my psychiatrist suggested it because I could find a band that would fit in between my massive gut and the band of fat around my chest that used to lead coworkers to tease me about my bra size (I was assigned male at birth and continue to identify as male so that was not complimentary. It was funny at the time but quite sad to think about now.) Program wise is where this story starts to get a little bit fucked up. Remember the first paragraph where I told you that I was writing code when my heart went to hell? Well, that really fucked me up and I quite literally could not write code or even sit in front of a computer. Computers have been my biggest love and practically my sole hobby since I was a 7 year old with a bad stutter. Suddenly, that was replaced with the most unbelievable fear whenever I would open up a text editor or even sit down at a keyboard. Consequently, at first I started using mobile apps and ran everything through my iPhone. But as I started to recover and as my psych meds, therapy and other psychiatric help started to kick in a little more, my brain started to come back. I have a marketing degree and really like data so as my brain started to come back, I started noticing correlations between cardiac metrics and purchasing activity. That was strange. In a sense, my capitalism came back and I saw an opportunity. But, at the same time, I was a patient and doing cardiac rehab/support with ten older adults from my Mom's community. This sounds weird to anyone with a healthy heart but I'm a firm believer that whoever coined the term 'a broken heart' had had a cardiac intervention. It feels exactly the same and I had this group of older adults who cared enough about me to check in on me, come by and make me go for walks or even just sit and watch baseball with me. Consequently, I was never able to turn that opportunity into a business, but it gave me an idea about some code to write. So, I started writing my own fitness tracker. At some point I might release it because it's been damned good for me. The first version is unbelievably sad and I have one hell of a lot of trouble reading that code over now. It was somewhere between a suicide note and a eulogy for my former self but that minimizes how brutally sad some of my variable and method names were. My favourite example is fatFuck.name = Greg. That project turned into rehab and through the years I have kept adding to it. At first, it was purely about rehabbing my brain so I could write code again and maybe graduate to a point where I could comfortably refer to myself as user.name and heck, maybe even remove the word 'dead' from all my method names. But as it has grown, it has turned into a really good tool for teaching myself how to think in terms of healthy defaults. Here is where stuff gets really fucked up sounding so if you've made it this far, good for you! I don't know if the app I wrote has actually helped me or if I hacked myself. I am deeply obsessive, to the point that when my psychiatrist did my OCD screening, I went home and rewrote my resume because the screening materials described my talents better than anything else I had ever written. When I build anything, I test it obsessively. In this case, to test it, I had to live it and 3.5 years later, I have a six pack, no love handles, two marathons down and an ultra in my imminent future. Tracking nutrition against performance metrics yielded the most powerful results of all. At first, I started by writing down what I ate and then tracking my macros. I learned that what I thought was 2000 calories was actually closer to 4000 calories. As I started paying more attention to macros like protein and carbohydrates, I found a great feedback loop where eating healthier foods resulted in improved athletic performance. As my athleticism increased, I was able to work harder and then started tracking my moods against that data. That created another feedback loop where the better I ate, the harder I could exercise and the better I would feel. At this point, 3.5 years later, I actually have healthy defaults. It sounds insane, but I genuinely have healthy defaults. The way I eat, the foods I eat and even the textures I enjoy have completely shifted around. The only downside at this point is that I'm rather skeptical of most of the wearable industry. I've seen way too many metrics that make my capitalism tingle in funny ways. I know that I could enhance tracking with other tools but at this point, I'm pretty obsessed with reading their privacy policies and speaking as a patient instead of an entrepreneur, I don't think the marketing industry needs (or deserves) this type of data. I feel like I've missed a lot. At some point, I'll put everything together into written form and do a better job of this reply. Sorry if this was disjointed!!
    • TuringNYC 6y ago
      I read your skepticism of the wearable industry but i'm curious what you think about the generic smart watches? I've been similarly burnt by numerous wearables but the Apple Watch continues to impress, especially the latest one. I noticed you dont have mentions of the Apple Watch on your side -- is that a personal preference? did you evaluate it as a sensor set? My only qualm with the Apple Watch is the lack of add/on or API to actually allow getting data from it in a non-Batch manner. Any suggestions?
      • hluska 6y ago
        I'm a really bad person to ask about watches. At my current weight/body fat, my wrist circumference is less than 6 inches. Watches, even a woman's size, look absolutely goofy on me. Imagine a little kid playing dressup and wearing his dad's watch. That's me in a watch!! :) And yes, I am exactly that vain. It's another problem. :)
    • NetOpWibby 6y ago
      This was a heavy read but, thanks for sharing.
      • hluska 6y ago
        If you want to talk to someone, my email is in my profile. We can keep it totally anonymous if you would like or I can give you my phone number if you want to talk to a human at 4am.
        • HealthNeed 6y ago
          I'm used to a cold harsh internet. Your kindness has meant a lot to me. Thank you!
          • hluska 6y ago
            You know friend, I have seen a lot of software developers die before their time. While drugs and suicide claim more than I want to recall, heart health has claimed a lot of amazing people. If I can be of any help, even the smallest, most fleeting bit of help, it’s paying back a lot of amazing people who looked out for me. Worst case scenario, laugh at me. Best case scenario, maybe we can prevent a few premature deaths. My email is in my profile. Feel free to reach out if you ever need a human and thanks for your kind words. It’s scary to talk about this stuff (so I don’t do it more often) but feedback like this is really encouraging. :)
• texasbigdata 6y ago
  If possible, can you share how the non-mass metrics have trended? RHR, HRV, VO2 Max, respiratory rate, etc, whatever you got. Had a smaller health concern as well and did about half the work you have...wondering how much value comes from being able to jog a few miles to completing a distance event. Empirically, of course and ignoring any psychological / self-worth principles: on a effort per heart improvement metric, how much is that juice worth the squeeze, because running a triathlon seems very very hard.
  • hluska 6y ago
    First off, triathlons kind of suck. Everything about them is bad and if given a choice, I would only run. Thing is, I have a very small build and when I was over 300 pounds, even walking was a lot of impact. Running was impossible - I simply did not have the dynamic strength to run with any kind of form. So, I got into biking and swimming as ways to improve my cardiac health without the constant pounding. Problem is, I hate swimming or more accurately, I don't like drowning. So if I don't have events to claim, I won't do it. I'm still a significantly better runner and don't think I'll ever graduate up to a full Ironman. I have never even done an official triathlon, only self measured events. But having biking and swimming as part of my fitness package have been incredibly valuable. Swimming, for example, has done amazing things for my lung capacity (though again, it's not the swimming, it's my aversion to drowning). :) Now I'll give you some raw numbers. My resting heart rate has gone from a weekly average of over 90 to a weekly average of under 50. Simultaneously, my heart rate variability increased significantly. Raw numbers with HRV are a little misleading since it varies so much, but I am 43 years old. At the beginning of my odyssey (I had just turned 40), I had the HRV of the average 70 year old. Today, my HRV is way above average for a 20 year old. Oxygen saturation is interesting. I went through a battle with covid in December and the nurse practitioner commented that she had never seen anyone as sick as me with such a high oxygen saturation level. When she asked me how I cared for myself, I told her that I had been working on speed all fall, doing sprints and running hills. Her reply was that she was going to start running up hills everyday on her way home from work. My cardiologist talked me out of trying to actively track and monitor VO2 max. He explained that while it's a decent metric, I'm unlikely to be accurate enough at home to gain anything from it. Back when I used to get regular stress tests, I had a good number every 3, 6 and then 12 months. At my current fitness level, there isn't a particularly good reason to give me a stress test other than personal curiosity and the really fit, incredibly competitive health care worker who actually chirps me out after my stress tests. Next official marathon, I'm beating his ass by thirty minutes. Mind if I share something that both my cardiologist and psychiatrist have told me? I'm not the typical cardiac patient. Instead, I'm deeply obsessive to the point that after my OCD screening, I went home to rewrite my resume as the screening did a far better job of explaining my talents than anything I had ever written. There is no particular need to take things as far as I have. I'm just 'special' and not necessarily in good ways. A lot of my fitness has come out of fear and if I could spare you anything, it would be to spare you that fear. Heart problems are emotionally hard. If you want to talk to someone relatively young who has been there too, my email address is on my profile. We can keep everything anonymous if you'd like to feel more open to talk. I've been through a lot and friend, I've seriously got your back.
• johnwyles 6y ago
  For those browsing here there is a common term for "tracking personal data" this called "Quantified Self". If you are interested in it as a n00b like I am this will greatly help start your search into the hobby. There are a lot of people doing it out there and a bunch of outdated or abandoned projects. I have yet to find a modern one that does for QS what Home Assistant has done for home automation and data collection.
  • hluska 6y ago
    There is an excellent subreddit dedicated to QS - /r/QuantifiedSelf/. I learned one heck of a lot from that sub when I started out and there are some seriously intelligent people there. I've stood on the shoulders of those giants for 3.5 years.
• TuringNYC 6y ago
  You note "How: sensor syncs with phone app via Bluetooth" Did you write this app custom? Are you selling the app? Any open-sources suggestions for a "concentrator app" like this?
  • hluska 6y ago
    I don't want to make money off of this. Rather, it's more of a service to other people. When I was in a dark place, a lot of amazing, beautiful, selfless people brought me into their lives and made me feel like a human again. I have trouble with the thought of selling anything. I did write the iphone app but it is quite simply the worst fucking mess of code I have ever written. I wasn't doing very well in the brain when I wrote it and holy hell, it needs a lot of love. I just wanted to be able to dump raw numbers and work with them on my own, but somewhere along the lines, I became really really really dumb. I'll fix it and let you have it if you want. You can do whatever the heck you want with it.
    • TuringNYC 6y ago
      I would love that! I'm happy to clean it up. I think the "concentration" is the worst problem in everything. There is so much sensor data around the house. Sometimes I use an RPI as a concentrator, but that obviously limits the audience. A smartphone app (iphone or android) would at least reach half the world. If you have a github/etc link (now or later) for others to fork off, that would be awesome! You could post it on this thread.
• FriedrichN 6y ago
  That is incredible. Good job on you, truly! I'm usually quite skeptical on the whole quantified self thing, but if it fits your personality type it can be a big help to get you started at least. I'm old fashioned, I track my weight and workouts in a paper notebook and periodically enter my weight into a spreadsheet so I can spot any upward or downward trends. Do you think you could continue your new lifestyle if you ceased tracking all that data?
  • hluska 6y ago
    I was very worried about that when I started but strangely, over the last 3.5 years, I have developed what I call 'healthy defaults'. I notice this the most with how I shop for groceries and eat in restaurants. Through tracking things, I have been able to form some very strong habits. Ultimately (for me at least), getting into shape and staying fit is about constantly keeping the habit and maintaining healthy defaults. Exercise is another area that has just become habitual. It started off as something I really hated but as I got more fit and started optimizing my nutrition, I got into an incredible feedback loop. The better I eat, the harder I can exercise, the more fun I have and the better I feel after. That creates a really strong feedback loop with my productivity - I can get more done now in six hours fit than I could accomplish in 10 hours fat. I think it would be very hard for me to go back but it's worth trying out. I might give up the app for a few months and see what I can do without it. If I've merely swapped addictions, it's positive (for me) but my tracking regiment is bad.
    • FriedrichN 6y ago
      I've found that forming habits is the key as well. At the start you need all the help you can get until whatever you do becomes part of you. I didn't have such a long way to go as you did, but having had a BMI of well over 25 I know it can take you a while to get to where you want to be. If you told me three years ago I would be able to lift almost two and a half times my body weight, I wouldn't have believed you. I'm no star athlete, but I'm having fun doing it. That's what matters. Habits and enjoyment.
      • 6y ago
• rootusrootus 6y ago
  > My weight went from 340 pounds (hence the cardiac unit) to 160. From one Internet Stranger to another, DAMN, good job! OCD or not, losing close to 200 pounds is a hell of an accomplishment. I'm down just a bit over 50 since May 2020, with an eventual goal of <185. It is also heart issues that inspired me (though my cardiologist says my symptoms are actually benign, I get PVCs so often that they make me anxious, which causes more PVCs, and so on). Being in my mid-40s with a BMI closing in on 40 and anticipating an early demise was very motivational. Still hard sometimes to be good, but every day is a new effort. I'm just seriously impressed to hear of your success. It's inspiring!
  • hluska 6y ago
    Friend, dropping 50 since May 2020 is amazing! You're kicking ass. PVCs are a damned scary feeling - that fluttering is something that I would have gladly gone my entire life without experiencing. I was basically where you are, BMI and I and friend, I believe in you completely. However, you're going through PVCs and dealing with that anxiety so I'm going to share something a little dark. I really firmly believe that whoever coined the term 'a broken heart' to describe the loss of love had had a heart condition too. They are so close, emotionally and even physically. Point being, you're going through a lot and if you need a friend to talk to, my email is in my profile. If you're anything like me, waking up in the middle of the night (4am was my hour) might be pretty rough. I'll give you my phone number and if you need, call me at 4am and we'll have a talk. I believe in you so much that if you're interested, I'll hold off on qualifying for the Boston marathon and wait for you. Even if you don't want to run it with me, come to Boston. We'll celebrate how far we have both come.
• elijaht 6y ago
  Just wanted to say congrats- I've lost around 15 pounds over the course of the year and found that very difficult. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has told you this, but you should take incredible pride in that. This question might miss the point because I'm sure a lot of the data interacts, but if you had to pick one metric/data collection system to track- what would you choose? Edit: Also- what baseball team :)
  • hluska 6y ago
    First off friend, 15 pounds is amazing and life changing. It's incredibly hard. Every single pound is an accomplishment worth celebrating because let's face it, it's a hell of a lot more fun gaining weight than losing weight. As for your question, that has actually changed quite a bit over 3.5 years. In the beginning, it was purely about my heart because I didn't want to die. Now if I could only track one thing, it would be protein volume and amino acid profiles versus the intersection of raw athletic performance and recovery time. If I want to set a PB, I can usually hack that with nutrition. If I want to increase my weekly mileage, I can always hack that with nutrition. But at this point, I can only do one of the two (or else I poop my pants). Edit - I forgot the most important question. My two favourite baseball teams are the New York Yankees and whoever is playing the Boston Red Sox. :) Edit 2 - I wish that I was joking when I said 'or else I poop my pants' but I'm not. Edit 3 - If I just wanted to create a baseline for how fit I am, I would likely use either burpees per minute or perhaps how far I can walk on my hands. Walking on my hands is a very good predictor of everything from swimming to running performance. Or maybe I'd use how many pukers I can bang out in two minutes? A single puker is one chin up followed by one burpee, both with perfect form. If I ever want to train people, I should come up with a better name than a puker but hey, I talk about pooping my pants on HN so what have I got to hide?? :)
    • nugget 6y ago
      Could you expound on how different amino acid profiles impact your performance, and how that knowledge impacts the day to day food choices you make?
      • 6y ago
• matheusmoreira 6y ago
  Congratulations! What you accomplished takes some serious discipline. Even with metrics it couldn't have been easy.
• jjtec 6y ago
  Can you go into more detail? This is really fascinating