In a recent post, Brett McKay writes on how to measure yourself for clothing (business shirt, pants sizes etc) beyond the typical X, XXL.

I am a bit embarrassed to admit it, I first thought the site was either some sort of homosexaul, greco roman wrestling site or an attention seeking spam site.

I was wrong on both occasions!

It’s a quirky “man’s man” site.  It has advice on how to shave, how to tie a tie and to stop hanging out with women and start dating them!

It is as if the writers squared up at Justin Bieber and all the modern day metro sexuals and kicked them square in the nuts!

I was really surprised at how its not gratuitous or rude.  It is literally a time warp back to the 1950′s!

Go have a read!

So here’s my 6 months review:

• It works!
• Weight loss to date is 12.5kg / 27 pounds
• My cholesterol is sky high! (7.7)
• My waist measurement is 104cm (<94cm is optimal)

Mentally my outlook has drastically changed.  At my age (36) and height (6’2″) I should be aiming for about 90kg.  Never before have I felt so confident that I will hit that.

Physically I have so much more energy.  Not in the “I’m going to go to the gym for the 9th time this week”.  It is more in the little things.  For example, I used to leave the dirty dishes in the sink and clean them the next day.  Now I see it has something that I can do in 5 minutes.

The only downside I’ve found is sugar.  I’ve been following Season 2 of Masterchef.  Some of the deserts look fantastic!  But from a weight loss point of view they are very expensive!

Take for example a Neenish Tart.  I would often have one of these with a coffee (~ 1 per week).  Now I know they aren’t good for you and that I shouldn’t have them, but just how bad are they?

(I’m not going to promote one low carb vs another.  I had great results with Michael Eades’, your results may vary).  The Wikipedia article couldn’t clearly define what is and isn’t low carbs.  So for arguments sake, lets say you are eating 20 – 30 grams per day.

What is in a Neenish Tart?

In my experience, going off the rails like this isn’t the end of the world, but it can be a setback.

What’s your experience been like?

First time I heard the concept I dismissed it and belittled its importance.  But watching “What the Bleep” and particularly the Love Crystals changed my mind.

I don’t want to get all Yoda on you, either you have an open mind or you don’t.  I was skeptical, but have an open mind.  If you feel that that isn’t you then perhaps you should stop reading.

So have a look at the site http://thxthxthx.com by Leah Dieterich.  Basically she writes a daily “thank you” to whatever is going on in her life.

I know it’s a little ironic, but I can’t remember for the life of me who recommend I read it.  If it was you, thank you!

Rock on!

At the moment, I’ve lost a little over 8 kg / 17 pounds – my results are totally unexpected and I honestly can’t tell you how excited I am!

So I’ve been following the Michael Eades vs Anthony Colpo “smack down” (as he likes to call it).

My science is weak, so I have difficulty understanding either. But a few points jumped out:
Take advantage of the situation
(Playing devil’s advocate here) Let’s say Eades’ is wrong, Colpo is right. Anthony has a great opportunity to increase his readership (since Eades’ readers will visit his site), sell some books etc. etc.

Anthony’s opening salvo:

Note: This article contains strong language. Please close this page immediately if you are a minor or easily offended

What??? Immediately I am on edge. Not because I get easily offended, but because it is not necessary. I don’t know why Low Carb works (but it does work for me!) First thing I see is a warning. Anthony if you really are right, and Eade’s is wrong, why do you need to use strong language. The only thing I am looking for is strong science!

-1 to Anthony

Leave out the emotion
Anthony’s next sentence:

Poor Dr. Michael Eades. He’s a hyperbolic book author with an overblown ego and a penchant for belittling others, but when I gave him a taste of his own medicine a couple of years ago, he was rattled to his core.

What?? Where’s the science? Where is Eade’s wrong?

If you really believe you are right and have you think you have the evidence to back yourself, then you don’t need emotion. Your facts will speak for themselves.

Be specific
Next paragraph:

Up until mid-2008, Eades had made a habit of regularly attacking me with a pathetic mix of defamatory lies and easily disrobed references to ‘science’. But after the online whipping I gave him here

Really? Where’s the link(s) Anthony??? A “pathetic mix of defamtory lies and easily disrobed references to science” If it is that obvious, then show me!

The only thing obvious to me: -1 Anthony

If you are going to quote, then quote!
I quite like this one:

Eades writes:

“Even AC agrees – based on the literature – that low-carb diets result in less lean muscle loss and greater fat loss than low-fat, high-carb diets”

Utter rubbish.

I have stated ad nauseum that in numerous studies protein – not low-carb intakes but protein – causes a slight increase in muscle retention at the expense of fat.

Really? Ad nauseum? No link though Anthony. Not even one…
-1

Keep it short, keep it focused
Both fail on this one. I think it would be difficult for Eade’s to ignore Anthony, so he has to respond. But both just go on and on and on…

-1 Anthony. -1 Eade

Honestly, who cares?
“The Straight Facts, Whether You Like It Or Not” – is Anthony’s blog by-line. Obviously he can dish it out but he can’t take it.

[Update] I’ll add one more:

Allowing comments

To his credit, Eades’ allows comments on his blog.  He allows links to his article (including this one).  He also quickly responds to questions others have posted.

Anthony does not.

Why is this important?  Eades’ has both positive and negative comments on his article.  From the looks of it, Anthony is a one trick pony.  Nothing of real value to add

+1 Eades  -1 Anthony

Picking an online fight is funny when your 14.  But what’s the point?  I would be interested in a few facts:

• Anthony, how many subscribes do you have with your blog?
• How many did you gain / lose after this article?
• What was your daily traffic a week before and after the Eades’ response?

Anthony, if you are really into straight facts, then please answer the above.

A friend of mine reminded me of the quote:  Don’t pick a fight with a troll.  They will bring you down to their level and beat you on experience.

Reading his article, I don’t know how you could say Anthony isn’t a troll.

So all I can say is that Anthony, clean your act up!  You’re better than that and your readers certainly deserve it.

Rock on!

Here’s what I have learnt:

• Use good scales!  My old one was giving inconsistent results.  If you weigh yourself several times and get a different result, its time to buy some new ones!
• Reading the the 30 day low carb diet, one of the arguments against low carb is that you are loosing water (not fat), also last week I was getting some really odd results.  (I was consistently loosing about 200g per day, but there was a period where I gained half a kg).  So I started tracking my BMI.  I know BMI isn’t the best way to measure, but neither is just weight!  Also BMI allows me to get a much better idea of what is going on.
• If you are interested in the details, I have been tracking my results every day or so here.

Again, to say this is beyond my expectations is an understatement.  I still have the side effects (dry mouth and drinking a LOT of water) but if that’s the worst I have to put up with, then I am happy!

The other day I tried to change my address through a company’s web site and it wouldn’t accept my new address because I “already have a phone number.” WTF??? I tried various workarounds including no phone number, and a fake phone number, but it insisted that once you have a phone number, and the system knows it, you can never change your address. So I asked myself, am I the first person who ever owned a phone and wanted to change his address?

Then he continues talking about all the dumb designs in his new house:

Our new light switches have light indicators to tell you when a switch is turned off. That’s right: The “on” light indicates that the switch is off. At least that’s how my brain has interpreted it nine hundred times in a row. I understand that they want to make it easy to find the switch in the dark. But did they ever test how people use these things?

Now I agree with the address change.  I’ve moved many times and kept the same phone number.  But I’d challenge Scott on the light switch thing.

He asked if they ever test the use of these things?  Well maybe, maybe not.  I bet what they did do, is test if people brought them or not!

So Scott I’d ask you this:  How did these get installed in your home?  What was the process there?

(I’m not picking on Scott here.)  Take mobile phones.  Personally I used to be very pro Nokia.  I once switched  to an LG and hated it.  Then along came the N95!

A great phone with lot’s of positive reviews – but the thing was just too cumbersome to use!  Features like GPS or Camera or some applications are great, but if it takes me 6 – 10 button clicks then its too hard and I loose interest!

Its interesting how some people feel it is absolutely necessary to choose visual detail like the right carpets, tiles, bathroom fittings, but will neglect some of the more cerebral elements.

Why is the iPhone so popular?  Why do people love Dorf Taps in their bathroom?

If this type of thing is pushing your buttons, then perhaps you should take a look at what you like and why?  What don’t you like and why?

Rock on!

Now I’ve floated between 113.5 – 115 kg (250 – 253 pounds).  I added the 0.5 because it seemed an odd barrier.  (For what it’s worth, I’m 189 cm or 6’2″.)

Those of you with an NLP or similar background could say “the 250 pounds is your barrier!  What would it mean being 249?”  But I think you’re wrong.  Australia uses metric!  And my digital scales just would not go below 113.5!

I can honestly say I have tried it all!  I did Jenny Craig, Weight Watches, Light n’ Easy, no carb diet and just plain old gym work.

The funny thing was that (during the past 2 years in particular!) it wouldn’t matter what I did.  I could eat crap, I could eat good, but I just couldn’t go below 113.5

That was until I sent Missy an email!  She introduced me to Michael Eades and suggested I read Protein Power.

Personally, I wasn’t going to be convinced by the science.  (Not that I am a non believer, it’s just that you can twist science either way you like)

So show me either your own personal experience or I’ll look at your anecdotal evidence and we’ll go from there.  To cut to the chase, I brought the 30 day low-carb diet solution.

How is it going?  I’ve been on this for just over a week and I must say I am very very surprised!  If you read the book, one thing that really stuck in my mind was:

If Food is the Problem, then Food is the Solution.

This morning I weighed in at 112.8 kg (248 pounds).  I broke through the forbidden 113.5 on the second day!

To say that I am surprised / impressed / convinced etc would be an understatement!!!

I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

Rock on!

“Deliberate practice” is the stuff of champions, more important than innate natural talent, and entirely within your control.

And then finishes with:

Focus on the task, not the outcome. Intrinsic motivation is the best and most powerful kind (and also what leads to external rewards).

Very clever indeed!

Her writing is very much focused on becoming a better writer, but I love how you can apply this to many other areas of your life…

What does it take to become a great violinist?  A great basketball player?  A great parent?

Rock on!

To summarise, Seth suggests that regardless of what you do (crystal clear instructions, ALL CAPS) 2% of people will still stuff it up!

He finishes with:

Technologists hate this choice, but it’s true. We have to plan for human failure and part of our job is to have the resources and back up to allow these people to remain in our tribe even though they’re unable to follow a simple instruction.

To me, you can read this one of two ways.  Put your Microsoft hat on.  Windows Vista has 15 different ways to turn off the machine.

Now put your Apple Mac, iPhone or Facebook hat on.  What is the 2% there?

How do they plan for failure?  What does “failure” mean for a Twitter user?

The difference here is that the “barrier” for use is so low (open a web browser, make a phone call, update your Facebook status).  2% for a Facebook user seems very very high…

During this adventure, I found author Justine Lee Musk.

Maybe it’s just me, but more than once I’ve found articles from totally separate worlds that seem to talk to each other.  Recently, Justine wrote about the concept of using Facebook or Twitter to get up close and personal with her audience.

As soon as I read this, Seth Godin’s Tribes sprang to mind.  I’ve joined a few networks and found them to be fantastic.

I think Justine is trying to get a balance of accessibility vs friction.  Facebook / Twitter have a low barrier to entry, but (as was suggested in the comments) has far too much noise.

Brilliant cartoonist Scott Meyer recently had a “ask me anything” Q & A on Reddit.

So there are multiple ways of connecting with your audience.

Personally, I prefer the Networks (or Tribes!) over Facebook or Twitter specifically because they have a higher amount of friction for entry.

The one question Justine didn’t answer was why?  Are you looking for a forum to push more product? To connect with your audience?  To better understand who out there is paying you attention?

One of the interesting things I’ve learnt from reading blogs, is how the right person can easily influenced what I buy.  It doesn’t take much for me to buy Seth’s next book, or to try out a new razor.

If someone at work suggested either, I would tell them to bugger off and stop wasting my time.

Who do you trust?