PREFACE 9
1 INTRODUCTION 11
About losing weight 11
About this book 12
About you 13
About me 14
About the computer tools 16
About pounds and inches 17
About time! 18
I Engineering 19
2 THE EAT WATCH 21
Food and feedback 23
Motivation and manipulation 24
Programmer, hack thyself 26
Problems: managing, fixing, and solving 28
What, me exercise? 32
2
CONTENTS 3
3 THE RUBBER BAG 34
What goes in 35
What you burn 36
What comes out 39
Inside the rubber bag 39
Seizing control 41
Input/Output 53
Food fads 56
Summary 60
4 FOOD AND FEEDBACK 62
Measure the quantity 62
Determine the goal 63
Apply negative feedback 65
Avoid positive feedback 69
Bang-bang vs. proportional control 73
Three possible outcomes 76
Three different people 76
Fun with feedback 87
5 SIGNAL AND NOISE 91
Wired science 92
Cause and effect 95
Dexter’s diet 96
Moving averages 103
The truth in the trend 114
Closing the circle 124
Exploring moving averages 126
6 WHAT, ME EXERCISE? 131
Living longer 132
Feeling better 134
The fitness ladder 135
Climbing the ladder