Hacker’s Diet

Designed by computer engineer and founder of Autodesk, Inc., John Walker, the Hacker’s diet uses spreadsheets such as Microsoft Excel to monitor caloric intake and expenditures. By tackling his weight loss as an “engineering problem”, Walker supposedly managed to lose over 70 pounds in one year and keep the weight off. Walker breaks the mechanics of losing weight down to a basic control system where minor variations such as daily water weight variations and hormonal fluctuations are corrected via a computerized algorithm. This “data smoothing” allows adherents to keep themselves focused on the long-term effects of their weight loss efforts instead of getting mired in regret over minor variations.
Types of foods eaten and amounts do not matter on an individual basis, but can have an impact on overall weight loss. Walker touts caloric intake compared to caloric loss as the key to his weight loss system. Adherents who can follow the system will lose weight at a steady pace and if they continue to follow the guidance of the spreadsheet, they will maintain their weight loss. Exercise is a recommended component of Walker’s weight loss system, but he doesn’t feel exercise is essential to successful weight loss. He does recommend exercises based on those used by the Royal Canadian Air Force to help participants increase their strength and health.
Dieters who are able to create their own diet plan and who like the idea of systematically logging calories into a system will find this can help them lose weight. This is a high tech variation on the classic idea of food journaling, which has been proven to help adherents lose weight.