5 Rules of Change
In July of 2006 I weighed around 185 lbs, about 25% of which was pure fat. I wasn’t happy about that and some other things, so I set a goal to get to 10-12% body fat and run the NY marathon in November 2007. To do this, I’ve been applying approaches I’ve used as a professional manager, and to myself.
Specifically, I’ve always believed in 5 Rules of Change whenever I’ve tried to change teams and organizations. Here are those rules, with the posts explaining the detailed thoughts behind them, and how they’ve been helping me lose weight and change my life:
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The Rules |
The Summary |
How I’ve Used The Rule To Lose Fat |
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Understand and measure what you want to change. |
I measure body fat and weight every day, and post results each week to this blog. |
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Make the easiest change you can, but make sure it’s a visible change to you. |
I first started counting calories I ate, without a target level of calories, because I knew just counting would make me think about what I ate. |
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Try to make a small change to how things work today, rather than change the world overnight. |
The first small change I made was set a calorie target (in addition to counting). |
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Look for people who have similar goals to you, and do what they do |
Based on success stories I could find, I then started eating 6 times a day, drinking more water, etc. |
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Continually make small but risky changes; don’t be afraid of failure – failure can guarantee success with the right mindset. |
I look at my measurements each week, and adjust something (add more exercise, increase calories, rest, etc.) if I’m not hitting my targets |
Results So Far
I could give you lots of colorful charts, but I won’t. (See the Nude Numbers posts if you actually want numbers.) Instead, some people asked for photos to track progress.
Well, here’s a “before” photo I posted a few weeks ago…
…and here’s me at a family reunion 3 weeks ago
185lbs @23-25% BF versus 160lbs @ 15-16% BF. Not exactly a butterfly and still some way to go for the goal, but heading in the right direction I think.
Closing Thoughts
My point is I do believe in the methods I’ve outlined over the past few weeks. They have worked for me professionally and now they’re working for me personally.
Hopefully you’ve enjoyed reading this series of posts. I know there are many ways to change, and this just happens to be mine (and I can’t claim it’s rocket science or that I succeed at it all the time). I’d love to hear from anyone out there who has tried changing aspects of their lives (either with different methods, or these methods).
Part of what I’m trying to do on Running Naked with changing how I run my life is to become a better person through sharing my experiences and learning from the experiences of others. Your feedback is invaluable to me in that.
Thank you for your time,
– Art
Help me raise over $10,000 to help people suffering from cancer
A. B. Clarke 
Art, you look great! I hope you are feeling better (healthier), despite your injury. Good luck with your recovery!
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Really impressive progress! Congrats!
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Great job! The pictures really puts it into perspective. I just started five days ago, by completely giving up sugar, cold turkey. I probably drank close to 1000 calories a day in liquid form – Your body doesn’t get full from liquids, so there was no cut-off receptors to tell me when to stop. I’ve been reading everything I can on the subject, and your story is motivating. It CAN be done! I have NEVER been below 20% body fat, and for ONCE in my life, I’d like to know what it’s like. Thanks for sharing your story. Good luck in your progess.