3 Steps to a Lean and Agile Body
Imagine your body as a technology company.
Lean tech startups and Agile digital product designers start by creating a Minimum Viable Product. It’s not supposed to be perfect; it’s an opportunity to get feedback so that they can improve their product in its next iteration.
Imagine your body as a technology company. Your body today is a product of your choices in the past, just like a company’s offerings today are the products of its process in the past. Many established technology-focused companies have tried to incorporate Lean and Agile principles, but it’s not easy to get away from doing things the old way. Human behavior, whether in the workplace, or in terms of lifestyle habits, is hard to change.
An Agile Body?
You know that researchers have shown that your diet is much more important than exercise in fat loss. But you’ve tried dieting before. You know from personal experience that dieting doesn’t work because you always gain the weight back. You also know you need to make some small changes to see results, but you don’t where to start. You, an established company with set ways of doing things, don’t know how to transition into a Leaner, more Agile process (I believe the differences between the two are not important when using them as a metaphor for creating habits that promote fat loss).
Just like a product design team omits non-key features, intricacies, and even real code when building a new digital product, so should you focus on some key elements.
Below, I have outlined just three simple steps to maximize fat loss results over time. The goal is to get Leaner and more Agile, not to be miserable.
Leaner by Habit
Take your time. Iterate your body. Replace new eating habits one at a time. Just like an established company trying to move toward a more Agile product design and development process, you need to start where you’re at. Let new habits really stick. Popular wisdom says it takes about 30 days to form a habit. Your mileage may vary. A month is a good amount of time to take to establish each step as a new habit, but take more time if needed. Just remember, it’s not a diet. Ideally, this will be a life-long lifestyle change.
You’re encouraged to take one cheat day per week, probably on Saturday or Sunday. And, please note: I’m not a doctor. This is what has worked for me personally.
1. Stop Eating Snacks
Routine is important. For your first month of Agile Body, get used to planning and eating 2 or 3 meals a day. No snacks. No grazing.
Lean and Agile Process: Focus on the key features your customers say they want. Start designing and testing them. Those are your main meals.
Why? Frequent snacking increases the likelihood of insulin resistance, which results in weight gain.
Notes:
- You should eat breakfast if you’re hungry. Otherwise, eat whatever you want during mealtimes.
- You can eat snack foods during mealtimes.
- You can still eat whatever you want during meals at restaurants.
- During any meal, eat for about 30 minutes or until you’re full, then stop.
- Remember, you can still eat snacks on your cheat day.
2. Cut out Processed Food
You may have already decreased your processed food intake of in Step 1. After about a month of that, you’re ready to cut out the rest of it (except on those blessed weekly cheat days).
Lean and Agile Process: Focus on solutions. Real, whole food is a solution to hunger. Processed industrial food is addicting and doesn’t provide much nutrition.
Why? Processed food (sometimes called ultra-processed food), is one of the biggest reasons why people are overweight. Processed foods often have little or no nutrient value despite containing a lot of calories.
Notes:
- Most foods available at the grocery store have been processed in some way. We’re not talking about frozen fish fillets, we’re talking about cookies, donuts, chips — “foods” with very little nutritional value.
- You are encouraged to make your own list of processed foods that are off the menu, except on cheat days. You can be as strict as you need to be. Iterate.
- More information on ultra-processed foods: https://blogs.webmd.com/food-fitness/20190412/what-are-ultraprocessed-foods
- You can still eat at restaurants that serve real food.
3. Stop Eating Out
For the third month of the Agile Body process, cook most of your 2 or 3 daily meals at home. This may mean that will need to learn how to cook. You can still go out to eat, and you can still eat whatever you want on cheat days.
If you’re not sure how or what to cook, keep it simple. Start with a few nutritious recipes. Eat the same thing for lunch and dinner every day. Prep food for the rest of the week on Sunday. This will save you money, too.
Lean and Agile Process: As a company, you’ve been getting Leaner. You’ve been testing your product features and how they contribute to the overall solution you offer to your users. Now, you’re ready to write clean and efficient code — your healthy habits are really starting to stick.
Why? For most of human history, people have been eating the same thing every day. For most of human history, there have been no restaurants to go to. For most of human history, most people have been Lean and Agile without trying very hard.
Notes:
- Try making your favorite restaurant meals at home: https://copykat.com/
- Get your toes wet with a meal delivery service.
- You’ll mess up once in a while. You’ll forget to prep on Sunday, or you just won’t have time to cook. Do your best, and always keep iterating.
