From Growth Metrics to Fitness Metrics: Why It's Now Easier to Get in Shape Than Ever Before

A couple of weeks ago, I shared how I traveled over 120,000 miles in 2024—a whirlwind that took a toll not just on my schedule but on my health. But the truth is, even when I’m at home, I’ve struggled to consistently prioritize self-care. My year of intense travel brought this issue into sharp focus.

On my around-the-world trip, I made an effort to limit alcohol and eat well. But as the year wore on, I started slipping. By August, I looked and felt worn down. That’s when I decided to do something about it.

Meeting Cora: The Trainer Who Changed Everything

Enter Cora—a 57-year-old fitness trainer who had recently graced the cover of a fitness magazine. This ripped Filipina was as no-nonsense as they come. When I met her, she promised me that with commitment, she could help me get into the best shape of my life.

There was no easing into it. Those first few weeks were brutal—I could barely walk or move my arms after sessions, and I even threw up once. But I showed up every time. As someone who believes in maximizing value, if I paid for the session, I was going to get every minute of it.

While I gained muscle, Cora was quick to point out that my “muffin top” wouldn’t disappear unless I cleaned up my eating. We set a target to focus on my diet starting January 1, 2025, but an early wake-up call came in the form of a DEXA scan. Despite tightening my belt to its smallest loop, the scan revealed a body fat percentage of 25%. That number pushed me to start a week earlier than planned.

Why Wait? Getting Serious About Diet

Seeing 25% body fat on the scan was a turning point. I realized that maintaining a healthy weight takes the same effort as maintaining an unhealthy one, so why not invest the time to reach a target weight and then sustain it?

My approach to weight loss mirrored how I think about growth in companies: understanding the causal relationships between inputs and outcomes. And here’s the thing—weight loss is actually simpler. It boils down to a single principle: consume fewer calories than you burn.

Leveraging Technology to Simplify the Process

In the past, tracking calories was tedious. Journaling food was time-consuming, and estimating calorie burn was guesswork. But this is 2025, and technology has transformed the game.

• Tracking Calorie Burn: My Apple Watch gives me an accurate read on how many calories I burn daily.

• Tracking Calorie Intake: I use an AI-powered app that analyzes my food with a simple photo. While it’s not perfect with weights, I’ve started weighing my food, which adds a mindful element to my meals.

On most days, I aim for a calorie deficit of around 1,000. While it was tough at first, I’ve adjusted, and some days I even need to push myself to eat more to avoid going too far below my calorie target.

Using Data to Set (and Achieve) My Goals

Data has been critical in helping me define realistic goals. I even used ChatGPT to calculate my ideal weight given my goal of reducing body fat to 14% while adding muscle. Here’s the exact prompt I used:

If I weigh 200 pounds and have 25% body fat but a lot of muscle, what weight should I target for 14% body fat if I keep adding muscle? I will continue to work intensively with a personal trainer 3 days per week.

The answer? At 186 pounds, I’d likely hit my target. Since starting the weight loss journey on December 28th, I’m already halfway to my weight target. I plan to run another DEXA scan to confirm when I get there.

What Gets Measured Gets Managed

For many of us, the start of a new year brings health goals into focus. As someone who has spent a career obsessing over growth metrics, I can tell you that health, like growth, responds to what gets measured. With today’s tools, it’s easier than ever to manage calories in and calories out.

This isn’t the usual topic I write about, but I hope my experience resonates with my data-driven readers. If you’re tackling health goals this year, I encourage you to leverage the tools available to measure progress and make adjustments along the way. Whether it’s scaling a business or shedding body fat, success is built on clear goals, the right tools, and consistent effort.

Here’s to a healthier, data-driven 2025!