VANITY METRICS

Stop to measure the wrong things

What you will learn in the next 15 min

Vanity metrics ≠ Actionable metrics

What I actually measure, and why

How you can implement some of my findings

Vanity Metrics “They might make you feel good, but they don’t offer clear guidance for what to do”

Eric Ries

Lean Startup –

Eric Ries Startup Bible of silicon

valley

Example

vanity metric actionable metric

website “Hits”

How many people have

visited my website?

What do I learn?

A/B split test

group A

group B: 20% more

revenue

Go with design B =>

more revenue

What has this got to

do with #QS?

We are measuring the wrong

things

Medicine: Surrogate Markers

In clinical trials, a surrogate endpoint (or

marker) is a measure of effect of a specific

treatment that may correlate with a real

clinical endpoint but does not necessarily

have a guaranteed relationship

Measuring the wrong things

vanity actionable

weight / BMI

calories

blood value

“Total Cholesterol”

body-fat%

waist-to-height ratio

nutrient density

new formula &

meaningful ratios

Vanity Metric: Weight

2005-2009

I went from 70+ to 80+ kg

Height: 181cm -> stayed the same

(155 lbs to 180lbs, Height: 5 ft 11in)

Low Fat + Low Calorie

What I would, in hindsight, call an

Eating Disorder

2009 – 2012

Depression / Anxiety attacks

Muscle loss

Bad health

March 2011

From 80+ (180lbs in

2009)

I went to 60 kg (135lbs)

Depression

No energy

constantly sick

Weight graph: less is not good

Weight & BMI

Statistical value to

compare weight for

different heights

Doesn„t measure

„dangerous“ body fat

Graphic from the book ”Escape the Diet Trap” – Dr. John Briffa MD

Alternative: Waist to Height Ratio

WHtR

Waist: 73 cm /

Height 181cm

0,4

< 40yr: 0,5 or less

> 40yr: between 0,5 and 0,6

The Predictive Value of Different Measures of Obesity for Incident

Cardiovascular Events and Mortality

Harald J. Schneider, et al.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1210/jc.2009-1584

Published Online: July 02, 2013

Vanity Metric: Calories

A calorie is not a calorie

Different foods go through different biochemical pathways, some of which are inefficient and cause energy (calories) to be lost as heat.

Even more important is the fact that different foods and macronutrients have a major effect on the hormones and brain centers that control hunger and eating behavior.

The foods we eat can have a huge impact on the biological processes that govern when, what and how much we eat

Which is healthier?

37%

48%

15%

Carb

Fat

Protein

41%

47%

12%

Carb

Fat

Protein

932 kcal 930 kcal

How about now?

37%

48%

15%

Carb

Fat

Protein

41%

47%

12%

Carb

Fat

Protein

Q: But aren‟t eggs unhealthy?

A: No, they are actually extremely

healthy

Vanity Metric: blood cholesterol

Cholesterol

Changing your diet (~ ¼ of cholesterol)

will not have a huge influence on your

cholesterol

Eating eggs is healthy

Rong Y, et al. Egg consumption and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke: dose-response meta-analysis of

prospective cohort studies. British Medical Journal, 2013.

Fernandez ML. Dietary cholesterol provided by eggs and plasma lipoproteins in healthy populations. Current

Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care, 2006.

Blesso CN, et al. Whole egg consumption improves lipoprotein profiles and insulin sensitivity to a greater extent

than yolk-free egg substitute in individuals with metabolic syndrome. Metabolism, 2013.

Cholesterol

Essential structural

component of cell

membranes

Precursor for

biosynthesis of

Steroid hormones

Bile acid

Vitamin D

Cholesterol

Typical body production (Male, 68kg) =

1000mg

Typical dietary intake = 300mg (23%)

How did we get in this cholesterol

mess?

How did we get here [Video]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8WA5wcaHp4

on Slideshare: see next slide

My current diet: LCHF

70% fat – 20% protein – 10% carbs

More usage of fat as energy source

(ketones)

Body prefers saturated fats => uses them

as preferred fuel (= they are gone quicker)

LDL (“bad cholesterol”) is mostly good

LDL Cholesterol

„Bad Cholesterol (Transporter)“ LDL can be:

Large fluffy particles “good”

Small dense particles “bad”

Boris Romac

Lindsay

Large fluffy

Small dense

My lipid profile

TC 273 | HDL 69 | LDL 192 | TG 62

This is what my doctor sees

Total cholesterol 273

(goal < 200)

LDL cholesterol (calculated) 192

(goal < 160)

This is what my doctor sees

Total cholesterol 273

(goal < 200)

LDL cholesterol (calculated) 192

(goal < 160)

LDL calculated Friedewald (1972)

LDL = TC – HDL – (TG / 5)

New Formulas (if your TG < 100 mg/dl)

Ahmadi (2008) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18426324

LDL (mg/dl) = TC/1.19 + TG/1.9 – HDL/1.1 – 38

de Cordova (2013) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23108766

LDL = 3/4 (TC - HDL)

My LDL Math (<160) TC 273 | HDL 69 | LDL 192 | TG 62

Friedewald

192 mg/dl

Ahmadi

161 mg/dl

Cordova

153 mg/dl

My LDL Math (<160) TC 273 | HDL 69 | LDL 157 | TG 62

Friedewald

192 mg/dl

Ahmadi

161 mg/dl

Cordova

153 mg/dl

Heartscore.org

Low Risk: TG / HDL < 2.5

TC 273 | HDL 69 | LDL 157 | TG 62

62 / 69 = 0,89

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24402298

More Info?

www.leichtergesundleben.at

In German:

Conclusion (*IANAD + I do not play one on TV *)

Stop counting calories. Eat nutritious food. Go LCHF

Waist / Height

(< 40yr: 0,5 or less | > 40yr: between 0,5 and 0,6)

Calculate your own LDL with Ahmadi

LDL = TC/1.19 + TG/1.9 – HDL/1.1 – 38

Check your heartscore.org

TG / HDL (< 2,5 for men | < 3,5 for women)

Questions: @khbites leonard.tulipan@outlook.com