A Systematic Transformation
A data scientist's journey of reducing from 400+ lbs to 220 lbs by building automated systems for growth and reduction.
View The DataThe Expansion Reduction Protocol
At its core, this journey is an application of a core business concept to personal transformation: systematically scaling what works while reducing what doesn't. I'm leveraging my background in Data Science and automation to treat weight loss not as a battle of willpower, but as an engineering problem. The goal is to build a robust, data-driven system that manages nutrition, tracks progress, and even automates content creation, making the process efficient and sustainable.
The System: An Automation-First Approach
1. The Diet: Ketogenic
Starting with a strict ketogenic diet (<30g carbs/day) to initiate metabolic changes. Every meal is documented, providing a rich dataset for analysis and refinement.
2. The Tracking: Data Collection
Daily weight and body composition data is captured using a Beurer BF-720 smart scale, synced to the OpenScale app. This forms the primary dataset for progress monitoring.
3. The Automation: Code & Workflows
Scale data is pushed via MQTT to a local n8n server. This triggers automated workflows that log data, generate insights, and draft progress updates for social media.
The Data: Real-Time Progress
Tech Stack: Beurer BF-720 Scale → OpenScale → Mosquitto MQTT → n8n → Social Media APIs
Daily Logs & Updates
Follow the day-to-day progress, challenges, and insights as they happen. Each update is a snapshot of the ongoing experiment.
Day 3: The Automation Pipeline
First successful end-to-end data flow! The scale data (via OpenScale on Android) was pushed to the local MQTT broker, picked up by n8n, and logged. Next step: auto-drafting an Instagram post.
Read More →Day 2: Keto Flu & Initial Data
The inevitable keto flu has arrived, a reminder of the metabolic shift underway. Despite the fatigue, the system is working. Weight is down 3 lbs, likely water weight, but it's a start.
Read More →Day 1: Establishing The Baseline
The journey begins. Weight: 400.0 lbs. The initial protocol is set: strict ketogenic diet (<30g carbs), daily weigh-ins, and documenting everything. The server is live, and the system is ready to collect data.
Read More →
The Business Vision
Beyond personal transformation, The Scaling Project is the foundation for BytePixel Tech, LLC's venture into health and wellness. Future plans include a restaurant recommendation engine, grocery planning services, corporate wellness consulting, and courses on the methodology—all built on the principles of data and automation developed here.