How Bananas, ChatGPT, and Marketing Tie Together

A real photo (not AI) taken by Jeff Nelson on August 25, 2025 while I was standing on the scale.

The same principles that made weight loss possible — measurement, focus, feedback, and discipline — are the ones that drive marketing.

TL;DR: I lost 15 pounds in two months using ChatGPT as my accountability partner. The lessons I learned about weight loss — tracking, focus, and discipline — are the same techniques I use in marketing.

Success and Pride

For the last two months, I’ve been using ChatGPT to help me lose weight. In mid-June, I weighed 215 lbs. My target was to get under 200 lbs. Yesterday, when I stood on the scale, it read 199.3 lbs.

For me, this is incredible and an accomplishment of which I am proud.

About eight years ago, I lost a significant amount of weight using the Dr. Bernstein Diet (now out of business). It worked, but I got tired of paying for the B12 injections, the supplements, and having someone circle my cheats with a red marker.

The fundamental issue: I didn’t learn how to adjust my weight on my own.

This time, I did.

I’m not going to lie; using ChatGPT was critical. I recorded everything I ate and used ChatGPT to calculate the macronutrients, fibre, and calories. ChatGPT gave me feedback after every entry and a total at the end of the day. 

NOTE: I avoided taking advice from ChatGPT. Instead, I focused on the feedback related to the calories, macros and fibre.

1. What I Learned Using ChatGPT to Lose Weight

Generated by Jeff Nelson with help from ChatGPT

These are the takeaways I logged daily with ChatGPT as my accountability partner:

• Track & measure
  List everything you eat.
  Weigh daily.
  It’s the only way to see real changes and trends.

• Learn about what you’re eating
  Read labels.
  Do research on foods with no labels (like bananas and beer).
  I didn’t realize how quickly grams of carbs added up (sugar, fruit, vegetables, and bread).
  My target was to eat under 50 grams a day, but many days I was closer to 100 or slightly over.
  I never went over 200 grams of carbohydrates in a day.

• Macros matter
  Carbs slow progress.
  Protein fuels results (target, over 100 grams).
  Fats are good in moderation (target over 50 grams but less than 100).
  Fibre fills you up (target, over 30 grams).

• Balance & discipline
  Eat more protein (chicken) than carbs (bananas).
  This was new to me, and it was crucial for success.
  Eat less. Eat less often.

• Watch the traps
  Nuts help with cravings, but calories add up fast.
  Fruit and veggies are overrated as a “healthy” food group.
  My staples became chicken, tuna, protein powder, spinach, olives, cheese, and the occasional Corona Cero.

• Use the right tools
  I used ChatGPT for recording and reflection, not advice.

2. Seven Parallel Principles Related to Marketing

As I was learning these lessons with food and weight, I realized they were the same principles I teach in marketing.

• Know your numbers
  Labels told me what was in my food.
  In marketing, measures and metrics tell you what’s really happening.

• Set targets
  My goal was to get under 200 lbs.
  In marketing, clear targets give direction and purpose — without them, numbers don’t mean much.

• Focus on results
  Carbs slowed everything down.
  In marketing, shiny distractions do the same. Cut what doesn’t move the needle.

• Create a solid foundation
  Protein kept me steady and strong.
  In marketing, a solid strategy plays the same role — everything else depends on it.

• Track progress
  Daily weigh-ins revealed the trend.
  In marketing, frequent check-ins with feedback keep you ahead of problems.

• Adjust tactics
  If something wasn’t working, I had to change it.
  Marketing campaigns need the same flexibility — test, measure, learn, refine.

• Simplify & focus
  Eating less and less often made the difference.
  In marketing, fewer, more focused campaigns create a stronger impact.

• Keep moving
  Fibre kept everything moving (literally).
  In marketing, processes and systems keep everything flowing. Ignore them and you get stuck.

Wrap-Up

Whether it’s losing weight or growing a business, the same rules apply:
Set targets. Measure. Focus. Adjust. Keep moving.

ChatGPT was my accountability partner for weight loss.

In marketing, you need the same kind of partner: targets, measurement, feedback, and the discipline to keep moving.

Sales Pitch

Contact me. I’ll help you set up the systems to generate revenue for your company.

(You can ask me about weight loss, but I’m not a professional in this area. Try using ChatGPT. It worked for me.)