2015 HMMT November General Round Problem 3

Neo has an infinite supply of red pills and blue pills. When he takes a red pill, his weight will double, and when he takes a blue pill, he will lose one pound. If Neo originally weighs one pound, what is the minimum number of pills he must take to make his weight 2015 pounds?

Answers are checked by value, so any equivalent form is accepted: 1/2, \frac{1}{2} and 0.5 all count as the same answer.

Full credit goes to HMMT for authoring these problems. This problem is from the November 2015 contest; the official solution is available on the HMMT archive. HMMT is not affiliated with or endorsing TopsOJ in any way.