OVERALL STARTING
WEIGHT 244.4
WEIGHT AT START OF WEEK THREE: 230. 4
WEIGHT AT END OF WEEK THREE
228.8
WEEK
FOUR ` 226.4
WEEK
FIVE 225.0
Loss (gain) this
Period
5.4 POUNDS
Loss (gain) since diet start
19.4 POUNDS
These were relatively slow weeks—a dieting doldrums.
Before I analyze and give advice let me restate as clearly
as I can, that I am NOT a doctor, health specialist, or someone who is
qualified to recommend that you do as I do, unless your doctor agrees—in which
case you are following HIS or HER advice.
I am telling people about this diet because it works for me,
and because reporting its success or failure motivates me. The act of allowing
readers to observe my behavior has a scientific foundation, believe it or not.
It falls under the umbnrella of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. Don’t be impressed that I know about that,
I had tolook it up and I originally thought Heisenberg was a shortstop with the
Cubs. It means the fact that
something is being observed affects the object being observed. For dieters, it
means don’t diet in secret. It is much harder to slip back into old habits if you make your
actions accountable to someone who cares
Don’t
Curse Your Willpower, Feed Your Weakness
Limited will power is not a Deal Killer. You counter that by rewarding
yourself.
I have to have something to look forwad to every day. The trick here is
to limit the amount of the treat, pick the treat with the fewest calories that
get the job done, and be sure to include it with the rest of your caloric
intake.
Some examples:
*Italian Ice. Delicious, reminds me of those halcyon days playing
stickball on a hot July day in the streets of Brooklyn, despite the fact I
never played stickball on a hot July day in the streets of Brooklyn. It’s 100
calories.
*Piece of toast, muffin or other dry treat. I cannot live without bread.
I recognize that and plan for it when I diet. I’ve forced myself to like
healthy bread, my regular choice’s is Milton’s multigrain from Trader Joe’s. I
butter it with olive oil enhanced low calory butter—half the damage of regular
butter.
*Daily latte. I’ve cut down from large to small, use low fat milk, and
make it at home. Savings in calories and cost.
*Nuts. They are good for you in small numbers. I eat small amounts of
roasted, no salt Almond slivers.
*Cheese on crackers. Cracker packages list their calorie count. Spend some time
in the cracker department. Get the thinnest lowest calorie crackers you can,
that still satisfy your dry food Jones. Don't buy chunk of cheese, buy individual small packages. Laughing cow has several varieties. Trader Joe’s has a collection of small pieces of Brie in individual containers.
Some days the Brie (150 cal.) and crackers (about the same) constitute lunch,
perhaps with a piece of fruit.
What is your weakness? Indulge it in small amounts. It is your reward
for being good the rest of the day.
To me the FOG diet is like a successful NBA franchise. In hoop, teams
invest a big hunk of their cap room in genuine superstars. The Miami Heat did
so and back to back championships resulted with Wade, James and Bosh. With the
superstars on board, other free agents will take less money in hopes of a
ring.
In the FOG Diet that means I invest a larger hunk of my calories on
treats and enjoyable food than any diet I’ve herd of. But it works for me. I
supplement with a large array of daily vitamins and eat healthy with my
remaining calories. Drinking a lot of water helps fill the cavity in my
stomach.
I am weak-willed when it comes to food, always have been. My prior
successful diets have been crutch-dependent. One used (legal) amphetamines,
another used public exposure and competition (The Washingtonian
Magazine-sponsored Public Humiliation Approach to Dieting). I also lost 60
pounds in the first FOG diet, allowing it to creep back on over the years
because new physical impediments to exercise made me give up.
So remember, don’t surrender to your weaknesses, just negotiate a truce you both can live with.
