Monday, April 14, 2014

DIET REPORT: Weeks Three through Five, Mar 22- APR 11


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.