So I resolved to lose some weight this year. Starting Jan 1, I have been dieting. And so far, I have lost just about 20 pounds (from 190# to 170#) for January, which is about 2 pounds lost for every 3 diet days.

170 was my first goal, so I am happy. 190# was just way too much for me, and I was starting to feel the effects with heartburn (which I had never had before) and being out of breath. 170 is my old "stable" weight, and my first goal was to get to this point.

My final goal is 155#, which I hope to reach by the end of February or mid March. I used to weigh 155# a long time ago, and which I reached once in recent memory while on Atkins. At 155#, my original pants size (32, from years ago) fits again. And according to charts, 155# is about an ideal weight for my height (5'7", or 5'8" in the morning if a stretch sometimes) and build. Then I just need to find a way to maintain that weight, which will be the real challenge.

No fancy diet. The diet has no official name. I just cut my calories down to from 600-1000 a day (averaging closer to 1000). I pay a bit of attention to fat, but not a lot. And while I have increased exercise a bit, exercise hasn't been my focus. I do drink a lot more liquids, and I have been having more hot tea lately.

I've been strict. I actually count every single thing I eat. I do not go to a restaurant and just shrug and eat something that "looks OK enough". I do not cheat, not even on vacation, and not even at a restaurant. Cheating doesn't work well for me. Once I cheat, I tend to cheat more after that. Dieting needs to be a habit with me, and I form habits best when I do it consistently at for at least three weeks strictly. I do not treat food as a reward for doing something. Food cannot be viewed as a focus for me when dieting, or else I just constantly notice if I am hungry.

In case anyone is interested (or in case I myself in interested in future years), here is an average day:

For breakfast I have a Dannon Light & Fit Yogurt (60 calories) and a cup of coffee with milk and fake sugar (5 calories).

For meals at work, I usually have a Lean Cuisine. Those products tend to average from 250-350 calories. For mid-afternoon snack I will have an apple or orange at about 100 calories.

Sometimes I will have fast food. For fast food:

Subway - 6 inch Veggies on wheat, no cheese, no mayo, no oil, no olives, add banana peppers and cucumber slices (about 210 calories, 420 if I have a footlong, which I will usually do if I am going to have a light dinner);

Pollo Loco - 1 small pinto beans, mixed with 1 small spanish rice, and salsa (300 calories);

Taco Bell - 1 Fresco Bean Burrito (330 calories).

For dinners, Melody usually cooks something yummy but low calorie. Lots of soups, some lentils, some veggies, some burritos and soft tacos, some fruit, some salad, pretty good stuff.