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30 pounds in four months (as of September 2011) I was watching "The Life of Brian" and I thought... that guy is healthy. He's not fat, he doesn't work out a lot, he just lives his life and has a normal weight. Why can't I be like that? I eat well, I go on lots of walks, ride my bike, go rock climbing and go hiking. But I can't lose weight. A couple of things helped me get out of this situation. First of all, I read about adenoviruses. I have no idea whether this has an effect on me, but accepting the idea that I will never be able to eat "normally" has helped. The second thing that helped me was going through a colonoscopy. Not the exam itself, but the preparations. I had to stop eating almost everything for a day or two. I lost a couple of pounds, and I learned what was possible. So I decided that for whatever reasons: 1. I will get fat if I eat what most people do. 2. I am capable of eating differently. So I decided to eat a LOT of vegetables. Here is a typical day: -------------------- breakfast - coffee with skim milk - bagel with low-fat margarine - small yogurt with half a banana mashed in -------------------- lunch - massive salad with lettuce, big tomato, a bell pepper, and a small can of tuna - 1.5 tablespoons of vinaigrette dressing - a peeled apple -------------------- dinner - the same as lunch, or - a low-fat hamburger patty chopped up - 3-4 zucchinis fried in a small amount of oil with an onion - 1/2 a banana -------------------- snacks - tons of peeled carrots - breadsticks (not too much) To be clear: I stuff myself with vegetables. I eat more than I want. When I get up from the table, I am NOT hungry for more of anything. However, one of the basic rules I imposed at the beginning was that I needed to be able to have fun with my friends. So none of the above rules apply when I go out to a restaurant or visit someone's house. Of course this only works if I don't go out too often -- once a week or so. I drink a fair amount of alcohol -- I'll often have a beer at the end of the afternoon, for example. Eating nuts and olives in my salads made them more interesting but stopped my weight loss. The results of all this have been dramatic. I have lost more than 30 pounds in four months and will probably lose about 20 more. I have regained a sense of control over my weight. I went to a wedding last weekend and ate a lot of rich food. I was able to lose the 1.5 pounds I gained in two days by following my normal routine. One thing I realized in doing this is that many people will try to give you advice. Don't listen to them. Dieticiens change what they say every six months. Everybody is different. The key to success is staying simple. And shopping before you get hungry. Andrew Swift (If you have questions, please send them to regime(a)acswift.com -- I will not answer questions sent to other addresses)