Diet plan
For a few years now I've been noting, often with some surprise, that I've at last managed to put on a certain amount of fat. Over the last winter I put on an unprecedented amount of weight, fifteen pounds or so, with annoying side-effects.
So I looked up what seemed to be a healthy rate of weight loss, rounded it down to half a kilo per week, decided on a fairly-arbitrary target weight, drew a diagonal downward line on a graph, and resolved to stay below it. That's the diet plan.
And, after six weeks or so, a trend's emerging, and I think it's safe to say that the plan's working.
The "lower limit" line is to help dissuade me from getting over-enthusiastic and trying to lose weight too fast. If my weight's bouncing around the yellow line then it's time to eat more pasta.
I've found that the single key insight to dieting this way, is simply to convince myself that hunger no longer means what my body thinks it does. The whole reason I'm getting fat, is that my body no longer makes correct decisions about when it needs food. Hunger-normal, everyday, not-too-urgent hunger-is no longer a realistic indication of a need for energy, but effectively a malfunction of my natural self-regulation.
The deal with this diet is that I eat what I want, when I want, but if my weight strays towards the red line then I have to eat less, or I have to switch to less energy-dense food. In consequence, I've been eating a lot more salad, and rather less sugar and fat, showing a fairly natural and unforced trend towards healthier eating, with all the extra physiological benefits that provides. I'm not yet significantly slimmer or lighter on my feet, but I'm certainly feeling healthier, and in general I'm very satisfied with my progress.