I am not a nutritionist. Or a scientist. Or a dietitian. I'm in no way qualified to design my own diet. However, since most of us define our own weight gain diet with no effort, I feel like I can design a weight loss one if I try.

What I want to do is to get back to what I consider to be my ideal weight range of about 135 - 140. I got on the scale today and it said 151, a numer my too-tight clothes think is probably true and definitely not right for us.

So, here are my weaknesses now in terms of stuffing my face (what I'm up against):

 - I like to eat a large amount of things that I like, or things that are cheap and near me

 - I eat too much at night

 - I eat mindlessly, especially when I'm anxious or nervous or procrastinating

 - I'm also watching my budget, so a Zone delivery plan is not reasonable for me

And here are my strengths:

 - I'm a toughie and don't lack the skills to do this

 - I know how to work out, despite my love of slackitude

Here are the rules and ideas of the diet.

RULE 1

Portion Control and Variety

     The idea behind this rule is that your craving for any food is satisfied in a few bites. If you crave macaroni and cheese, you know that bite number 101 doesn't taste as good as bite number one. So, I can only have one portion of any given food in a single day. For example, I want a hamburger. I can have a single sized standard hamburger, but I can't have two today. I can't have a double, or 3 single ones, or one at each meal. Just one hamburger today. For items that aren't a standard single serving quantity, I can have what the single serving size is. Read the packet of Doritos and have on serving. Read the box of cereal and have one serving. Modern bagels are huge, so I can have one half of a bagel with cream cheese. The other half will keep to tomorrow. At the bar, I can have anything I want but I can't repeat order. Want beer? How about a Nordeast, then an Oktoberfest. Still thirsty? Maybe PBR is on special. Get it. No mindless servings of seconds of anything. At a restaurant, I can get a salad or a cup of soup or a side or an appetizer. Not more than that and not a full sized meal (it's calories for 3 people).

RULE 2

Diet like a Pirate: Drinking and Scurvy Prevention

     I can have unlimited coffee, water, diet soda, fruit, ice tea, and soy milk. Don't argue with me on this one. I'm not saying milkshakes or yogurt smoothies. I'm getting vitamins, protein, liquid to keep me healthy, and fiber. I only sort of believe we absorb liquid calories the same as solid. For one thing, liquids leave the body fast, and for another, if you think you're hungry, half the time you're just thirsty.

RULE 3

Hit the Gym or Pay

     On days I work out, I get 8 servings of food/day. On days I don't, I only get 6. If I work out 3 days in a week, I get a break from the diet on Saturday night, or Sunday morning, or any other half-day off. Any less than 3, and no free pass. No stack of pancakes or big plate of nachos this week.

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