April 4 thru April 9.

On Friday I weighed in at 183 pounds (90.5 kilos) and that is slightly up on last week. It is not a problem because last week was a distorted figure due to being unwell and not eating very much anyway.

One of the things I have learned during this weight control period is never to become upset if the scales seem to indicate a poor week. The reason for this is that when you go into a weight loss program you have to take the mindset that I am what I measure, not what I weigh. With my waist belt two notches slimmer than when I started there are no complaints.

During the past week I concentrated on diet and ate no bread or pastry products on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Bread is my greatest weakness; having a local baker who produces the most magnificent bread doesnt help the weight loss program. Hence the reason for dropping bread for three days; it reaffirmed my commitment in my own mind.

Those that have followed this series of articles from the start will know that I only diet on the condition that I give up no food that I like. This includes bacon sandwiches, desserts, ice cream and just about anything else. What I do is give up one thing each day and leave a space on my plate where that item would normally be. This removes one of the biggest problems that all dieters face the temptation to go off of a rigid diet due to the temptation of foods that they love. There isnt a single person I know of that cant give something up for a day when they know they can return to it next day.

In the western world most inhabitants eat far too much. The average adult body requires 2,000 calories each day to function normally; we tend to eat around 3,500 calories each day. This translates to an excess intake of 10,500 calories each week. One pound of body weight is equal to 3,500 calories so that excess eating amounts to three pounds each week weight gain. It is true that you can exercise the excess calories away and if you work in a heavy laboring role in an iron smelter you probably will. But do you spend eight hours each day in that type of environment?

By having a space on each plate you soon learn serving size discipline and that is what causes most weight problems eating too much per serving. Remember it takes about twenty minutes for the your stomach to get the message to your brain that youve eaten enough. It is what we continue to consume during this critical twenty-minute period that is our enemy. Maybe serving smaller portions taking a twenty minute break between courses will help you.

This article is copyright David McCarthy 2006.