The Principle of Achievable Consumption

1/24/2020 At 5'7" tall, weighing 215lbs, with high blood pressure, I needed to make a change.  I have always hated the idea of restricting what I eat, but based upon health concerns, I determined it was time.

The doctor had the usual "healthy" suggestions, which I didn't find acceptable. So instead, I merged a few ideas that were floating around, downloaded the "Lose It" Android app, and made my own plan.

The plan is simple, I entered my information into the "Lose It" app (things like how tall, how much do I weigh, what is my ideal weight, how fast do I want to lose it, how much exercise do I do, etc.), and the app told me how many calories per day I can eat to hit my goal.  The app also has a great feature that it can scan just about any food with a UPC to determine calories.

The spin I put on it is this: I mostly eat anything I want, and I stay under 2088 calories, to weigh 185lbs. I always have a large salad at every meal (this helps to make me feel full) and at the end of the day I eat 3 or 4 cups of popcorn with no salt or butter. Again, this helps to make me feel full. Finally, I do not eat after 8pm or before 11am and do very, very little exercise (other than using stairs at work).

In the morning I am a bit hungry, but I allow myself a large cup of coffee with cream (100 calories) and sweet&low. I drive to work and park in the far garage to get my little bit of exercise (takes 7 minutes to walk in, 7 minutes to walk out). When I get to work, I'm so busy that I don't miss not eating until lunch.  I think the long period of time between 8pm and 11am is important because it gives my body time to completely burn the calories from the night before and start burning additional body fat calories.  Also, the absolute time of day when I delay eating is important.  At the end of the day, I get my full load of calories, satisfying me for bed.

In just about 2 weeks I have dropped to 206 lbs and my pants fit much better!

Here are a few things I eat:
Once a week I buy a few pounds of chicken, use Newman's own organic oil and vinegar (it has really low salt) to marinate it, and cook it on the grill.  Once done, I throw it in a freezer bag and take out pieces during the week to put on lettuce, along with garden croutons and Newman's own organic oil and vinegar dressing. Ahh lettuce and popcorn.  Lettuce and popcorn are those really "cheap" foods (lettuce is 25 calories for 5 cups!).  Other things I have eaten include almonds, salami, ham, pizza, peanuts, rice crispy treats, Outshine fruit bars (fantastic and low in calories), Good and Plenty licorice, Moose munch.  I have always stayed below the required 2088 calories.

8/23/2020 A quick update

Over the last few months, I haven't been able to stay on my strict calorie-counting regime, but I have continued to avoid eating breakfast each morning ( I still have coffee with creamer).  I also have tried to stay mostly away from carbohydrates do a little more exercise (yard work) on the weekends .   I have determined eating carbs puts me into a viscous circle where I want more and more/gain weight!!  I have also been successful eliminating night-time snacking. If I do have a craving to eat carbs, I reach for nuts instead.  I have continued to lose weight!  I am down to 198lbs...not bad for about 7 months.  Only 13 more pounds to go.

So to sum it up, I avoid carbs and emphasize protein, nuts, and fiber (lettuce).  I stay under 2088 calories for whatever else I eat and don't eat between 8pm and 11am.
Finally, this is what I have done.  Beware and consult a physician.