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First -- A story, and this is one of my favorites -- and I sure fall into the same trap.

Isn't it time to change YOUR sandwiches?

2. Select an appropriate low-calorie diet you will follow (there are many to choose from -- choose one compatible with YOU, perhaps get one from the books on your shelf, from your doctor), and perhaps you will vary you diet program over the next 100 Days (just to keep it interesting for you). You may want to copy several daily menus and paperclip them into this manual.

3. Select a regular exercise program you can fit into your daily routine, and for the first 50 days, try to go 5 times a week for at least 10 to 20 minutes. For the last 50 days, strive for 20 to 35 minutes a week, also 5 times a week. (If you can go more often than this, fine. But you may well benefit from a day or two off."

4. Determine what your calorie goals per day will be and determine how much weight you will lose in a hundred days (or how many days on a restricted diet it will take you to reach your target). (Look on the inside cover of the manual to see how to do this.) And then put the numbers on the cover of the manual to remind you how to reach your goals.

5. Check with your doctor to make sure the components of the diet and exercise program are appropriate for you and also decide whether you will use vitamins and other supplements.

6. Turn to the last page of the manual and make a graph for yourself to start the 100 Day interval, indicating both weight lost and exercise accomplished.

7. Record your calorie intake on a daily basis, writing down the calories of what you eat, what you eat, and when you eat it. (I have started adding a "B" before the entry if I am writing down the details BEFORE I eat it, a "D" if I'm writing the details DURING the time I'm eating it, or "S" if I am writing it down SOON after I eat it -- within half an hour.) Using a little wire notebook with pages with a hole at the top makes it easy to post the pages onto a nail or clip every night.

8. Remove the label for the first day from the first set of numbers (Days on the Diet and Exercise Program) and tape it around your watch band and trim away the excess as needed. (Make sure your watchband size fits these labels.) You may just print the "Days on Diet and Exercise" and the "Pounds Lost" numbers onto two sheets of Avery's white return address labels, #5167. (For "Days on Diet," I use Ariel 24 bold. For "Pounds Lost," I use Ariel 20 Bold. To print onto labels, go into Word and select envelope and labels option, and create a new label's file. Also, set margins to .5 inch at top and bottom, and .3 at left and .2 at right. In addition, you could attach numbers to your watchband using transparent tape -- such as 1/2 inch "Transpore" medical tape (available through medical supply houses, etc.) or 1 inch Johnson & Johnson clear tape. Such tape will also preserve the numbers longer, should your weight loss be a bit slower.)

9. Try to exercise at least five times a week (I try to exercise DAILY), graphing the "Days on Diet and Exercise," the exercise performed (perhaps using a number code, in which (e.g.) 1 = 15 minutes walking, 2 = 25 minutes swimming, etc.), and the weight lost (if any).

10. Every day you remain on the program, change the number for "Days on Diet and Exercise" and throw away the old number.

11. Weigh yourself on a schedule you are comfortable with but only record the weight on the graph if you have lost weight as compared to the previous recorded weight. (Feel free to beat my own weight-loss rate, if you want to.)

12. If you have lost weight, then change the "pounds lost" number on your watchband, and replace it with the new number. (And congratulations!)

13. Keep up the enclosed 100 Day journal to write down your successes, and also to write down your thoughts, total calories consumed, and exercise regimen that worked so well for you. (You may need it again some day!) You now have your own "blue-print to success."

14. When you are within 10 pounds of your target goal, you may start counting down (at that point, the "pounds lost" number would be changed to a "pounds left to lose" number).

15. To continue on your next 100 Day Program (and why wouldn't you? if you feel so much healthier, look healthier, are healthier!), think about continuing immediately.

16. On the other hand, you may want to think about maintaining your weight for several months, and then starting another 100 Day program (either in time for Summer or for the Thanksgiving season).

17. When you reach your weight loss goal, why not tape around your watchband the number of pounds you lost on this program? This will help remind you of the success you had and also will help remind you not to backslide and let the pounds go back on again.

18. To have some control over party and other situations (in which you feel you may eat or drink too much), consider cutting out and wearing one of the label inserts further down this document.

Okay. Those are the basics. Look over the next image and you will see the actual mechanics of the approach.

The following is my watch on the last day of my first "100 Day" program and the third to the last day. You can see by the numbers that in 100 Days, I lost 50 pounds. (Less than I thought at first I would lose, but still a lot of weight. And probably this is a lot more than most people can lose and still maintain good health. But I wanted a loss of weight that was motivating, that did not require me to be on a diet for an extraordinarily long time, etc.)

The following is the chart I started at the beginning of the program. I only write down the weight if it's lower than the weight before. At the bottom of the chart, I write down the kind of exercise I engage in (1 = bicycling to a nearby hill and walking up and biking home, etc.). I darkened the lines indicating 10 pound weight losses, this to make those losses easier for me to read.

On the upper right hand side I listed my goals:

1. Daily exercise (but I have been accustomed to daily exercise in the past and do not recommend this schedule for everyone).
2. No beer (or other alcohol)
3. Follow low-cal diet (with cabbage soup)
4. No bread, sandwiches, snack food
5. Keep track of weight loss on watch

The following is an insert of the bottom-most portion of the start of the chart. You can see where "X" marks I have done the exercise, what kind of exercise it is (by the number), the day of the month, and the day of the program (in five day intervals).

By the way, I got a deep satisfaction each morning taking a number for the "Days on Diet and Exercise Program" and putting it around my watch band, in part because I was made aware by looking at the sheet of vanishing numbers exactly how long I have been on this program.

Explanation: This system is largely based on the approach outlined by organizational psychologist T. F. Gilbert in his book, "Human Competence" (1978) and also influenced by various behavior modification principles I have not seen incorporated anywhere else. Gilbert's deep understanding of the role of feedback in business and other settings has never been equaled and that's one of the reasons his superb organizational-psychology book is scheduled to be re-released. (As far as I know, Gilbert never addressed the issue of dieting and weight control, and any errors in applying his general system to this particular field are mine.)

This approach throughout is based on well-demonstrated psychological principles, and although at this point I have no controlled studies proving this approach works better than other approaches, I found it very, very easy to adhere to and it seems very effective for me. I have passed it out to others to try and am waiting for their responses. The extrapolation of this approach from other situations to dieting situations appears to be very, very logical and straightforward. (This approach is not intended for people with eating problems such as bulimia, anorexia, body dysmorphic disorder, etc. If people have such difficulties, they are encouraged to seek help from qualified professionals. Also, this approach is definitely not intended to keep people at starvation levels of eating, etc.)

1. This seems to be a stretch of time that is certainly long enough to make a huge difference in health,

2. This seems a better goal than an initial weight goal of "so-many" pounds, in part because in this approach, one doesn't anguish too much over the scale showing a loss or a gain of a pound. One simply commits to this time period and a lot of weight will be lost, the person will be healthier, etc.

3. A 100 Days is both reasonably difficult and quite reachable,

4. It is long enough to develop important new habits,

5. It's a reasonable length of time for your family and/or others to accommodate themselves to your program ("Honey, you know, for the next hundred days, I won't be going out to parties and restaurants! Is that okay with you? Because you'll see a healthier me after that time!"),

6. And it is much more believable to aim at a 100 Days than an open-ended time period of "forever" (of course we hope everyone will continue with these good behaviors).

As Gilbert wrote in his September 1982 article in Training and Development Journal describing methods of improving behavior: "Do they (the targets of his program) accept the standards are reasonable?" (page 25) The "100-Day" increments of the program seem much more reasonable than requiring members to pledge themselves to eternal change.

I have found it far easier to "be good" (that is, maintaining a low-calorie diet, staying away from fast-food restaurants, etc.) for the 100 Days before Thanksgiving, and believe the reason for this includes some of the following.

If one "is good" for 100 Days, then one can enjoy Thanksgiving with more enjoyment. And, in an important sense, we can take preventive measures to make sure that we will not stray "too far" during the Holiday Season. (Kind of like the person who wisely loses 5 pounds before a large wedding, this so they have license to indulge without feeling guilty.)

Many -- if not most -- of the weight control approaches involve one of the following admonitions -- "lose so many pounds" or "be good on this diet and don't stray from here on out!"

For the diets that advocate losing "so many pounds," dieters live or die by what the scales say, and this to the point (it has been my experience in surveying the literature, in talking to people, and in my own experience) that people trying to lose weight by this method find weighing in very discouraging before too long. At first, the weight comes off quickly, but soon it becomes more difficult, and when a person seems to be stuck at the same weight for a while, this very often leads to person to jettison the diet.

About the "be good on this diet and don't stray from here on out!" approach -- this is often the New Year's Resolution approach, in which the person is expected to be good (in terms of diet and exercise) from that point out. But this is simply unrealistic, I think. And several of the reasons are these:

First, because the world is busy and we are not the same each day, etc., and if we stray, then we are likely to abandon our diet program. (Please see the "Good enough" paragraph below.)

Second, while there is a beginning, there is no clearly defined end, and therefore, the end of the diet cannot continue to "pull" dieters over the long haul. On the other hand, another example is that of long-distance running -- especially getting ready for the Marathon. That is, people take long training runs to run in a Marathon. There are many superb Marathon training clinics -- including those in Portland and Honolulu (I've trained in both). And there is an anticipation in the months before the Marathon that the great event is coming, and that one must focus on being ready for it. I strongly feel that we can recreate that feeling of anticipation and accomplishment if our goal is to be good until Thanksgiving (because then we will be with family and friends and want to be healthy for them -- also, we can let ourselves indulge a bit).

So if one follows this program and works for the goal of "the day before Thanksgiving" and "the day of Summer," then one will be "good" for at least 200 days a year (but hopefully for a lot more than that, especially with regular exercise, relatively careful eating, etc.)

It's "Good enough" because I would encourage the person to know the general outlines of several food choices and then stick to them -- but if the person deviates a bit or nibbles from the fridge -- as long as the calories are reasonably low, the person is doing great! (But please write it down as religiously as you can!) This approach helps prevent the "What the hell!" phenomenon of someone trying to follow a strict and rigid diet, failing on it in some way, and then eating and drinking with abandon. Any good diet and exercise program should work. The Connors' "The new American diet" and David Heber's book -- "The resolution diet" both describe a variety of easy ways to eat a low calorie but healthy diet. Dr. Heber even extols the appropriate use of meal-replacements, such as Slim-Fast. (My own weight-loss diet in the first 100 Days consisted usually of "Cup of Noodles" or Maruchai brand noodles for breakfast and potato and cabbage soup at night, along with some nibbling from the fridge, for a total of about 1400 to 1700 calories, this basically a vegetarian diet. Not perfect, perhaps, but "good enough" for me and I rarely spend my time counting calories and obsessing about food. However, I am using Ultra Slim-Fast more and more in place of the morning noodles.)

In his excellent book, "The resolution diet," Dr. Heber describes in Chapter 4 meal replacements, such as Ultra Slim-Fast. Dr. Heber wrote: (page 64)

"At the University of Ulm in Germany, Dr. Ditschuneit and his colleagues compared the use of two meal replacements (Ultra Slim-Fast) per day with simply trying to count calories (between 1,200 and 1,500 calories per day). The group using meal replacements lost an average of over 15 pounds, while those who simply cut back on food intake lost only 3 pounds on average after twelve weeks. Over the following twenty-four months, the meal replacement group lost an average of an additional 6.6 pounds, or a total of about 20 pounds, using just one meal replacement per day. This study scientifically confirms the important role of meal replacements in weight loss, which I have seen in my practice over the past twenty years." (Parentheses are Dr. Heber's)

In his book, Dr. Heber also gives a variety of ways to flavor the Slim-Fast, and I sometimes add a scoop of Ultra Slim-Fast to 26 ounces of so of cold water, and I stir in diet iced-tea (or vanilla and cinnamon), using a hand-mixer with only one of the blades in. I then top it off with Diet Orange soda. Dr. Heber's approach to diet-management is very similar to the "good-enough," simple approach of the "The 100-Day, 'good-enough,' feedback diet and exercise system." On the other hand, how realistic is it to ask dieters (as many nutritionists and others do) to eat three-square meals a day and to do so without exceeding 1500 or 1800 or some number of calories in the course of a day? And also to avoid all snacking, etc.? (I think it is unreasonable to ask people to follow such a formula for disaster, especially as it has not worked for them in the past.)

 There are many recipes for potato and cabbage soup, but the one I generally use is: dice two large potatoes, use a head or half a head of cabbage, perhaps throw in garlic (my wife loves the stuff and throws it in my soup), bouillon, sometimes onions, salt and pepper to taste (and I also sometimes put Tabasco sauce in my bowl), and sometimes I add curry -- I like the flavor. Sometimes my wife makes broccoli soup along the potato and cabbage (or instead of it), and that is really good as well. Also, I throw an egg in at the end. Sometimes I substitute a can of water-packed tuna for the egg. Yum! Yum! Okay, it isn't haute cuisine, but it is both filling and reasonably healthy and I like the taste of it. (Also, as the Archbishop of Canterbury said once: "I don't like looking at ads for things because it makes me want things I can't have.")

After one eats about 500 calories of this soup, there's not much room for anything else. Also, according to radio physician Dean Edell, M.D., a recent study found soups to be more filling than other food.)

It's a "Feed-back" program because that person wears on his/her watchband the number of days he/she has been on this diet and exercise program. Below it are the pounds lost to date. Also, other numbers could record the decrease in cholesterol count or the days since one has smoked a cigarette (with the person's average daily cost of the cigarettes mounting up instead of pounds lost, etc.), used drugs, etc. (This system will probably be useful in changing many, many behaviors.) It's better, I think, for the numbers to generally increase over time, this with the implementation and maintenance of the program.

This program also emphasizes stimulus control rather than "will power." If people look at the appropriate data, this will very greatly increase the likelihood of good behavior. The problem with every legitimate weight-control diet is this -- how does one maintain motivation for more than a few days or weeks? I believe this program will maintain the focus and concentration that other approaches do not.

Will-power, resolutions to change, etc., are far less effective in changing dieting behavior, I think, than good data and the appropriate use of good behavior mod techniques. For example, earlier this year I wrote out a resolution to myself saying that I would follow an appropriate eating plan, etc. I tried to read and sign it every several hours, but it didn't work for me more than a day or two. Why not?

I believe this failure was because such a resolution was not an external factor, something outside the body. Related to this general idea of inside-the-body versus outside-the-body is research on tickling (among other things). It turns out that when one tickles one's self, it's much less likely to result in laughter than if one is tickled by an outside agent. (Some tickling research has compared mechanical tickling to the person tickling himself/herself.) One of the brain's functions is to determine what is under the control of the body and what is not under the control of the body. Hence, internal and external factors can have a very different effect on the body, and not just in the realm of tickling. (One can easily imagine how readily knowing that something outside your body was touching you -- rather than your own fingers, etc. -- could enhance the changes for survival.)

This relates to a variety of weight-related issues, including: the usefulness of "resolutions" (I did not find the signed resolution to myself helpful and I believe it is because this is one of those things the body "feels" it has control over); the critical importance of external data (which the body "knows" is outside itself -- for instance, the numbers on a scale have a reality that is not contradicted by wishful thinking, self-speech, etc.); the ready dislike we have for untrue praise about weight-loss -- if we know the numbers, etc., contradict the words of praise; etc. Overall, there is a reality to the numbers on the watch, and to the actual realities of the situation, which we can use to let the external world more properly guide our behavior.

"The blackmail diet" (by psychologist John Bear) is an interesting attempt to alter external rewards and punishments to force a person to lose weight. Bear advises people to engage in a weight-losing contract with others, this forcing the person to lose the weight OR ELSE. If the person truly believes he or she has no control over the consequences (rewards or punishers) related to that person's weight loss, then this would come very close to being an external factor and probably (according to the theory outlined above) be at least somewhat effective in getting people to lose weight. (In the past, I have engaged in several betting-contracts to lose weight and several times, it did prove to be effective, at least for a short term.)

Another appropriate tactic used by many weight-control advocates is telling people about the consequences of being overweight, poor diets, not exercising appropriately, etc. The consequences range from discomfort, self-esteem problems to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc. Informing people of the long-range consequences of overeating is very important and should be a part of any program that focuses on curbing problems related to indulgence or overindulgence. Such an approach, however, is static and may not speak to a particular individual on a particular day at a particular time in a particular situation. On the other hand, "The 100-Day, 'Good Enough,' Feedback Diet and Exercise Program" is more likely to speak to that individual in terms he/she can better understand, this as it emphasizes methods of providing ongoing feedback for appropriate behavior, reachable goals, etc.

For example, consider the following methods of increasing focus and motivation:

Ask yourself at first, "How do I really feel physically? Am I happy with my physical status? Do I feel healthy? Am I doing all I reasonably can do to be healthy?" If we are very much overweight and/or have other health problems and/or are not exercising and/or are using cigarettes, etc., then probably we are NOT happy with our physical status. (But let us ask ourselves that same question in 50 or 100 days! When the spring is back in our legs and many pounds are gone!)

How much weight can one lose in a 100 days? Well, get your calculators out and let's plug in some numbers. Let's take my case, starting at 276 pounds, and let's say (because of 1/2 hour of exercise a day) I need 14 calories per pound to support my weight -- that makes it a total of 3864 calories a day. If I eat 1800 calories a day, that means that my calorie deficit for the day is 3864-1800 calories or 2064 calories a day. And then I add to this deficit the 300 calories or so I burn off in aerobics and that makes it 2,364 calories a day. In a hundred days, that will be 236,400 calories, and as every pound of fat has roughly 3500 calories, the total weight I could lose in a hundred days on my diet and exercise program would be about 67 pounds.

Actually, though, as I lose weight, I would need less calories to support my weight (remember I had multiplied 14 by 276 to arrive at how many calories I need a day to support my weight, and if I weighed less than 276 pounds, I would need fewer calories a day to support my weight). Also, my metabolism probably would decline somewhat, etc.

At any rate, I knew I would lose a lot of weight in a 100 Days simply by following a low calorie diet and exercise program, a heck of a lot more than I would have lost if I didn't follow this program but continued to overeat, to avoid exercise, etc. And unless the "laws of physics cease to exist" in my world (as Joe Pesci said to a hapless witness in the movie, "My Cousin, Vinnie"), I knew I would have to lose weight.

A greatly calorie-restricted program appears to lead to weight-loss at rates that help keep me motivated. (If I have to radically change my diet, etc., I might as well be on that program for a fairly short period of time.) Some have said that it is important to take off the weight slowly, but this is not very rewarding or motivating to me or to many other people. (However, overly rapid weight loss may result in gall stones and other health problems and one should check this program with one's physician, especially if one has pre-existing health problems, etc.)

The "good enough" approach -- find foods that agree with you and that are filling, low calorie and which are easy to prepare. Once you have found the basic calorie counts for the foods you eat, and for the meals, you may simply want to stick with them, this to reduce the hassle of altering things. Even a little bit of nibbling at night is okay. In a 100 Days, you will be very far along, and in the fullness of time after that, you WILL reach your goal. Keep at it day by day.

You also will have to ask yourself: what is it worth to me to lose weight through a healthy diet and exercise program? Am I willing to give up some or many of the foods and drink I have enjoyed eating and drinking? Am I willing to stay out of situations that have proven detrimental to me in the past? Am I willing to commit myself to a regular exercise program week after week, month after month, until a 100 Days have passed? If you are not willing to make these commitments, then you will probably not be successful on this program. But if you ARE willing to make some basic changes, then in 100 Days, you will be much further down your road to health. You will have taken a huge step in that direction, this without gimmicks, slick-talk, unproven and possibly harmful health products, etc. Just a few numbers on your wristwatch and several other methods (including graphing your progress), keeping your daily diary up, to keep you focused and on task.

Also important to the "good enough" approach is a weekly exercise program. Try to make it five days a week and stick to it. Aerobics, such as walking, stationary bicycling, etc., are wonderful exercises. You may want to get a radio to listen to as you walk along (make sure you can hear cars and bicycles), etc., and make sure your doctor gives you the okay to exercise. Don't worry about being competitive -- in a 100 Days, you will be much, much further along than you are now. In my own case, every day, I walk 35 minutes, half the days pumping dumbbells up and down and walking with ankle-weights. Usually I go up a nearby hill and my wife picks me up at the top.

The numbers of this watch-system form the core of this program. Every morning you are on the 100 Day program, change the "Days on Diet and Exercise" number. Take the old number off and throw them away and put the new number in its place. Weigh yourself on your own weighing schedule (if you have a scale at home), and if appropriate, change the number for the pounds lost if the new number is bigger than the former one (indicating more pounds lost). I usually weigh myself every morning, this the first thing I do after waking up and using the bathroom. Also, I never let the indicator on my balance-beam scale go higher. (That is, the fluctuations in weight due to water retention can be discouraging, and so I never move the balance indicator to the right - to the higher numbers. I know I am following my diet pretty closely and so I know I am making progress. I find this system a lot more rewarding than charting every pound of weight gain.) Also, I find taking the numbers off the pages of numbers is also very encouraging -- this helps me see how consistent I have been to date.

Throughout the day, when you look at your watch, appreciate how well you are doing on your program -- the length of time you have been on it and the pounds you have lost. Terrific! You can even say to yourself, "Excellent! I'm making GREAT progress!" Why not praise yourself? You deserve it!

Think of it! The hand that used to reach for the doughnuts will now bring you the information concerning "days being good" and the progress you have made (pounds lost, etc.). In terms of frequency of behavior, you will be thinking much, much more than you have ever thought before of the success of your diet and exercise program -- certainly much more often in the course of a day than food commercials are likely to reach you.

The two sets of numbers -- Days on Diet and Exercise Program and the number of pounds lost -- will help you remain true to your goals more than even a cheering crowd is likely to do. These numbers will steer you towards your goal like a compass point would, and certainly this method of making sure you are "keeping your eye on the prize" is a lot less expensive and more practical than many other dieting methods.

One analogy regarding the feedback approach of the numbers on the watch (and of the definite period of time of a 100 Days, etc.) is that of getting lost in the woods and trying to find your way out. Probably almost any way would lead to success if one just stuck with one direction (or followed a particular diet and exercise program). But without a compass, people tend to get lost, go in circles, lose their direction, etc. The watch-numbers, the graphing, and the emphasis on the 100 Day approach does focus us with "laser-like intensity" on being "good over time" -- the most important and successful method of achieving weight loss and good health.

Why put the numbers on a watchband as compared to other places? There are a variety of reasons for putting this on a watch-band and most of the reasons would work for a bracelet. (Actually, at one point I was interested in the idea of a hospital bracelet which would say, "Doctor's Orders" and which would remain on until the person lost the weight. But frankly I would find that confining. One could have put the numbers around that.) If the numbers are on your wrist, you will see it many, many times a day, and every time you do, the association between following your program (whatever your program is) and the pounds lost will be made stronger and stronger. Certainly you will see the numbers on your wrist much more often than you will encounter ads for foods (unless you are sitting and watching TV commercials or are flipping through the pages of a magazine).

The "response cost" (the hassle-factor) of seeing the numbers on your wrist is lower compared to wearing the numbers anywhere else. To see the numbers, all you have to do is dart your eyes to them (I have them on my watch below the dial, this so the numbers are virtually always visible.) This lowered response cost leads to more looking than would having the data on a card in one's wallet, etc. (You'd be asking yourself from time to time, "Now how long have I been on this program? And how much weight have I lost?" With this system, you know EXACTLY how long you have been on the program and EXACTLY how many pounds you have lost. We don't want any doubt to cloud our "laser-like intensity.")

Another benefit of having it on your wrist -- when people tempt you to eat inappropriate foods, you can point to your numbers and say, "In so-many days, I have lost so-many pounds. I think I will keep on doing what I'm doing." Your knowledge of the data is important to helping you resist temptation and also will be very impressive to the people talking to you. They will know you are guided by "actual, factual" data and not simply by the latest diet fad. They are much more likely then to help you be consistent. (At least this has been my experience.)

I believe that wearing the numbers on a necklace or a pin might also be quite effective, but for me, a basic question is: "Can I look at myself and see the data with a simple glance?" If the answer is "yes," the response-cost (hassle) of this feedback system is low -- a very, very good thing. (Psychologist Richard Malott had written at one point of getting a wall-clock, in spite of the fact he had a wrist-watch. He said that after a while, he caught himself using the clock more and more, this as he could quickly dart a glance to the clock and get the time. It was more difficult to dart a quick glance to his wrist and get the time that way. He noted that the lower response-cost of looking at the wall clock increased the chance he would look at it.)

Also, graph your daily weight, with lines so you will more easily know when you have lost increments of ten pounds. However, if you weigh more in a morning than you did before, and you are following your diet and exercise program, don't record the weight. Also, the weekly exercise should be charted -- but try not to be too competitive with yourself. You may also want to get some light weights and lift them every other day, and chart that, too. (In the future, more fashionable watchband colors will be available.)

You will be faced with situations that may lead you to deviate from your diet and exercise program. First, it is hoped that these situations will be very rare. If they occur, your options include: saying "That looks great! But in 20 days on my program, I have already lost 8 pounds and I am going to stick with my diet!" and perhaps showing your questioner your watchband with the two numbers clearly displayed (your questioner is likely to be impressed with your progress and is less likely to tempt you with undesirable items); perhaps wearing a name-tag insert which says something like, "Please don't offer me anything bad!" "Designated driver -- Diet soda, please!" or "Do not offer this fat person food!" (I've worn even this last label and people really appreciate what I'm saying. Also, the host then is under no obligation to offer you anything, and you are more likely to be good yourself, this as you are setting yourself up for scrutiny. It's kind of fun! And the plastic holders are at any good stationary or office supply store.)

About the name-tag inserts-- why not tell your host, hostess, the waiter, etc., what you want in this nonverbal fashion? Why be asked whether you want alcohol or high calorie foods if you don't want to be asked? And why should you keep your wishes on this matter a secret? Gilbert said that one of the major causes of incompetence is not telling people what is expected of them -- why not tell your host, etc., what you would like them to do (or not do) for you? (I have had some buttons printed up with several of the sayings on them, this for substance-abuse, and distributed them to motivated clients with such problems. These clients could readily see the value of such an approach.

Before long, your clothes will be loose on you, this because of weight loss and muscle toning through exercise. Great! So even though you are putting on muscle (which may slow down somewhat your weight loss), you are toning and firming yourself up!

Remember, in this program, the numbers indicating weight loss are below the numbers indicating "Days on Diet and Exercise Program." Why? Because the basic measure is the "length of time being good." If you are good for a long period of time, good things will almost inevitably happen to you. Don't worry about the daily weight fluctuations, etc. The watch program will help you focus on the "bigger picture."

It is important for you to determine how you will avoid your own "gateway" foods and "gateway" activities, these the things that lead to overeating, overdrinking, avoidance of exercise, etc. For me, the "gateway" items for overindulgence were bread and alcohol. (In terms of bread, it is far too easy for me to have a piece of bread and then make a sandwich out of it, or two sandwiches, etc. And bagels have a lot more calories than they used to, can be used to transfer a lot of food to the mouth, etc. Same with burritos. For me, these transport systems are easier to avoid entirely than to try to control. And alcohol is in the same general category and it may be easier to avoid it entirely than to try to moderate its use.) It will help you to write down the names of "gateway foods" and "gateway activities" so you will more likely to avoid them in the future.

This program's low response cost (that is, not much "hassle") and a focus on the "bottom line" lead to an increase in compliance. (Also, as I noted earlier, this diet is for the overweight and is not intended to be a method to further obsess about getting the last few ounces off or to live on a starvation style of life.) This is not a complicated system -- no lengthy paperwork, etc.

For the Diet and Exercise Program, three possible sets of numbers (two initially): Days on Diet and Exercise program; pounds lost; and perhaps counting down from 10. ("Only 10 more pounds to go!") Also, perhaps a gold rubber band for every hundred days on the diet and exercise program.

As far as I can determine, this through my search through the literature (and also through contact with various obesity experts), this very straight-forward approach to diet and exercise management has never been previously described, systematically used, etc. (For example, according to his assistant, Ms. Laura Lewis, obesity expert Dr. Albert Stunkard said on October 27, 1999, he had never heard of anything like this. OHSU diet and nutrition expert Dr. William Connor has also never seen anything like this. Etc.) That is, it hasn't been used other than as Benjamin Franklin employed it. (Franklin had a list of "virtues" that he describes in his autobiography. He tried to successfully address lapses in each virtue until he had successfully addressed them everyday for two weeks. He would then go on to another virtue and would cycle through his list. Gluttony and over-imbibing in alcohol were on his list.)

We are going to make choices or they will be made for us by circumstances, people, etc., or our behavior will change by a combination of the two sources of influence. This section will outline a method of making informed choices about dieting and exercising.

In statistics, there is a mathematical model called a "regression equation" and this basic model oftentimes predicts outcome quite well. That is, using the general model, we can probably predict reasonably well who is likely to: get into traffic accidents, commit suicide, use drugs, join gangs, etc., etc. And in the prediction equations, we can see what the top predictors of the various outcomes are. (For example, divorced, middle-aged or older white males with substance abuse problems are the most likely candidates for suicide.) With a regression equation, we can determine which predictors are strongest and account for much of the outcome.

 And it turns out that for almost all regression equations, the top few predictors account for the majority of the variance. For almost any data set, if you control the top three to five variables, you have controlled almost all of the controllable outcome.

So, in dieting and health, what are the important variables that need to be controlled? Clearly, calorie intake, food choice, and exercise are important candidates for control.

Below is a list of things that people may want to consider as they attempt to achieve health. These items may help people reduce their calories, improve the health of their diet, improve their exercise, etc., in an efficient manner:

1. Consider using meal replacements (e.g., Ultra Slim-Fast, low-calorie soups, mixing nonfat milk with water, etc.) in place of one or more meals in the course of a day.

3. Avoid alcohol.

4. Avoid trigger foods which are high calorie and/or may lead to overeating of other foods. (For me, this includes bread and tortillas.)

5. Stay out of the kitchen as much as possible.

6. Avoid snacking between meals.

7. Do not fall into the "self-reward" trap or the "pity" trap as reasons to overeat.

8. Weigh yourself reasonably often, and if (after you have reached your goal) you see the numbers creeping upwards, treat this as a warning to get into gear, and returning to putting the numbers on the watchband.

9. Treat fast-food restaurants, all-you-can-eat buffets, convenience stores, etc., with care.

What are the choices YOU are willing to make to change your health? (Any of the above are certainly less taxing than gastric bypass surgery, medication which may result in explosive diarrhea, etc.)

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Also, revisit and change your list, and keep a card with your goals written down on it in your pocket. And if the above doesn't work for you, try something else. (Also, I would be very interested in hearing from people what techniques they found effective.)

Perhaps the main obstacle to staying on a regular diet is that there is a lot of "noise" around us (which Gilbert calls "stimulus confusion."). That is, people talk to you about their diet, favorite recipes, the latest thing on the TV, criticize the program you are on (and often can appear to criticize it quite learnedly), etc., and you get misled and lose track of the progress you DO make. (This state of confusion is also known as a "high noise to signal ratio" and is something we want to reverse. We want the important information to clearly stand out from the unimportant background data. That is, we want a "high signal to noise" ratio.) There is oftentimes a glut of stimuli and we cannot see the forest for the trees. Hence, it may be very, very important that there are only two bottom line measures (or very, very few) that one wears on a band and that leads to "self-control" -- that is, being controlled by the appropriate stimuli. The control is similar to that of the control of blood-sugar monitoring devices of diabetics, or speedometers in cars. Such devices not only help correct us when we make mistakes but also let us know when we're doing things well.

In addition to advice from others, reading about the latest new diet, etc., stimulus generalization is another problem factor that misleads us. (Stimulus generalization occurs when stimuli that are similar to the initial stimulus come to control our behavior. For example, if a new recruit in the navy salutes naval officers, he/she may also salute police officers, etc. A toddler who learns the word "mama" may call everyone "mama.") Stimulus generalization in eating leads to "slippery slope" behaviors, with the person eating all that is before him/her even though the portions are getting bigger, even though the categories of food are changing, etc. Instead of eating behaviors being under the control of the appropriate stimuli (e.g., low calorie and healthy foods), we tend to relax our vigilance and will eat larger portions, more often, of the wrong stuff, etc. (Also, just as it's easy, easy for some people to read exciting fiction and boring to read school texts, so too it is often easier to find anything more exciting than exercising and we may make exercise more and more difficult to engage in. There's a slippery slope for not exercising as well.) For me, bread and alcohol increase a wide range of inappropriate eating -- that is, these two items increase stimulus generalization of eating and for me, that's not a good thing. The restriction of food choices (to -- for me -- cup of noodles in the morning, soup at night with some nibbling) reduces straying off the diet and exercise program (reducing stimulus generalization, slippery slope eating and non-exercising behaviors, etc.), reduces "what the hell!" behaviors if I do stray a bit from my diet, etc.

Very, very important to this program is what Gilbert wrote in the following two sentences: "...it is important to know that very often people are judged to perform poorly because they do not know how to perform; in reality, however, they simply do not know when they are performing well. In my own experience, more than half the clients who request help with training need very little or no training at all, just better confirmation of their performance." (page 180)

For example, you may have been on a given diet for several weeks and may have made great progress, only to go off the diet again. This watchband recording system will help you keep on your winning course of behavior because it will tell you "when" you "are performing well" and the success that comes from two weeks of following a diet should continue on. This approach will help you not change "a winning game." Indeed, an excellent time to use this approach may be several weeks into a given diet and exercise program when you already have achieved weight loss, some success in maintaining consistency, etc. I think that one of the reasons a lot of people have achieved success with a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet is that they know very clearly when they are on or off it. Because of this, when they lose weight, these dieters attribute it readily to the diet and this motivates them to keep on it. On the other hand, in following the usual approach to weight management ("Eat smaller portions!"), there is no clear discrepancy between the typical American diet and simply eating larger and larger portions. (Hence there will be "portion-size creep" upwards and "variety creep," these tendencies leading to the dieter gradually abandoning the weight control regimen.)

People in losing weight discover from time to time that their clothes no longer fit, that their belt is getting to be too big, or their cheekbones can be more easily felt when they rub their cheeks and so on. While these discoveries are delightful when they DO occur, they are not regular enough or permanent enough to maintain weight loss in very many people. On the other hand, the numbers on the watch band are permanent (in the sense one can always look at them for verification -- they will not disappear in the course of a day) and they do change regularly, ratcheting downward in an improved spiral, even as the wearer's behavior systematically improves.

In June 1998, I started getting interested in another approach to maintaining consistency, this through a measure I called "Days of Fasting," or DOF. It struck me that one could turn overweight into some sort of DOF number, this the days that it would take by fasting to reach target weight. Then one could reduce calories, perhaps have a deficit of 1500 calories a day, and the DOF number would be reduced by 1500/3500. This number would also have the benefit of having a "memory," in the sense that if one overate, etc., this would increase the DOF number and the person would have another reason to remain consistently on his/her diet and exercise regimen. However, the numbers on the watchband appear far easier to use (hence, they have a lower response case) and are a lot clearer to understand (less stimulus glut). These two numbers are also quite useful in getting at "bottom-line" measures, and both serve as reasonably good indicators of other things -- the DODEP number looking at the days of exercise and dieting -- and the pounds lost being a rough indicator of improved blood pressure, lower risk for diabetes, etc.

Several questions I would ask people: "How many of you know your cholesterol level? How many of you believe that knowing your cholesterol level may lead to your moderating your diet?

With this system, one doesn't have to rely on memory, distant recording systems, etc. To the contrary, the speed and ease at which one can state the data is an important measure of how accessible the data are and how effective they may be in controlling our behavior. For example, I was asked on the 66th day of this program by a friend how long I was on it, and I said (looking at my watch), "66 days!" and the person asking the question laughed and said, "Not that we're counting!" and I said, "Absolutely I'm counting. How long have you been on YOUR program?" and he said didn't know. But knowing the numbers and changing them as appropriate helps us keep our eye on the ball, helps us maintain our focus. (I was told by one person on Day 85 of program, "You've lost a lot of weight!" And I said, looking at my watch, "As a matter of fact, in 85 days..." "He's lost 43 pounds," finished another person I was with, this other person having attended a short Toastmaster's presentation I made two weeks before on this system. I didn't know he was reading my watchband, but that kind of ability to easily track one's progress is a huge advantage to this system.)

The wonderful book, "In search of excellence," by Peters and Waterman, notes (on page 268 of the 1984 Warner Books edition): "A long time ago, the organization theorist Mason Haire said, "What gets measured gets done." He argued that the simple act of putting a measure on something is tantamount to getting it done. It focuses management attention on that area. Information is simply made available and people respond to it. ... Another friend tells of a foreman who started writing production results, after a shift, in chalk on the floor in the machine area. Competition between shifts surfaced and quickly turned intense. Productivity leaped." (And indeed, a little friendly competition between groups of people may further lead to weight loss.)

Gilbert noted (page 67) that "...the most valuable single source of treatment for the ills of incompetence is the very data that clearly show its existence, its size, and its meaning. The 100-meter freestyle swim event has a low PIP <this is Gilbert's measure for variation among performers> for a good reason: the people engaged in this activity know immediately how well they are performing, and what it means to them..." The watch feedback system provides the wearer with such information.

Another source of confusion for us is superstitious conditioning, which can easily throw us off course. (Superstitious conditioning occurs when we mistakenly think that something causes something else. For example, a person may lose weight after a personal crisis and may think, therefore, that to lose weight, he/she must go through another crisis. etc.) According to T. F. Gilbert, "There are only two cures for superstition, and both have to do with improving information. One is to supply feedback that connects truly effective behavior with the results; the other is to make training so effective that people comprehend the rational nature of the causation in a situation. But one thing is certain: The cure has to be mighty, because superstition, once established, is an extremely tough habit to kick." (page 183) The watchband approach "connects truly effective behavior with the results" in a powerful, straight-forward way and keeps on working over time. And over time, weight loss and improved health will happen. (Some stimuli continue to work well over time, including stop signs, warnings of radar detection stretches on highways, badges of rank in the military, etc. These important stimuli - the numbers - should also continue to motivate people.)

Gilbert wrote: "...A good system of confirmation is such a powerful remedy for incompetence that the only time you can really observe its dramatic effects is when it is first instituted." (page 185) The numbers on the watch-band will reveal what is not always apparent to people in moment of temptation - that is, that following the diet and exercise program WILL result in better health and weight loss.

"Length of time being good" -- this is the bottom line measure. Everything else follows from this. And if this doesn't occur for a substantial time period, nothing good is happening. This system brings the long range consequences closer to home so they can more effectively guide our behavior. It is over the long-term that one learns and practices new behaviors, giving them a kind of "behavior momentum" which makes them much easier to maintain. (That is, the guiding stimuli are in place directing us to be good. The temptations are already put out of sight. One knows how to be good with a minimum of effort. Etc.)

Instead of keeping track of the discrete 100 Day segments, one could just always stay on this program and try to be good for 100's and then 1000's of days in a row. But that strikes me as a lot of unnecessary pressure on a person, and so for almost everyone, it seems that at least a few days of "vacation" at the end of a 100 Day stretch is appropriate. (However, I hope to exercise everyday for years and years -- perhaps not heavily, but keeping at it!)

Another alternative would simply be to keep track of how many good days have you had to the current date. (And certainly you want to be 100% "good," or as close to 100% as possible.)

Still another measure that one might incorporate is a "pounds lost per day" measure, this perhaps based on an average of the last two weeks or the last month. This would probably be motivating for people who have plateaued for a long period of time, but it might be overly-stressing for others, etc.

If one is stalled for a long period of time, then calorie-counting is pretty definitely appropriate, at least for a while. Because my diet has already been streamlined by following the basic 100-Day, 'good-enough,' feedback diet and exercise approach, recording the extra food I eat is very simple. This has led me to believe that calorie-counting is probably much more likely to succeed with many people if they first limit their food choices. Another aspect of postponing calorie-counting until one has limited food choices is that one by that time has a history of success in limiting food choices on a particular diet, and so the calorie-counting will have the effect of returning that person to that successful diet, rather than have the effect of limiting the foods and drinks the person usually enjoys. A person may be reluctant to start recording calories if the food he/she eats is varied (because of the difficulty in figuring out the calories of different items and writing them down) and also (among other reasons) the person may be reluctant to record because he/she doesn't want to limit access to inappropriate food and drink. (Why punish yourself by recording, when this means you have to cut back your beer, cake, etc.?)

1. Not a single diet approach -- my approach works for me, but any low-calorie/exercise approach should work for people, as long as it can easily be followed. (The "what the hell!" phenomenon often occurs as a response to complexity and unrealistic demands.) I do believe in a low-fat, vegetable-based diet, but (as my brother-in-law says), "Whatever makes your hair fly back!" This approach will also work with low-carb, vegan, etc., and other approaches.

2. I am not a nutritionist, dietitian, etc. My professional interest is helping people make lasting, desirable behavior change in as painless a fashion as possible. Frankly, I believe that people can learn perhaps more than they need to about nutrition (and indeed several of the things they learn may be wrong) and they may be able to de-rail their healthy behaviors through vague fears and superstitious conditioning.

3. This approach does not require precise calorie-counting (at least not initially, not unless one is no longer at a high weight) nor does it require that one invariably eat three meals a day, etc., etc.

Hopefully, this method will lead to some portion control, however. And the same method can be employed if one strays from the desired weight goal, with additional adhesives indicating the number of pounds to be lost. (For example, five pounds above the desired weight - indicated by an adhesive "5" -- may be all the motivation one needs to get the weight off.)

I believe that introducing this program after a person has lost some weight might be very, very motivating.

1. Getting a radio to use while walking or finding a convenient way to exercise -- perhaps visit local gyms and athletic clubs.

2. Avoiding your favorite convenience store and not feeling guilty about not supporting the clerk there with your business -- you're in the business now of getting yourself healthy!

3. Deciding what gateway foods and practices you want to stop. For me, cutting out alcohol and bread has been very effective. Also my wife puts away the chips, etc., before I get home.

4. Having low calorie, filling substitute foods readily at hand and drinking plenty of water..

5. Avoiding temptation (perhaps by staying home from parties and restaurants for a while, not watching the TV in the kitchen and trying to stay out of the kitchen altogether, etc.).

What would it be worth to the American Public for them to substantially increase the chances of their complying with an appropriate diet and exercise program? (The new issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association noted that from 1991 to 1998, there has been a spread of obesity in the United States. According to several of the authors, obesity is now a major health threat to the health of Americans.) What would it be worth for diabetics who have weight to lose and an important diet to follow, for them to avoid going blind or avoid amputation of a limb? For athletes training for an event? For hypertensives concerned about their kidneys and the possibility of a stroke or heart disease? For patients who have been told to engage in life-saving practices by their physicians? For people trying to reduce sleep-apnea? For people looking to give up smoking, drinking, etc.? And for many, many other -- what would such a system be worth?

For some people losing weight is worth submitting to surgery (with possible severe complications) or taking medications with some quite pronounced side-effects (including frequent diarrhea, etc.). For these people, such drastic approaches may well save their lives. However, I do believe that in the near future, the success of the straightforward and powerful approach described here will provide some people with a viable alternative to surgery or strong medications.

I tell clients sometimes the joke about the person who is seated at a very formal English dinner, with servants in livery, and crystal goblets, silver plates, etc., and this person bites into a hot potato and then spits it out back onto his plate. All the Dukes and Duchesses and Lords and others stared at him, shocked that he would do such a thing, and he glares around the room and then says: "You know, some damned fool would have tried to swallow that thing!"

For people who are overweight or who have other health problems that a 100 Days of an appropriate diet and exercise program would help, they would be "damned fools!" if they did not try a simple motivational approach where other approaches have failed so many times in the past. A little temporary self-consciousness because of the numbers on one's wristwatch will give way, I believe, to an appreciation at the success of this practical, common sense approach.

In Gilbert's "Human competence" are suggestions for increasing incompetence (page 87). Probably the most effective ways of increasing incompetence are these four:

"1. Don't let people know how well they are performing.

"2. Give people misleading information about how well they are performing.

"3. Hide from people what is expected of them.

"4. Give people little or no guidance about how to perform well."

Gilbert reasoned that if one could create incompetence, one could do the reverse as well -- that is, bring about competence.

I have my own list about how to create dieting failures, and they include:

1. Tell people they have to follow their diet program 365 days a year and that success means never deviating. However, even world class athletes take time off from training. Is it reasonable to tell people who are faced with ongoing advertisements, parties, etc., that they must always be good?.

2. Tell people to follow diets which they have never managed to follow successfully in the past. And make sure they feel guilty when they fail.

3. Tell people to keep track of every calorie, to follow some complex system of recording food, etc., even though it is very, very difficult to track food successfully and even though such tracking of food will oftentimes tempt the person to eat more.

4. Belittle the previously successful efforts of people to lose weight.

5. Ignore the motivating aspects of fairly rapid weight loss, and keep repeating that if weight comes off quickly that means it may go back on quickly too. (Be certain to ignore the fact that even if weight comes off slowly, it can also go on very, very quickly.)

6. Quote dubious and/or unproven approaches (e.g., combining foods, using food to stimulate the body's metabolism, etc.)

7. Worry overly about the health risks of a low-calorie approach and forget entirely the huge health risks from obesity, high blood pressure, etc.

8. Quote with great approval to the dieter details about the latest diet fad you heard about or read about.

9. Tell people to have three-square meals a day, each meal fully balanced, etc. And also tell them to avoid ALL snacking. (Might as well ask a lot of people to walk on water too.)

I have always had weight control problems, having been very overweight as a child, throughout my teenage years, as a young adult, and over the last 5 years or so. (I have a great family, but the "overweight gene" is there for some of us, and I have it.) I lost a lot of weight in about 1973 through 1976, and looking back on it, I see that this probably due to being a single person without a car and living with three other guys. Therefore, for dinner, I would eat mainly saimin soup and carrots (easy to prepare). (A recent study has apparently found soups to be particularly filling for people.) I also took up long-distance running, and for about 15 years or so (until about eight years ago), I was able to control my weight through long distance running, including marathoning. However a back injury which required back surgery forced me to stop running and my weight crept up again for the last six years.

I had tried a variety of things to lose weight, including fasting (which scared my wife), appetite-suppressant medication, but nothing worked for me. (The leader of a nearby weight-control program told me that her two groups only had women in them and there might be a problem of self-consciousness if I joined them. etc.) A major problem for me is that good-tasting, high-calorie food has been simply too available to easily avoid.

Finally, a week after my 23^rd wedding anniversary (and several months after I turned 50) and weighing 276 pounds, I decided to try a feedback system in which I would record my days on dieting and exercising, and also the pounds lost. I knew that if I could only be "good" for a hundred days, I would lose a lot of weight and get into better shape than I had been in for a long while. (About 16 years before, I had exercised everyday for 100 days, and I knew I could do this. For those 100 Days, even if I returned home late from a party and had not exercised for that day, I would put on my running shoes and go out the door for at least 30 minutes of jogging.) For me, consistency for that 100 Days had been the key before and the problem now was how to be consistent again.

I believed (and correctly, I think) that if I could maintain a good exercise and dieting program for 100 Days, I would lose a lot of weight. (I remember being very, very impressed in college with a unit mastery course, in which one could receive a good grade by engaging in clearly defined behaviors - passing 19 or 20 of the chapter tests would get someone an A; pass 17 or 18 and you get a B; and so on. This clear linkage had been very convincing to me. No need to be political, or worry about what other students were doing, etc. Just pass the tests one by one. Passing the "test" of "100 Days" will lead to the same inevitable outcome - an "A grade," but this time on personal health, self-esteem, etc.)

Before arriving at this form of the feedback system, I had kept track of DODEP (Days on Diet and Exercise Program) through different colored yarn tied through holes on my watch, but the current numbers are far easier to use and are far easier to interpret. The top-most number is the "Days on Diet and Exercise Program" and the bottom number is the weight lost. I know that if I continue to increase my DODEP numbers, the pounds will be lost and also I will get into far better physical shape. I should note that I have engaged in this system successfully for over 92 days, this without group support, etc. (Of course my wife has been very, very helpful in fixing soup for me, in not forcing me to go to parties and restaurants, etc.) I believe that group settings may lead to even greater weight loss, etc.

Those numbers on my watchband have simply been astoundingly effective in changing my own behavior, and the behavior of others around me. (When people asked me how I'm doing on my program, I could say, pointing at my watch, "In 76 days, I have lost 40 pounds, and I feel great!" This stops them from offering me undesirable foods, often leads them to compliment me on my improvement, and also keeps me honest and focused on my diet.) I knew that in the "fullness of time," I would achieve my weight loss and health goals by keeping on my program.

This program has been very easy for me to follow. In an important sense, with the numbers on my watch, I have a cheerleading section with me there as well, and this is a cheerleading section that tells me the truth and which does not pretend I have lost a lot of weight when none or only a little is gone. I have "re-educated" my palate and no longer yearn for high-calorie, undesirable foods -- at least not nearly to the same extent I did before.

For the first time in my life, I have a clear representation of the link between being good on my diet and exercise program and the weight lost. The link is inescapable and powerful and it is there before my eyes whenever I look at the time or have any occasion to look at my left arm. Before using this method of weight control, I was never able to lose even 15 pounds successfully. (I would perhaps lose 10 or 12 pounds and then revert back to my earlier eating styles.) However, this feedback system has kept me on the "straight and narrow" (or at least on the reasonably "straight and narrow" for a long period of time) and it should help do the same for others.

There is a famous letter in which the Greek mathematician Euclid was responding to an inquiry by King Ptolemy of Egypt. Ptolemy had asked whether he could understand the higher levels of Euclid's mathematics without going through the basic proofs. Euclid responded, "There is no royal road to geometry." In other words, we must all walk the same steep and thorny path to understand difficult subjects. Similarly, there is no easy, "royal" and painless way to good health.. But at least this feedback system will guide us to the right path, will tell us (and others around us) when we are on it, and will help correct us when we go astray.

There is no magical pill or substance which will make dieting a delight or which will make exercise always more pleasurable than all other activities, including staying in bed. But as human beings, we are blessed with intelligence, with awareness, and this simple feedback system will help us clearly see and know what we have to do to reach our goals and will tell us continually how far we are along the way.

Wishing you success in your own Diet and Exercise program,

I am,

Yours,

Caleb Burns, Ph.D.

Licensed Psychologist ("Caleb" is a Biblical name meaning "dog" - with a name like that, it's difficult to take myself too seriously!)

About the following label inserts: People oftentimes are concerned about Holiday parties and other situations in which they are likely to overeat and over-drink. Right now, the responsibility is on the host (or the bartender, the waiter/waitress) to offer the person food and drink, and to keep on offering it if the customer/guest appears willing to change his/her mind. But with these nametags on, the responsibility has shifted, and the customer (or guest) has already clearly stated his/her wishes. So if someone continues to offer food and drink, one can simply point to the nametag and that should be sufficient to let the host know your wishes. Wearing this nametag will also help keep YOU honest, because it will increase the likelihood that people will be watching to see if YOU are being good. (This will bring you under greater "audience control," as psychologists might say.)

These labels will be one tool that you can use to navigate the situations in which you may over-indulge. These labels provide one more reason to start an appropriate diet and exercise program at any time during the year, even during the Holiday Season and may well be useful even for those not on this diet and exercise program. I would urge people to copy and distribute the following labels for use as appropriate.

I wake up and weigh myself without clothing after using the bathroom. If the weight is lower than the last weight recorded, I write it down, change the pounds lost. (On my balance scale, the scale never weighs higher than the last low weight recorded. Over time, I know that if I follow the program, it will have to weigh lower. And it does.) I then change the "Days on Diet and Exercise Program" number and I know that as long as I maintain the days on my program, I will continue to lose weight.

For the first 100 Day stretch I was on, I usually stopped for a Cup of Noodle soup (or similar product) on the way in to work each morning. (It fills me up and has only 300 calories or so.) In the course of a day, I do a lot of sitting (I spend my days doing psychotherapy and evaluations) and occasionally have coffee with milk substitute and sugar. I might have some hard candy or Tootsie Rolls as well (pretty low calorie). On the program, I exercised every day, usually after work, putting on weights and walking to the top of a local hill, reaching the top in about 35 minutes. My wife drives to pick me up (during the late summer and early fall, I had ridden my bike) In the evening, I usually have potato and cabbage soup, usually with an egg in it, this made by my wife. Again, low calorie but filling. I might nibble from the refrigerator and from elsewhere as well, and I do stay out of the kitchen as much as I can. I drink a lot of diet soda. And I decided from the start that alcohol and bread were trigger foods for me - that they would lead to more eating and drinking - and so I have consumed neither of them during my "100 Day" program. But as I said above, a better initial goal for people who haven't been exercising much is to exercise for 10 to 20 minutes a day for the first 50 days on the program, this five days a week.

Overall, for my first 100 Day program, I probably consumed about 1700 calories or slightly more each day. But I didn't really count calories as a rule. (If I am eating a can of corn, I do know generally how many calories are in it, however.) Now, having lost a lot of weight, I do count calories more, this as I have to limit them more than I did before.

In the course of the day, I very often look at the time, and my eyes naturally go to the two adhesive numbers on my watchband. I would imagine I see those numbers well over 100 times a day - and each time I am reminded of how well I am doing on my program. At times people ask me how I'm doing on my approach, and each time, I am able to very quickly state how long I have been on my program and how much weight I have lost. Neither of these numbers are a mystery to me. To the contrary, I know exactly how well I am doing and that keeps me focused.

People who lose weight and keep it off do a variety of things that unsuccessful maintainers do not do. Perhaps the most important is that successful loss-maintainers do not "lose contact" with their desired weight, but take action as soon as their weight starts to creep up. "Maintaining contact" is a term common in running, with runners following a runner slightly ahead maintaining contact by keeping close to that runner - speeding up when that runner speeds up, perhaps even slowing down when the runner slows down. It is far easier for many people to match another runner's time if they maintain contact with that runner throughout the race.

Similarly, maintaining contact with your target weight is important, and as soon as you gain more than several pounds over your target weight, you should take immediate action and start to lose those pounds.

Maintaining contact with your appropriate weight - like maintaining contact with a slightly faster runner - involves a special set of behaviors, including: seeing immediately that there might be a break of contact; returning to the set of behaviors that was successful for you in the past (e.g., returning to the feed-back system, etc.); and maintaining that emphasis until the weight is gone.

What a scale should do is to help provide people with a reminder of the few pounds they have to lose, perhaps from a little container of adhesive numbers saying, "5" or "4," etc., this to tell people they have "5" or "4" etc. pounds to lose to get back to their target weight. Then, when one weighs oneself, one would take the little adhesive and put it around the watchband. (This isn't to say that people can't ever change their weight a bit -- perhaps at holiday times, etc. -- but if they change it too much, a quick spiral up in weight is all too common.) And along with the little adhesive numbers, the scale may also dispense 3 by 5 cards outlining the streamlined diet that has been successful for that person in the past. If the number of pounds to lose gets to be greater than 5 or 10, perhaps the person will be encouraged to consider both a streamlined diet and calorie-counting.

Seeing immediately that there might be a break of contact may involve:

Regular weighing on a good scale - but perhaps weekly rather than daily.

Seeing if your clothes are getting too tight.

Finding that you are sliding back into a pattern of overindulgence regarding undesirable food and drink.

Finding that you are not exercising according to the schedule you had earlier set.

Etc.

Returning to the set of behaviors may include:

Avoiding the gateway foods and activities for at least several days.

Increasing exercise somewhat.

Making it a point to stick consistently with your program.

Maintaining that emphasis until the weight is gone may include:

Putting an adhesive sticker on your watch-band from a container on or near your scale to remind you how many pounds you are over your target weight.

Returning to your streamlined diet, and perhaps starting to closely count calories if the streamlined diet approach doesn't work.

Making certain you continue to graph your lowest weight (perhaps the lowest graphing the lowest weight in a week's period) and exercise behaviors.

Perhaps put up a picture or two of you on the fridge as you were before you lost weight.

Look at yourself in the mirror and ask whether you would like to maintain that shape or go back to the way you were before.

Reading and writing in a journal and contemplating your past successes and emphasizing your desire to continue with your successes.

Etc.

1. Do you think people can have too much information to diet effectively?

Absolutely! We can always read the latest diet book, or watch the latest infomercial on TV, and try to find a painless way to lose weight. But the absolute bottom-line to dieting is being good over time -- and that means, if we are trying to lose weight, we simply must take in more calories than we burn off through exercise, metabolic demands, etc. And if we are following an effective dieting approach and if someone distracts us from our approach with information about the "latest" diet -- then clearly, that is information that we don't need and which will harm us.

2. Are you think that a low-calorie approach is too unpleasant for most people to stick with?

Low-calorie approaches are somewhat difficult for many people to follow. (If they were easy to follow, people wouldn't have the weight problems they do have.) The watchband system, the charting approach, using the diary, focusing on 100 Days, etc. -- these make the task easier. A fairly low calorie approach does allow one to lose substantial amounts of weight in a reasonable time period (e.g., 100 Days). And the important thing is to keep at it, day after day, week after week.

3. How important is it to spot errors in reasoning?

I think it's very important, because people will always be trying to get you to buy things you don't need, with money you may not have, etc. And they will employ a variety of logical fallacies to talk you into their way of thinking. (They are probably not even aware they are even doing this.) Logical fallacies include: the "band-wagon" effect (everyone is doing it, so it must be effective); arguing from authority (perhaps a sports figure endorses some dieting approach and this leads us to believe that it's effective.); the "fallacy of the false alternative" (someone might say, "either this way or that way," and we may forget that there are many other alternatives); etc.

Our question to them should be: "Yes, but where are the data?"

*******************************************

Excerpts from Caleb's personal diary:

(Day one was the first day I started on this diet, and the first time I started recording the days on the program and the pounds lost on my watch. The following entry is day 2.)

August 17, 1999 a.m. weight 273. (Yesterday was 276, hence now: 276/273/200.)

Second day (of 100 days). If I keep my daily calorie intake (after allowing for exercise) to 1000 or below, in 100 days, I will be 205 lbs. (In 30 days, I will be 245 at this rate.) ...

Yesterday, [my wife] made for me a simple-cabbage potato soup, this following a recipe I gave her. I didn't snack after dinner for the first time in a long time. Also, yesterday I went up [a nearby hill] again, that the third time in three days.

Yesterday morning and this morning, I had a cup of noodles soup.

Great! I hope the last alcohol for the next 100 days was consumed two days ago, and that I will drink no more for at least several months.

_________________________________________

8-20-99 Day 5 of 100 Days

276/268/200

... My diet consists of one cup of noodles in the morning and cabbage and potato soup at night, this fixed by [my wife]. Last night I picked from the icebox, probably about 500 calories -- not good. But on the whole, I have been very good, with no bread since I started. No hamburgers, etc.

On Monday I was 276 on my scale, and today, I weighed 268. The weight loss (I am sure) is mostly water, but that's water I can do without. (Also, lower blood pressure, etc.)

I have been exercising daily since Saturday, biking and walking up the hill at [nearby hill]. By the time I reach the top, I'm really pooper out. It takes about 28 minutes to reach the top (at the gate to the park) with the first 10 minutes being quite tough and the last 20 minutes being really, really grueling for me, at least with my overweight.

8-23

Day 8 of 100 Days. I have lost 11 lbs. Thus far, and have bicycled and walked up [nearby hill] for the last 10 days.

Dinner has always consisted of potato-cabbage soup, although I regret to say I have munched a bit from the fridge at night.

No beer at all. I went to the store to buy some (and I did). The clerk said that one of his customers watched me walk to the beer display and guessed I would buy a 40-ouncer and I did. I thought that was funny, but that helped dissuade me from drinking that night and I haven't drunk alcohol since last Sunday, 8 days ago.

... ON Saturday, went out to Old Wive's Tale and had herbal tea instead of beer. Had chamomile tea and that worked out well.

[Daughter] leaves for school very late Tuesday night and she went up the hill with me on Sunday (yesterday) morning and on Thursday evening. She pedaled up both times without stopping. No problem.

8-24

Still have lost only 11 pounds. This AM at 265. But I am following diet, exercise, etc, and no drinking, etc. Will start to see success again in a little while.

For breakfast, 1/2 saimin. For lunch, got up of noodles and threw away the noodles.

(The following is a posting to alt.support.diet)

Subject: Checking in -- 12 pounds in 12 days Date:1999/08/28 Author: Caleb Burns <calebb@teleport.com>

This is the 12th day of my diet, and until today I had plateaued for 5 days.

I am on about 1000 to 1200 calories a day and am exercising heavily for 30 minutes a day (taking a bike to the foot of a close-by hill and walking up it in about 28 minutes and biking back home). Heart pounding, sweaty, etc.

No beer, no bread ('cause it's too easy to generalize into other foods, including bagels, etc.), two meals a day -- cup

of noodle soup in the morning and a large potato and cabbage soup for dinner. (Not for everyone I know, but about 25 years ago, that had worked for me.) And a few hundred additional calories of whatever food my family is eating. (I've thrown away the noodles in the cup of noodle soup from time to time. A week ago I was going to have a small glass of beer and one of the customers in a store told the clerk I looked like a beer drinker and when the clerk told me what he had said, I decided no more beer.) With my simple diet ..., I don't think about food, don't contemplate various diets, don't put myself in situations in which I am likely to overeat, etc. (And my wife has been great about making my soup for me in the evenings.)

My goal is to adhere to this for 100 days. One problem is that we tend to think in terms of pounds rather than time. But if we knew we had control of a 100 days, and we could just tweak our behavior consistently, then we could accomplish a lot. I remember about 20 years ago when I decided to exercise everyday for 100 days, and even on rainy days or hours after drinking with graduate school friends, I would go out for at least a 30 minute jog. The consistency was very, very important, etc., and it worked for me.

Long harangue, I know...talk is cheap.

Day 12/100

276/264/200

--

Yours,

Caleb Burns, Portland, OR

August 29, 1999

About the "100 days diet" I have been on for the last 13 days. Have lost 13 pounds. It can't continue at this rate, but it has been fun watching the weight go away. (Actually, I had plateaued for about 4 days several days ago. Only in the last two days have I lost a pound a day.)

Diet is simple:

1. No alcohol. ...

2. About 1200 to 1400 calories a day, this with:

3. No bread or related items -- this as it is too easy to generalize to a lot of easy-to-fix bad foods, such as sandwiches, bagels, etc.

4. Exercising each day -- now I bike to a nearby hill and walk up and bike down.

5. And I also am keeping track of the days I have been following the program and the weight loss on my watchband, and I think this helps me going.

With the above approach, I don't have to count calories, because I know they will be roughly in the ballpark. Also, with the limited menu to choose from, I am less tempted to overdo it. (As [my wife]says, "No one binges on liver.")

I am also staying out of the kitchen as much as possible, but after 13 days, even when I go there, I am not that tempted -- certainly not as much as before I started this 100 days program. The classical conditioning (between the sight of food and the salivary response) has broken down in large part. I want to make sure it stays broken down.

And because of dieting-related gall stones, I should drink a lot of fluids for the next 100 days. Also, not too much protein, but at least some.

August 31, 1999

Last night I weighed a bit too much before I went to bed so I skipped weighing myself this morning. I decided that as long as I follow the diet, I have to be losing weight. And I know I am.

I've been exercising daily, going up the hill. No booze. No bread. About 1000 to 1200 calories a day, this including the cup-of-noodle soup in the morning. ... Much, much less snacking. On the whole, the diet is going very, very well. (One person on the alt.support.diet group said he lost 70 pounds in 9 weeks. Terrific! This is on an 800 calorie diet. He is almost at 300 pounds. Very, very impressive! He also weighs himself only once a week, this at his doctor's office.)

 So the secret is low calorie diets to maintain enthusiasm, along with the other supportive factors -- no beer, daily exercise, etc.

9-3

18th day and I have lost 16 pounds. Have exercised every day, have had no beer, and stayed away from bread. Had a few croutons in the salad one night, but that's it.

At this rate, probably will lost more than 20 pounds this month and am certainly on a roll to carry out what I want, namely 200 pounds within one-hundred days.

The bike-riding is going well -- bike to a hill and walk up it and bike down. I wore out some brakes and have to have them replaced.

My watch recording system is going very, very well and I am thinking up variations in it.

9-6-99

Today was the 21st day of my diet, and I have lost 17 pounds thus far. (Last night I was at [co-worker's house] and I had diet-Orange-Slice and cabbage soup instead of beer, wine, dessert, etc.)

Yesterday went up Palisades Crest with [my son], walking up the hill. [He} did quite well on the bike.

Thus far, no hunger at all.

Last night I was talking to [a friend] at [my co-worker's house]. He wants to lose 15 pounds by Christmas, this with a five hundred dollar bet. I told him I was going to lose 50 more pounds by then.

My watch system of recording days and weight is working very, very well. (Thus far, I am tying yarn through the holes, but I am sure there is a better method to record days and pounds lost.) I very much like the approach of keeping track of the days and letting the pounds take care of themselves. Hence, I don't focus on the pounds lost but simply on the days I am following the diet.

9-8

Today is the 23rd day of my diet. Going very, very well. In several days, I will be 1/4th finished with it. I have lost 17 pounds thus far and the weight loss is slowing. Still, I think that within the next several days, I probably will have lost several more days.

Going very well indeed! With cup of noodles in the morning and a large cabbage and potato soup at night. No bread. NO booze at all.

I've been exercising everyday day for the past 25 days, going up a nearby hill and biking down.

I am still using my wrist recording system.

Yesterday, I put 17 pounds of books into a back and hefted it. Good object lesson....I am losing weight but it does take time.

I have been on a newsgroup called alt.support.diet and have shared my views with a variety of people there.

I like very much my recording system whereby I keep track of days following this diet and the weight lost. For me, the important variable is days I am on my diet. The weight will take care of itself, and also important is the fact that the changes in weight on a daily basis are not as important as a trend downwards.

I have been thinking of a variety of ways to record weight loss, and today I thought of using a straw.

9-9

Today is the 24th day of my diet. Things are going very, very well. I have been exercising every day, have not consumed alcohol in that time, have not eaten bread, have been quite good about sticking to my diet of cup of noodle soup in the morning and cabbage-potato soup in the evening.

I am somewhat stalled in terms of weight, having lost 17 pounds since I started. However, am sure that by the time I reach 30 days, I will have lost more than 30 pounds. And, indeed, tomorrow it will be 25 days (or one fourth of my target time) that I will be on this diet/exercise program.

I really do believe the wrist band approach is terrific, and it keeps me gong, this in part because I know there is a fixed time period. ("Lente, lente, curritas noctis equi." [from Marlowe, talking to the Devil at the end, about how time passes anyway] "Yet it will come, the readiness is all." [From Hamlet] I am interested in figuring out the bugs in the system. At any rate, the watch band system traces the two dimensions nicely -- time and weight lost.

9-10

According to my watch, it has been 25 days since I started. I am still stuck on 17 pounds weight loss but I know that if I persevere, I will win out over this stall in weight. A matter of time.

Any low-calorie approach will work. It just takes time. That's one of the things I really, really like about the prism diet approach -- the important factor is days on diet -- that is controllable, and the daily fluctuations of weight aren't nearly as controllable, are certainly often disheartening, etc.

Hence, my goal is a hundred days on this diet, and the amount of weight I lose is less important than the 100 days (of exercising, eating carefully, no beer, etc.). So I will keep at it, etc., and in the fullness of time, I will have lost well over 50 pounds (and hopefully closer to 70 pounds). Just takes time. Time's going to pass anyway...

September 12, 1999

I am doing very, very well with my diet so far. Today was the 27th day I was on this diet and I have lost 20 pounds thus far. About 1000 to 1200 calories a day, with cup of noodle soup in the morning and potato-cabbage soup at night. Also, 30 minute walk up a nearby hill, and biking down. No beer, no bread. Doing very well.

I like very much my recording system on my watchband, this to keep track of the weight lost. I have been using yarn, and thus far it is working well -- but perhaps I'll get thicker red yarn to match the thicker green yarn. [This was an older recording system than the numbers.]

I have also put 20 pounds into a bag for me to heft and it really is quite impressive!

Today was the 29th day in a row I exercised.

9-15

30th day of diet and I have been stalled at this weight for about 5 days. But overall, it's going very, very well. I think about my success a lot, this as the yarn is right on the watch. (I think a bit about [psychologist Martin] Seligman's thoughts on how often people think about dieting, and the method I am employing does shift the thoughts for me from occasional thoughts of deprivation to reminders of how well I am doing.

Hurrah!!!

9-17

Wrist-watch system. I look at it a lot. In thinking whether I want to eat something, I have it there and my eyes quickly go to it.

September 19, 1999

This is the 34th day of my diet. I have been perfect regarding exercise and no alcohol. ON Friday, had some pizza (three pieces) at the [home of a friend]. And also a slice of pie that [a friend} had bought for us. Yesterday, had rice and low-cal cream of celery soup, several other hundred calories of snacking But I have been following carefully my diet for the most part, and today it turns out I have lost 22 pounds (today I weight 254 pounds), for an average weight loss of .65 pounds per day (although lately it has been slowing down considerably). At any rate, in 100 days, I hope to have lost 60 plus pounds, this in time for Thanksgiving. (Why not? The time has to pass anyway.)

Sleeping is sometimes difficult, and I think I will try to exercise as much as possible in the evening hours, this for both appetite control and for sleep-encouragement.

When I reach 245, this will be the lowest weight I have been at in 5 years or so, so that is very encouraging.

I like the system I have devised, although I can think of ways to improve the recording system. Looking at the watch certainly does make me think often about the weight I have lost, etc. The simple increase in frequency of such thoughts tips the balance quite effectively (thus far) towards keeping me on track.

Things are going well, and if I can just keep it up for 66 more days, I will be very impressed with myself and with this system.

Everyone can use the system:

Changes in the system:

I would like to see the variety of watch-bands available. Also, the various methods of tying colored wool, affixing colored buttons, etc.

But so far, so good! In terms of dieting and weight loss, I think it is going excellently!

9-20

35th day.-- going very well. Yesterday, briefly I was at 251, and hence had been 25 pounds down since I started. IN another week or so, I should legitimately be below 250, this the first time in four years or so. Great!

 Now about the watch system...

September 21

Today is the 36th of my diet. Going great! Only 64 days left to go before I reach my original goal of one hundred days. And in that time, I will have seen remarkable changes in my behavior and my health.

9-24-99

Today is the 40th day of my diet. I have lost 26 pounds thus far and I have gone up and down the hill 42 times (other than for the one time I was on the treadmill, this after my TV show last month). I have been avoiding bread, have avoided all alcohol, etc. (Today my bike was struck by a pickup truck and my back is a little stiff now. But nothing serious.) My watch is a terrific recording system. I look at it many, many times in the course of a day and it does guide my behavior very, very well. Remarkable!

But I have to watch my evening calories and eat no more than 1200 calories all day long. I have been snacking in the evening more than I should.

However, having said all that, I am very, very pleased with my performance!!! Terrific!

 9-25-99 This is the 41st day of my diet and I have lost at least 26 pounds (probably more, but I keep eating salt and that adds to my temporary weight). It has been remarkably easy to look at the weight I have lost on my watch, and to be motivated by it.

I was thinking today as I was pedaling up my hill -- the contact with a car yesterday in which my back tire was scrunched does not appear to have limited me much, although I was in some discomfort yesterday -- what a nice drizzly morning it was, and how I have not been outside like that in years. I feel terrific with the daily exercise and the weight loss, and I am going to take a bit more time to explore the out of doors.

With the abstinence from alcohol, no slight headache, no eating food at the speed of light, etc. It's all going very, very well.

9-27-99

Today is the 43rd day of my diet. Thus far, I have been at a stall for about a week and a half. But my clothes are fitting better, etc. I have exercised everyday, and am eating the cabbage-potato soup every night, etc.

My pulse is down below 60 beats per minute, this probably because of the daily exercise.

Hunger is not high at all, but I am not thinking bout such things. Quite often, I look at my watch and see the number of days I have been "good" and am very happy with that. NO booze, no bread, etc.

In a week, I will be halfway through my 100 days, and I hope to reach close to 210 by the time I'm done. Great!

9-28-99

Today is the 44th day of my weight control program. Going great!

[I sing this son at times to get to sleep:]

"100 days of health ahead. a hundred days of health.

"If I live today in a healthy way, then 99 days of health to go!"

This is to the tune of 100 bottles of beer on the wall.

I had cited Travis's book on the "alt.support.diet" newsgroup this morning, talking about her "what the hell!" phenomenon in which people -- if they make an eating mistake -- go completely off their diet. Interesting -- the rule is "good on diet or not good on diet" and when the person is not good on the calories, the diet blows apart. I would argue that this is one reason exercise is good -- because it is another reason to be consistently good on the diet, and good over time. Also, the watch recording system is good, because it emphasizes the long run.

9-29

Today is the 45th day of diet and I have lost 27 pounds so far. Exercising everyday, no booze, etc. Soup for dinner, noodles for breakfast, etc. At this rate, will lose 60 pounds in 100 days (about a week before thanksgiving, I think.

The watch band works very well and it refocuses to attention to days on diet (DOD) rather than short-term events. This is as it should be and may overcome the "What the hell" effect one gets by focusing simply on day to day matters..

Sept 30, 99

This is the 46th day of my diet/exercise program and it is still going very, very well.

I am intrigued with the implications this area has for rule-governed behavior and also for the brain research on the difficulty of tickling oneself.

October 16, 1999

I have been on this diet for 62 days -- the "100 Day, Good-Enough, Feedback diet" and have lost 36 pounds, through daily exercise, a low calorie diet, and also through recording my progress on my watchband.

(I just thought of being able to mark on it with a pen and to say to myself each time, "Damn! I'm making great progress!")

I have been thinking for several hours of perhaps putting on the watchband the number of pounds lost per day. Right now, it's about .58 pounds a day, I think. I don't know if I can maintain this rate, but it sure seems easy to me now. I don't think this is the "exemplary" number (according to Gilbert), but it's still pretty darned good. ("Damn! I'm making great progress!" checkmark)

About this "lens" of viewing the world -- no one else (that I have heard of) has focused on putting such numbers on watchbands. No one else is focussing so specifically on the bottom line measure -- number of days on diet and exercise program as the independent variable in question, with weight as the clear dependent variable. (Kind of hard to miss it when it's on your watchband.)

But in the long run, if we weight one side of a coin slightly, and then keep on flipping that coin, although in a given toss, it might not seem to be influenced, in the long run the tosses may well be affected. An immediate look at circumstances can be very, very misleading. But if (to use an analogy) we can exert a steady pressure on behavior through the feedback system, then we probably would influence a heck of a lot of behavioral outcomes in this way. And like a coin that lands more and more to the "good side," we too may land to the "good side" in terms of exercise, dieting, etc. We will stop being affected by the momentary events of diet and exercise crises and be affected by superstitious conditioning.

One analogy to use is that of a redwood tree. It is virtually impossible to see it growing just by looking at it. But over time, that tree can grow incredibly huge. So too with good and bad behavior -- hard to see the affects immediately. If we don't have the proper measuring devices, it is only over time that they become clear. The proper measuring devices can be as simple as two sets of numbers on one's watch.

11-3

Diet is going great!!!

11-5

In 82 days, lost 43 lbs.

11-8-99 Re: diet

Going very well. Day 85 and 43 lbs. gone. I may not make it to 50 lbs. within 15 days -- but then again, I may. I have 7 to lose...

Today I went up the hill with ankle-weights around my ankles as well as around my wrists. Worked very well, and it increased the cardiovascular demands somewhat. Also, tired my arms and it was a very good workout. Took me slightly under 36 minutes so the time appears to be only several minutes longer

11-23-99 (I posted this on alt.support.diet on this day):

Came off my walk up my hill a few minutes ago, carrying a ten-pound weight in each hand and having (light) ankle-weights on.

This is the 100th Day of my 100 Day Program, and it turned out to be (an) easy, easy, easy (program to follow).

The first several weeks were the most difficult, but then I got into a way of eating and exercising that worked for me, and my method of focusing on the pounds lost (through numbers on the watchband) kept me going in the right direction.

About a week into the program, I almost succumbed to having a beer, but I didn't. (I'm not sure that I wouldn't have been successful in my program even if I did drink, but I'm glad I didn't.) It was largely the comment made by a customer to a store attendant that led me not to drink any of the beer I bought.

Several other lessons I "relearned" on this approach include the following:

Consistency is the key -- everyday exercise was very helpful, and there was not a doubt I WOULD do my 30 minutes a day. And for me, following my diet and exercise program was a lot easier because I had greatly restricted my food choices, etc.

The numbers on the watch were a great motivational/feedback system. Having those numbers in front of me cleared away the uncertainty. Also, in spite of my greatly reduced caloric intake, I was initially mildly disappointed that I did not lose more than I did, but in retrospect, such disappointment was silly. I WAS losing at a good rate, but only against the backdrop of time was that made clear. It was very, very easy for me to be confused about the progress I was making given the many things that affected my thinking, including: the scale not budging for days or even a week at a time; reading about a variety of diets (or listening to diet-experts on TV) and learning about the huge weight loss that many people have made using other approaches; having people in my life frequently sharing with me their diet tips -- some of them contradicting my own beliefs and approach; etc.

It struck me again this morning that one of the benefits of committing oneself to a given time period of diet and exercise (100 Day increments in my case) rather than a given amount of weight loss is somewhat like going to school. Rather than focusing on the things one has learned, etc., in some ways it is less straining to think that if one shows up and tries hard in Kindergarten or First Grade and then continues through High School, one will learn a heck of a lot by the time one graduates. The commitment is to showing up at school and trusting that the curriculum is a good one. The time period is somewhat similar to the time period of "boot camp" in the military, with the personnel there saying that in so many weeks, they will indeed get you into shape. And everyone -- or almost everyone -- gets the same time in boot camp. (No one gets out early for doing extra sit-ups, etc.) This time-based approach is very appealing to me. As my own case shows, if I do the program (or probably almost an infinite variety of programs) for a sizable time period (a 100 Days seems a good trade-off), and if I can keep focused on the goals, etc., then in the fullness of time, I will succeed, unless the "laws of physics cease to exist" in my world -- to borrow a phrase from "My Cousin Vinnie."

Anyway, tomorrow, after the 100 Day program is completed, I will take two or three days off from the alcohol restriction but will continue avoiding bread, and on Saturday, will resume another 100 Day program.

I appreciate all the encouragement and interest people have shown in this cycle of the program. It really, really, really doesn't seem like a hundred days. That time period just flew by, but at this point, I'm a lot healthier than I would have been had I kept doing the same bad things I did previously.

Everyone have a great week! and a super Thanksgiving! (Also be safe and sane on the roads)

Yours,

Caleb

Day 100 of 100 Days

276/226/200

You may find keeping a diary discouraging, counter-productive, etc. However, if you find do find it useful to keep a food diary, please feel free to use the following format: