How to Lose Weight (if necessary)

Here is the secret:

1)  Get established on your Calorie Ceiling.

This means, go at least a couple of weeks not trying to lose weight, but just eating so that you're staying just below your Calorie Ceiling each and every day.

This will create MOMENTUM to your idea of staying within a Calorie Ceiling   Momentum is all-important. It's the habit that builds positive re-enforcement.   That is, the more days in a row you go eating just under your CC, the more self confidence you'll have and the more natural not-overeating will be to you.  Same as if you had stopped smoking and had some time under your belt -- you think about the time away from a smoke, and don't want to throw that time away.   In a way, you are overcoming the compulsion to eat by creating an equally powerful compulsion to NOT overeat!

2)   Reduce daily calories 6 days a week,  then return to your CC.

Here's exactly what I did (you don't have to be this ambitious)

I had a 2500 CC.

On Sunday, I would eat 2500 calories.  A feast day!

Then on Monday, I would reduce my allotted calories by 100, giving me a CC of 2400 for that day.

100 calories is one orange, or 1 slice of bread.  It's not much, it's not a sacrifice that weights heavily on my mind.  Can I go without an orange or a slice a bread and not suffer?  Sure, no problem!

Then on Tuesday, I'd only eat 2300 calories.  Wednesday, 2200, Thursday, 2100, Friday, 2000, Saturday, 1900.

On Sunday, I would go BACK TO MY 2500 CC.  THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!

I found that after I had established my 2500 CC, it was really pretty easy to cut 100 calories from each successive day of the week.

Why was it easy?  Again, because my mind knew that this cutting of calories was not severe, it wasn't going to go on indefinitely, and when the week was over, I could go back to eating a (what was now whopping) 2500 calories.