I believe I have lost roughly 3 pounds over the last 2 weeks. According to the medical-style scale downstairs, I currently weigh 255 with shoes on, 252 with shoes off. The same scale put me at 258 two weeks ago, and still at 258 one week ago. So, three pounds lighter or so.

On advice from a friend, I decided to “make the food boring and get it over with”. So, for the next couple weeks I will be on the “lunchmeat and salad” diet.

If you had asked me a month ago, I would have said that such a diet would drive me crazy. Strangely, I am not going crazy with craving stuff I can’t have. I don’t think I have really strained my willpower yet. It’s more of a logistical problem: most, if not all, of the foods I normally eat are now verboten, so I’m left with the puzzle of “what the hell do I eat?”

I think I kind of went crazy with meats during the first week of the diet, and consumed a lot of fat, and probably more carbs than I needed to, but still quite minimal carbs. I am in the habit of having something different every day. I like variety, but mostly I pursue variety out of habit than out of need. (This goes to the age-old question of “What are we having for dinner?” and the answer needs to be something that you haven’t had in the last 5 days). So for now, variety is on hold as well. I will just

The new diet consists of:

• lunch meat
• mayonnaise
• mustard
• lettuce
• eggs
• cheese (1-3 oz)
• tea
• splenda (1-3 packets)

The ketosis meter still reads somewhere between “trace” and “small”. I’m headed in the right direction, but progress may be slow, and I’m ready for it, if it is. If I lose 1-3 pounds a week, I may be on the same diet for 25-40 weeks. That sounds like a lot, but then again, 2 of those are already over; I am about 7% done with losing what I need to lose. I intend to stop when I get to 200 lbs. or when it stops working for me for any reason. (Yes, I have an appt to see the doctor and I will ask him about the soundness of this plan.)