Gary North

Dec. 5, 2009

The season of weight gain is upon us. Present- orientation takes over. We do not think of the consequences in January. It's ho, ho, ho, not no, no, no.

This is the month when covers of magazines at the check-out counters at supermarkets have photographs of perfectly prepared food. In January, the covers will feature diets.

I have taken off over 20 pounds since February. I plan to keep them off. I have successfully changed most of my eating habits. I need a technique for making sure I don't gain more than three pounds this season.

I learned this one from Larry "Fats" Goldberg, who at 5'6", went from 325 lbs to 160 lbs and kept it off except for two weeks each year, when he ate whatever he wanted and gained 15 to 17 lbs each week. Then he took it off. He called this his "controlled cheating" diet. He wrote a book about this 25 years ago.

Here is his technique. Weigh yourself at the same time every morning.

By monitoring your weight daily, you get negative feedback if you start gaining weight. The weight doesn't creep up on you. You can take defensive action before you create a January surprise.

I find that weight that shows up without warning one day can be taken off in one day -- two at the most. But weight that sticks around for a month sticks around for two. Sometimes longer.

Don't have a merry Christmas at the cost of a miserable January and February.

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