[McLovin]

My weight has crept up a bit in the last 3 years, I wanted to re-set and start the decade in the right place.

I lost quite a bit on no carb in 2003. I've tried it again a few times over the past few years and it wasn't as effective.

This time I went old school calories counting. It seems indisputable that if you eat significantly fewer calories than you burn each day, you are guaranteed to lose weight.

I found that for weight loss, I always need a strategy. "Just eat less" doesn't work for me in my 50s.

I tried intermittent fasting. First I did 18 hours. Only eat between 12 and 6. Then I went to 20 hours. Between 2 and 6. A very small meal at 2 (200 or less calories) and a very small dinner (500 or less calories).

My 2 o'clock meal would often be an Atkins shake (150 calories) with half a banana (50) or some strawberries (less than 50 calories) put in a blender with a bunch of ice to make a smoothy). Dinner would usually include a salad with a small amount of olive oil, and some small amount of protein (usually chicken).

Surprisingly it became easy after a few days. I eventually was able to do some days with dinner only, total daily calories under 500.

Whole, "clean" foods only, and at those low calories counts a lot of vegetables, by necessity. A lot of lemon water to stay hydrated.

Some exercise, which is going to the gym for 1/2 hours and doing some light weights, or walking a couple of miles, but not every day.

Anyways, maybe something to try for those who have a new year's resolution to lose weight. Was a lot less painful than I thought it would be.