The Austerity Plan: Mission Accomplished
posted at 11:28 pm
on Oct. 6, 2005
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You may remember that several months ago, upon returning from a food-filled trip to L.A., Susie and I embarked on what I called The Austerity Plan.
I’m happy to report that, as of yesterday, I have met my goal of losing 32 pounds. In this photo, you can see me posing with the weight I lost, in the form of a 25 pound box of cat litter and half a 14 pound watermelon.
For those who have wondered what, if any, secret knowledge I used, other than the Austerity Plan itself, here’s a few things I did that may work for you:
1) Eat less. For example, I stopped snacking while watching TV, and I only ate two-thirds of most meals I ate out.
2) Exercise often. I took pilates twice a week. On days where I wasn’t doing pilates, I rode an exercise bike or walked several miles.
3) Stop drinking alcohol. I felt it was easily avoidable calories.
4) Eat out less. I cooked my own meals more, because I could control portion size and substitute something healthy as a side dish, like steamed broccoli with melted cheese slices.
While I am completely pleased with the results, there are a few downsides. I get cold more quickly, it’s harder to sneak food into movie theaters, and many of my favorite clothes do not fit me anymore. But luckily, many of my old clothes fit again, including my grunge-rock flannel shirt, my gold parachute pants, and my suit jacket covered in zippers. Excellent!
The last thing I gave up and got back on the plan was chips of any sort, and I am currently eating Old Dutch Restaurant Style Deli Round Tortilla Chips. This is the fourth type of chips I have had in the past 24 hours, so you may see me back on the plan shortly. Also, the watermelon in the picture was delicious. 
Susie, I’m happy to report, is also extremely pleased (and pleasing) these days, but that’s her story to tell, not mine.
