Week 19 Recap: Keeping Perspective, Learning to be Realistic

This week:          +1.2 pounds

Total loss:            24.7 pounds      

Last week I lost 4.3 pounds on a low calorie plan (1800/day).  And I heard from many of you with messages of support and encouragement.  Thank you!

I’d feel tempted today to feel like I let you all down.  Fortunately, I know that last week’s loss was not sustainable.  In fact, where I am today is with the range of normal.  Last week was a little too good to be true.

The other part of “1800 Calories” that was too good to be true was getting away with excess.  At 1800 calories, my targeted intake was so low that I could have hundreds of extra calories and still lose weight.  It worked, but it weakened my discipline.  This week, I had a few extra snacks and sometimes the Rule of 7 became the Rule of 8 or 9.  Without the margin for error I had with “1800 Calories,” a few extra snacks meant I wasn’t losing this week.

I can’t leave the weekly recap without once again pointing out that virtually no chain restaurant entrees meet the standard of the Rule of 7 (average of 700 calories, 700mg of sodium, and 7 grams of saturated fat).  For example, last week I had this salmon Caesar salad at the Mariner’s game.  It was the best option at the ballpark.  As it appears on the menu, it doesn’t come close, scoring over 11 in “Rule” terms.  Only if you skip the dressing does it meet the Rule of 7, and even then just barely.  And this is one of the success stories.    

I would love to be able to continue to eat out.  Tony, “The Anti-Jared,” reminds us restaurants are happy to make healthy modifications to menu items, like I did with my salmon Caesar (and he recommends several we should ask for).  That may be what we have to do, because the way most restaurant items come standard, we’d be better off not eating out at all.

Eating Plan Profile: Sodium Limit

Note: The “Sodium Limit” has been added to the Pounds Off Playoff in place of “800 Calories/800mg Sodium”.  The latter was a plan to limit restaurant eating to approximately one-third of a day’s worth of calories and sodium.  The "Sodium Limit" is a similar plan, but also considers saturated fat.

Restaurants challenge anyone who is trying to eat healthy.  The study on this web site, “Out of Control: Restaurant Entrees and Daily Values,” demonstrates that the overwhelming majority of entrees at the largest chains are excessive in sodium and saturated fat.  Many are excessive in calories as well. 

To guide healthy eaters, the Pounds Off Playoff proposes a new rule of thumb, the “Rule of 7”.  It’s based on the concept of limiting restaurant eating to one-third of daily guidelines set forth by the Food and Drug Administration.  The “Rule of 7” is that restaurant meals should average “7” in calories, saturated fat, and calories.  It’s not perfect, but it’s close enough for a rule of thumb.

Calories.  Based on the FDA Daily Reference Value (DV) of 2000 calories, one-third of a daily allotment is 667 calories.  For “Rule of 7” purposes, this would be simplified to 6.7.

Saturated Fat. The DV of saturated fat is 20 grams, so one-third would be 6.7, the same as with calories.

Sodium.  The DV for sodium is 2300 or 2400mg (depending on the source), so one-third of a day would be 800mg.  For “Rule of 7” purposes, this would be simplified to 8.  (If you are at-risk for high blood pressure, some experts recommend limiting sodium to 1500mg/day, in which case you have to cut back the rest of the day or avoid restaurants entirely.)

In three easy steps, you can estimate how an entrée stacks up on these three important indicators.

Step 1: “Simplify” calories and sodium by placing a decimal point two digits from the right.  For example, 650 calories becomes 6.50, and 1100mg of sodium becomes 11.00.  Saturated fat does not need to be simplified.  It already is. 

Step 2: Add the three numbers and divide by 3. 

Step 3: If the number is greater than 7, you’re better off eating something healthier. 

That’s it.  Add up the three numbers, divide by three, and if it exceeds seven, find something else.  For example, an item with 650 calories, 6.7 grams of saturated fat, and 980mg of sodium would be simplified to 6.5 + 6.7 + 9.8 = 23.  And then 23 would be divided by 3, for a score of 7.7.  This entrée exceeds 7, so it’d be best to find something else.

I’m not a medical doctor or nutritionist, and a simple rule like this isn’t enough to guarantee that a food is good for you.  But if a food exceeds the Rule of 7, I can pretty much guarantee it’s not good for you.

The Return of My Belt

Every few days I experience a reminder that I’m making progress and that it’s worth it.  We all know the story of clothes fitting better.  That’s certainly happening.  But it’s not just that clothes start to fit more loosely that I’ve been noticing.

A few days ago, I put on an outfit I’ve been wearing for a couple of years.   And to paraphrase my middle school principal, I use the term “outfit” optimistically*.  Mostly, I mean that I have found a shirt and pair of pants that I’m relatively certain don’t clash. 

*  My principal school principal, the feared and revered Dr. Swymer, would often address a group of boys in the hall, “Gentlemen!  And I use that term optimistically...”  Working with 13 year olds for 30 years, he must have been an optimist.

When I looked in the mirror, something was different.  My “outfit” really did look like an outfit (sans snarky quotes).  But why?  I’d worn the same shirt and pants together several times before.  If anything, they should be looking slightly more worn and less crisp.  What was it?  The belt. 

The belt, the “accessory” (so I am told) that pulls an outfit together was actually, you know, visible.  Amazing.

Professional Hitter and Weight Loss Pitchman Matt Stairs, Part 2!

I don’t have a new Pounds Off Profile this Wednesday, because I just have to share an update from a previous story. Professional Hitter and Weight Loss Pitchman Matt Stairs HOMERED right in front of my family Saturday night.

This cell phone photo captures Stairs rounding the bases after his majestic blast to break a scoreless tie. The shot, a no doubter to right field, was reminiscent of his clutch pinch hit homer to put the Phils ahead against Los Angeles in the 2008 NLCS. Stairs later advanced a runner from second to third with a grounder to the right side, and the runner ultimately scored to give the Padres their 2-1 victory over the punchless Mariners.

A good high school writer would point out the symbolism of Stairs’ game Saturday, beginning with beefy power hitting and ending with small ball, and how it mirrored his weight loss transformation. But I would never do that.

Week 18 Recap: Shoot for the Moon...

This week: -4.3
Total loss: 25.9 pounds

There’s a cliché saying, “Shoot for the moon, and you’ll land among the stars.” I wouldn’t dare put such trite prose in this space – being a writerly writer and all – but it’s the best way to express what happened this week.

Since the very first day of “1800 Calories per Day”, it has been painfully, almost comically evident that 1800 calories is not nearly enough for this still “Big Al”. You’ll recall that first day I took my 8 hour hilly loop bicycle ride in which I was literally shaking toward the end from lack of nutrition. So I have devised a new strategy: start from the idea of 1800 calories and adjust when legitimately hungry.

This week I’ve stayed in the low to mid 2000s. That’s excellent for my current needs. Allowing myself “extra” calories above 1800 has given me a psychological lift as well as a physical lift. I had some stressful days at work this week (after my mom’s wonderful visit!) and staying on the razor’s edge of 1800 might have invited me to abandon my healthy eating entirely. Instead, I posted a very solid loss, and made it through the week without feeling deprived, and more important, with a feeling that I'm finding some weight loss solutions that could work for me over the long haul.

Baseball in the Northwest will Break Your Heart

I moved to Seattle sixteen years ago.  My days playing baseball as a kid came in the Philadelphia area.  This explains my affinity for all things Philly, although less so for cheesesteaks and soft pretzels these days.  In Philly, you would occasionally deal with a torrential downpour, but long soaking rains – and rainouts – were rare.

This season, my boys have had at least five rainouts.  Frankly, I’ve lost count.  

Last night, we went to the park in the neighborhood for extra BP.  The boys played a four inning “game”, one-on-one with ghost runners and me as pitcher.  It rained the entire time, but lightly.  Though we were soaked by the end, it was playable (we used tennis balls for safety).  The boys were swinging the bats better than they had all season.  I couldn’t wait to see what they’d do in the game today.  I should have known better. 

This morning, we showed up at Brand X Little League (our cross-town rivals).  I pulled on my old Penn State sweatshirt (which fits great now) for the 46 degree batting practice (it’s almost June!)  The rain has stopped, but it’s futile – large puddles cover the skin infields and though we have an agreement with the other coach to play in the outfield grass, only 4 players show up for the Brand X team (note to Brand X: don’t put all your committed families on the same team).  Our 11 players eat the post-game donuts and go home.  I abstain from the donuts, even though there are extras. 

Maybe we’ll play on Monday.  Weather permitting.

I Love Seven Year Olds

Tonight was team pictures for the Little League team.  A part of the process is filling out a form with your basic information, so the photographer can sell you baseball cards.  We had our boys fill in what they could themselves.   I’ll let Sam take it from here...

“Franklin Gutierrez is my favorite player.  But his name is hard to spell.  So I wrote down Chase Utley.”

Pablo Sandoval’s Weight Loss, a.k.a. “Operation Panda”

Most of us try to drop the weight so we can be healthier now and in the future.  That clothes fit better and we can last longer playing with the kids and so forth is just a bonus.  Few of us need to lose weight for a job, thankfully.  It’s enough pressure to lose weight as it is.

The story is different for Pablo Sandoval, the 23 year old third baseman for the San Francisco Giants.  Nicknamed “Kung Fu Panda” by Barry Zito after leapfrogging a catcher, Sandoval is spy and athletic, but estimated to carry 270 pounds on his 5’11” frame.  Those dimensions don’t age well, and baseball history is dotted with chubby players who excelled in their early 20s, only to experience an early and steep decline. 

In attempt to put Panda on a course for a long and prosperous career, the Giants sent him to Scottsdale, AZ, for a personal weight loss camp dubbed “Operation Panda”.  Sandoval spent three and a half weeks lifting weights and learning about vegetables and healthy portion sizes from an ASU nutrition professor.  Panda’s diet was weaned to between 2200 and 2500 calories a day, with lots of water and no drinks stronger than green tea.  He did cardio, too, including a climbing Camelback Mountain periodically and reducing his time by 30 minutes over the course of the camp.

Sandoval lost 12 pounds during the camp, but unfortunately he is rumored to have regained the weight while playing in the Venezuelan winter league.  If you’ve ever watched him play, you’ll know that Kung Fu Panda is worth rooting for to make the weight loss stick next time, for good.

Week 17 Recap: It Ain’t Cheatin’ if You Self Report

This week:          -1.9 pounds

Total loss:            21.6 pounds

Go to the calorie calculator I recommended yesterday and enter these numbers:

39 years old (my age)

Female (not my gender)

150 pounds (uh, not me, either)

5 feet, 2 inches (probably 5^th grade for me)

Exercise 3 times per week (if you count umpiring Little League)

Push the magic calculate button, and you’ll see that this mythical person needs 1801 calories to maintain their weight.  And I’m supposed to be doing 1800 calories.

So, join me at my new blog:  www.howIbecameapetitewomanintwoweeks.blogspot. wordpress.bitly.com/notthatthere’sanythingwrongwiththat

I have not limited myself to 1800 calories.  Some days I came close, settling in at about 2000, which is still more than a thousand less than my maintenance level.  But on the days when I biked hills for an hour, played a softball doubleheader, and worked the plate for the Little League game of the century*, I went significantly above 1800.  Frankly, I felt hungry during and after the exertion and it just seemed like the healthy thing to do to add some calories.

* My sons play on the same team of 7-9 year olds.  Yesterday, they played their cross-town rivals, and both teams entered the game undefeated.  Their team is more like a travelling/select/all-star team, though, playing together for spring, summer, AND fall baseball.  Whoa.  We lost, but not before putting a scare in a few stage parents, which is all that really counts.

Yeah, what was I thinking to target 1800 calories?  Just that I’ve read that it’s possible and some fast “losers” do things like this.  Realistically, I’m going to just keep this at “1800ish” for now.  Assuming it makes it to later rounds of the Pounds Off Playoff, when my weight is lower, I may try to do a strict 1800 calories, but for now, it just isn’t worth it.  The new blog will just have to wait. ;-)

Eating Plan Profile: 1800 Calories per Day

Calorie counting is the most straightforward of weight loss plans, and it’s not hard to follow.   It’s popular among weight loss bloggers.   Ryan at No More Bacon eats between 1800 and 2000 calories six days a week, with one 3500 calorie exception.  Tyler at 344 Pounds occasionally posts calorie counts for all food he has eaten for the week.  And Rachel at Body by Pizza (whose Boston Bruins just blew a 3-0 playoff lead to the Flyers) does an amazing job of measuring and reporting her weekly calories in and out.

As I mentioned when doing 2500 Calories per day, calorie counts for foods are easily available these days by Googling “(food name) calories” or checking restaurant websites.  And while precision helps, as long as you are honest in your educated guesses (so that you are as likely to overestimate calories as to underestimate), it’s not too hard too hard to come up with calorie counts.

Conventional wisdom is that eating 500 calories less than your maintenance level is a good target for weight loss.  Many web sites offer simple calculators that show how many calories you need to maintain your weight.  I like the calculator at Free Dieting, because it shows the calorie level you need to lose weight in greater detail.

As for tracking calories, there are similar web resources, such as this one provided by Livestrong/The Daily Plate.   I prefer to do the calculation in my head, breaking the day into zones for ease of tracking.  For 1800 calories, I target 300 calories at breakfast and then 750 each for lunch (including mid-day snacks) and dinner.

1800 calories is the lowest amount a person my size should consume, according to a Mayo Clinic book I read a few years ago.  You will read about people who have gone lower, but there are risks associated with extremely low calorie counts.  Realistically, 1800 calories per day is low enough that if I get anywhere near it, I will lose weight.  When I’m lighter, I may have to be stricter, but for now, it’s nice not having to sweat going over by a little.  XR5SDSK2KHAR

Matt Stairs: Professional Weight Loss Pitchman (and hitter)

Quick, name a current or former Phillie who’s in his 40s and still in the big leagues.  You probably said Jamie Moyer, and who could blame you after his two-hit shutout Friday night at age 47.  But there are two correct answers, and the other one might surprise you: Matt Stairs.

Yes, the scruffy player with the George-Costanza-but-stronger physique is pinch hitting for the Padres at age 42.  And he’s no longer got the fire hydrant build, having lost 37 pounds in three months.  And while ESPN hosts repeatedly referred to him as Professional Hitter Matt Stairs, he’s now a professional pitchman for Nutrisystem as well. 

Stairs's pinch hit 2-run homerun off of Jonathan Broxton of the Dodgers in Game 4 of the 2008 NLCS is legendary in Philly (in spite of this postgame quote).  Now he’s a weight loss star as well.

Bike Ride: Long Shot Finishes Out of the Money

If you wondered, I did go for that ride on Sunday, my first of the year on the punishing local trail I frequent.  It’s only an eight mile loop, but its hills reminded Lance Armstrong of the Pyrenees*.  About 25 pounds lighter than last summer, I had some early success before fading.  My ride was like the horse that leads through the first turn of the Kentucky Derby, only to fall to the back of the pack before the home stretch.  But at least I finished.  When I started bike riding last summer, I could only do half the trail.

* OK, not true, but I’ve been reading blogging advice that says to use powerful metaphors and mention celebrities to drive blog traffic.  Made you look!

My fade started about halfway through and by the end, I was working at max capacity just to get my sorry legs back to the car in time for Shannon’s concert.  That’s when I realized that being in stationary bike shape is different than being in hill riding shape and that starting 1800 Calories per Day and riding a crazy hilly trail are a bad combination.   And as my exhaustion started to approach delirium, looking for any scapegoat for my slow intervals, I actually concluded that my rapidly declining speed was due to my loss of aerodynamics as my stomach flattened out.  Yeah, that’s the ticket... Maybe if Lance Armstrong had been a little more rotund, he’d have really gone fast.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, especially my mom and my wife Shannon...and my biggest fan, Paula Mc!

Blue Skies in Seattle Means Back to Biking

WEEK 16 RECAP

This Week:          +.4 pounds

Total Loss:           19.7 pounds

The sun is shining in Seattle – finally – and the skies are a Perry Como hue.

No, I never thought I’d link to Perry Como, that’s for sure.  (And soccer fans, check out this boisterous rendition by Sounders FC fans – unique on this side of the pond, I think).  After a very wet April, where it seemed every other Little League game was rained out (because that’s exactly what happened), the sun is back out.  As soon as I finish writing this, I’m putting the rack back on my car and hitting our local bike trail.

It’ll be interesting being back out there.  I’m about 25 pounds lighter than when I rode last summer and more muscular.  But I don’t know if it’ll be enough to really feel stronger out there.  My experience reconnecting with baseball (slow-pitch softball, actually) exposed the disconnect between the athlete in my mind’s eye and the one in my body.  But hey, a year ago, I would have counted golf as a workout, so I guess it’s progress.

This week’s lesson is that I’ve got to figure out how to make things work when I’m on an awkward schedule.  All five weeknights, I had an engagement at 6:00.  Three Strikes assumes breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and events from 6:00-8:00 (5-8 counting commuting) throw in a monkey wrench.  My struggle was how to divide my nourishment before and after dinner, especially when circumstances meant before was some kind of takeout. 

Before the P.O.P., I would have eaten two dinners and chalked it up to the vagaries of schedule.  I can’t say I did a lot better with how I actually handled it (Taco Time nachos on Friday en route to a Little League game was a particularly lame “strike”), but I was at least aware of it. 

Overall, Three Strikes has performed well, and even though I didn’t lose this week, I maintained last week’s results and feel pretty good about Three Strikes as a very doable and potentially effective eating plan.

No Meat Athlete on "Sneaky Sodium Foods"

Fellow blogger Matt at No Meat Athlete has a great post up on “15 Sneaky Sodium Foods that Sabotage Your Healthy Diet”.  A vegan, Matt watches what he eats very closely.  Fortunately for him, he cooks most of his food himself, so rarely relies on processed and restaurant food that accounts for the majority of sodium in most people’s diets.  But he has a list of “go to” convenience foods that support his meatless lifestyle.  And he decided to check the sodium count...  (cue ominous cellos music)

You really have to follow the link and RTWA (read the whole article J).  Matt’s first ten examples, things like pasta sause and soy sauce, are troubling, but not out of control (shameless plug for my sodium study, “Out of Control”).  Then he turns to his five “standards” for vegetarian eating around town.  And those of you who know anything about restaurant food know what’s coming next.  From Matt:

There aren't always a lot of meatless options at convenience restaurants; these five are my standards around town when I forget to pack my lunch.  If these numbers scare you, check out Matt's post on vegetarian lunches for some better options.

11. Taco Bell Fresco Bean Burrito 1290 mg sodium (56% DV)
Gulp…don't even think of washing this one down with a sodium-rich soda!

12. Einstein Bros. Bagels Veggie Deli Melt 1350 mg sodium (59% DV)
Ask for half the amount of cheese and extra greens.  And for gosh sakes, don't order the salt bagel!

13. Baja Fresh Tostada Salad 1930 mg sodium (84% DV)
Nix the sour cream and cheese; the guacamole is plenty indulgent.  And don't eat the bowl!

14.  Panera Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich 1450 mg sodium (63% DV)
PaneraNutrition.com has a cool feature that recalculates nutrition totals by checking and unchecking certain ingredients—for example, hold the feta and lose 180 mg sodium too.

15. Starbucks Farmer's Market Salad 470 mg sodium (21% DV)
Though technically "high" in sodium, it's still less than a tablespoon of soy sauce!  Use half the packet of dressing to lower the sodium even more.

Sodium haunts even the healthiest of diets.  The more convenience foods you can make at home and freeze yourself, the better.  When you buy packaged foods, look for sea salt as an ingredient instead of sodium benzoate and other forms of sodium used as a preservative.

Kudos to Matt for showing the %DV (percent of daily value), making it clear just how must 1930 mg of sodium really is (84% in one entrée!!!).  Restaurant foods are, almost exclusively, high in sodium.  And the cruel reality is that many that are advertised as healthy, because they are vegan or low-calorie, or low-fat, or whatever, often overdo it with salt to add flavor.  As Stephen Colbert’s piece noted, this is deadly stuff.  I’ll say it again, if you monitor one thing about restaurant food, make it the sodium content!

Stephen Colbert on Sodium

I’ve tried to make my own small contribution to the war on sodium with my report “Out of Control: Restaurant Entrees and Daily Values”.  But Stephen Colbert took it to a whole new level using his platform.  Funny, relevant, informative, clever, genius.  Watch for yourself.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
FDA Salt Regulation - Lori Roman & Michael Jacobson
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Fox News

Ryan Howard's Weight Loss

This week on  Sunday Night Baseball, Ryan Howard scored from first on a Jayson Werth double as the Phillies rolled to an 11-5 win over Johan Santana and the New York Mets.  (And 47 year old “Ancient Mariner” Jamie Moyer worked a two-out, bases loaded walk, setting up Shane Victorino’s grand slam!  But I digress...) 

As the replay showed Howard flying around third, Joe Morgan embellished his narration with a reference to “the new, slimmed down Ryan Howard...”  It was a room service fastball to the Pounds Off Playoff. 

Turns out that Jared isn’t the only Subway spokesman who has been losing weight.  Working with a cutting edge trainer (the same outfit that helped Derek Jeter’s UZR catch up with his reputation), Howard went from a listed 275 pounds to 242.  This post on Howard has all the details.  Basically, he’s abandoned the bachelor eating lifestyle.  Fried foods are out and organics are in.

I was skeptical of Howard’s new $125 million contract extension.  It doesn’t even start until 2012, when he’ll start earning $25 million a year for five years.  That’s a lot of dough for a guy in his mid-30s, and an outright disaster deal for a guy whose weight would accelerate his decline.  But with Howard’s turnaround, he’s looking more like a power forward than a power hitter.  If he keeps this up, he might keep producing for the Phillies for several years to come.

It’s Three Strikes and Overeating is Out

WEEK 15 RECAP

This Week:          -5.6 pounds

Total Loss:           20.1 pounds

Can I share one insight I’ve gained?  I kind of know if I’ve had a good or bad week.  If my weight change is within +/- 2 pounds, I really have no idea what it will be and my predictions are pretty random.  But if I have had a really good (or really bad) week, I know it.  Some weeks I dread weigh in, because I know it’s not going to be good news.  But with weeks like this...

I couldn’t wait to weigh in.  Early on, I noticed I really hadn’t done anything that could get me in trouble.  By mid-week, I was noticing that I was actually hungry before dinner.  My former self was never hungry.  Saturday, I was scavenging for purple clothes to wear to the UW vs. Stanford baseball game at Safeco Field and discovered a t-shirt in the bottom of the drawer that I bought hoping it would fit someday.  It does!

Three Strikes is a good plan: adaptable, restrictive, but it breathes.  It’s not hard to follow and you don’t feel deprived.  It helps knowing you’re never more than about 12 hours from being able to eat anything.  But you also can’t eat enough junk at the same time to get into a cycle of addictive eating that picks up momentum until it takes on a life of its own.

Here are a few examples of how Three Strikes is playing out:

·         Sunday, we went to a minor league baseball game.  I had popcorn, but nothing else.  Since it was only one food item, it was only one strike, even though it was eating out, junk food, and a snack.  Without “Three Strikes”, I’d certainly have consumed other food that I didn’t need.

·         Wednesday, I had lunch out (strike one).  I also had dinner at a Mexican restaurant (strike two) and ate the chips (strike three) in addition to my chicken fajita salad without the shell.  Sounds like a lot, but remember I had no eating between meals that day (except an apple), those chips were the only junk food of the day, and I was done eating for the day at 6:45.

·         Friday, I had a breakfast meeting (strike one) and lunch out (strike two).  Two early strikes gave new meaning to “protecting the plate”.  With that new mindset, I managed to breeze through dinner and even substituted a large orange for dessert...and went to bed without getting a strike three.

Hope I don’t sound overconfident.  I know weight loss is fickle and humbling.  But I am optimistic.

Eating Plan Profile: Three Strikes

Unlike most other approaches, I made this one up (to the best of my knowledge, anyway).  As I was thinking about the contest and the eating plans, I wanted to try a simple approach that would serve as a proxy for the things I needed to do to lose weight.  Three Strikes is a “bend, but don’t break” approach that allows a few deviations from an otherwise disciplined approach. 

The premise is simple: you are allowed three “strikes” per day.  Everything else is basically “normal”.  For Pounds Off Playoff purposes, that means following the Default Plan.  Strikes are as follows:

Junk food.  This should go without saying.  I’m taking a Justice Potter Stewart style approach of “I know it when I see it”.  But generally, I’m talking about chips, sweets, and fried food.

Snacks.  What I’m talking about here is eating between meals that leads to weight gain.  Eating a 330 calorie bag of nuts at 3:30 or a bowl of cereal at 10:00 is a strike.  Exception: foods that are healthy and low calorie.  Eating a piece of fruit at 4 p.m. is not a strike. 

Seconds.  Eating three normal sized meals a day is allowed, and Three Strikes is pretty hands off about the main course (although I try to always include fruit or vegetables and avoid sodium when eating out).  It’s going back for seconds that is a strike.

Restaurants.  Eating out is a strike, no matter what you have.  And every junk food is an additional strike.

Exception.  No one food item can produce two strikes.  (Example: If you went to a restaurant and had dessert with your meal, that’s two strikes, one for eating out and one for dessert.  But it you just had dessert, that’s only one strike.)

I can’t help but notice that Three Strikes is like artificial eating intelligence.  On my own, I just don’t have the intuition necessary to judge how much food I can handle.  I usually alternate between total denial of certain foods and total indulgence.  But following Three Strikes is more like what thin people do, having occasional indulgences within the context of a generally healthy overall approach.