How I lost weight!

Here's is Dr. Dinowitz's story in his own words:

How did I lose my weight? The secret to it is to find a plan that works for you and stick to the plan. If you keep your eyes open you'll find what you need to succeed. That happened to me, quite literally, years ago when I was walking through a street fair. I found a Board of Health booklet that outlined a simple diet in three steps. I can't for the life of me find the booklet, but I'll never forget the plan.

Here it is from memory.

1. Calculate your ideal weight. Figure out your height in inches. If you're 6 feet tall, you begin with 72 inches. Men should add the number "100" to the number of inches calculated for your height. Women should add "80" for women. For example, I am 70 inches. I added that to 100 which yields 170. That number is my ideal weight and it became my goal.

2. Determine your daily caloric intake. Simply multiply your goal weight by 10. 170 x 10 = 1700. This is the number of calories you're permitted each day.

3. Find the total number of grams of fat and sugar you can have each day. Do that by dividing your goal weight by 10. (170÷10=17). This number represents your total intake
of grams of BOTH fat and sugar for the day. Look at the side panel of a product for the fat and sugar content. Both are listed in grams. . Again, the number you reach by dividing by 10 is the TOTAL number of fat and sugar grams (10g of fat with 7grams of sugar=17. That was my lucky number)

By strictly adhering to this, you'll end up eliminating the obvious "no good for diet foods" like pastries, breads, fried foods, red meats, processed white flour products. I ate lots of fish, chicken, turkey, lots of veggies, some fruits--never going more than 1700 calories daily. The good news is--your body adjusts very rapidly because your glycemic index normalizes and you're NEVER HUNGRY!!

I ate three or four 400-calorie portions daily, spaced every three to four hours. That kept my glycemic index balanced. I ate foods that were very tasty filling and very healthy-often an egg white veggie soufflé a couple of times daily. It must be the chemistry of low fat, high fiber that kept me filled and satisfied. Also, eating at intervals of 3-4 hours kept my energy level up, I never got tired or weak. I also made sure my food intake had a really good balance of proteins, good carbs and all the essentials one needs.

I found that I entered a "mental comfort zone"--knowing that I was doing the right thing for my body. I look back now and think how close to abnormal my blood chemistry was and I realize that I was in danger. I'm so grateful for my great blood work "report card". As I lost, the numbers got better.

The biggest challenge I had was breaking the habit of stopping off on the way home for one fast food fix after another. From burgers and fries to egg rolls and pizza--anything fast, tasty, neat and packaged-I liked keeping my eating disorders (and my food) to myself. I used to call this trip "my suicide run" And looking back it really was. Bad habits are hard to break BUT good ones stick pretty well if you give them a chance. Now I chew lots of sugarless gum and bop around the house to the "oldies" for exercise.

There is a real calm that the body feels when you eat right. It's hard to describe it, but you have it all day long, up to and including while going to sleep. I rested easier. Stopped tossing and turning. My wife reports I even stopped snoring like a mountain lion.

And here's some advice to follow along the way. Get your old clothes OUTA HERE!!!. As I lost weight, I squeezed into the next lowest size and gave away the bigger ones the very next day. Nursing homes actually refused the clothes. They told me that none of the residents were that big-at that size, they simply don't live that long.