http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/One of the founders of AutoDesk and AutoCAD began a diet program called "The Hacker's Diet".
It treats weight loss and maintenance from an engineering and management perspective.
I really like it because it's geared towards engineers and geeks like me. The basic premise is that you can gain control of any system if you understand how it works. Hence the "hacker" label.
Exercise is super-important for health. I have asthma, and I control it through exercise. I work out five days a week. I do one mile on the treadmill (I run a nine-minute mile, which is actually jogging, I guess) and then I run 3 additional miles on the elliptical machine. Calorie counting for the rest of my life is
the only way that I'm ever going to get back to 109 (I'm 5'5") and REMAIN there. So that is what I am doing.
Plus I plan to start weightlifting once my body fat percentage is below 20%. That way it will make sure that my bones stay strong despite being lighter. My ultimate goal is to run a half-marathon, which is 13 miles.
I have had awesome success with the common-sense approach: picking healthy and nutrient-dense foods, counting calories, and working out. I have lost 27 pounds since February 1, 2004. Weight loss of one to two pounds per week is sustainable.
The other cool thing about Walker's program is that he has all these Excel tools that he developed for monitoring your weight and progress. Heh.. kind of reminds me of Beef's program for milk and eggs.