Just eating less and exercising more will eventually get the job done, but that is difficult and slow. A low-carb diet helps accelerate things, which helps motivation, and if you spend the time building habits that will keep you going after you start eating more carbs again, you won't balloon up once you end the diet. I can offer an example: my wife. I've mentioned that she finally started the low-carb diet along with me, and that she had great success. She is about to embark on a three-week vacation visiting family, and she decided last week she wouldn't be able to continue the low-carb routine, and wasn't even going to really try. We've heard stories of people "adjusting" by gaining eight to ten pounds, and she was deeply concerned about this, but she only gained three, and then quickly lost them again. Nine days after re-introducing bread to her diet, she's actually one pound lighter! She knows her weight loss will be slower from here on out, but as long as she consumes fewer calories than she burns, it should continue.

I've only got three weeks to go, and I'm spending a few days between now and then visiting family in the northeastern U.S., where clam chowder is king. With most recipes, a single cup of clam chowder contains more carbs than I've had in any entire day since June. So I'm going to eat half a cup. Or maybe a cup. Look for even slower weight loss before I'm done, but I don't think I'll get back to the northeast for years. I may seem rigid and inflexible, but I'm not stupid.

Personal Update

I've finally hit the waist size I thought I'd never see again, and I'm wearing the same size pants I wore in high school. Once I got to 32 inches, I felt safe in buying new clothes, so I bought a new belt (size "S"), new pants (32" waist), and when I saw them on sale for $5, two new t-shirts (sizes "S" and "M"). That 'S' t-shirt may seem ridiculous, since most of my shirts are 'XL,' but since I was already buying things in small sizes, I thought I'd take a $5 chance. It isn't baggy, but it isn't obviously tight, either. I've never thought of myself as a "small" person in any way, so this may take some time to work through!