OP: Don't crosspost, please.

[...]

:: Let's talk about that little bag of Cheetos. You talk a lot about
:: portion size and how we grossly underestimate what we eat, because
:: we are so accustomed to large portions. So that little bag of
:: Cheetos isn't going to satisfy most people.
::
:: It's a matter of adapting to it. The two best bites of anything --
:: be it Cheetos or chocolate or cheesecake -- are the first bite and
:: the last bite. The Europeans realize that much more than we do. They
:: are much more sensual about their food; where we like it in
:: quantity, they like it in quality. Europeans come here and are
:: aghast at how big our food is. People need to be convinced that the
:: small bag of Cheetos can, once you get used to it, end up providing
:: as much pleasure, if not more so, than the large bag of Cheetos. It
:: is a matter of paying attention to each and every Cheeto.

This is an interesting paragraph. I know that I certainly have come to
really resent eating anything junky that is not really really good. The
last thing I want is a piece of crappy, calorie loaded cake. If I eat cake,
I want it to be delicious -- from the first bit to the last. Anything else
is unacceptable. Getting to the point where two bites is enough is indeed
something I need to work on, however.

And Cheeto's are crap food, imo.

[....]

:: So, to sum up what you're saying: Eat less, move more and don't
:: believe everything you read.

Eww....we've heard that before, huh!

::
:: I am telling people that there is no magic, no miracles. You see
:: these books, the 14-day diet book, the four-day miracle diet book,
:: lose 30 pounds in 30 days. Once you have disabused yourself of the
:: idea that there is magic -- that you can take weight that you have
:: put on over a period of 20 years and lose it in 20 days -- once you
:: have cut away the nonsense, all that is left is common sense and
:: sensibility. Slightly reduce your calories each day and lose the
:: weight that you gained over 20 years, but give yourself a couple of
:: months to lose it. Don't join a gym and work yourself like a dog
:: only to quit the gym two weeks later. Join the gym and if an hour on
:: an exercise bicycle bores you to tears, which it does me, do half an
:: hour. Walk the dog a little farther. These are simple suggestions.
:: But they are not simplistic, and unfortunately they are overridden
:: by the massive amount of nonsense out there.

Imo, one needs to focus on establshing sustainable "health-oriented" habits
that carry into the long-term.