I'm in Japan... a lot of my friends are "shocked" at how much weight
I've lost and how little I now eat (I was known for being able to
scarf down quite a bit in my time.) Japanese people are particularly
shocked anytime they can out eat a glutonous Westerner, and most have
visually witnessed my less than gradual shrinkage.

What most people don't understand (as I mentioned in another post)is
that there's no such thing as a food you can't live wihout. Most
Korean people can't eat a meal without their Kimchee, most Asians Rice
(in the case of Japanese sticky, not dry with a beer to wash it down)
and Westerners bread... most don't realize that its behaviourally
conditioned... One time I stormed out of an I-talian restaurant
because they didn't have fresh rolls on grounds that an Italian meal
can't be eaten without a proper bread basket (in my pre-Atkins days of
course) - - I also was not able to live without my 7-11 bought fudge
brownie and bagel and cream cheese (washed down with Diet Coke) first
thing in the morning... The truth is - - after a few days on the
diet... you don't miss it. O.K. I CRAVE almonds now... but even a
huge bag of almonds won't do half the damage as a HUGE BAG of
Hershey's Kisses in terms of weight game and "sugar/carb" crashing.

So... when my friends say, "Oh it sounds like a great diet, but I'm
Japanese I can't live wihout my rice," I pretty much tell them its
bullsh*t... sadly though there's an epidemic of diabetes in Japan...
and doctors tell their patients to cut back on the rice... and most
patients just drop that "I can't live without it line..." it sounds
similar to cigarette and booze addiction. I wouldn't trade all the
energy (and appetite stability) I have now for even one York
Peppermint Patty... - - or as was the case almost every day, 20 plates
of "kaiten" sushi !

Ed
eddielandsberg.com