How to lose weight in three easy steps

A co-worker I know asked me a month or so ago how much weight I'd lost.

She was suitably impressed by the amount and then asked me about my exercise regimen. She knew I was climbing the stairs at work, but was I doing anything else? I told her that I walked and was trying to get back into running.

That, fortunately, derailed the conversation. She knows my knees are bad, so she went off about how strange it seemed that I would want to return to running. I was glad, though, because it meant I wouldn't have to tell her stuff I knew she didn't want to hear.

I've been asked the question a lot, and I usually just say I'm doing Weight Watchers with my wife. The questioners know just enough about the program to tell me they don't want to put that much effort into counting points and wander off, thinking there has to be a simpler way.

Actually, Weight Watchers and most of the other successful programs work off three simple concepts.

First, you must become aware of how much you are actually stuffing in your mouth. Make no mistake, our capacity for self deception is enormous. My co-worker, eats enough for breakfast and lunch to take care of my caloric needs for the day. I've no idea what she does for supper, but given that she's a foot shorter than me and female, she's already eating too much. But she tells people she really doesn't eat that much.

Ah, self deception.

Second, you have to become aware of what you're eating. I could down a large cheeseburger with bacon and a pile of French fries with ease, then polish my evening off with a couple of Pop Tarts. During the day, my intake wasn't much healthier. That's changed, and I don't feel all that deprived. I'm not even going to discuss what my co-worker eats beyond saying that she regularly patronizes the grill in our building, and they don't carry much in the way of health food -- though you can make healthy enough choices if -- and this is a big if -- you pay attention to what and how much you are eating.

The third step is exercise. Lots of exercise. Intensity seems less important than duration. Start small and work your way up, but you have to work your way up and up and up. None of this stroll around a block after dinner and, whew, I think that'll do. The only activity other than cleaning house I've heard my co-worker talk about is yard work, and she gave most of that to a lawn-care service this year.

Now, I'm not trying to pound my co-worker. She's not really any different from anyone else who asks what I'm doing and then blows the whole idea off because they don't want to put out the effort.

Yes, in the beginning, you have to keep track of what you eat, how much you eat, and how much you exercise. Yes, you have to form new habits. Yes, it takes some efforts and will require permanent changes. But hey, do you want to lose weight or not? And the answer to that determines whether your attempt will be as simple as one, two, three.