If your photograph appears here it does not infer that you should lose weight.

I have been asked by several friends to explain The Simpleton Diet. So here goes.

How much does it cost?

Nothing. Money makes things so complicated, don’t you agree? Besides, nothing is about what it’s worth.

How did The Simpleton Diet get its name?

Its name comes from the fact that even a simpleton can follow it. When I told my wife that I was using The Simpleton Diet she said, “Oh really? That fits.”

How do I get started?

Download the spreadsheet (see below in the section called “The Simpleton Diet Spreadsheet”). To start, you fill in the blue box. All you need is your height in inches (used to calculate your Body Mass Index), the date you want to start, your current weight, and the what you want to weigh at the end of the program.

What else do I have to enter?

At the same time each week weigh yourself and enter your weight in pounds in the orange box. That is it, nothing else to enter.

How is my weight loss goal calculated?

Each week your new weight (hopefully lower) is used to determine the goal for the coming week. Your current weight is simply rounded down to the next whole number. So if you weight 195.7 pounds your goal for the next week is to lose 0.7 pounds. If it was 195.1 it would be 0.1 pounds. If it was 196.0 it would be 1.0 pound. The Simpleton Diet spreadsheet lists the key points of the plan.

How can I lose a lot of weight if the goals are only in tenths of a pound?

Most weeks you will exceed your goal and will lose over a pound.

What should I do if I forget to weigh myself?

Enter the same weight as the week before in the spreadsheet.

What results are measured?

The results are shown in the green box. The one of most interest is the total pounds lost. The average weight loss is also tracked. The most weight lost in a week is shown (as a positive number) and also the least weight lost (shown as a negative number if you gained weight). Weight loss as a percentage is computed and loss of Body Mass Index is displayed. The maximum you can weigh but still be in the BMI normal range is calculated. If you want to be right in the middle of the BMI normal range that weight is also calculated.

What is Body Mass Index?

A measure of someone’s weight in relation to height. To calculate one’s BMI, multiply one’s weight in pounds and divide that by the square of one’s height in inches. The Simpleton Diet spreadsheet has the BMI ranges listed.

Do I have to eat special foods?

No. Remember this is The Simpleton Diet. Special foods would make it complicated.

How I am supposed to lose weight then?

Use your current knowledge and some common sense. For example, people consume a lot of calories through what they drink. So drink more water. If you have a large meal in front of you, save half for later. Eat more salads. Snack on fresh fruits. To prevent boredom eating, compile a list of projects to keep you busy. Check the calories of what you eat and make needed adjustments. Most desserts don’t need to be eaten because you are already full.

Anything else?

Yes, tell your family and friends you are on a diet so that you have an additional incentive to succeed. Oh, and eat hearty!

The Simpleton Diet Spreadsheet

Below is the Simpleton Diet spreadsheet and chart I used to track my weight loss so you can see a real example. From it you can see my start weight was 217.6 with a goal to reach 199 pounds. At the time of writing (26 October) I have lost 10 pounds with a goal to lose 0.6 pounds this week.

Notice that most weeks I have lost over a pound even though the weight goals were less. Here is the link for The Simpleton Diet Excel spreadsheet if you wish to download it and use it for yourself.

Please tell me about your diet and your successes and/or failures.

The Simpleton Diet Chart

Each plot on the chart represents one week that corresponds to the weight entry in the spreadsheet.

Updates

1 Nov 2009 — Today I barely lost weight (0.2 pounds). This Halloween week the house was full of chips, sugary drinks and candy. At the beginning of the week I snacked on the chips and washed them down with Sprite. I ate some of the candy. Most of us are good at resisting temptation so long as it isn’t in front of us. Remembering that I would be reporting online any weight gains or losses, I quickly pulled my self together and exercised some restraint.
8 Nov 2009 — A one pound loss is right on target. This week I drunk more water instead of the soda I consumed last week. I ate a few Sun Chips instead of regular chips. I noticed my Quaker Granola cereal was a bunch of calories so I switched to Special K topped with fresh raspberries.
15 Nov 2009 — I ate a few too many snacks so no weight loss.
22 Nov 2009 — Even though I had a huge serving of fish, chips, and mushy peas at Little Taste of Britain, I still was able to lose.
29 Nov 2009 — I was fortunate to lose a slight amount even though the hogs were at the Thanksgiving trough.
6 Dec 2009 — I was really focused this week. I either drank water, V8, G2 Gatorade, or milk. This helped a lot as many calories can enter via liquids. I am not a big dessert eater and there were no chips around to snack on. This 2.6 pound loss matches my previous highest loss. Just 3.6 pounds to go to reach my goal.
13 Dec 2009 — There are a lot of snacks around the house that didn’t help so even a small loss was welcome.
20 Dec 2009 — These small losses are still contributing towards my goal. Just 2.6 pounds to go.
27 Dec 2009 — A satisfactory result for Christmas week. At times the snacking ruined my appetite which contributed to weight loss. Not the best way to lose a pound but I will take it.
3 Jan 2010 — A small gain. Chips should be banned from the house. 11 of Lay’s Wavy original chips rack up 150 calories.
17 Jan 2010 — I reached my target weight. I will continue to lose a little more weight but I won’t be posting any more results. If you are curious how I am doing, just ask.