I finally broke through my diet low--not by much, maybe a half pound, but I was almost motivated to publish a celebratory post. Over the past 4 mornings, I've been within that half-pound range (right at my old low this morning). Considering over the past 5 weeks I've spent getting no closer than a pound above the old low, it has been a relief to finally see progress, but hopefully things will pick up from here to meet my goal of an additional 10-pound drop by New Year's.
I'm slowly transitioning to a more Paleo style diet--I'm down to my last loaf and two packages of wraps, maybe another two weeks away. I've cut all dairy except maybe the equivalent of a slice of cheese to my daily omelette, and I'm almost done with legumes. I'm not convinced maybe 10% of my caloric intake is responsible for my sluggish progress over the past 2 months, but I'm willing to experiment.
I purchased an inexpensive Chinese digital weight scale a time back, mostly for a higher capacity that hopefully I'll never need again (40-odd pounds ago). The only drawback is that it measures in tenths of kilograms. I've made the necessary conversions in my daily weight spreadsheet.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Diet Update: 11/09/13 Following the Bouncing Ball
In the early 1960's Mitch Miller had a signature show on NBC, directing a men's group of singers and encouraging viewers to sing along, as lyrics appeared on screen and a bouncing ball kept pace with the singers. (I saw a canned holiday show one Christmas season while I attended high school in south Texas.) I find watching the results of my early morning weigh-in to be similar.
Today marks the one-month anniversary of my big 5-pound gap down and I have only come within a pound of that diet low twice since.then; the only positive thing is that the tops of the bounces are declining. I may have prolonged it when I bought a few small tins of heart-healthy nuts when I went to pick up my latest prescriptions; the paleo diet gurus recommend a handful of nuts with meals. I hadn't eaten nuts in a while and wasn't as disciplined. They weren't salted, and some diet gurus advocate "cheat days" to counteract the body slowing metabolism to accommodate dietary reductions. My weight didn't really surge during my nut days but the change to my diet probably didn't help. The last few weekends I've been between bubbles, and this week I'm at a peak.
As I mentioned in my last post, I had a doctor's appointment this week. What is it about weigh-ins at doctor offices? Granted, I'm not weighing in nude, I had a burger for breakfast after my own weigh-in on a digital scale, but 8 pounds? Still, I think even with a consistent scale bias, my weight was down another 16 pounds since my last visit earlier in the summer, and he was pleased with the progress.
Nevertheless, I am unhappy with no net loss over the past month although there were other signs of progress, like having to take in my belt another couple of notches. I'm continuing to phase out grains, although I still have a couple of loaves and packages of flatbreads in the freezer. I'm also trying to phase in more veggies. My latest Internet order focused on low-carb salad dressings and yam (shirataki low-carb, high soluble fiber) noodles. But obviously I need to up the nature and extent of my daily exercise. I wanted to phase it in; I can still remember when I resumed my jogging routine as a graduate student at Texas, I was nauseated and felt a bit dizzy my first day back on schedule, and I weigh more now. I finally feel ready to take it up a notch. I'm setting a new target of dropping 10 pounds by New Year's.
Today marks the one-month anniversary of my big 5-pound gap down and I have only come within a pound of that diet low twice since.then; the only positive thing is that the tops of the bounces are declining. I may have prolonged it when I bought a few small tins of heart-healthy nuts when I went to pick up my latest prescriptions; the paleo diet gurus recommend a handful of nuts with meals. I hadn't eaten nuts in a while and wasn't as disciplined. They weren't salted, and some diet gurus advocate "cheat days" to counteract the body slowing metabolism to accommodate dietary reductions. My weight didn't really surge during my nut days but the change to my diet probably didn't help. The last few weekends I've been between bubbles, and this week I'm at a peak.
As I mentioned in my last post, I had a doctor's appointment this week. What is it about weigh-ins at doctor offices? Granted, I'm not weighing in nude, I had a burger for breakfast after my own weigh-in on a digital scale, but 8 pounds? Still, I think even with a consistent scale bias, my weight was down another 16 pounds since my last visit earlier in the summer, and he was pleased with the progress.
Nevertheless, I am unhappy with no net loss over the past month although there were other signs of progress, like having to take in my belt another couple of notches. I'm continuing to phase out grains, although I still have a couple of loaves and packages of flatbreads in the freezer. I'm also trying to phase in more veggies. My latest Internet order focused on low-carb salad dressings and yam (shirataki low-carb, high soluble fiber) noodles. But obviously I need to up the nature and extent of my daily exercise. I wanted to phase it in; I can still remember when I resumed my jogging routine as a graduate student at Texas, I was nauseated and felt a bit dizzy my first day back on schedule, and I weigh more now. I finally feel ready to take it up a notch. I'm setting a new target of dropping 10 pounds by New Year's.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Diet Update: 11/02/13 Descending Triangle
Not much progress to report; I once again bounced off last weekend's relative low; it's rather odd that over the last few weeks, I've been at bounce points on weekends, but I'm still a couple of pounds higher than last month's gap down low and I've only come to within a pound of the low over the past 3 weeks--but the pattern of lower bubble peaks has the appearance, using my financial analysis analogy, of a descending triangle, which could break through to a new low. Still, I've been frustrated by the slow pace of weight loss over the past 2 months.
I do have a doctor's appointment in the near future. The only thing that bothers me about the inevitable weight check-in is that the scale usually puts my weight about 5 lbs. more than my digital home scale. Of course, I have clothes and shoes on, wallet, keys and maybe ate earlier. Still, my doctor should be pleased with my progress, although I'm still more than 40 pounds off his target. I would like to chop off a third of that by New Year's.
I may resort to a meal replacement regimen (with one regular dinner) for an upcoming week, just to see if my body has become accustomed to my diet over the past few weeks. I also subscribe to Tom Woods' podcasts (Woods is an historian with a libertarian political philosophy). He recently had on Mark Sisson of the Primal Blueprint, which the Woods have followed, and, separately, Robb Wolf of the rival Paleo diet. I haven't fully contrasted the approaches; both approaches seem to emphasize protein (especially lean grass-fed meats and wild-caught oily fish, which are regular parts of my diet--and I rotate in organ meats), primal is more liberal on dairy and fats, and generally grains and legumes are eliminated. The latter are the major differences with my current regimen, but I'm working through (and will not replace) my remaining whole grain tortillas and breads (although I rarely eat more than 30 net carb grams daily in daily servings); I have also included a daily serving of beans lately, but other than a small supply of dried black beans, I'm almost out and will not replace them.
I do have a doctor's appointment in the near future. The only thing that bothers me about the inevitable weight check-in is that the scale usually puts my weight about 5 lbs. more than my digital home scale. Of course, I have clothes and shoes on, wallet, keys and maybe ate earlier. Still, my doctor should be pleased with my progress, although I'm still more than 40 pounds off his target. I would like to chop off a third of that by New Year's.
I may resort to a meal replacement regimen (with one regular dinner) for an upcoming week, just to see if my body has become accustomed to my diet over the past few weeks. I also subscribe to Tom Woods' podcasts (Woods is an historian with a libertarian political philosophy). He recently had on Mark Sisson of the Primal Blueprint, which the Woods have followed, and, separately, Robb Wolf of the rival Paleo diet. I haven't fully contrasted the approaches; both approaches seem to emphasize protein (especially lean grass-fed meats and wild-caught oily fish, which are regular parts of my diet--and I rotate in organ meats), primal is more liberal on dairy and fats, and generally grains and legumes are eliminated. The latter are the major differences with my current regimen, but I'm working through (and will not replace) my remaining whole grain tortillas and breads (although I rarely eat more than 30 net carb grams daily in daily servings); I have also included a daily serving of beans lately, but other than a small supply of dried black beans, I'm almost out and will not replace them.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Diet Update: 10/26/13 Bouncing Down the Staircase
The good news is that with nearly a 2-lb. drop overnight, I'm at my lowest weight in over 2 weeks. The bad news is that I am still nearly 2 pounds over my month/diet low. So unless the current whoosh is sustained past my low, the chance of any new monthly low over the remaining week of the month, never mind another 4-5 lb. drop, seems low at this point.
It has been a frustrating 2 weeks because it seems every time I've had a minor whoosh down, the next 2 or 3 days the weight crept back up. The good news is that (using my financial analyst analogy) my new support line held (roughly my weight just before the 5-lb. gap down) and my bounces are putting in relatively lower lows, so it is possible I could break through my resistance (the major gap down) over the coming week.
No major tweaks in the foods I've been eating; I haven't done a meal replacement in a while, and I'll probably factor in those more over the coming month. More recently I've started out my day with a grass-fed beef or turkey burger followed by fresh berries or kiwi. I'll usually fir in an omelette with some flatbread variation as one of my other meals. I factor in veggies (lots of tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, mushrooms, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green beans, etc.) and occasional servings of legumes (more recently, pinto or black heans) and take a daily multivitamin. I try to hold down grain carbs to less than 250 calories a day, most of those a mixture of whole and/or sprouted grains; I don't think those are related to my long string of bouncing over the past few weeks. But I've been influenced lately by Mark Sisson's discussion of good carbs and will be working more servings of veggies and salads into the diet and eliminating wheat gluten totally from my diet (I didn't realize how common a medication levothyroxine is; my doctor hasn't discussed gluten with me--and given my diagnosed hypothyroid condition I'm sure he's had the blood workup done, but I'm sufficiently concerned about the thyroid-gluten connection to want to take preventive dietary steps.) I also need to be stepping up my anaerobic exercise regimen and getting in more sleep time.
It has been a frustrating 2 weeks because it seems every time I've had a minor whoosh down, the next 2 or 3 days the weight crept back up. The good news is that (using my financial analyst analogy) my new support line held (roughly my weight just before the 5-lb. gap down) and my bounces are putting in relatively lower lows, so it is possible I could break through my resistance (the major gap down) over the coming week.
No major tweaks in the foods I've been eating; I haven't done a meal replacement in a while, and I'll probably factor in those more over the coming month. More recently I've started out my day with a grass-fed beef or turkey burger followed by fresh berries or kiwi. I'll usually fir in an omelette with some flatbread variation as one of my other meals. I factor in veggies (lots of tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, mushrooms, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green beans, etc.) and occasional servings of legumes (more recently, pinto or black heans) and take a daily multivitamin. I try to hold down grain carbs to less than 250 calories a day, most of those a mixture of whole and/or sprouted grains; I don't think those are related to my long string of bouncing over the past few weeks. But I've been influenced lately by Mark Sisson's discussion of good carbs and will be working more servings of veggies and salads into the diet and eliminating wheat gluten totally from my diet (I didn't realize how common a medication levothyroxine is; my doctor hasn't discussed gluten with me--and given my diagnosed hypothyroid condition I'm sure he's had the blood workup done, but I'm sufficiently concerned about the thyroid-gluten connection to want to take preventive dietary steps.) I also need to be stepping up my anaerobic exercise regimen and getting in more sleep time.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Diet Update: 10/19/13 The Comeback Monster Bounce
Well, I edited my last (mid-week) post after the unprecedented 5-plus pound gap down to note that I didn't continue to extend the big whoosh with an additional pound or two as I had hoped, but experienced a hard bounce. To be fair, using my financial analyst analogy, I did predict a bounce to fill the gap.
I didn't realize just how true that was. After my gap down, on each of the next 4 days I went up roughly a pound a day. Then over the next 4-5 days I seemed to oscillate within a pound range up to 5 pounds on the bounce yesterday (a couple of minor zig-zags during that period); it looks as if I've finally broken through the bounce plateau overnight,with a 2-pound drop. Hopefully this is a sustainable drop over the weekend, and I won't go through a series of stair bounces. But my hope of dropping another 4-5 pounds this month is questionable at this point with less than 2 weeks to go. I should know by mid-week. For that loss to be achievable, my whoosh needs to take out the resistance point of the gap down. But it has been demoralizing seeing week-over-week gains over the last few days.
Nothing much different on the dietary front. I did buy a big jar of dill pickles at Sam's Club; one of my pet peeves is how they constantly shift merchandise around. I hadn't found their fresh broccoli bags my last couple of trips; they normally stocked the bags in an open display case, but I discovered them in a closed display case next to salads. I also bought a big carton of plain Greek yogurt. My doctor won't be happy, because yogurt has carbs--but in this case only 9 carb grams a serving (and I'll probably consume it in half-servings). I guess Greek yogurt has become a fad, but I like the texture and flavor. Another interesting newer fad I'm just noticing: coconut milk. On my last trip to Safeway, I bought a couple of cartons of almond/coconut milk. Only 45 calories a serving, 1 net carb, plus MCFA's; back in my earlier low-carb days, I used to purchase virgin coconut oil. I often put almond milk in my coffee.
I didn't realize just how true that was. After my gap down, on each of the next 4 days I went up roughly a pound a day. Then over the next 4-5 days I seemed to oscillate within a pound range up to 5 pounds on the bounce yesterday (a couple of minor zig-zags during that period); it looks as if I've finally broken through the bounce plateau overnight,with a 2-pound drop. Hopefully this is a sustainable drop over the weekend, and I won't go through a series of stair bounces. But my hope of dropping another 4-5 pounds this month is questionable at this point with less than 2 weeks to go. I should know by mid-week. For that loss to be achievable, my whoosh needs to take out the resistance point of the gap down. But it has been demoralizing seeing week-over-week gains over the last few days.
Nothing much different on the dietary front. I did buy a big jar of dill pickles at Sam's Club; one of my pet peeves is how they constantly shift merchandise around. I hadn't found their fresh broccoli bags my last couple of trips; they normally stocked the bags in an open display case, but I discovered them in a closed display case next to salads. I also bought a big carton of plain Greek yogurt. My doctor won't be happy, because yogurt has carbs--but in this case only 9 carb grams a serving (and I'll probably consume it in half-servings). I guess Greek yogurt has become a fad, but I like the texture and flavor. Another interesting newer fad I'm just noticing: coconut milk. On my last trip to Safeway, I bought a couple of cartons of almond/coconut milk. Only 45 calories a serving, 1 net carb, plus MCFA's; back in my earlier low-carb days, I used to purchase virgin coconut oil. I often put almond milk in my coffee.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Diet Update: 10/09/13 The Big Whoosh and Gap Down
My last few posts have been on weekends; I didn't intend to write a new progress report until the weekend, but I decided to do a rare mid-week update because of an unusual development in the current weight loss diet which could be mitigated, say by a rebound bounce. (I've sometimes seen the whoosh continue after a big gap down, but the current pace is clearly unsustainable, and I wanted to jot down my thoughts fresh in the memory of the gap down, which is unprecedented in my memory of past/current diets coming weeks after the start of a diet. Of course, many of us have frequently seen a quick 6-pound loss at the start of a diet, particularly low-carb, which may be primarily a one-time water loss, say, as glycogen stores empty.)
As the familiar reader may realize from recent updates, September was a disappointing month in my diet, largely dominated by two major bounces just above a personally significant interim target weight, with a minimal cumulative weight loss.
Before further discussion, the observant reader may recognize that I've been using nomenclature familiar to technical analysts, e.g., of stock market investments: "resistance", "support", "gap up/down", etc. In a simplified context, stock prices often oscillate within in a price range. "Resistance" refers to a short-term price ceiling, at which point sellers outnumber buyers. "Support" refers to the bottom of the price channel where sellers peter out. A stock may breakout past a price ceiling, say, based on good news not priced into the stock; this is uncharted territory where prices are bid up until a new ceiling is set; similar, a stock may break down, based on bad news (e.g.,the BP oil spill disaster with cleanup costs and huge lawsuits). Of course, the analogy with breakouts and breakdowns doesn't quite hold; obviously radical changes in diet, exercise, or general health can result in breaking through a diet weight channel. The gaps up and down--discontinuities from a short-term weight range--say, for instance, a pound or more up or down from the prior day--are fairly unusual. Typically I'll see a fraction of a pound from day to day. This sets the context for my latest weight discussion; I refer to the weight channel floor as "resistance" and the ceiling as "support", which I interpret as some temporary water gain over weight equilibrium: there's no clear reason why I should be gaining weight given a rigorous diet and exercise regimen. The "support" level is a trend line based on weight bounce peaks. As a rule of thumb I use a 6-pound support range (recall that typical 2-day quick weight loss)
I generally "officially" weigh in after I wake daily. In my last update I was just over my interim target. Since then I finally broke through that multi-week resistance level and dropped a couple of pounds below that target. Yesterday morning it seemed that whoosh had slowed to a fraction of a pound, and I resigned myself to the end of the whoosh and the start of an inevitable bounce.
I have been obsessing over weight, and sometimes I'll do an interim weigh-in, say, after my afternoon exercise session and/or a period after dinner. I'm usually a pound or so above what I'll weigh the next morning. But I've almost never seen the weight come under my morning weigh-in. Yesterday evening not only did I come in below my morning weight, but multiple pounds below. I eagerly awaited this morning's weigh-in.
An unprecedented monster gap down: roughly 5 1/3 pounds. This alone almost makes up for a flat September. Week-over-week, over 10 pounds--of course, that includes near the top of the last bounce. Can I eke out another pound or two out in the whoosh, or is this the new resistance point? I think possibly the former, because I don't recall a dead cat bounce after a major gap down, but I wouldn't be surprised if I got a bounce to "fill the gap", as financial analysts might say (there are a few pounds I didn't crawl past).I do expect a significant bounce at some point, but based on my heuristic, my former target weight is probably in the rear view mirror (let's hope forever).
My next target is to reach my 2004 low, just above my doctor's target, although there's a certain BMI threshold for my height insurance companies use for individual coverage eligibility in the past that serves as an interim target.
Barring unusual developments, my next post will likely be on the recent schedule, i.e., in 10 days or so.
[10/12/13 note: I'm not editing what I wrote above; the reason I thought I might eke out a little more on the whoosh is because I saw the flash of a lower weight on my digital scale. But as I mentioned above, I clearly expect a bounce back to fill the gap. As I write, I'm hours away from my official weigh-in, but I expect a continuation of a hard bounce, so far a couple of pounds higher; which of course is frustrating what one is rigorously controlling his diet and exercising while the skies are drizzling (in fact, I've had to order new athletic shoes this weekend for obvious reasons). My stomach is growling as I write this, so I know I'll be frustrated later today. After going through a series of bounces through September, I'm not surprised by what may be a big bounce of up to maybe 6 pounds--hopefully no monster gaps up. Hopefully the bubble will peak over the weekend and I will report a new low in my next post and drop at least another 4-5 pounds by month end.]
As the familiar reader may realize from recent updates, September was a disappointing month in my diet, largely dominated by two major bounces just above a personally significant interim target weight, with a minimal cumulative weight loss.
Before further discussion, the observant reader may recognize that I've been using nomenclature familiar to technical analysts, e.g., of stock market investments: "resistance", "support", "gap up/down", etc. In a simplified context, stock prices often oscillate within in a price range. "Resistance" refers to a short-term price ceiling, at which point sellers outnumber buyers. "Support" refers to the bottom of the price channel where sellers peter out. A stock may breakout past a price ceiling, say, based on good news not priced into the stock; this is uncharted territory where prices are bid up until a new ceiling is set; similar, a stock may break down, based on bad news (e.g.,the BP oil spill disaster with cleanup costs and huge lawsuits). Of course, the analogy with breakouts and breakdowns doesn't quite hold; obviously radical changes in diet, exercise, or general health can result in breaking through a diet weight channel. The gaps up and down--discontinuities from a short-term weight range--say, for instance, a pound or more up or down from the prior day--are fairly unusual. Typically I'll see a fraction of a pound from day to day. This sets the context for my latest weight discussion; I refer to the weight channel floor as "resistance" and the ceiling as "support", which I interpret as some temporary water gain over weight equilibrium: there's no clear reason why I should be gaining weight given a rigorous diet and exercise regimen. The "support" level is a trend line based on weight bounce peaks. As a rule of thumb I use a 6-pound support range (recall that typical 2-day quick weight loss)
I generally "officially" weigh in after I wake daily. In my last update I was just over my interim target. Since then I finally broke through that multi-week resistance level and dropped a couple of pounds below that target. Yesterday morning it seemed that whoosh had slowed to a fraction of a pound, and I resigned myself to the end of the whoosh and the start of an inevitable bounce.
I have been obsessing over weight, and sometimes I'll do an interim weigh-in, say, after my afternoon exercise session and/or a period after dinner. I'm usually a pound or so above what I'll weigh the next morning. But I've almost never seen the weight come under my morning weigh-in. Yesterday evening not only did I come in below my morning weight, but multiple pounds below. I eagerly awaited this morning's weigh-in.
An unprecedented monster gap down: roughly 5 1/3 pounds. This alone almost makes up for a flat September. Week-over-week, over 10 pounds--of course, that includes near the top of the last bounce. Can I eke out another pound or two out in the whoosh, or is this the new resistance point? I think possibly the former, because I don't recall a dead cat bounce after a major gap down, but I wouldn't be surprised if I got a bounce to "fill the gap", as financial analysts might say (there are a few pounds I didn't crawl past).I do expect a significant bounce at some point, but based on my heuristic, my former target weight is probably in the rear view mirror (let's hope forever).
My next target is to reach my 2004 low, just above my doctor's target, although there's a certain BMI threshold for my height insurance companies use for individual coverage eligibility in the past that serves as an interim target.
Barring unusual developments, my next post will likely be on the recent schedule, i.e., in 10 days or so.
[10/12/13 note: I'm not editing what I wrote above; the reason I thought I might eke out a little more on the whoosh is because I saw the flash of a lower weight on my digital scale. But as I mentioned above, I clearly expect a bounce back to fill the gap. As I write, I'm hours away from my official weigh-in, but I expect a continuation of a hard bounce, so far a couple of pounds higher; which of course is frustrating what one is rigorously controlling his diet and exercising while the skies are drizzling (in fact, I've had to order new athletic shoes this weekend for obvious reasons). My stomach is growling as I write this, so I know I'll be frustrated later today. After going through a series of bounces through September, I'm not surprised by what may be a big bounce of up to maybe 6 pounds--hopefully no monster gaps up. Hopefully the bubble will peak over the weekend and I will report a new low in my next post and drop at least another 4-5 pounds by month end.]
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Diet Update: 10/04/13
The last thing I imagined when I wrote my last update that I would have another monster bounce. The good news is that this morning I finally dropped to a new diet low, an initial weight target (which is still 50 pounds above my doctor's target). How bad was the bounce? Nearly as high a peak as the last bounce's, 6 pounds higher than this morning. September was a disappointing month, all but flat, while I minimally hoped for a good 6 pounds or more on a healthy 1.5-lb. loss clip. It could be that I haven't completed my current whoosh, and I've finally broken resistance, versus bouncing back, and will make up for lost time during October.
On a more positive note, I noticed a favorite pair of slacks I haven't worn in several weeks are now looser and I was able to take my belt in a notch. I remember worrying before the new diet about buying bigger slacks and belts. I had also noticed my workout t-shirts are looser. I have to admit, though, I'm somewhat disappointed that I haven't seen more dramatic visible results after a 36-lb. drop year-to-date. I'm not even the champ in my family circle; one relative noted that she was able to lose 100 lbs. (and counting) after a long-overdue diagnosis of an underactive thyroid. I believe my dosage is higher; I went without a prescription for 2-3 years, which could explain much of my interim weight gain.
Not a lot I've noticed on the nutrition front over the past week, although there was a New York Post piece reporting that the number of obese city resident had gone up nearly a quarter during outgoing Mayor Bloomberg's 12-year tenure. Bloomberg along with the city's health department has promoted a number of public policies, from new bike trails to sugary drink restrictions. As a libertarian, I have reservations about paternalistic government (see my flagship political blog), but if I was going to propose a policy, it would be to provide more of a tax incentive, e.g., for a physician's validation of healthy weight loss or being in a healthy weight range for one's body type, participation in sports activities or health club membership/visits, waiving sales taxes on exercise DVD's or home exercise equipment, etc.
On a more positive note, I noticed a favorite pair of slacks I haven't worn in several weeks are now looser and I was able to take my belt in a notch. I remember worrying before the new diet about buying bigger slacks and belts. I had also noticed my workout t-shirts are looser. I have to admit, though, I'm somewhat disappointed that I haven't seen more dramatic visible results after a 36-lb. drop year-to-date. I'm not even the champ in my family circle; one relative noted that she was able to lose 100 lbs. (and counting) after a long-overdue diagnosis of an underactive thyroid. I believe my dosage is higher; I went without a prescription for 2-3 years, which could explain much of my interim weight gain.
Not a lot I've noticed on the nutrition front over the past week, although there was a New York Post piece reporting that the number of obese city resident had gone up nearly a quarter during outgoing Mayor Bloomberg's 12-year tenure. Bloomberg along with the city's health department has promoted a number of public policies, from new bike trails to sugary drink restrictions. As a libertarian, I have reservations about paternalistic government (see my flagship political blog), but if I was going to propose a policy, it would be to provide more of a tax incentive, e.g., for a physician's validation of healthy weight loss or being in a healthy weight range for one's body type, participation in sports activities or health club membership/visits, waiving sales taxes on exercise DVD's or home exercise equipment, etc.
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