Each of us is an Experiment of One, and
what works for one doesn’t always work for another.

 People have different genetics, body composition,
lifestyle, and eating preferences.

Also, the BMR or RMR and Activity Factor percentage numbers re individual calorie burn contained in the “experts” charts are formulas that are based on averages, and are very incorrect for many people.

  Even that generally recommended Low of 1200 calories a day can be more calories than the body of a small, older woman is able to use, and will cause a weight gain for some. My past 7 years of detailed daily food-intake records prove that this is the case for my own mid-60s, 5’0”, 115 lb body.

Approaching weight loss with a "one size fits all" eating routine results in frustration and loss of motivation  when our results don't match those of another.

 The best diet plan will allow us to learn new eating habits and re-shape our lifestyles in a way that will allow us to achieve and maintain our desired weight.

It helps to figure out our desired eating pattern. Some people find it difficult to eat a large breakfast and make that a smaller meal, or skip it entirely. Some skip dinner. Some do well eating three meals, avoiding all snacks, and others find eating small meals and snacks works better for them.  Some people eat only once a day within specific time limits.  Some people vary their eating schedules to include frequent fasts.

Different eating schedules can be an effective tool in weight management, but it is important for each of us to know our own preferences, and figure out what eating plan will work best for us, individually. After a desired eating schedule is determined, we divide our food-intake and calories with that plan in mind.

 Be realistic.
We need to know our diet weaknesses so we can incorporate them into our plans.

Set reasonable goals.
The only program that is guaranteed to help us reach our weight goals is the one we will do consistently.  There is no magic eating plan, program, or product that is guaranteed to help us lose weight and keep it off. 

 
Trying to follow a plan or program that has worked for someone else through a one-size-fits-all approach is a path doomed to fail  if it isn't something that fits into our own personal lifestyles and preferences.

Instead of giving in to the marketing campaigns or the success stories of others, and following a plan that doesn't fit one’s preferences and lifestyle, it is helpful to take a little time to make a plan that does.

 I find that when I build my own individual program and put my likes and preferences at the center,  I am more likely to own that plan and make it work to reach and maintain my goals.

With regard to weight management,
simplicity is a virtue.

Research exists indicating that
those who are successful at weight-loss
tend to focus on fewer rules than those
who fail in their weight-loss efforts.

It wouldn’t matter how simple or complicated the rules were,
if there were truly only one right way to eat for weight-management.
You would just have to do it.

But in fact, there are many different kinds of healthy diets.
Vegetarian, Mediterranean, low-calorie, low-fat,
“primitive”, low-carb, and various other diets
have been validated by scientific research.

However, it’s not only the food that matters.
How we perceive the dietary rules we live by
is also important.

So, we need to just choose one and start.
It doesn’t even have to be an official “diet”.
Some of the most successful dieters…meaning those who
have maintained a weight loss of at least 30 pounds for at least one year…
don’t follow a formal diet plan.

Instead they establish a handful of their own rules,
and work to follow them consistently.

Weight management is difficult for most of us, no matter what.
It requires resisting some “fattening” foods we like,
while also resisting the urge to overeat “healthy” foods.
Nothing can be done about these requirements.

However, it isn’t necessary to make weight management any more difficult
than it has to be, by forcing oneself into a complicated diet.
We can choose to keep it simple.

My latest recipe video, Chinese Chicken Salad,
is located here at DietHobby in RECIPES, Mealtime.

Normal.  
What is it exactly?

Normal can mean "average",
and it also has the connotation of "sane".

"Normal" weight is defined as a BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9
which for my own body is between 95 and 127 lbs.

Regarding food and eating,
what is normal for one person
isn't necessarily normal for another.

Information and misinformation,
the media, books, online sources are full of it.

 I recently re-read a 12 page New York Times article 
" Unhappy Meals" written by Michael Pollin in 2007.
that clearly demonstrates the current food and eating dilemna.

He has some good advice, but unfortunately,
I haven't found his proposed solution to be the resolution 
to my own food-intake and weight maintenance problem.

So what is the answer?
I don't know, but I keep looking.

                     
I work to stay open to new information.
By NEW information, I mean information that is new to me.
Right now I am investigating the Gnoll.org website of J. Stanton
and finding it quite interesting.

I also recently ordered from Amazon
a couple of books that I previously overlooked,

"The Gnoll Credo" by J. Stanton, and
"The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living": by Stephen Phinney.

I look forward to reading those books for my entertainment and education.

I am always experimenting with new diets and new food plans for myself,
however, I do not recommend specific diets and/or food plans for others.
We are all different, and my strong opinion is
that each of us needs to find what works for him or her individually.

DietHobby is here to share the Journey,
not to clearly set forth the path.

For those who are following my “Ask Grandma” videos
click to see my latest one: “How to Get Subscribers on YouTube”
which is located in DietHobby under RESOURCES, Videos, Ask Grandma.

                             
Recently I discovered the Paleo writings of J Stantion,
and am in the process of reading some of his articles. 

His position on snack foods is interesting, and very on point.

He says:

The Magic Of Snacks: Taste Without Nutrition

"Just as a movie set’s only constraint is to look good
for a few seconds from a limited set of camera angles,
a snack food’s only constraint is to taste good
until it slides down your throat.

And that’s what technology allows us to do:
create products (“snacks”) that tickle our taste receptors
far more than real food can ever hope to—but
that don’t come with the nutrition that selected us
to crave those tastes in the first place.

This is the reason that the concept “eat whole foods,
minimally processed” is generally sound:

if whole foods taste good to us,
it’s most likely because they contain nutrients we need,
not because they’ve been engineered to tickle our taste buds.

(Note that all modern fruits are heavily engineered products
of thousands of years of careful breeding: read Dan Koeppel’s
fascinating book “Banana” for a look at one typical example.)"

This seems to hit the nail on the head.