Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

Hi Keith

I was so happy to read about your food discipline. I am starting today and look what I found on Google. I have it on my homepage, it can't get any easier than that! Some of your readers may want to know about this. Personally I have been fighting the battle of the bulge for years. How long did you weigh and measure your food? One thing I have come to know is that portion control is what it's all about. Eat less than you use up and you'll lose weight. Since you are a philosopher isn't there something that has been written about the simpler the truth, the harder it is to believe and hold on to? I have also started to weigh myself every day and write down the number as unpleasant as this may be. It does help. One of the great fascinations to me of your blog is the writing that you do every day and the reading. The Philosophy Encyclopedia, is it?  Basically the personal discipline you have in your life. I would love to emulate it. Well, I guess in a way I am starting today. We will see if you can teach an old dog new tricks. My husband and I once read the King James Bible thru a page a day. I think it took us a few years, but it was wonderful time together. Thanks so much for the encouragement to start keeping track of my food.

Fondly
Emily

Note from KBJ: Thanks for the kind words, Emily, and good luck with your diet! I have always had willpower in spades (I get it from my mother), so I find it hard to understand why people fail to do what they would like to do. This isn't to say that I have never succumbed to temptation (I have) or that I always carry out my plans (I don't); but I probably have more discipline and self-control than the average person. One thing that separates human beings from other animals is our capacity for self-control. It's called autonomy (literally: self-rule, self-determination, self-governance). To abdicate one's self-control is to debase oneself. If you act like an animal, then you're wasting your humanity, which is something over and beyond animality. As for your question, I still count every calorie I ingest by writing it down. As I said in my post, I keep a notepad, a pen, a scale, and a calculator on my kitchen counter. For many of the meals that I eat on a regular basis (such as spaghetti, which I eat every Friday), I know exactly how many calories they contain, so all I do is jot down the number. It's quick and easy.