Michael Dow

by Jonathan

Q: With me today is Michael Dow, author of The Pen and Paper Diet®. Thanks for being here with us Michael. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do in life.

I’m married with one child and one on the way. I’m an active duty USAF officer and am working towards a M.S. in Management. My educational background is in math and biology.

Q: What drove you to write The Pen and Paper Diet®?

In 2007, my wife had reached the weight of 270 lbs and wanted to start taking diet pills. I was concerned for her health since we don’t know all of the side effects from these drugs. We started brainstorming and decided that if a finance budget can help people not spend too much money then a calorie budget should help us control how much we eat and lead to losing some weight. We made a deal that if she didn’t lose any weight after a month then she could start taking diet pills. I knew it would work though and she lost 10 lbs the first month. She said she could hardly believe it because she was still eating chocolate, drinking sweet tea, and not on a diet. I joked with her and said we were on a pen and paper diet because we were just writing everything down that we put in our mouth. After 3 months of being able to control my weight, I couldn’t believe that what we now knew wasn’t common knowledge so I thought somebody had to write a book about these simple concepts so why not me.

Q: Your book required a lot of research to write. How long did it take you to compile all this information?

9 weeks total working from 10 at night to 4 in the morning. I had to format the whole book myself since I self-published it. The original book didn’t have the second half which lists calorie info for average servings for most of the world’s foods. After my dad read the book and critiqued it, he asked me how he was supposed to get the calorie info for a basic breakfast of toast, butter, eggs and bacon so I decided to double the size of the book and include the calorie info.

Q: Why do you think The Pen and Paper Diet® worked for you and your wife when nothing else did?

We are like most Americans that didn’t have a “good” diet. We used to eat a lot of fast food and processed foods. We didn’t have the will power to change all the foods we ate as well as start exercising a lot. We needed to change our eating habits slowly over time and that’s why it has worked so well. Anyone can continue eating the types of food they enjoy or are required to eat and not increase their activity level and start to lose weight with The Pen and Paper Diet®. We still eat fast food and “junk” food, but a lot less than years ago.

Q: What are the results you and your wife achieved to this day with your diet?

My wife lost 65 lbs and chose to keep her weight at 205 because she was comfortable with how she looked. She stayed there for about 5 months and then started losing some more weight by lowering her calorie budget a little. She then got pregnant and will start The Pen and Paper Diet again after the birth to lose the 30 lbs she gained. I lost 15 lbs and kept it off for a while. I went through a depression and gained some weight, but am adjusting my calorie budget to return to 150lbs.

Q: Your plan requires a lot of writing and calculations. Isn’t there a risk of people not being able to calculate their calorie intake correctly?

Since most people eat processed food, calorie info is available on the packages and that is the primary way we got the info at first (reading the labels or using restaurants’ websites). Estimates of calories can work when they are close. My wife likes to be as accurate as possible so she doesn’t cheat herself out of any calories, while I use estimates and it works for both of us. Most of our diets are similar day to day so all you need to do is get a good estimate for your serving once and then use that number the rest of the time.

Q: Some people are worried that they won’t be able to calculate calories when they go out to eat. How do you overcome this issue?

I’ve published a book listing calorie info for the main restaurant chains in the U.S. which can be purchased at: Lulu.com We keep this book in the car and at the kitchen counter so we can pick items to stay in our budget.

Not only do we use the book listed above, but also my website, www.ThePenAndPaperDiet.com, since it has links to all the restaurants for the city of Tucson, AZ that have nutritional info available. I hope to have links to all restaurants in the country that have nutritional info available in the next couple of years.

Q: Where does exercise fit in The Pen and Paper Diet®?

The Pen and Paper Diet® helps people slowly change their habits over time. By first gaining control over how much one eats and drinks, a person can then eat more healthy foods and increase their activity level. It’s all about small steps and eventually finding an exercise that’s enjoyable.

Q: What are 3 tips you can give to someone who wants to start your diet today?

Realize it will only take about 3 minutes a day since calorie info is becoming more readily available. Realize it is not difficult since it uses simple math. Get ready for a life transformation (please see the following press release: http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/synergy-discovered-when-a-person-combines-pen-paper-calorie-budget-and-monthly-weight-measurements-90859.php).

Other interesting expert interviews include guests such as John Romaniello, Yuri Elkaim, and Adam Steer.

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