After doing some fairly comprehensive reasearch, I have decided to apply a new paradigm to my culinary life.  With calorie restriction becoming more mainstream and being endorsed by health watchdogs like Dr. Weil and Dr. Oz, I feel this could be the way to potentially gain months (or even years!) of additional time on this earth, something priceless beyond belief.

I am very strictly counting calories, but that's it.

I am not restricting any foods, or food groups, or fats, carbs, protein or even fast food or junk food, but the more I want to eat, the more careful I have to be about the caloric density of the foods I consume.  I find that when I eat calorie-dense foods, sometimes a little goes a long way, and sometimes I end up hungry.  I have learned already that hunger is not an emergency, and extreme fullness is actually a very uncomfortable feeling.

Hunger is best controlled by have six "mini meals" of about 200 calories each, carefully balancing each meal and snack, making sure there is protein, fat and carbs at every snack or meal.  Alternatively, I sometimes have bigger meals and smaller snacks.  I have discovered that fruits and vegetables go a long way when calories matter.  Fast food and junk food do not.

Here is an example of a daily menu:

Breakfast:    2 eggs & 2 pieces Canadian bacon - 230 calories
                    Coffee w/half & half & Truvia - 30
Snack:         3 prunes - 60
Lunch:         15-bean & ham soup - 280
Snack:         String cheese - 80
Dinner:        2 Buffalo chicken legs (no skin) - 156
                    Carrot and celery sticks - 60
                    Ranch dressing - 80
                    1 glass white wine - 80
Snack:         Homemade dark chocolate brownie - 189

Total Calories: 1245

No hunger, no deprivation, because I still eat what I want, just less of it.  I never let myself get too hungry, and I savor every bite.  When you know you have fewer bites during the day, you learn to truly enjoy every single one!

I have not successfully stuck with the 1200 calorie goal every single day, but I try every day, and I am very aware of where I am in my calorie count all day long.  I know when I go over I need to get some additional exercise that day or the next morning.

My calorie count may seem really low, but that's because I am very sedentary lately, with a full-time desk job and not much (if any) exercise each day.  On days when I do get exercise, I try to eat just a little more to compensate, maybe 100 or 200 calories.

Over the holiday, I was getting a lot more exercise, so I was able to eat (and drink) more without gaining, despite a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner and lots of red wine!

At Thanksgiving, I had a full plate at the main meal, but didn't have any bread at all.  Instead, I filled my plate with with a little bit of each of the following:
            
            one slice turkey breast, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy
            spicy sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole
            homemade cranberry sauce
            sliver of apple pie with a spoonful of vanilla ice cream
            sliver of pumpkin pie with a bit of Cool Whip
            glass of red wine

So much better than filling up on white bread!

Since we ate early (11AM), I had only coffee for breakfast and a very light dinner (some leftover turkey and a bit of pumpkin pie).  I also avoided snacking on anything but veggies and spinach dip during the day, and if I wasn't hungry, I didn't eat!