I got lazy and put back about 10 of the 40 pounds I'd lost. I went on another round of DietBets, the only way I can lose weight.

I started with three 30 day bets and 1 six-month bet. In the first month, I hit all four goals, made some money, it was cool.

I'm in the fourth month of the 6-month "Transformer" bet.  I hit a wall recently - got down to 180 pounds but could not get below 180. It'll be a  big deal to me when I do that because I haven't been below 180 in a long time, probably 20 years.

So I've hit a plateau. I read somewhere that a good way to break through a wall is to shake up your diet. I have a tendency to find something that works and just keep doing it over and over. Apparently, that works for only so long, and you need to shake things up.

Notes:

1. I found I was retaining water. I cut way down on sodium. Some processed foods were sneaking back into my diet, so I got really strict. I still have a Chobani yogurt every morning. Is mayonnaise considered processed? I don't care. I like mayo and it's become a key ingredient in my diet.

2. So I read up on how to get rid of water bloat. Most advice is the same advice you get for everything: cut our carbs except for leafy greens and fresh fruit, eat proteins, get exercise, drink lots of water -- blah, blah, blah, the same advice you get for everything (because it works).

3. Part of the advice is to get lots of sleep, 7-9 hours a night. Yeah, that's standard life advice, but I didn't realize it's important to lose water bloat. I think lots of sleep is important for me because I'm not making late-night fridge raids (which has become a problem lately).

4. They say to take magnesium. So I did.

5. After a workout at the gym go in the sauna. I've found saunas are great for losing weight. I sent a lot of time in the sauna the first time I won a diet bet. I never knew whether the sauna helped or why, but now I know.

Unfortunately, I can't go to the sauna because right now we're in month three of the coronavirus lockdown. I should probably say something about that.

I've managed to keep losing weight during the lock down. I attribute this to a few things: one, I'm in a diet bet. Two, I decided to go 100% alcohol free, both for the diet and because I know a lot of my friends started drinking too much when the lock down started. Best not to get into bad habits.

My gym is closed and I'm not biking to work. I need to get exercise. I hate running. So I'm going on long bike rides, and half way through I find a place in the park where I can do calisthenics and some stretching. I even do some weight lifting, by lifting my bike, but that's probably not advisable.

But basically I'm breaking through the plateau by redoubling my effort to adhere strictly to the diet, changing up some aspects, and concentrating on losing retained water. And truth be told, I cut way back on calories. Not sustainable or very healthy in the long run, but I figure I can do it for a few weeks and it won't kill me.

My daily calorie budget is around 1500. I've been coming in a few hundred under every day once exercise calories are deducted. Yeah, I'm hungry, but it works.

Two articles of weight-loss faith are two eat five small meals a day and to not snack between meals. Here's my modification: Start the day with a hard-boiled egg with a little Dijon and mayo, and one high-fat (5%) Greek plain yogurt (Fage is the bomb). I'll add some frozen cherries or blueberries (they are low sugar low calorie) and a little Splenda or light agave from Trader Joe's.

Then I go as long as I can stand it before eating again. Then, I eat as little as possible just to not be hungry. I've been having just a little chicken or turkey or tuna salad. Dijon and mayo have become staple condiments. I know a lot of people hate mayo (and are obnoxiously self-righteous about it). To you I say: too bad for you. Mayo has almost all fat (Keto) and helps with the food craving.

Then I'll go as long as I can until eating again, and then I'll eat very little - just enough so I'm not going crazy. I've been having chopped avocado and red grapefruit tossed in lime juice with a little fat a cheese and pepper.

A handful of peanuts is a good one, but you have to watch those because calories and salt.

Steamed broccoli or spinach with real butter, always a staple. I'll go back and organize this shitty draft post later but I need to go for a bike ride.