There is no perfect method to determine the "caloric maintenance" point, and yet it's useful to know. Shall we throw away any tools that doesn't meet the standard of absolute perfection, or should we take them for what they're worth? Used in conjunction, taken with a grain of salt and compared with observable results,…

Wow. This couldn't be more timely for me. Just this morning I was disabling start-up items to try to prevent that annoying minimizing thing on a crappy little HTPC I put together out of some parts I had lying around.

Maybe just buy a regular widescreen monitor and rotate it to portrait orientation? If you already have a monitor that doesn't rotate, a cheap Monoprice monitor mount will do the trick.

Maybe just buy a regular widescreen monitor and rotate it to portrait orientation? If you already have a monitor…

It's just a given.

Yeah, TV works for me too, depending on what I'm watching. Late night talk shows tend to work best. I find inconsequential banter very soothing.

The main things I usually do have all been listed, but there is one little trick I use sometimes that hasn't been mentioned:

No problem. Always glad when I have a little something to add to one of your articles. They are consistently and refreshingly rational and BS free.

Great article.

I lived in Osaka in 2003/2004 and often bought beer and cigarettes from vending machines. No card was needed then, but, if I recall correctly, those machines were turned off after a certain hour. I guess the idea was that as long as enough people were around to supervise, it was unlikely that any young people would be…

Although these tips may add up to the same thing, I don't think it hurts to make it explicit: don't let yourself get too hungry. The more hunger builds up, the more strain it is on your willpower and the more likely you are to screw up and the more likely it is that it will be a big screw up.

I definitely need to sit sometimes. Standing too long can affect my concentration. I also don't want to spend too much time adjusting the desk (also distracting). One of the motorized desks might be a good solution (Ikea's Bekant - as reviewed by Gizmodo - seems like a decent choice), but the solution I lean toward is…

I don't eat breakfast (in fact I only eat between 12 PM and 8 PM and once a week skip lunch too for a 24 hour fast), but I wouldn't dream of giving up many breakfast foods. I just don't eat them at breakfast time.

Exactly. Every item on my to do list feels like it has a mental weight or burden I want to stop carrying. It just makes sense to get rid of the heaviest one first.

I find the tasks that I don't want to do, that do not excite or inspire me (the frogs I have to eat, for those who get the reference) are the ones that often seem to give me the most energy. I get feelings of accomplishment and relief that can add to my motivation and willpower, sometimes for days.

Weight losses (or gains) tend to happen in stages with uneven distribution. This means that, if you're losing weight, the fat may primarily come off your belly first and then your legs (for example) and so on. This varies from person to person, but to reveal your abdominal muscles, you'll have to get to the stage…

Great idea. This is very helpful when trying to make sense of the fluctuations and put them in perspective.

This can cut both ways, as physical changes usually take place relatively slowly and it is easy to adapt to what you see, making it appear as if no change is happening. Have you ever looked at an old picture of yourself and been surprised by how you looked because the change had taken place slowly and you hadn't…

I see the advice to weigh weekly often, but given that weight can fluctuate by several pounds and most people will be shooting for only between 1-3 pounds a week, there is a decent chance that over several weeks you may appear not to be losing or even gaining if you're unlucky on your weigh-in days. Very demotivating.

So if I get bored waiting, I should try to amuse myself?

There's a difference between "not getting it" and "playing along". Perhaps that difference followed the trajectory you suggest in regard to your own head?