The Plan

You're armed with all the ammo you require to battle off 20 pounds in 90 days; determination and your magic number (daily calories). The only other thing you need is a pair of running shoes. That's it. Let the games begin.
Hmm...what is that you're thinking? You're mumbling something under your breath and you look a bit discombobulated. You seem hesitant, skeptical even. Oh, I get it. You're waiting for "THE PLAN", aren't you? You're thinking, "There's gotta be a meal plan in here somewhere, right? There has to be an A Plan, Eating In Restaurants Plan, a Holiday Cocktail Party Plan? Where's the #*@! plan?" You're looking for something along the lines of...

Breakfast: 4 ounces extra pulp orange juice, 1 cup Postum, 1 medium sized egg, scrambled in 2 shots of Pam

Lunch: 2 slices diet rye bread, smeared with 1/32 ounce Shedd's Spread, 1/8 cup Cherry D-Zerta gelatin, blah, blah, blah.

Here's the good news: There is no plan. There are no seaweed capsules, lotions or tasteless TV dinners named after some Jenny lady. You can't believe it, can you? No Richard Simmons veggie stew, no gigantic balls to waddle over, no gag-reflex-inducing shakes, no Alba 66's, not even Ayds candies (remember those Kraft Fudgie wannabes that you'd choke back with a hot beverage to "curb" your appetite?). There's absolutely no grapefruit, unless you want it, and you can certainly have it. In fact, if you want to eat only grapefruit one day (although I couldn't fathom why), you can devour it in all its ruby red glory until you finish peeling numero sixteen. That's about how many of those citrus suckers you get for 1500 calories. Be my guest, pucker up.

The only "Plan" that works in losing 20 pounds in 90 days is the one in which you take in 500 less calories per day than you are currently taking in and exercising off 300-350 calories to make up the difference.

And, oh what a difference it will make. You can eat exactly the same foods you are eating now. Don't run out and buy barbecue pork rinds and caramel Styrofoam, I mean rice cakes. You can eat that Taco Bell chilito, or that savory Hungarian goulash, or even that last handful of Scream'in Yellow Zonkers, but, you have to count 'em. Every bite, every lick, every "stolen" McDonald's fry, every "just one sip" . When you get to your magic number (remember mine is 1500) you're done. Even if you hit your magic number at 2:00 p.m. You're done.