One of the things I really like about CAD is it seems to be a very natural way of eating. It is kind of mind-boggling for a longtime dieter to hit the first couple of RMs and think, I can have anything I want? Really? How on earth do I choose between Mexican or CHinese or pizza or popcorn or... you get the idea. But isn't that a decision that "normal" (ie not dieting") people make, every single meal, every single day? Limited only by food availablity, of course. Isn't having the world's menu available to you and then deciding what you will eat, eating until you're satisfied but not stuffed, the way Nature intended us to eat? But somehow that got perverted into lists of acceptable and forbidden foods and portions. And I do believe that if eating from a list was easy, then the statistics about losing weight and/or regaining it once it's lost wouldn't be so grim.

Obviously there are people who eat from a list and seem quite happy about it-- there are many long-term Atkins dieters, for instance-- but even they "indulge" (or cheat) and discard the list every once in a while. For me, I like knowing I can have pizza or enchiladas or whatever just like a normal person and still control my weight. And feel great, too. Nothing feels better than being hungry, eating a satisfying meal, and then not thinking about food again for a while! Having "permission" to eat whatever I want once a day is very liberating- and feels natural, too.