[Cron]

Those stories are rare. Most people who starve the weight off of them with very low calorie diets usually gain it and more back. Good for them.

OTOH, people who lose only about 1 lb a week ( or 2 for large people ) tend to keep it off longer and tend to keep more of their muscle mass as they lose weight. In other words they have better metabolisms, stronger bodies, less flabby bodies, and are shaplier when they arrive at their target weight.

Your acquaintances are uncommon people.

I googled around on "the hackers diet" to find a linux substitute for the spread sheets.

I was amazed at how many hardcore geeks have used this book.

I think armed with this knowledge being a computer buff might actually help with weight control as that kind of work can keep you distracted for long stretches of time. A lot of people are fat because they eat when they are bored, not because they are hungry.