Welcome to the home of Notch by Notch, a disturbingly humorous look at dieting by science journalist Scott Anderson. Join him as he agonizes over every sacrifice he must make to just lose a few pounds. It may seem unkind to laugh at his misery, but hopefully it will pay off. It may even inspire a few of our readers to follow in his ever-lighter shoes...
Bon Voyage
One does not become fat on one mouthful.
—Chinese proverb
My first thought with that damn proverb is “ah, stuff it,” but somehow that doesn't seem to be in the right dietary spirit. Thanks a lot, Confucius, but I know how I got here. The question is how to get out.
Denial
Denial of one appetite sharpens the others.
—Mason Cooley, City Aphorisms
Denial is ten times more potent than all the logic I can muster against it. No one is immune. From beast to priest, we all succumb at one point or another to a heartfelt defiance of reason.