A SIMPLE WEIGHT-LOSS PLAN THAT WORKED: “Almost two years later, Mills has dropped 232 pounds from her body and has trimmed her waist down to 26 inches (a size 6).”

UPDATE: Reader Holly Behre writes:

Hi! I visit Instapundit almost daily and enjoy it so much. I’m writing about the CNN weight-loss article about Anita Mills, http://instapundit.com/119107/:

The article doesn’t discuss the 4th tip, “Do not tell anyone what you’re doing.” But I think there’s something worth exploring there. The conventional wisdom is to tell everyone as a sign of commitment, and get support from friends and family, etc. I’ve gone that route and failed. But from May 2009 to May 2010, I lost 70 pounds (210 to 140, as a 5’2″ woman, now age 50), no gimmicks, no paid programs or special foods, just counting calories and walking daily. I’ve kept it off for almost a year.

I didn’t tell a soul what I was doing, and I think that was important to my success. I continued to eat family meals, I just ate less and made different choices (more veggies, less fat, sugar and starch). It wasn’t a “diet” — it was, as they say, a lifestyle change. Hardly anyone mentioned my weight loss until I was down 40 pounds, and then I just replied, “Yes, I’m watching what I eat and exercising more. Thanks for noticing.”

The reason I didn’t tell anyone? Because it made me, and only me, responsible for what I put in my mouth. I couldn’t blame my husband for cooking something tempting, or my kids for leaving too many leftovers. Also (and I can’t offer evidence of this) I do believe people that who love you are afraid to see you change. (For this I reference another link I got from Instapundit: http://instapundit.com/119130/ (read it, loved it, btw.)

She’s referencing Steven Pressfield’s new book. Free on Kindle — did I mention that?