I’m telling you this story for two reasons. One, some of you may be making New Year’s resolutions to lose weight. And two, I just find it interesting and want to share.

A funny thing happened when I recently spent a week at The Pritikin Health & Longevity Spa in Miami, Florida. This part was expected: after one week, I returned home and threw away my blood pressure medication. I had heard that most people who go to Pritikin and are on meds for pre-diabetes and/or high blood pressure end up leaving OFF their medications.

I had begun taking a mild diuretic for my blood pressure a couple of years prior, after my doctor told me I was pre-hypertensive. The systolic--the top number in the reading--consistently read over 130. "You can try a low-salt diet," he said, "OR … you can take one of these pills each day." At the time, a low-salt diet seemed like too much work, so I opted for the alternative. Besides, I rarely even reached for the salt shaker. So what did salt have to do with it? (Apparently, a LOT. The hidden salts I was getting in things like processed foods, salad dressings, breads, and cereals was enough to send my blood pressure into the upper stratosphere.)

But here's the totally unexpected part: I lost FIVE pounds. The last time I lost five pounds in one week was the winter of 2004, when I was sidelined with such a vicious stomach flu I thought I'd never eat again. And lately, I'd failed miserably and repeatedly at shedding those unwanted pesky five-plus pounds that hung around my middle like stubborn mildew clings to a damp basement. I began to accept that they were here to stay.

How did weight come off? I was eating dessert after dinner each night (pumpkin pie, cheesecake, chocolate mousse!); I was eating in between meals (hearty veggie soup, baked potato skins, edamame and broccoli dip); I was never hungry and always satisfied. I still ate pasta, potatoes, rice.

The Pritikin diet emphasizes unrefined, minimally processed carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes such as beans and peas, and starchy vegetables like potatoes and yams. And if you're a carnivore, you might bristle at the thought of eating only 4 ounces of animal protein a day. (In case you don't know, four ounces = the size of a deck of cards. That's all.) It might take you a bit of adjustment.

But for me, a quasi-vegetarian who hasn't eaten meat in 30 years and loves fruit and vegetables and everything else associated with Pritikin's philosophy of healthy eating, it was the most painless--and accidental--way to drop weight. I don't believe in dieting. I believe in educating yourself and changing your patterns. And that could be why the program worked so well.

A little background …

The Pritikin Program, based on science and research, was the first diet-and-exercise program to demonstrate the link between diet and conquering disease more than 30 years ago. Its amazing results have been documented in over 110 peer-reviewed medical journals. It's healthy for your heart and your entire body--it reduces the risk factors of heart disease, controls type-2 diabetes, reduces key factors for breast, colon, and prostate cancer and promotes healthy, sustainable weight loss.

Some of the biggest--and easiest--changes I've made? I:

• Cut out the store-bought salad dressings. Instead, I drizzle my salads with wonderfully tangy balsamic vinegar, squeeze some fresh lemon over the top, and have learned to love the pepper mill. When I go out to eat, I always ask them to leave off the dressing and to bring those things to the table. Fact: dressed restaurant salads have at least 70% of calories from fat! 
• Keep the salt shaker off the table. I'd keep it out of my house if it weren't for the fact that other people I live with use it. When I go to a restaurant, I make sure to let the wait staff know I cannot have any salt and to please make sure the chef is aware of this.
• No longer think of fruit as "fattening." Instead start my day with a plate piled high with things like watermelon, cantaloupe, banana, and whatever is in season. And I snack on fruit throughout the day, too.
• Reach for things like carrot sticks, celery and cut-up raw broccoli when I'm hungry instead of snacking on salt-free pretzels or cheese. 
• Look at the calorie density of foods. I learned, thanks to brilliant Dr. Gayl Canfield, Director of Nutrition, that to lose weight, she says, fill your stomach with foods that have the fewest calories. Calorie density refers to the number of calories packed into a given weight of food; certain foods have more calories packed into them than others. For example, she says, fresh tomatoes have about 90 calories per pound; bagels, more than 1200 calories per pound. Foods like vegetables, fresh fruits, potatoes, brown rice, and hot cereals have fewer calories per pound than foods like chocolate, nuts, potato chips, and fat-free cookies. 
• Order side dishes as appetizers. I realize now, thanks to learning this in a class taught by Tracy Wilczek, registered dietitian extraordinaire, that when I eat out, I should go to the "side dishes" part of the menu, where it's easy to find a great variety of vegetables like steamed spinach, sautéed mushrooms, roasted cauliflower, etc., and order something there for my appetizer.
• Allow myself olive oil, but strictly limit its use (although it's one of the "healthier" oils, it still has lots of calories). All fats are an extremely concentrated source of calories; just three tablespoons of oil contains 380 calories.
• Don't think of exercise as giving me "permission" to eat more; instead I think of it as an additional weapon in my arsenal against weight gain and an overall life-enhancer. Scott Danberg, MS, director of exercise says, "Long-term exercisers know that regular exercise gives them amazing benefits they feel every day … including a greater sense of well-being, greater pep and energy, more alertness, a more relaxed outlook on life, and better sleep."
• Keep snacks handy at all times. I don't want hunger to sabotage my weight, so I eat a healthy snack before I go to a party or out to dinner so I'm not tempted to grab the wrong thing. I rarely leave home without a bag of carrot sticks or a piece of fruit.

And, if you are still hungry for more, your comment will automatically enter you and give you a chance to win the book,The Pritikin Edge, which gives you in-depth information on their philosophy, including a 2-week sample menu.

Winner will be chosen at random. Last day for entry is January 5, 2011 at noon, ET. Sorry, open to residents of the U.S. only.

Sheryl Kraft is Health & Wellness Editor at EndlessBeauty.com.