[nicolen]

I'm doing a little bit of re-evaluating my progress and basically looking at restarting. I've been on a bit of a plateau for around 6 weeks and if I'm honest - and if I'm not honest with myself, who can I be honest with? - my eating has slipped a lot in the last few weeks. Time to get back on track.

So I did a bit of thinking and came up with a few "rules" for myself and thought I'd share them. Mainly to keep myself accountable, but also to see if anyone else does the same sort of thing that I do. And because I'm nosy, to see if anyone else has any different ideas that I could maybe steal.

So here are mine:

I will eat a healthy breakfast every morning.
I will keep at least 2 water bottles in the fridge at any time so I've always got water on hand.
I will always make enough at dinner so that I have leftovers for lunch the next day.
I wil use Healthy Food Guide and other sources and do my best to eat seasonally.
I will do my best to eat fruit and veggies and not throw them out or compost them.
I will snack healthily – fruit, veggies and dips etc, yoghurt, rather than muesli bars, chocolate, cheese etc.
I will have the occasional treat.
I will be realistic – my lifestyle does mean I eat out a lot. Being realistic means that I can control the food that comes into my house and making the healthiest choices I can when I'm out.
I will only buy lunch once a week at most, and will only buy sushi.
I will cook 6 nights a week.
I will try a new healthy recipe at least one night a week.
I will allow myself a healthy takeaway on a Friday night.
I will keep pushing myself at the gym and will go to the gym at least 4 times and preferably 5 times a week.
I will track everything that goes into my mouth.
I will have fun, dammit!

So what about the rest of you? What rules do you try and live by in terms of your weight loss/exercise?

[dgramie]

Sounds like an awesome plan

[bcort]

I always have problems with letting my produce go to waste. Some weeks my kids gobble the bananas, & other weeks they sit on the counter until they're mushy. I have a lot of frozen bananas in the freezer!

[gggirls]

What a great list! Many of them are the same rules I set for myself. I'm getting back in to trying one new recipe a week - this week it's crockpot cabbage rolls.

[Alana in Canada]

Key is planning, for me. If I don't plan what I eat, I grab whatever is "handy."

As well, I'm noticing two more things key to my success:
1) the water: good for you!

and

2) Eat BEFORE I'm really, really hungry. I've been having trouble with that lately: but I just hate sitting down to eat and then boom, 5 minutes later it's just gone. That happened tonight, again, because I was late getting supper started. (I'm just soooo distracted these days!) I like to enjoy my food--not wolf it down!

[findingfawn]

I don't have many rules, because the more rules I make the more I want to rebel against them (stupid since they are my rules and not someone elses). I don't plan meals, because though I can be the best planner in the world I do not follow through with crap... even our homeschooling, I can spend hours and hours making my plans for the week and by Tuesday I have thrown them out the window... sooooo my rules are:

1. Stay within my calorie limit for each meal/snack.
2. Drink 64 ounces of water minimum.
3. Get 30 minutes of exercise a day at a minimum.
4. Weigh every morning, record Monday's weights.
5. Instantly forgive myself for any hiccups and move on with my goal in mind.

[Beverlyjoy]

Nicolen - that is a terrific list.

My list includes:

writing down my food (planned or unplanned)
no eating standing up
fork down between bites
lots of water
mediation or guided imagery
4-7 serving of fruit and veggies
feel the food in my tummy
forgive myself when I eat to much and then try to carry on
don't eat after 8:30 pm (I've got reflux)
check online menus when available at a restaurant
stretches and strengthening often

I may think of more.

Good post Nicolen.

[thistoo]

A big rule for me is shopping/doing my cooking for the week on Sunday. If I don't cook all my meals for the week so that I can have them ready to go, I will eat the weirdest things for dinner just because I don't feel like cooking when I get home from work. (I don't really have time, either, since I meet my workout partner not long after I get home.)

No sugar is another rule I have been ignoring but need to start enforcing again. Like yourself, I've been stuck at the same weight for awhile now (the whole summer, more or less) because I've been pretty lax on my food rules. Time to get back in gear and move forward.

[CJZee]

I post mini-goals every day on this thread: 3FC accountability. I find this helps me a lot.

Things I do-no exceptions:
No sugar except naturally occurring in fruits or dairy products.
Eat 4-5 times per day.
Track everything in CalorieKing software.
Drink a lot of water (easy for me).
Eat only foods my grandmother would recognize (no diet bars etc).
Exercise 5x per week (or more).
Take supplements.
Weigh every day.

I also have lots of things I try to do, like stay under my calorie goal, cook more, and pre-planning each day's food. I mostly do these things, but don't go crazy if one day I miss them.

[Trazey34]

Mine are kind of general, I'm another weirdo that will rebel even tho it was my idea geesh go figure!

1) eat breakfast - usually cottage cheese, fruit & granola bar
2) take lunch to work - basically a "don't eat mcdonald's"
3) make extra at supper to freeze or have for lunches
4) eat lots of veg & fruits
5) kitchen it closed after dinner
6) don't wait for 'inspiration' to get up and walk, just frikking go already LOL
7) do Walk Away the Pounds & resistance band videos during the week -- weird, but the more i do the less my back & joints hurt, so keep it up girlie
8) record everything i ate
9) have fun every single day

[starfishkitty]

1. Eat every meal
2. At least 3 servings fruit, 3 servings vegetables
3. Write everything down except on my 1 cheater day
4. At least two days a week at the gym
5. Don't wait to eat til I'm starving - I'll get sick and/or wolf down stuff I just don't need!!
6. No drinking except special occasions and vacation (oh god, y'all are gonna see me back on here in Feb REALLY sick of the probable 10lbs I'll gain from drinking with the BF)
7. Take supplements every day, no matter what!! That would include multivitamin, Vit D (I'm easily deficient), calcium, and probiotics.
8. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!
9. If I MUST have something I see, only a few bites and it's added to my daily calories consumed!
10. After a cheater day or day off (out with the girls or something, i.e. bar and Whitecastle).... I have to get RIGHT back on the saddle!!