since I don't follow any particular diet plan I have made up some of my own special rules that I have to follow and I think it would interesting to see some others that you guys have ok here goes ...

- MUST have my 3 servings of dairy
- never add butter to anything because the food in my dinning hall probably is already loaded with it
- try to have 1 fruit per meal
- never feel guilty about too much veggies that pile on the cals
- allow myself to have one pastry a week with my latte and 1 slice of pizza (the really good gourmet kind w. pesto sauce, spinach, and mushrooms ) per week
- ice cream everyday is ok ... it's just when I eat half the carton when it's somethin to think about

other than that it's all about vegetarian lifestyle with tons of soy and veggies so what do you guys do?

oh yeah and NOTHING fried .. like ever hehe it gives me heartburn anyway haha

I like your idea of stating one fruit per meal... I say something vague to myself, like "I'll eat three pieces of fruit today." but working in one piece per meal would be a better way to keep track of it.

i try not to eat after 9pm - those late night snacks kill me!

My dietary rules:

~to get a bare minimum of 20 grams of fiber per day. (I usually average around 30-35!!!)

~to get in 100% RDA of calcium each day (I do this with soymilk, yogurt, energy bars...if I run a little short I take a supplement that day.)

~to eat a MINIMUM of 5 servings of fruits and/or veggies per day. (I have been averaging about 6-8 per day lately.)

~I limit my coffee intake to 1 cup per day.

~I drink a MINIMUM of 4 glasses of water a day...but I average 6-8.

~I limit my intake of simple carbs-and try to eat fruits/veggies/whole grains instead.


~Not a "diet" rule so much...but I also record my exercise in my journaling. I have proudly walked well over 100 miles so far this year, and have belly danced for almost 40 hours. I haven't even went into my recordings for strength training and yoga practice!

I find that when I aim for these health and nutrition goals in my diet-that I have "less" room in my daily calorie intake for "junk".

I try to drink 128 ounces of water a day. I'm also making sure that when I want a snack, I go for fruit or veggies instead of crackers or sweets.

This one is pretty silly but it's helpful to me. I'm on the pill and the first day of my placebo pills is a "free day". That's when I'm hormonal and bloated and generally feeling like crud. So I can eat whatever I want that day without worrying too much about the calories. It's just one day and last month that really helped me deal with that TOM!

Gray Eyed Girl, I like your idea... i may have to incorporate that into my plan

My rules:
1200/1300 calories
30 grams of fat or less
20 grams of fiber or more
Keep carbs at 50% or less of my food per day
exercise at least 4 days a week for 30 minutes
journal all food and exercise daily

That is all I can think of for now.