Hi everyone

I don't know about you guys, but I love reading quotes by people I admire and reading about how they led their lives. I love little "rules" because it helps me keep my standards high and value myself as how I am now and how I want to be.
Please feel free to share your own "rules to live by" and how that's working for you! I'm not advocating strict diet rules but rather general aspirations to live a better life. They're not meant to resonate with everyone but they've helped me structure myself a lot and I hope they can help someone else!

Here goes!

1. Be kind: to others and yourself.

Diet

2. Water and veggies are your friends
3. Herbal tea over caffeine
4. Sugar only pretends that its nice to you. Avoid it when you can and have as little interaction with it as possible. It's also great at camouflaging itself, beware!
5. Carbs look better when they're not wearing white
6. Smaller bites are classier and make less of a mess
7. Don't treat eating alone differently from eating with others.
8. Food is a great way to celebrate. Celebrate your body first, then the occasion.
9. Food is meant to be eaten sitting down. If you need a snack, sit down and enjoy it! It's not chic to eat on the go.
10. Food is not the enemy but rather an army that fights for your health. Pick your soldiers wisely!

Lifestyle

11. Smile
12. Posture changes everything about how you look
13. Only buy clothes that fit you and make you feel amazing
14. Comfort is key but don't let it compromise your style!
15. Perfume and mascara (in moderation) make a huge difference
16. Take care of your skin: sunscreen and moisturiser for face and body!
17. Fewer, better things
18. Count your blessings
19. Take your time
20. Live the healthiest life you can enjoy

I don't have a huge set of rules for myself, I do like your list and think most of them apply to me too Something I would add to your list though.

Treat yourself how you would treat others.

I know it's usually treat others how you'd like to be treated, which is admirable.. but for years I've been treating myself a lot worse. It's not uncommon for me to insult myself for things I would never insult others for.. things along those lines.

There are no rules.

I've seen so many things in my life (already) that I thought I would never see in my entire lifetime that I have come to the conclusion that God does, in fact - and contrary to popular belief - roll dice.

I hate rules... here are my only rules

Diet
IIFYM (If it fits your macros...) ****, even when it doesn't, I'll usually still eat it

Life
Work hard, play hard

IanG and Aidanqm thanks for sharing, I'm glad you did! I understand where you're coming from. Guidelines like these help me remember my goals and at the end of the day, if I managed to accomplish some of them, I'm really happy!

My top 5 rules
1. drink tons of water
2. More carbs in the morning, little in evening
3. Half my plate is veggies
4. Have go-to recipes
5. Meal Prep!!

Michael Pollan: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

so simple! But really makes you think about how we should be eating REAL food and not processed garbage...

A few things I like to live by:

1. Drink water all day, every day. Drink til your pee is crystal clear!
2. Eat slowly. Chew your food. Don't feel you have to finish the plate.
3. Exercise at least 3 times a week.
4. It's ok to have bad days, just get back on track asap.
5. Appreciate your body. It's a gift. Not everyone is born healthy and with all their limbs, so don't hate and abuse such a wonderful thing.
6. Take a moment to look in the mirror and say nice things about your body. Don't be so focused on numbers that you forget to look at your beautiful self.
7. Patience. Stay on plan, keep moving forward, don't give up and be patient.
8. "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live." Instead of dreaming of being thin and healthy, do something about it today.
9. It's unfortunately become an overused saying, but "you only live once". Have a cheat meal every so often, no more than once a week. Enjoy life, one bad day won't erase years of hard work. Just stay on track.
10. Make the effort to feel good, dress nicely, make an effort, don't feel that you can't be gorgeous just because you're overweight. Smile and be happy to be alive, that's the sexiest quality of all.

I have definitely have "rules", though maybe "slogans" or "philosophies" might be a better word? I don't tend to have absolutes A lot of people have posted some great ones!

Sunarie: The golden rule. I feel like people have forgotten it!
Riestrella: #5, appreciate the body you have. It takes a long time to learn that one... for me, anyway.


My own personal guidelines:

* Take the kinder approach first. Better to be a little naive than jaded.
* Try things out for yourself. Ask "why?"
* Breathe and relax more; Walk it off; Sleep on it. I can always have that treat in an hour, or go buy that item tomorrow. It doesn't have to be now.
* Make the time for myself and for others.
* Forgive myself for my mistakes.
*It's never to late to try something new, start something over!