Oh my. I'm a notorious diet rule-breaker.

I don't limit caffeine.
I don't limit carbs or sugar -- if it fits in my calories for the day and I want it, I'm having it.
I don't limit sodium -- I pay no attention to it.
I drink as much diet soda as I want.
I eat whenever I want, including right before bed.
I have cheat days whenever I need to, and on those days I go over my calories. I just make sure they're not THAT often.
I don't count how many glasses of water I drink. I just drink water all day while I'm teaching and during and after workouts.
I probably don't eat as many fruits and vegetables as I should.

I lost 110 pounds this way. Bear in mind, much of this has changed now because I'm pregnant. No more caffeine or aspartame for a while, and I've definitely increased the fruits and vegetables as much as possible. The hardest part is increasing dairy, when I'm just not a fan of dairy anyway.

I love to eat while being distracted -- watching TV or playing/typing on my computer. And I never eat at my kitchen table lol.

I often shop for food when I'm hungry.

If I want seconds, I get seconds.

I weigh myself inconsistently and infrequently.

Oh I break lots of rules, and breaking those rules is what helped me to shed 165 lbs.

I don't eat before I go to a party. I'm sorry, I get to that party and yes, I do my best to focus on the people, but heck I want to eat too. So for me, eating prior just doesn't work. I look around and pick out the healthiest things. There's always some kind of salad or veggie thing happening.

I don't think it's okay to be a hungry sometimes. In fact I don't ever think it's okay to be hungry. For me, being hungry=disaster. So therefore, I just don't allow myself to get hungry. I eat frequently, even if it's just a few bites. So yup, I eat when I'm not even hungry.

I do eat breakfast, but not FIRST thing in the morning. Sometimes I eat 4 or 5 hours after waking up. I'm an early riser.

Everything in moderation DOES NOT WORK FOR ME. Just saying NO to some things is what works for me. Me and moderation - we are not friends :(.

I eat in the evenings, sometimes minutes before bed.

Variety is not something that I need. I am fine eating the same things over and over again, day after day.

I weigh myself everyday.

I like this!

I dont do moderation. I have quite a few things I avoid entirely.

I don't drink 64oz of water a day.

I dont normally pick fat free over full fat.

I live on diet pepsi, and I always will.

I eat sodium, who cares? I never pay attention as most of my foods are fresh. I never add salt, just because I don't NEED to.

I love carbs and do not limit them (but I do try to pick whole grains and healthier options)

I don't have an eating cut off time.

I break every rule, I guess, but I'm still losing!

the funny part is some of the "rules" that some people say they break are the opposite of the rules I say I break! There are no rules!

I don't have an evening cutoff time either. Dinner is around 5:30-6:00 pm and I go to bed around 1 am. But I don't eat big meals anyway. I do tend to eat smaller but more frequently.

I don't drink a humongous amount of water--I would say the equivalent of 3 20-oz bottles, and most of that is flavored (lo-cal drink mix, iced tea).

I don't worry about sodium. Very low bp.

I don't have a pre-determined exercise regimen. I'm more freestyle. :p

I don't do rewards for weight loss. If I want something, I get it.

What rules? We don't need no stinkin' rules....:s:

I've found what seems to work for me...and attempt to stick to it.

Whoever invented splenda should be given a Nobel. :cb:

Geez! Another page got started as I was reading all of this!

What a great thread!

I've been following some of you "big losers" (said with the greatest of admiration and respect). I've read your comments to others about what to eat and what to avoid. You've always been honest with your own short fallings.

This thread has been the mental spanking that I've needed. I've been stalled for over a month now. Granted, I missed 2 weeks of exercise because of knee pain and an intense foot pain. I've just started again. I missed it. Now for my "no nos".

I don't bother with watching sodium. I don't have a high BP. I enjoy my Lean Cuisine's for lunch at work.

I'm rethinking why I cut out diet soda. I was trying to avoid aspartame. I don't think that the small amount in a diet cola is going to do any worse to my body than what I did with bad eating habits. I switched to Splenda and enjoy it but it is too sweet for colas. I quit drinking Diet Rite because it was too sweet and it made me crave salty stuff.

I do drink tons of plain water. I've always liked water. I take it everywhere with me. I'm not going to stop that.

I do like to have a chocolate chip cookie every now and then. If I want it after dinner, I'll have it. Just not every night.

I do have pizza once a month. I love Amici's veggie pizza and 2 pieces of that make me happy.

I've tried to cut red meat down and have succeeded. I finally got boobalah to realize that arguing with me and getting angry with me was not going to help our relationship. He can have steak every night of the week if he wants it. I'll just fix something else for myself. We've finally agreed on once a week for steak.

I don't have to have 2 cups of salad before every meal. I've found that I get sick of salad every night.

I don't get enough fiber everyday. I have to work on that. I just have to figure out how to do it other than packing yet another big salad for my lunch and making myself resent salads.

This thread has given me even more encouragement. Not one of you "big losers" is perfect. How refreshing! Thank you!

For me, this thread highlights that the only "rule" for weight loss is that you have to eat less than you burn. And that the plan that accomplishes that goal is different for every person.

I DO need rules. I do need a set of food "laws" to abide by. When I left things up in the air, gave myself no boundaries, well that didn't work out so well.

But I think the only rules that really and truly count, are the ones that we set up for OURselves. Meaning, no one can tell us what's right or what's wrong for us. We must each figure out for ourselves what works - and most defintely what DOESN'T work for of us.

Caffeine and diet soda: I feel like the fact that I gave up regular soda is a big enough step for me right now. I can't imagine living without the caffeine and fake sugar beverages. I would be failing big-time if I had NOTHING to satisfy my sweet tooth, not even fake sweeteners...

small portions: same as some others have mentioned. I like to fill my plate up, and then eat it all. Fortunately, there are ways to do this that don't involve a gazillion calories, like, say, I like steamed veggies and raw veggies without fattening dressings on them. I try to eat leaner meats instead of cutting portions hugely.

Cut off time: I don't let myself order pizza at 3AM anymore, but if I'm up late I'm not going to starve myself either. I will eat snacks late at night, I just try to make better choices as to what they are.

YES. I have never used cream or milk in coffee or tea, but I would just die without splenda in my hot drinks. I also drink my share of diet dr pepper. A lot of the time I drink flavored water instead of regular water.

variety: Not too much of it in my life.

sodium: Though I don't have blood pressure issues, I am on prednisone still, which means I should watch my sodium a lot more closely. If I eat, say, a can of chicken soup I bloat up like a pufferfish but sometimes I just can't help eating salty foods.

food types/amounts by the food pyramid and similar guidelines: the food pyramid baffles me. I don't think I could eat that many grains in 3 days, much less one, for example. I eat a lot of fruits and veggies, but not THAT many.

dairy: I'm not allergic to it anymore but I just don't like it and don't really want it, so I take calcium and D supplements instead of drinking milk.

~I jump on the scale every morning (it's my motivation to stay at this weight!)

~I don't have a cut off time for eating

~I don't do FF or SF anything!

~I eat cookies! Often. Yes, I make them myself, I try to make them healthier, and I make them small, but I'm not giving up my cookies! Or chocolate for that matter...

~I drink wine most days

~I don't do strenuous exercise. I'm down with walking, but that's about it.

~I eat lots and lots of carbs! They are almost always the unrefined variety, but I eat a lot of them. I also consume a lot of fruit (veggies too, but lots of fruit.)

I do watch my sodium intake, but I'm one of those individuals who should (hbp runs in the family and I'm already borderline.) I also drink lots of water, but not for weight reasons. It makes my skin feel better.

I don't drink lots of water. I just can't get into it...

I don't have a cut off time for eating. If I'm hungry before bed, I'll eat.

I occasionally use sugar in my coffee, rather than the Splenda packets I usually use.

I don't watch my sodium intake either.

I haven't given up my diet soda. I pretty much gave up regular pop, I'm not giving up the diet stuff.

I occasionally eat fattening fast food. I'm with Elisa...life wouldn't be worth living otherwise. I haven't forbidden any food from my life, if I want something bad enough, I'll have it, and move on.

Robin -- That's what I meant to say. There are no (or few) universal rules for weight loss. Except that one must eat less than one burns... we each need to find our own lifestyle path to the goal of maintaining a weight loss... Your rules are not my rules and that's okay for both of us.

Maybe that makes more sense!

Oh no Heather, you made perfect sense to me, as always. My response was in general to the whole thread, not specifically a comeback to your last post, even though mine came right after yours. I knew exactly what you were getting at, and I was in total agreement with you. I of course felt the need to beat it to death ;).

Ahhhh! Got it!! :lol:

I guess I should say I don't need OTHER PEOPLE's rules....although I have stolen ideas from almost everyone here at one time or another. ;)

I'm a diabetic so I use aspartame sweetner, don't drink the water I should. I'm the same about my diet soda as Meg lol I don't have a cut off time either, i hate going to bed hungry!

Viola, :congrat:on your weight loss of 153 pounds. I didn't see that at first. Wooohooo!!

Mine are similar to many others already given... probably my biggest is eating before bed. Any time I tried to not eat after 7pm (or maybe it was 8pm), I would end up absolutely ravenous. It just doesn't work for me.

I'm also not a sodium watcher... I don't go hog wild, but I do salt a few things

Viola - just noticed your loss too... WAY TO GO!!!! That is quite an accomplishment! Keep up the excellent work!!!

This thread is SO cool! I love reading ya'll posts, especially from our 'biggest' losers.

The only rule that I can think of right now that I break is a cutoff time. I don't play that. If I'm hungry, I eat. My only problem is making myself STOP eating!

Hmm.. come to think of it, I almost have no rules....

Well, I guess I never order appetizers when eating outside.

Shari, then there may be a rule for you that you should implement. If you have trouble stopping eating when you start, maybe you need to either count calories, that will help you to limit your portions and make you STOP or just put a predetermined amount of food on your plate and LEAVE IT AT THAT. Set up a rule for yourself of no seconds, no going back to the pantry when your calorie allotment is over or when you're not truly hungry - no matter what. Rules ARE important, but just ones that we customize and tweak from time to time for ourselves.

Robin ~ My main problem is eating at work. I work in food service and it's hard not eating some of the stuff they prepare! I don't even be hungry 99.9% of the time!

I would love to see this post "stickied". I totally agree. My "rules" are different than others. I had been having problem for years trying to stick to other people rules only to regain what I lost or not loose at all. I finally came to the conclushion this month, that all the weight loss books out there is not going to get me to lose weight. What will work for me is my own formula. I used to know this when I was younger (before reading all the books on weight loss). So after 8 years of following other peoples "plan", I am going back to mine.

So, I do try to be careful what I eat after 4 or 5 p.m., but if my body really wants something, I will eat it.

I do eat chocolate 2-3 times a week in small amounts.

I don't drink alot of water, but I do drink alot of decaf green tea. Decaf, because my kids drink after me all the time.

I do love diet coke, but I did just go from drinking 6-8 cans a day down to 1-2cans a day.

If I go out to eat, I will usually get want I want. I just try to maybe cut calories for the next couple of days.

I don't count calories on paper. Just in my head.

I eat a little speghetti with a lot of frozen peppers and onions and mushrooms every morning.

I have lost almost 10 pounds in three weeks following my rules. And this is without exercising. I am just starting to go for walks with my kids, so I will be adding the exercising in.

I also can't do variety. I do better, if I eat the things that I like over and over again.

I weigh every day. I started gaining when I wasn't a scale watcher. I need it for motivation and it keeps me in check. If I know that I have been good, and it shows a weight gain, then I don't really pay attention to it. If I know I have been bad, and I show a weight gain, then I know I need to do something about it.

I will go below my calories if I don't feel like eating. I will go below calories if I have been at a standstill and I need to shake things up.

As long as I am loosing, I will continue with my rules. When I stop loosing, I will make new rules.

You guys are really an inspiration. I am so happy to have read most of your "stories". I wished I had read this post years ago, when I couldn't fiqure out what was wrong with me, and when I just kept thinking to myself; "I know what to do, but all these books are scrambled in my head.

So sorry this was so long. Have a great day everyone.

I eat a heaping ton of veggies, but very little fruit on average. Then I'll go through weeks where I get a taste for a particular in season fruit and eat it twice a day. Then no fruit for another month. Veggies are constant, though.

When I go out to eat, if a healthy option sounds good to me, I order it. If it just sounds "healthy", but not like what I want, I exercise portion control on whatever it is I DO want. Lots of times, healthy things DO sound good to me (my standard order at a steakhouse, if I can get it, is the smallest piece of filet mignon they have, a baked sweet potato, and broccoli...it ALWAYS sounds so good!), but I'm not going to order the grilled chicken/steamed vegetable combo if it isn't what I really WANT.

I only maintain a good variety in my dinner menus (which I then reheat for lunch the next day as leftovers). Breakfast and snacks go in streaks (I'll go a month eating omelettes, then a month eating yogurt and cereal, another month with light french toast, etc).

Oh I could see where this would be difficult, VERY difficult. But at some point you're going to HAVE to make the decision to do without it. Hang real, REAL tough for a few days and it WILL get easier.. Don't give into it. SET UP SOME RULES FOR YOURSELF. Right it down in a journal. When you go a week without eating it, give yourself a small reward, a new bottle of nail polish, a new lipstick, a scarf - whatever. Sure it tastes good, but that's where the good ends. It's doing you no good at all and eventually, sooner then you think in fact, you won't miss it at all. Drink some water, have some tea, chew gum. You CAN get passed this obstacle. :hug:

What I don't do:
*drink a lot of water. Usually 2-3 glasses a day. I can't leave the classroom to go to the lavatory every hour!
*watch my carbs. They average 60% of my daily total with 15% fat and 25 % protein. Carbs keep me sane. They are what I crave.
*avoid diet drinks. I eat at Subway every day for lunch and have 2 diet coke refills. (Hint: a squirt of lemon juice cuts the 'too sweet' flavor!)
*exercise near enough now that cold is here (I'm in Indiana-brrr)
I do:
*eat a lot of snacks. Fiber bars, apples, ff yogurt, chicken breast, cheese
*eat too many of some snacks like ff pudding and frozen fudge bars. Even 35 calories too many times adds on pounds.
*drink plenty of ff milk. Diets that take away my milk don't work for me.
*allow myself my yummy hot chocolate every evening (just finished!). I just make it different now with ff milk, cocoa and Equal or Splenda.
This is a good thread. I liked reading everyone else's lists and writing myown helps me think about things.......

i hate water. love coffee.
don't watch sodium intake - since i am eating smaller portions of healthier food, i feel i deserve the yummy addition of salt.
not exercising much... except chasing after my very active crawling 8 month old and pushing a stroller around Brooklyn.
also eat before bed b/c i am so hungry and don't want to wake in the middle of the night for a sleepy binge!

what a great poll!

This is a great thread so many stories I'm looking forward to reading later today. I have to get ready for work now, but I also
drink wine almost every day
eat full fat everything
eat chocolate 4-5 times a week
eat dessert
do not journal my food
do not count my "actual" calories I know if I'm being bad or good
eat fast food or concession stand food weekly
eat what I want at a restauran
I live in WI so most of the year I eat more canned fruits than fresh
I eat more canned veggies than fresh or frozen heh they're faster
I weigh myself daily if I'm feeling vulnerable maybe 4 times a day
I drink a lot of coffee / sugared creamer when I feel like, but not always. It's the caffeine I need
I do walk a lot
I am aware at all times of what I'm eating and how much
I do drink at least 2 quarts of water a day
I have learned this is for my health not the size of my pants
I do keep in touch with other "losers" here at 3FC
To that I will add, thanks for the encouragement along the way. It's made the real difference!

I love this thread!

I too don't do too much variety. I make a vat of soup on Sunday and life off that and fruit and salads pretty much the entire week.

I drink too much tea.

I am of the mind that a little hunger is a good thing. And am not in pursuit of healthy meals the fill me up totally. I am not in pursuit of "fullness" so tend to dip below 1100 calories on most days.

Oh yeah...I never watch sodium intake.

AND I would guzzle diet Coke by the 2litre bottles if my kids didn't ask for soda when they saw it. I swear..it's like contraband in our house. We keep the soda hidden in paperbags behind the dry produce in the pantry.

This thread has been so nice to read. I've failed so many times to lose weight by trying to stick to a million rules right off the bat. This time, I've set myself three rules to go by at first. So far, I've lost 9 lbs in 1.5 weeks. I never thought just counting calories, watching portion sizes, and not sneak eating would work this well.

Later on, I'll work on moving more and see what other things I can incorporate along with what I'm doing already. I know some rules won't work for me and I'll just toss 'em. And that's okay. It's not going to be all or nothing this time.

To add to this thread, I'm probably breaking a lot of the rules. But I think I'm on the right track this time.

MrsEnigma

MrsEnigma, That's wonderful. Keep up the good work!

I have to admit I've been a little nervous that a new person might misinterpret this thread and think that we all eat nothing but chocolate, dessert, salt and fast food. :) I'm glad that it hasn't come across that way. Thank goodness we call all find the rules that work for each of us. And your 3 rules are some of the ones that I HAVE used! You are right that they definitely work!

That's funny Tammy. I kinda know what you mean.

Amanda really started a great thread here, I must say. I think (hope) that it's comes across as we each must find what works for ourselves.

I also want to point out that things that once "worked" for me, doesn't always STAY working for me. I do have to adjust my rules from time to time as I see they are no longer doing the trick for me, or are just no longer necessary. They do need to be tweaked from time to time.

For instance, when I first started out, I most certainly DID need a cut-off time for eating, it was the only way to get my nighttime munchies under control. A few months into my journey, when I did get that all important control, I found myself wanting some night time snacks again and changed up the breakdown of my calorie allotment to fit some in there.

Yes, those reading the thread, keep in mind that all of us are following SOME rules...but most of us DIDN'T worry about following ALL of the rules.

The bottom line: You can ABSOLUTELY be a successful loser, without doing all of the things people tell you that you "should" do to lose weight...in fact, if you tried to follow the "shoulds", you'd probably end up confused anyway, since they all contradict eachother! Don't drive yourself crazy with the "shoulds", figure out what works for you, and keep on it.

I ONLY started losing weight when I turned my back on everyone else's rules. The ONLY WAY I could lose was to do just exactly what fit me. I had to accept that my body was unlike anyone else's body, and only I really knew what would help it to work better. Ironically, I came to this realization because of a post on here--I think it was Meg--that talked about the idea that we as obese adults are different from the "mildly overweight" population. I read that post and all of the sudden everything I'd been fighting made sense. Everything I'd been resisting seemed reasonable. Everything that confused me about my body suddenly made sense. When I accepted that no one's rules but my own would fit me, my body started changing.

I think the one thing that all the "losers" agree on, it's finding what works for you.

To add to my earlier post, I know it's easier for me to have no chocolate than some or no cookies than one so most of the time, when I'm at work, I'm known as the person who always says no. Maybe if I could have just one, I would...but that is inevitably harder.

I do occasionally drop my calories too low. If I'm going out for a big dinner or recovering from one, I tend to drop my calories a lot. Some people say it's wrong but it works for me.

It can really bother me sometimes when I see people worrying "forcing themselves" to eat if they're sick or not very hungry for a day or two. And no, I don't mean starving, I mean eating less because you're under the weather. If you're not hungry once in a while, why eat?

What's the secret to successful long term weight loss? It's finding out your own "dirty little secrets"

Keep 'em coming....

:D

Excellent thread!

- I use my WW Flex Points! I use at least 1 per day. I feel guilty about this at least once per day.

- I eat at whatever time of day (or night) I'm hungry.

- I (nearly) fast before my weekly weigh-in.... I'm not psychologically ready for a gain week yet... but I'm trying to get ready for it because I know it will eventually happen.

- I weigh myself at home on days that I'm not supposed to. In the past, the fluctuations have driven me mad. But this time around I'm handling it much better!

Whew. I am so rebellious.

The weightloss rules I don't follow are:

1) Eating after a certain time, I have a healthy snack late at night to keep my metabolism ticking over night.
2) I don't ban carbs but I don't eat bread.
3) I don't always eat breakfast, I eat when my body tells me I am hungry which is usually about 10am rather than 7 am.
4) I drinks lotsa coffee.

Other than that...I am a diet angel :D


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