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 loose 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.

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.