1000 Posts / 100 Pounds Lost

BRaye325

My Top 10 Guidelines:
1) "Visualize the journey" - see above. It gives me ongoing perspective and really helps put me quickly back on track when I falter.
2) "Liar Liar" - be honest with myself. Many of my past attempts have failed because I cheated on myself. Log everything that goes in my mouth - everyday.
3) "Me" - this for me. Give myself permission to be selfish when it comes to my health and fitness. I am always the guy that does anything for everyone else. I deserve this.
4) "Old dog, new tricks" - never stop learning and sharing my knowledge. Use MFP's community daily to find help and make sure to give back at least as much as others give me.
5) "Keep it simple" - don't complicate the process by doing unnecessary tasks. They will drive me crazy and make me fail. Example, I've learned that I am very good at estimating portion sizes, so I just spot check with the scale and measuring cups. As long as I keep hitting goals, that's the big picture.
6) "Small steps with patience" - Pick a best place to start and then see where I am after a month. Make adjustments one at time and then give it 2-4 weeks. It's "my plan".
7) "Don't panic" - the scale is just an instrument, it's not the enemy, it doesn't have anything against me. If it's not showing what I expect, give it more time and then re-evaluate what I'm doing and adjust if needed. It took me many years to get where I am, it isn't going to change overnight.
8) "Commitment" - step on the scale every morning to remind myself of my commitment to make each day a positive step forward - log my weigh-in on MFP once a week to get the big picture.
9) "Roll with it" - I can't predict what challenges are ahead, just do the best I can when they arise. Pre-plan and log ahead of time whenever I know I will be in a difficult environment, like going to a restaurant, get-together, or during a holiday.
10) "LIVE" - I'm in control, do not deprive myself of the things I enjoy. Most things I want to eat can be managed with pre-planning and portion control. A few will just need to wait until I'm at my goal and on maintenance.