What 'food rules' or 'life rules' do you live by to maintain your weight?

LifeNewandImproved

It seems to me that everyone has sort of a food philosophy when it comes to the way they approach their lives and I was curious what personal standbys some of you may have to continue having success in weight maintenance. Some examples I've heard in the past are:

1) I count my calories every day, my limit is XXXX per day/wk
2) I make sure to walk 60 minutes every day, rain or shine!
3) I try on a tight pair of jeans every week - if it's too tight, I begin dieting
4) I weigh myself every day/wk/month and once I hit a scream weight I start dieting
5) I only eat sweets when I'm out of the house: never free, never alone, never at home

What are your keys to success? I am about 10-20 lbs from my goal weight after having lost 85 lbs but I did it in a way that I didn't really enjoy or find particularly sustainable (eating too little and didn't really like the workouts). As such I'm searching for a new sustainable way of life. and I'm particularly interested in those maintaining a healthy BMI since apparently so far for me that has been incredibly hard to do

rsclause

1) weigh daily
2) exercise regularly
3) avoid foods in a package or box
4) avoid starchy carbs - pasta, potatoes, bread

robingmurphy

I try to stick to these 90% of the time:
- Weigh myself daily
- Log my food daily
- Aim for <2000 calories (Current TDEE is 2150 and I'd like to slooowly lose a little)
- Eat mostly whole plant foods
- Eat only when physically hungry
- Eat until comfortably full (around 80% full) but not over full
- Exercise every day - sometimes that's more formal running/weight lifting, sometimes it's a long walk with the dog
- Don't eat free food at work
- Keep sweets and processed foods out of sight at home so they're harder to eat
- Eat sitting down at a table rather than standing in my kitchen
- Eat slowly and mindfully
- Don't drink calories

nineteentwenty

1) weigh in daily
2) put daily weight into a trend graph. Libra is a good app for this, as it will forecast my future weight based on past entries and current habits.
3) avoid bread/grain based foods
4) drink water and wait 20 minutes to see if I am actually hungry or just bored
5) work out 4-5x per week
6) log in to mfp every single day
7) wear a fitness tracker. This always keeps my body on my mind.

Garthamatic

1) Don't stress about weight, it varies
2) Weigh weekly or whenever I think of it
3) Listen to my body, don't eat if I'm not hungry
4) Focus on making good choices (vegetables, salads, lean meats, healthy snacks in moderation, etc.)
5) Use MFP to get back on track if weight >5 lbs over median/target weight; discontinue once back on track

Not for nothing, but I don't want to be a slave to calorie tracking for the rest of my days...

joeneely71

Make everything I eat have some nutritional benefit. For example, I used to eat a Milky Way bar or a bag of Peanut Butter M & M's after lunch virtually every day. Either one is 248 calories with virtually nothing that is beneficial from a nutritional point-of-view. I now eat something like a Kind bar (not every day, more like once or twice per week) which has 200 calories but also provides potassium, dietary fiber and protein.

zdyb23456

• I weigh myself several times a week.
• I exercise/run 6 days a week, I try to aim for 15K steps/day at least except for Sundays where I'm happy with 10K.
• I try to limit eating out to special occasions.
• I count calories. When I'm trying to shed a few pounds, I aim for < 1900. Maintenance is around 2000.
• I always try to find a lower calorie option or skip items that aren't worth the calories to me i.e. mayo or cheese on sandwiches, grated cheese on pasta, butter on french toast, pepperoni on pizza, cream/sugar in coffee etc. it's not really a sacrifice to me so I avoid the extra calories when I can. Those calories while small in itself can add up quickly!
• I avoid drinking any calories i.e. Starbucks is about a once a month splurge.

LifeNewandImproved

These are great! Love all of these, reading every single one, thank you

CrabNebula

zdyb23456 wrote: »

• I weigh myself several times a week.
• I exercise/run 6 days a week, I try to aim for 15K steps/day at least except for Sundays where I'm happy with 10K.
• I try to limit eating out to special occasions.
• I count calories. When I'm trying to shed a few pounds, I aim for < 1900. Maintenance is around 2000.
• I always try to find a lower calorie option or skip items that aren't worth the calories to me i.e. mayo or cheese on sandwiches, grated cheese on pasta, butter on french toast, pepperoni on pizza, cream/sugar in coffee etc. it's not really a sacrifice to me so I avoid the extra calories when I can. Those calories while small in itself can add up quickly!
• I avoid drinking any calories i.e. Starbucks is about a once a month splurge.

This, 100%.

robininfl

Avoid Gluttony. That's the only hard rule.

In general:
I work out on average once a day.
Don't snack much
Try to eat as much food made of food as possible (not pre-packaged stuff)
I don't limit fat
I do limit sugar

And I try to appreciate my body for what it can do, what it has done, the wonder of being physically embodied, not just for how it looks.

xmichaelyx

I don't eat things at work that I didn't bring in myself.

snowflake930

Keep track of my calories and weight.
Prepare and eat as much of my food as possible, very little restaurant or take out, but all foods in moderation. Pretty much the same as when I was losing except I get to eat a little more.
Go to gym every day.

ald783

Mine are more like guidelines than rules. I'd say I'm generally not too strict on anything, but that's what works for me.

- track most of the time (90% is good, I'm good with skipping days here and there)
- aim to workout at least 4 times a week
- don't be obsessive or hard on myself.. if I'm up a few pounds, life goes on, I can lose it again
- meal plan and prep meals and snacks for the week
- everything in moderation! I like beer and pasta and junk food, I just don't need all of those every day

kirstenb13

xmichaelyx wrote: »

I don't eat things at work that I didn't bring in myself.

That is a hard and fast rule I do now as well.
Also, I never eat things that are not "good". Such as crappy cookies or cakes from the grocery store.

Ashtoretet

My only hard rules right now are to not go over maintenance, log every calorie to the best of my knowledge, and not to eat food I'm not really enjoying. I'm down 78 pounds and have 15 more to go, soon I'll be eating at maintenance and will start making more rules then.

mburgess458

Mainly just "be mindful of what and how much I eat".

When I think through how many calories are in something I can make a better decision on whether or not it's worth it... dessert on my birthday from a restaurant I only go to once a year? Probably worth it. Free doughnut in the work break room? Definitely not worth the extra calories.

trina1049

1. Weigh in everyday and follow the trend not the fluctuations.
2. Track every day without fail.
3. Moderate exercise
4. Stay focused on good health.
5. Remember that you control the food, the food doesn't control you.

Panda_brat

Eat within my TDEE, do not follow any crazy diet rules.

perkymommy

Weigh and measure every BLT (bite, lick, taste).

ARGriffy

mburgess458 wrote: »

Mainly just "be mindful of what and how much I eat".

When I think through how many calories are in something I can make a better decision on whether or not it's worth it... dessert on my birthday from a restaurant I only go to once a year? Probably worth it. Free doughnut in the work break room? Definitely not worth the extra calories.

This! Be aware of what you're eating and don't mindlessly eat too!

LifeNewandImproved

I am keeping a running list of all the good tips guys thanks I am keeping a running list of all the ones I think might work for me and since they are all down to earth and realistic I have to say that it's nearly all of them. Really helping me thanks Still refreshing every now and then - would love to see more input if anyone has more!