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

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Replies

  • 5stringjeff
    5stringjeff Posts: 790 Member
    My guidelines (not hard rules):

    - Weigh in most every day. Don't sweat the daily fluctuations unless I get outside my weight range.
    - Log everything I eat. The exceptions to this are when I'm away from home on vacation/business, in which case I eat sensibly and pick back up when I get back.
    - Don't sweat missing a daily calorie goal as long as I'm close to my weekly calorie goal. 5% off in either direction (for me, that's ~780 calories) in a week is a success.
    - Don't keep 'junk food' in the house. For me, that's things like chips, cookies, candy, etc. I buy fruit to snack on whenever possible.
    - Exercise for body composition. That means lifting to keep the muscle mass I want.
  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
    I weigh daily in the mornings before shower and before eating.
    weigh and measure all foods
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    edited April 2016
    1. I either weigh myself OR log daily. Sometimes both.
    2. Dinner time is my weakness. I have a lower carb main then after doing the dishes a big juicy bowl of full fat greek yoghurt with golden syrup, granola and berries and a decaff coffee. Every night! thats my signal to stop. it's a daily struggle.
    3. I snack on green things while I cook dinner only.
    4. I carb up breakfast time and lunch around my workouts.
    5. I have some litmus test jeans that I've had for years. No stretch.
  • lizzy_satellite
    lizzy_satellite Posts: 112 Member
    Weigh daily
    Log daily
    Wear a fitness tracker to keep my mind on being active
    Eat some chocolate every day
    Eat a snack on the way home so I don't dive into the fridge before dinner
    Try on something unforgiving on a regular basis
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Pretty consistent across the board :)
    Nobody has mentioned "always eat breakfast" or "eat a low fat diet" yet :D
    Why aren't those scientists interested in us? :s

    I always eat breakfast because I'm starving by 8am, typically. But I don't think it has anything to do with maintaining my weight - if anything, I do much better overall when I have a 8am breakfast instead of a 6am one...
  • RogerToo
    RogerToo Posts: 16,157 Member
    AceofIvies wrote: »
    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 :/

    Hi
    FWIW I loosely adhere to a simple philosophy and it seems to be working for me.
    Eat smaller 6-7 times a day. Walk 1.5 hours a day.

    Breakfast is a banana followed by a 1.5 hour walk, then the rest of my breakfast, Example today will be 30 grams of Multigrain Cheerios or Kelloggs All bran Wheat Flakes and 4 ounces of 1% UHT Milk from the dollar store since it can keep in the pantry for over 11 months until opened, followed with a Protein Shake, in this case a Atkins shake as I ran out of the powdered protein shakes flavors I use and they have not been delivered yet so a run to the store and Atkins.

    2.5 hours later I will have some sort of protein and carbs, then 2.5 hours later lunch, A protein, Fruit, Light & Fit Greek Yogurt, and 170 grams of frozen vegetables, 2.5 hours later a healthy snack and 2.5 hours later a slightly larger version of lunch and then at 9PM a Dessert of come kind. Possibly a Skinny Cow Cone or a lower calorie pastry. This regimen has been working for me.

    Good Luck
    Roger
  • 5stringjeff
    5stringjeff Posts: 790 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Pretty consistent across the board :)
    Nobody has mentioned "always eat breakfast" or "eat a low fat diet" yet :D
    Why aren't those scientists interested in us? :s

    I always eat breakfast because I'm starving by 8am, typically. But I don't think it has anything to do with maintaining my weight - if anything, I do much better overall when I have a 8am breakfast instead of a 6am one...

    Me too. I do love a good breakfast, although I'm well aware that the timing of meals has very little to do with weight loss.
  • Steff46
    Steff46 Posts: 516 Member
    Hello Op! Here is my list: Log everyday. Weigh twice a week. Stay in my calorie range daily. Use maintenance calorie range for vacations. Use a food scale. Check restaurant menus in advance when eating out. Bring my lunch to work. Exercise 4/5 times a week.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    my only hard fast rules are these

    log/weight accurately and consistently.
    do my workouts

    the rest falls into place if I do those things.

    I can stay in my maintenance range 95% of the time I am up over it currently due to vacation and a business trip right after so I do what I need...log/workout...which I couldn't do on vacation and during trip...
  • Alidecker
    Alidecker Posts: 1,262 Member
    I eat out for lunch once a week and dinner once a week.
    I never miss a Monday for workouts, it starts my week out right.
    Plan my meals weekly or I will go off track
    Drink 100 OZ of water a day
    I love cookies, but I have learned that not all cookies are created equal and I only spend my calories on the ones that are worth it.
  • anna_jewel
    anna_jewel Posts: 127 Member
    - I weight in daily, calculate my average for the week.
    - log what i do in a monthly calenday (average weight, food at maintenance or higher (/ for at maintaenece, x for above) exercise and steps (fitbit)) Its a quick, easy way to see how my month is going.
    - I have been starting to not log a few days a week (working towards intuitive eating and learning to listen to my hunger signals)
    - eat in moderation, i eat what i want but in smaller portions
    - i weight all my food, even on a not logging day
    - have a glass of wine every night, (even while losing weight)
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    -I eat mostly nutritious with some treats in between, everything in moderation
    -I cook as often as I can and eat mostly homemade meals
    -When I do go out, I enjoy myself and eat my favourite foods
    -I lift heavy
    -I keep active and move as much as possible
    -I only track/log my food if I feel I need to
    -I weigh in every few days
    -I always have goals to achieve
    -I try to be realistic with my goals and expectations (this one is still a bit of a struggle....)
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited April 2016
    I find not eating after 7pm works for me - this way it cuts down my naughty sugary snacks that I used to be prone to eat! (I constantly sip at water during the evenings which helps a lot)

    I fill up on plenty of foods with a good balance of protein/fat/fibre that way I don't feel hungry between meals. I find that I keep my carb portion of the meal small as its not as filling, I go heavy on the veg instead.

    I no longer eat foods that are bland or not appealing to me, if I choose to have a slice of cake, it has to be absolutely delicious or I wont waste the calories. Countless time I have binned my leftover slice of cake or bun because of that, or hubby gets the rest of it!

    I move as much as possible - am consistent with exercise - average steps 18k plus I strength train x 3 per week.

    Weigh in a few times a week to keep an eye that I'm staying in goal range +/- 5lbs.
  • lshawf
    lshawf Posts: 1 Member
    I have lost 32 pounds and am 10 pounds away from my goal weight. I have been following the iDiet plan which includes: eating three meals and two snacks a day, weighing and measuring portions, weighing myself daily and attending a weekly class online. There are scripted menus to follow while you are learning an entirely new way of healthy eating that includes fiber, protein, fruits and vegetables and even allows for a dessert if you wish. I have logged my food for 101 days! I would recommend the plan to anyone.
  • megzchica23
    megzchica23 Posts: 419 Member
    I have IBS, no gallbladder, and a hiatal hernia.

    So my rules are to stick to the diet for those.
    One cup of green tea is all the caffeine I allow myself.
    Drink my sleepy time tea every night.
    Always eat small meals (helps with the hernia)
    Don't oversleep on weekends. Get up go exercise, start laundry, shower, make breakfast
    Keep my calorie deficit.
    Never eat out more than once a week. Try to keep it to every other week but stuff happens.
    Make lunches for work every weekend.
    Drink 4 bottles of water at work
    Go outside and walk or read for lunch break

    And most of all, Don't stress the small stuff in life and be happy.
  • JanetMMcC
    JanetMMcC Posts: 410 Member
    What they said, pretty much.
    FWIW, I lost my first 40 or 50 lbs, starting a few years ago at 213, by cutting out white carbs and paying attention to portion size (trying to stay generally within what I remembered from Weight Watchers 15 or 20 years earlier, before the points system (about 3 servings starch, 6 to 8 oz protein, 1 or 2 (small) of fat, lots of veg, a couple servings fruit each day). For the first time in my life (I'll turn 64 tomorrow) I didn't have to obsess to lose weight.

    The last 20 lbs brought me here to really work at it. I've been maintaining since November. I'll probably be weighing and logging for the rest of my life, but the phone app makes logging fairly painless.

    For calcium, I have my morning coffee with 1/3 cup dry skim milk and a bit of sweetener, sometimes with a squirt of milk flavoring (chocolate - makes for faux mocha, aka fauxcha) or coffee flavoring. I'll have either reconstituted dry skim with a squirt of the orange flavoring (think dreamsicle) or a cup of Dannon Light & Fit vanilla yogurt at lunch. Sometimes a quartercup of low-fat granola or a half cup of strawberries goes into the yog.

    With maintenance cal set at 1510, I generally manage to save 150 to 250 calories for a tad bit of good chocolate at the end of the day. :)

    And my weight ha been trending ever-so-slightly downward. If that keeps up, I'll decide whether I want a lower weight or more calories. :)
  • JanetMMcC
    JanetMMcC Posts: 410 Member
    Bodies do work differently. My usual breakfast is coffee and skim - 1/3 cup of dry skim mixed into a mug of coffee, with a bit of sweetener or flavoring - and one half of a low-sugar nutrition bar. I'll have a midmorning snack of up to 200 cals - soemtimes a piece of fruit, sometimes nutrition bar, sometimes raisin toast and butter or whipped cream cheese.
    Then lunch - about 2 oz protein, lots veg, a bit of fat - maybe Smart Balance, maybe 50 cals or so of salad dressing. I'll have another couple snacks during the afternoon. oddly, I find it easier not to eat at home than at work, unless it's a desparately busy day at work. (Like Sunday, when I put a spaghetti squash into the microwave for 6 minutes, forgot about it for the next 4 hours, hit the 6-minute button, forgot about it for several hours ... put it in the fridge that night (in a plastic shopping bag, so's to catch any leak) and finished cooking it Monday.
    One way or another, i usually manage to save 150 to 250 calories for Good Chocolate at the end of the day. :)
  • Carnhot
    Carnhot Posts: 367 Member
    Be honest
    Trust the system
    The only legitimate chocolate is that bought by someone else for you
  • ReaderGirl3
    ReaderGirl3 Posts: 868 Member
    edited April 2016
    -weigh daily and record on an app I have
    -track food/stay within maintenance calorie parameters (stopped doing this for a while and started re-gaining, back at it!)
    -measure out portion sizes with a food scale (90% of the time is my goal)
    -go in twice a year for blood work panels

    and then one new thing I'm doing-eating a little under my maintenance calories during the week and rolling those into Friday-Sunday. This is working really well for me and it's now a part of my maintenance plan :)
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    - Take photos of myself regularly, which enables me to look at myself more objectively than I do in the mirror.
    - Always eat breakfast and rarely eat later than 5pm.
    - Eat protein first, then vegetables.
    - Limit carbs.
    - No added sugar.
    - Exercise every day.
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,192 Member
    -Weigh myself few times a week; take measurements when I remember. I trust the mirror and my clothes more than the measuring tape. I never took any progress picture.
    -Weigh and log my food when I eat at home or if I find the menu and/or nutritional information on line when eating out.
    -I eat out twice a week and sometimes three times a week, but it doesn't derail me from my goals. I know what to order and how much to eat.
    -I usually don't log my food when I am on vacation. I just watch what and how much I eat.
    -I exercise 5 times a week; combination of strength training, fitness classes and moderate cardio.
    -I eat a variety of vegetables, fruits and lean protein with moderate consumption of grains and beans
    -I have deleted food items from my "eating" list because they are not worthy the calories or because I can live without them.
    -I don't have a sweet tooth or a binge problem.
    -My macros are set to 35% carbs and protein and 30% fat, and I try to meet them as consistently as possible.
    -I don't eat all my exercises calories unless I am hungry. I use them as a buffer to compensate for when I eat out.
    -I stopped logging and I closed my MFP account almost 2 years ago and I maintained my weight for six months. I came back to try to do a recomp (not happening much) and to keep better control of my macros (doing very well)
    -I have been maintaining for over five and half years.
  • Shells918
    Shells918 Posts: 1,070 Member
    -Work out every day
    -Weigh myself daily
    -Take measurements monthly
    -Order responsibly at restaurants
    -Don't binge at night
    -Don't eat exercise calories
    -Keep the carbs low and the fiber high
  • gym_foodie
    gym_foodie Posts: 9 Member
    Lots of great tips are already covered.

    But I follow an additional rule:
    1. At least ONE treat per week to keep me sane :)
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