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

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  • dwatson925
    dwatson925 Posts: 143 Member
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    Thanks for all the advice! I needed it as well.
  • FitPhillygirl
    FitPhillygirl Posts: 7,124 Member
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    5 years of maintaining:

    1) I do not log or count calories. As a lifetime WW member, I don't count points either.
    2) I eat just about everything except; pork, red meats, and fried foods.
    3) I Walk between 6 and 12 miles a day, and after my Surgery recovery period will resume my HIIT and heavy weightlifting too.
    4) I weigh in on my home scale once a week, and at weightwatchers once a month.
    5) I eat a small piece of dark chocolate every afternoon.
    6) I eat a cup of Greek yogurt with chia seeds before bed every night.
    7) I eat between 6 and 8 small meals a day.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    Just to remember that I am not a grazer. Do not start off the day grazing as I do not eat very well during the day... Sit down and have a meal, with ample protein..

    And get my exercising on every day (except my rest days)... Pretty simple stuff..
  • sweeneyn14
    sweeneyn14 Posts: 5 Member
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    I lost 40 pounds in a year and then 10 more pounds a few months later for a total of 50 pounds. That is now about 1.5 years ago. My key to maintaining the weight loss has been something my older brother said to me years ago - he said "I'm always either gaining weight or losing it, I can never stay stable". That comment made me think hard and realize that the most important thing I could do would be to have a real plan for maintaining my weight loss. I just can't think of having all this hard work go for nothing and only to be fatter than ever a few months from now and have to repeat it all over again! So I am now a year and a half into my plan and it appears to be working. I made myself some promises, an informal "contract" if you will:

    1) I weigh myself enough that I will catch weight gain early - I don't want to commit to daily weigh-ins for sure or any hard and fast schedule for weigh-ins, but it works out that I weigh approximately once per week. Sometimes with vacations, I go longer, and when I get back from one, my husband has made me promise to eat well for a week and then weigh. This reduces the discouragement factor! Once I find I have gained more than 2-3 pounds, I go back to logging what I eat and start with getting back in control at about 1500 calories. Once I do that for a few days, I start cutting it down in order to lose the pounds, I get down to between 1000 to 1200 calories per day until I am happy with my weight again.
    2) How I handle vacations: Stay eating healthy most of the time and only go off for truly special things. For example on a recent cruise I didn't go crazy for all the desserts - my attitude is "been there done that". Now if there's a special dessert I have never had and want to try or something I haven't had in just ages and want to taste again, then I go for it! But let's face it, I've had plenty of pizza and brownies over the years, nothing special about that and not worth the weight gain. Neither are those foo-foo whipped-creamy high calorie tropical drinks! Instead I have a glass of wine and then eat lots of local fruits and vegetables everywhere we go. I can't go a day without fresh salads! I also plan active vacations, love to walk, jog, bike ride, kayak, snorkle, swim, dance, hit the gym. Exercise is a habit that I love so I don't break it even on vacation. Also, I still get up and drink my lemon water with a probiotic first thing about 15 minutes before breakfast. I take my multi-vitamin, fish oil supplements. These habits remind me of my health and how important it is to me.
    3) Motivation? All I have to do is look around at my overweight relatives to know what is in store for me if I lose my will-power. My family has so much trouble with diabetes and heart disease that I know that I am in for tons of meds, doctor's visits and hospital stays if I don't make my health a top priority. I don't want that and I don't want my kids to have to spend time so much time in emergency and surgery waiting areas like I've had to do with my folks. Not if I have anything to say about it! I will accept what I can't change but if I can change it, I will!!
    4) Last but not least, I keep my house filled with healthy, organic food. It's so much easier and less expensive to eat well by preparing your own simple food. My husband loves to grill so I am blessed. We eat salad and grilled vegetables and reasonably-portioned lean fish, meats (only humanely raised or wild-caught and sustainable). I eat very little grains of any kind but when I do it's always whole-grain. We actually spend less on food even with eating organic and sustainably - now that we eat out so rarely!

    Oh, and one more thing - those diet programs on the public channels are very helpful! Watch them!

    Hope some of this might help a few. It's so worth it: I'm healthy, happy and never hungry! Cheers!
  • jillygilly75
    jillygilly75 Posts: 2 Member
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    Don't eat sugar! I avoid all bread & pasta
    I never eat after 7ish
    Don't drink alcohol
    Plan
    Count - I maintain on around 2000
    No eating at all apart from my own meals and snacks
    Sleep!
  • Deortis
    Deortis Posts: 1 Member
    edited May 2016
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    Drinking not less than 2 litres of green smoothies a day (worked perfect for me to loose 13 kg in 4 month)
    weighing once a week
    no processed food but
    mostly vegan and unprocessed food
    rarely to none alcohol
    rarely meat
    2 litres of water/tea daily (1 ltr. is already included in the smoothies)
    physical activity (just average like biking around 3 hrs a week)
    (still) counting calories
    no sweets
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,493 Member
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    Always be prepared. Worst thing is when your busy at work, starving and need something FAST.Helps to have portioned snacks and meals.

  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    My #1 rule, eating should be as simple and stress free as possible.
    I don't log
    I rarely weigh myself
    I don't drink pop or eat fast food. Not because it's forbidden, but because I don't want to. I generally avoid highly processed foods, and don't go out of my way to eat calorie dense foods that I'm not really fond of, just because they are common.
    Eat mostly fruit, veggies, meat, eggs, nuts & seeds, yogurt, fish & chicken. Don't be afraid of rice or potatoes.
  • KetoneKaren
    KetoneKaren Posts: 6,411 Member
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    Tiptoetherat wrote: »
    I workout atleast 5 days a week
    I workout atleast one hour per gym visit.
    I try to avoid eating out, period.
    I try to avoid eating good tasting food.
    I weigh myself every day.
    I reward myself for each goal reached. (next reward is new ink).

    LOL! This reminds me of the CEO of our company who read a book about "excitogens" and their link to obesity. He boiled it down to one sentence: "If it tastes good, spit it out." :p
  • MikilouB
    MikilouB Posts: 56 Member
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    I eat 3 meals a day...I don't snack. I find I can plan easier that way.
    Like many, don't drink my calories.
    Move every day.
    Allow for occasional indulgences.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    1. Lift heavy *kitten*
    2. Ride a lot
    3. Eat a lot
  • helene4
    helene4 Posts: 120 Member
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    Eat when I'm hungry
    80/20 - plant based food/other foods
    Generally avoid sugar and processed foods (addictive to me)
    Avoid foods I'm allergic to
    Weigh 1xweek at least
    Work out at least 3xwk
    Eat organic when I can
    Eat meat with no added hormones - the hormones added to meat affects my mood/weight
    Log every day - I think it's just a habit now
    Stay in weekly calorie range
    Make my meals, but allow for treats or occasional dinner out with friends

    A lot of this I do naturally and don't have to think about it anymore :)
  • ElJefeChief
    ElJefeChief Posts: 651 Member
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    - eat vegetables daily
    - weigh self daily to be able to spot trends
    - log regularly
    - when you eat meals, load up plate with veggies and eat them first, then eat entree
    - when eating meals, eat until (barely) satisfied, but not stuffed, wait 1/2 hour before deciding on whether to eat more
    - don't deny yourself treats, just plan them into your calorie allotment
    - exercise daily (can be even just a 20 minute walk), but always get some sort of activity
  • Spiderkeys
    Spiderkeys Posts: 338 Member
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    1. Keep Active during the day
    2. Avoid eating after 7pm
    3. Eat foods that your body needs (vegetables,etc), and not what you want.
    4. And if you planning on a cheat day, spend your calories well (not junkfood)
  • Hudrator
    Hudrator Posts: 9 Member
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    - never go hungry (always have something to eat in pocket)
    - count calories
    - eating every 3 hours
    - weigh self and exercise daily
    - not eating some food after 19hour (cheese, etc)
  • georgia_boo
    georgia_boo Posts: 4 Member
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    My Rules:
    -weigh daily (at the same time each day)
    - at least 2 meals (I often skip breakfast)
    - 2 healthy fruits between meals
    - 1 treat per day (eg. Kitkat, biscuit)

    But keep in mind that I am a lazy slacker with no willpower so these rules are pretty flexible. I've managed to maintain a bmi of about 18-19 with this mentality and I live a relatively sedentary life. I go for leisurely walks every couple days and do absolutely no intense exercise.
  • positivepowers
    positivepowers Posts: 902 Member
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    Cardio and weight training 6 days/week
    My calorie-intensive meals are breakfast and lunch, dinners are 400 cals or less
    I know this is considered woo, but it works for me-I don't eat or drink after 6 pm.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
    edited May 2016
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    *Keep active - I aim for 10-18k steps every single day.
    *3 x week resistance/strength training
    *Weigh in regularly
    *I no longer log but my breakfast and lunch consists of around 400-500 cals per meal and dinners 600 cals/snacks 300.
    *I don't drink my calories apart from tea/coffee as I like a little milk in them.

    I also eat slightly at deficit during the week so I can enjoy extra calories at the weekend without any guilt/worry.

    Maintaining goal range for 3+ years.

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