Silly (but effective!) Rules

cbenno97

-Most important rule for me: Get back up again after falling down.

-Pre-log and pre-plan where possible.

-Try for single-serve portions since I know self control is an issue.

-Don't keep foods that I can't eat in moderation in the fridge or the house--again, self control is an issue! Instead, keep healthier foods (like veggies) to snack on.

-Try and drink liquids more!

starryeyedsnoozer

JaydedMiss wrote: »

1. Im hungry, Ill eat in 1-2 hours. Helps my mind realize i do get to eat so it relaxes, But also helps me spread my calories out and ensure im actually hungry

2. Sit down and enjoy everything i eat, No eating the candy bar i bought as i walk home. Ritualize eating a bit so i enjoy the flavors and every little bite.

3. Keep my diet very basic. Mainly eat potatoes/tuna/onions garlic and mushroom mix. Low calorie meals as i prefer to snack, If i want something else ill eat it but i have to want it enough to walk my butt out to buy it from a fast food place or small portion from the grocery store. Often to lazy/cheap

4. Dont complicate things, An example could be water. If my pees getting to dark, Drink. Simple. No need for arbitrary over complicating rules.

This! The biggest thing I'm learning now is how to only eat when I'm hungry. Sounds silly but it's easy to slip into the habit of eating when your bored, tired, thirsty, sad etc so now if I want to eat I have a drink of water (often I mistake thirst for hunger) and then ask myself if I'm truly hungry. If I am then I eat what I want but sit down and enjoy it. Then the important thing... I STOP EATING WHEN I'M FULL. It means this week I've left half a Chinese take out, half a cake, half of a really nice steak.. but it also means that I'm not gorging on food just because it's there (and it's yummy)
It works! I lost a pound this week even though I'm in maintainance.

kayyforce

Only one pot of humous a week. Do not have crisps every day. But if you are really craving something then eat it. Try stuck to whole foods.

Sara1791

kar328 wrote: »

Also a rule about good quality foods. I'm a transplanted New Yorker so to me bagels and pizza are so-so everywhere but home. There are a few places here, run by transplanted NYers so those are fine, but no pizza from chains that have commercials and no store bought bagels. .

Ditto. I've been told that NYers are too fussy about their baked goods.

BrettWithPKU

itsfitnessnotrocketscience wrote: »

2. No entrees at Mexican restaurants. I like chips & salsa too much. I never need the full entree, a la carte ordering is always enough.

No chips OR salsa in the house. If I get one I'll want the other. Both = disaster.

itsfitnessnotrocketscience

fubarfornow wrote: »

Another person who has a "no eating out of the bag" rule.

I also look at calories like a banking system, but one where I have no credit privileges. I can save up to spend later in the week, but I can't "borrow" to spend now, and pay it back later in the week (because I don't do it). Calorically, I'm a bad credit risk.

So nerdy! So good. Hahah

EttaMaeMartin

i do not keep in the house things that are temptations. things i have tried to moderate but end up with the whole or half bag..ie. purely elizabeth granola. my all time fav, but i cannot control how much i will eat. so away it goes!

afatpersonwholikesfood

In an effort to switch things up and get better control lately, I have started adhering to some "philosophies".

1) No snacking between meals. If I eat breakfast, I can wait 4 or so hours for lunch. I will not starve. I do let myself have a snack before bed since dinner happens at 5 and bedtime ends up being like 11. I get genuinely hungry.

2) I have started weighing every morning.

3) This has actually been a rule since the beginning, but it's always been so helpful for me: Don't buy X Y Z at the grocery store. No reason to have a "hostile" food environment at home. Only have to say "no" once that way (when you're shopping). Unfortunately, my food environment at home is no longer 100% within my control, but I still use this rule when I do my own grocery shopping.

4) Eating slowly and sitting down to eat as much as possible. It makes a difference in satiety. I will still eat in the car when it's obvious I won't be able to sit down for a meal. This is more of a "when possible" thing.

5) Editing my self-talk; telling myself "No choice" when I am internally debating going over my calorie goal. Using "hungry" instead of "starving" since I am not actually starving. Telling myself "This is enough," when looking at a portion size that makes me sad!

amtyrell

I have been painting my nails at night. All sorts of designs and other pretty things. It acts as a reminder during the day but also I can't eat with wet nails.

4legsRbetterthan2

when trying to lose weight/maintain:

-wait as long as I can to eat breakfast, once I start eating I get hungry easier

-keep carbs moderate and try to get in more protein

- keep chocolate out of sight in the house, there when I really need it but will not grab a piece every time I walk by

__TMac__

Sharon_C wrote: »

I've made this a household rule:

No eating out of the bags/boxes. You are not allowed to eat out of a bag of chips, box of crackers, etc. You get a bowl out, fill it with an appropriate serving and put the bag/box back. This stops mindless eating and you really have to think twice before going back to the pantry, opening the bag, filling the bowl, closing the bag, and putting it away.

This is one of our household rules.

Another is that I don't stock foods in the house that are hard for us to moderate. When we're going to have them, I'll buy the amount we'll eat that day. Single-serving ice creams, snack pack chips, etc.

Finally, and most importantly, I pre-log every day. I can edit it as I go, but I need the framework set.

lightenup2016

snickerscharlie wrote: »

I avoid watching cooking shows on TV, because no matter what you've eaten or what you have on hand, it's never going to be as yummy as whatever's being cooked.

And that just makes me sad *and* hungry.

Lol, I used to love watching the Food Network, but figured out that it just made me hungry!! Now I prefer HGTV.

My main rule (which is really just second nature to me by now), is no eating "breakfast". I usually first eat around 12:30-1pm, unless I'm absolutely ravenous (some PMS days). If I eat earlier, it just puts my appetite into overdrive for the day.

I do, however, still eat all the breakfast foods! We often have breakfast-for-dinner at our house

Susieq_1994

TmacMMM wrote: »

Sharon_C wrote: »

I've made this a household rule:

No eating out of the bags/boxes. You are not allowed to eat out of a bag of chips, box of crackers, etc. You get a bowl out, fill it with an appropriate serving and put the bag/box back. This stops mindless eating and you really have to think twice before going back to the pantry, opening the bag, filling the bowl, closing the bag, and putting it away.

This is one of our household rules.

Another is that I don't stock foods in the house that are hard for us to moderate. When we're going to have them, I'll buy the amount we'll eat that day. Single-serving ice creams, snack pack chips, etc.

Finally, and most importantly, I pre-log every day. I can edit it as I go, but I need the framework set.

I do this, too. A day that hasn't been logged in advance is nearly always a disaster waiting to happen. I don't mind if I have to change half the meals in the diary as the day wears on if sudden roadblocks pop up, but I have to have a plan completely mapped out before I start eating for the day.

ETA: Typo.

SeikoMonster

TmacMMM wrote: »

Finally, and most importantly, I pre-log every day. I can edit it as I go, but I need the framework set.

This is great advice.
Planning a few days ahead helped me at the start. Kept me from "Oh crap its 8PM I should go get a pizza" bad habit of my past.

andrewq6100

hah never thought of them as rules but I guess they are!

1) No more eating out of the bag be it chips,cereal,snacks etc; portion it out!

2)No huge cheat meals aka REFEEDS until 2 weeks of clean eating. Refeed meaning like 2k of my calories comes from one meal....those are the best days LOL

3)No eating out (unless its an occasion)

4)buy more groceries than you need and cook food before you run out to ensure no room for error (of course there are days where I have nothing in the fridge and chomp on lunch meat and cheese lol)

5)biggest one is DON"T BE HARD ON MYSELF. If i have a fat day or ice cream or whatever I can't let it affect my mindset no matter how hard it tries to and I just got to ensure no stepping on scale and to just kill it in the gym