What are your "diet rules" while counting calories?

Pebble321

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

Actually they are Michael Pollan's rules, but it works for me!
I don't see the point in making it harder than it needs to be.

Dexy_

I quit having rules. I just eat at least my BMR calories every day. I drink a lot of water, and aim for 100 grams of protein a day. Other than that I don't worry.

^^^ THIS

clarkeje1

Try to drink mostly water, if I can I don't eat late at night, cut out fast food and eating out, try to eat 6 small meals rather than 3 larger meals, cut down on sugar and sodium. It's a work in progress!!!!

RubyDarling

I love rules.

Mine are:

- I only drink water and milk
- no caffeine (this is more for my headaches than anything else)
- no fast food (I don't care if it's from the "healthy" Maccas range, I'm not eating it)
- no alcohol

captainlindarg

I wish I could say I followed strict rules but I really don't. . But my biggest rule is to not beat myself up too much. I have a tendency, when I get a little off track on a given day, to want to throw that whole day away and start again the next day. If I can resist doing that, I'm much better off. Other than that -- count everything, drink a lot of water, and exercise whenever possible.

hedgiie

I minimize my carbs, then review my nutritional intake against calories from yesterday. Then decide to drop food which if the calorie is not worth the nutritional value. Example of this is butter....
Just start this last week so I haven't lose any weight yet.

GBO323

Rule #1-Consistency is Key
Rule#2-Accident Forgiveness...when I goof, I need to get up, dust off, and keep on the journey.

On the daily "guidelines"...

1. Journal everything.
2. No sodas...Tea, Water, Milk, or Juice.
3. Be mindful of white carbs. They're ok to have, but maximize proteins and veggies.
4. Aim to hit the MFP daily Fat/Fiber/Carb/Protein goals, but don't worry if I go over. It's about the CALORIES.
5. Have fun!

TMLPatrick

My only rule is try to stay under the calorie limit any way possible... although I do give myself an "over" day once in a while to be social.

Virginia90

My only rule is to log every. single. thing. even that pinch of raw sugar I ate as I poured the bag into its container. Yup.

And I don't deprive myself - if I want something, I work out so I can eat it. A lot of the time, I find the food isn't worth the calories and I make a healthier decision.

cathynlopez

The only rule I have is to limit weighing myself to only once every six weeks. This way, I don't get discouraged if I'm not losing fast enough, and also, if I AM losing fasting enough, I don't want to somehow think it's okay for me to slip up.

littlebecc

Try to not eat refined carbs at nighttime- usually just a salad or a tofu stirfry.
Eat less at nighttime and more during the morning/day so you're able to burn it off (well that's how i see it). Usually works for me

Contrarian

Hit my macros and eat foods i like.

^^^^^ This

What they said.

chevy88grl

The only rules I have are...

Eat better. Eat less. Move more.

I refuse to say any food is off limits (though there are foods I don't eat - like fast food nor do I drink pop -- but these are simply because I don't like them/want them - not because they are "NO!" foods). This isn't a diet, it is my life. I eat carbs all day (and boy do I eat a lot of them), I eat sugary treats every day, I use regular creamer in my coffee, etc.

I eat right before I go to bed - every night.

While it may not work for everyone, what I'm doing works for me.

Crystal_Pistol

1. I log EVERYTHING.
2. I hit my macros.
3. I drink water only, but only because I want to use all of my calories on food.
4. I eat ANYTHING I want

Crystal_Pistol

I lied. I drink protein shakes and protein Chai. I will very occasionally drink Tropicana 50 orange juice. The truth is I DO want as many calories for food as possible.

I had to think about that one LMFAO

CheleLynn44

My "rules" are I have to be able to enjoy what I am doing, I do not say "no I can't have that" cause I am not on a diet, I am learning how to eat better. This is something I plan on doing from now on, it's not just till I lose my weight.

It's up to me to decide if it is worth it to put it in my mouth and in my diary!!

Oh and another rule.......I will help anyone out there that I can!!!

Cfkearney

I only eat stuff I truly want. I always think about if the taste is worth the calories. If it is, I go for it - but in moderation. A couple of cookies versus 6. A scoop of ice cream instead of 3. One piece of pizza instead of half a pie- I fill up the rest of the way on salad.

Oh, and my second rule - I'm worth the price of good food. If I want raspberries out of season, I have them. If I go out, I'll pay for real food versus McDonalds.

I do exactly this. I still eat all the yummy things that I like. Even the bad ones. But I eat them in very small portions and I make sure I exercise the calories off. The old me wouldn't have bothered with moderation or enough exercise to burn the calories so it does make a huge different to do those two things. Plus a scoop of ice cream or a slice of pizza or a mimosa every once in a while - helps me to not feel deprived, quit, and then binge. But logging everything in my diary DOES hold me accountable to try and burn the calories off. I look at my daily calorie intake as a bank account. I can spend them on whatever I want so whatever it is it better be worth it. It does lead me away from junk more often than toward because I get more bang for my buck with the healthier foods.

Skeemer118

I don't count any green veggies...I consider them "free" & eat as many of them as I want.
I use 100% whey in chocolate to cure my sweet tooth for the day so it helps me cut back on sugary snacks.
I ask myself "Do I really want this?" & "Am I really hungry right now?" but I don't condemn myself if I do want an Oreo or two.
I log every meal & drink my water. I don't log my water bc I know I'm drinking enough. It's all I drink! (No more drinking calories!)
I am a former Coke addict. I swear just one drink of Coca Cola & I'll fall off the bandwagon. I don't buy ANYTHING that's too tempting or I will eat it/drink it. If you don't want to cheat on the things that tempt you, don't buy it to start with!

psmd

No high fructose corn syrup. Seriously if it's listed as an ingredient I'm not eating it. Has made it a lot easier to cut out junk food and processed crap. And fast food. I've lost 26 pounds so far (although of course I'm doing other stuff too of course). But I really think that "rule" has made a huge difference for me. Good luck!

mlh37214

I'm pretty new to this, only entering my 3rd week. I've taken the last couple of weeks to learn how to stay within my calorie goal.

I'm making sure to log everything and not lie to myself. I'm trying to learn how to stop eating for convenience (read: fast food) and consume more thoughtful meals. I've tried to take the healthy foods that I enjoy and make them a bigger part of my daily intake. With long workdays, I often end up eating out at least once per workday, but I make sure that my other meal is a big spinach salad. My favorite. I grab a piece of fruit as a snack, instead of chips or cookies. I try to workout at least 3 times a week and will be increasing that once I'm off restriction from an injury. Like many people have said, I challenge myself to work it off when I splurge on something high calorie. I continue to eat the things that I enjoy, in smaller portions. I'm only focusing on the calories. And last week, I took one day and ate anything I wanted without thinking about how bad it was. I still logged it, though.

I'm trying to stay in a state of mind to not regret mistakes, but to learn from them. I enjoy figuring the calories...I find it to be like a game. So far, so good. Just trying to keep going in the right direction.

parvati

I eat clean, watch my portion size & try & drink lots of water.

Soozie1978

I'm diabetic and gluten intolerant, so that limits some things I eat, but otherwise, I eat what I want.

I have found that I can get through the day with my blood sugar stable and not feeling hungry when my calories are depleted if I choose denser foods and those higher in proteins and/or lower in natural sugars. Nuts instead of cereals or crackers, berries instead of an apple, etc.

That being said, I will eat a piece of chocolate at the end of the day if there are still some calories left in my "bank account".

It seems to be working. 19 pounds lost in 13 weeks =D

fitnwhole

Wow! Thanks to everyone for your comments:smooched: I read them ALL and it seems that the common theme is staying within your calories, drinking water, watching sodium, and just being conscious of what you eat.

Here are some of my "rules" or should I say the way I intend to live:

1) JOURNAL FOOD EVERYDAY
2) EXERCISE 5x/wk for 30 min
3)DRINK mostly water with the occasional diet lemonade/soda when going out( Glass of wine once/wk)
4)BE CONSISTENT
5)BE PATIENT (This is something I struggle with)

Thanks

ComeAroundSundown

I don't really have any rules, I just try to stay within my macros (if I don't, I don't see it as a big deal though). I do try to stay low on carbs (other than fruit and vegetables) only because they make me feel bloated and irritable

ditzybutsexy

My rule is to eat when I am hungry. This means I sometimes eat 8 times a day. Other days, 6 to 7 times a day.

SalishSea

1. Log every calorie. No matter what.
2. Don't cheat.
3. No artificial sweeteners.
4. Stick to my allowed calories. No Calorie overage.
5. Try to exercise 3x week for one hour.
6. Do not get famished.

I eat whatever I want. But only enough to meet my calorie goal.
I can have wine or cocktails if I fit it into my calorie goal.

I try to remember how good it will feel when I weigh 150pounds.
I try to remember how cute I can be when I fit into my clothes.
I try to remember how nice it will feel when I am around my thin friends.