My eating rules for staying slim

1) Eat within an appropriate caloric intake for my fitness goals. This changes as the goal changes.
2) Eat sufficient protein and fat for physiological purposes. Eat the rest in carbs for training intensity.
3) Eat "mostly" nutritious foods. Eat "some" junk food because I love it.
4) Train hard. Add weight to the bar over time.
5) Rest.
6) Repeat.

And I really don't worry about it beyond that.

Eat what ever you want. Stay under/at your calories for the day/week.

Works pretty well over here.

My diary is always open for all to take a look.

--I try to stick to 6-8 basic healthy meals with a known calorie content and rotate them. When I experiment too much, I overeat.

--I have no absolutely forbidden foods, but there's a host of foods that I no longer consider on my regular eating plan, e.g., fried foods, with the exception of fried calamari. I do better when I basically eliminate certain foods.

--I drink coffee or lattes with skim milk, nothing else. I eat corn on the cob and lobster without butter. I generally don't use high-calorie salad dressings.

--Occasionally, I go on a very simple, very short-term diet of protein shakes, chicken breasts, and salad. My calorie max is very low and sometimes I need a no-brainer eating plan.

--I drink lots of water, preferably filtered or bottled water because they taste better.

--Sometimes I do a mild form of Intermittent Fasting (IF), which mainly consists of skipping breakfast. I've never needed breakfast, and eating breakfast makes me eat more during the day.

--I don't do cheat days. If I overeat, fine, that happens all the time, but I never set out to devote an entire day to overindulging as a regular practice.

--I try to stay close to my limit, or a little under, because chances are I've under-estimated the calories I've eaten or it's been understated on the package (which is perfectly legal)

--I weigh myself on a body fat estimating scale about three times a week. I take my measurements every couple of months.

--I take the stairs when other people use the escalator.

--I walk when other people take the subway or the bus.

--When I'm not recovering from an injury, as I am now, I try to engage in some kind of vigorous aerobic exercise several times a week, although I've never been as consistent as I'd like to be.

--I do not consider walking or other general activity exercise. Exercise means my heart rate is above a certain level for a certain amount of time.

--I use a heart rate monitor when I exercise.

--I often do interval aerobic work.

--I strength train, usually with free weights, applying direct weight only to my upper body.

--I don't pay attention to any exercise calorie burn estimates because they're apt to be inaccurate. I watch my diet, get in my activity and look at what the scale tells me, including my percentage of body fat.

--I make adjustments. For example, I realized after six weeks that the 1200 suggested calorie max on myfitnesspal was too high and I lowered it a bit.

--I keep up with diet, exercise, and general fitness news.

--I understand, that as much as I love food, that I value being fit more. I want to see if I can avoid some of the obesity-related illness that family members have developed. The doctors aren't sure that I can avoid, say, diabetes, by staying a normal weight, but I've been assured that a good weight will never be a health negative.


This is how I've managed to maintain my weight and I've never been overweight, although at times I've been a bit high for my personal standards (and no, I do not have an ED; I was much thinner when younger, but the weight creeps up as you get older.)

@ I am saving this to read later, but the ones I read are great! Being an overweight lady, I am going to use some of all of them to get where you are now. Thank you!

1) Eat within an appropriate caloric intake for my fitness goals. This changes as the goal changes.
2) Eat sufficient protein and fat for physiological purposes. Eat the rest in carbs for training intensity.
3) Eat "mostly" nutritious foods. Eat "some" junk food because I love it.
4) Train hard. Add weight to the bar over time.
5) Rest.
6) Repeat.

And I really don't worry about it beyond that.

^^^ this

bump

I agree with you...

Well, here are mine.

Eat three meals and two snacks through the day. Accompany each with a large glass of water. You can have two to three cans of soda, but no more.

No fruit. No cruciform vegetables. No beans. Fried foods ONLY in moderation, and only on free days.
No carbs without protein.
Watch your raw dairy. (I am not quite lactose intolerant, but take dairy best in aged cheeses and yogurt, or cooked.)
Watch whole wheat, brown rice, and other sources of fiber so as not to trigger an IBS attack.
If in doubt, have another two glasses of water.
Eat to "that's better" not to "I'm full."
Do not be too rigid; it is better to eat the chocolate or the ice cream than it is to have an emotionally induced binge. Remember, your inner teenager is trying to fill the void of fear of never being good enough by eating the entire universe.
Don't sneak food or lie about it to anyone. Eat honestly and openly if you're going to eat at all.

I'm not slim yet but here are things i'm doing:

1) Eat 5 meals/day, mostly around the same calorie range (there are variations but I try to not be morning or evening heavy)
2) Do some kind of movement/exercise every day
3) Eat a variety of vegetables every day
4) Include some fruit every day
5) Eat at least one servings of beans every day, preferably more
6) Eat whole grains a few times/week
7) Listen to my body (if I need rest, need a certain type of food)
8) Don't go too low on fat, add in fats when necessary
9) Look for opportunities to increase my activity level
10) Stay within my calorie range on a daily basis
11) Take a multivitamin daily
12) Don't stress if I go over my calorie goal, especially if I've exercised that day
13) Slip ups may happen and that is ok, don't let a minor slip up turn into an avalanche

I think that is mostly eat

1) Eat within an appropriate caloric intake for my fitness goals. This changes as the goal changes.
2) Eat sufficient protein and fat for physiological purposes. Eat the rest in carbs for training intensity.
3) Eat "mostly" nutritious foods. Eat "some" junk food because I love it.
4) Train hard. Add weight to the bar over time.
5) Rest.
6) Repeat.

And I really don't worry about it beyond that.

^^this as I am too lazy to re-write in my own words and because it would say the same thing.

1) get off my butt and hit the gym 
2) eat based on my activity level. 
3) eat lots of veggies and fruits ( yes fruits to, I don't care about the sugar count)
4) don't drink ur calories ( sometimes i cheat on this rule and treat myself to Starbucks 
5) don't stress over the scale. 

1. The plan must work.
2. The plan has to be fun.
3. The plan has to be sustainable/ affordable.

Everything else is just in the details. I don't deviate from those three rules.

1.) Eat FAT, FAT, and more FAT. Consume AT LEAST 70% of daily calories directly from fat - i.e. as high-fat diet as possible.
2.) Strictly limit carbohydrate consumption.
3.) Stay within my daily calorie goals.
4.) Carry a water bottle around everywhere I go.
5.) Several small meals instead of 3 large ones.
7.) Low intensity exercise (like walking) instead of a vigorous workout.
8.) Get at least 8 hours of sleep each night.
9.) Omega 3,6,9 & vitamin supplementation.
10.) Weigh myself each and every day.
11.) Log onto MFP 10x times more than Facebook.
12.) Daydream about achieving my goals for AT LEAST 10 minutes each day.