What 'food rules' or 'life rules' do you live by to maintain your weight?
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Great thread!
These are my "rules":
1) I plan my meals and aim to eat only at meals (4 times a day). Non-caloric drinks only, between meals.
2) Every meal has protein+fat+vegetables as a base. I eat three servings of fruit and at least four servings of vegetables every day, and nuts almost every day. Weekly dinner rotation plan. Each individual meal (breakfast, lunch etc) is pretty similar in form and quantity from day to day, but I aim for variety and haven't cut anything out.
3) I base my intake on foods I can eat to satiety - mainly "whole"/"real" foods. Love food that loves me back. I don't keep typical snack foods in the house. I will eat cake, cookies, chips, ice cream, candy, chocolate etc, on occasion, out of the house, in company, if I want to.
4) I only eat food I like, and enjoy eating it.
5) I eat anything I like, but not everything at once, and not all the time.
6) I cook from scratch as long as it's practical and fun.
7) I shop according to meal plan, with a list, and focus on the list.
8) I move every day. It doesn't have to be more than walking to/from the store.
9) I aim to get 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night.
10) I weigh myself every morning and log it; I have a range of 3 kilos - whenever I get near the top, I stop "treats" (nut butters, honey, dried fruit etc) for a while and stick to "diet" portions of certain foods.7 -
1. Weigh every day
2. Log everything I eat
3. Get at least 30 minutes of sweaty exercise 4-5 days a week (running, weight training, etc)
4. Have a piece of dark chocolate every night
5. Meal prep every evening for the next day so I make good choices while at work
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14 years at maintenance (+-5):
1. weigh every day
2. eat (real) food, not too much, mostly plants
3. eat delicious food
4. eat a diet built around nutrient dense foods
5. be active daily!
6. limit low quality, nutrient poor, low fiber carbohydrates and other junk foods
7. have a treat or glass of wine nightly12 -
get a food scale and weigh everything you eat3
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Three years maintenance this coming Friday...I chalk it up to good livin' and doing the things that healthy, lean, and fit people do. I haven't kept a food diary since going to maintenance a few years ago.
1. I eat well...tons of veg, a couple servings of fruit, whole grains and starches, legumes, lentils, lean sourced protein, and healthy fats from things like nuts, avocados, and good cooking oils. I'm a good cook, so my "healthy" stuff is pretty bomb delicious too.
2. I substantially limit "junk" foods...I eat it, but it isn't a significant part of my daily diet
3. I have established feeding times and rarely deviate from those. Meals and snacks are generally planned out...I don't generally just mindlessly grab something to snack on.
4. I exercise regularly...5-6 days per week. I usually ride 4-5 days per week and lift 3x per week. I mix in some hiking here and there, particularly in the summer when we do a lot of family camping. My rides are of varying intensity from an easy recovery ride to basically going balls out for 30-45 minutes to hill climbs to long rides.
5. I stay active in general outside of my desk job...I watch very little t.v. and would much rather be out doing something recreational with the family or working in the yard, etc.
6. I allow myself to be a little loser on the weekends...this is where I'd generally have pizza night with my kids or otherwise treat myself to things I might not eat most of the time. I tend to be more active on weekends though, so it all tends to net out.
7. I treat eating out as something special, not a routine part of what I do.
8. I don't beat myself up over a bad day or a bad week...they happen...I just move on.
9. I weigh in regularly and watch the overall trend. If I see myself trending up (not just a fluctuation), I nip it in the bud and I take a step back to see what I've been doing differently.
10. I make sure I get my rest for good recovery and try to get plenty of sleep.11 -
weigh self every morning
drink lots of water
exercise regularly
log calories 90% of the time
stick to 80% whole plant foods most of the time, while moderately eating vegan processed stuff
never restrict "junk foods" i can have some if i want to
make sure there is room for late night snacking since i love that
prelog most days then change it up as it goes
do not drink calories
if i have a unplanned overindulgence move on from it and try not to beat myself up
always have holidays & birthdays off from even thinking about calories3 -
- don't drink calories
- don't eat while watching TV
- agreed on skipping things I don't really want that much at the time (like burger buns)
- hit my protein goal every day
- log it all
- keep a deficit whenever possible to make up for the bad days (set to 400 currently, but I want to shed some 'creep' pounds - typically end up with a 1000ish deficit a week).
- try to do at least 60 minutes of exercise a day, even if it's just a walk
- weigh myself every other day the week after my period (only time I don't have a ton of water weight, so it's easier to spot the trend)
That's pretty much it...3 -
xmichaelyx wrote: »I don't eat things at work that I didn't bring in myself.
This has been a huge factor in my weight loss. I bring in my own morning and afternoon snacks and lunch, all planned out. I know whats in the food im eating and can more accurately track calories, and less likely to be swayed by the hot freshly cooked chips/potato cakes that have come out of the cafe while ordering a salad sandwich
- I refuse to drink my calories
- plan my meals, the following day is always planned out so I can prep it while making dinner the night before
- protein first, followed by or with plant foods (i regularly leave behind the bun or bread)
- I dont deny myself the taste of food, just quantity. For eg. If chips are served with a meal, I take one or two for the old familiar taste, and quite content then to leave the rest behind
- weigh every morning and night (Im quite intrigued by the effects of good sleep!)
- Try not to let my calorie counting interfere with living
- If i want something sweet, I have something small and make sure its accounted for, if it doesnt fit in for the day, it doesnt get eaten.5 -
I don't eat anything I don't want or don't like, no matter what.
I weigh myself every morning.
I don't drink my calories either.
I try to sleep well. If I don't, I water retain.
I forego starches for veg and eat Greek yogurt and steel cut oats every day.
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Pretty consistent across the board
Nobody has mentioned "always eat breakfast" or "eat a low fat diet" yet
Why aren't those scientists interested in us?
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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.2 -
I weigh daily in the mornings before shower and before eating.
weigh and measure all foods
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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.2 -
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
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kommodevaran wrote: »Pretty consistent across the board
Nobody has mentioned "always eat breakfast" or "eat a low fat diet" yet
Why aren't those scientists interested in us?
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...1 -
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
Roger0 -
- Drink more water, 8 cups a day flat out doesn't begin to cut it. Drink even more when you exercise. Yes, you can drink too much but the average person rarely approaches it and there are non sugar infused electrolyte solutions out there to address it.
- At least 80% of the time eat nutritious food. You don't need to be perfect but you do need to give your body the nutrients it needs to function well. Yes, hunger can be driven by need for calories and need for nutrients...
- Snacks are not the root of all evil. Many people use snacks to keep sugar levels steady. Snacks do not equal mindless grazing or process crap food unless you don't plan ahead. It does mean your meals will have to be smaller to fit this into your plan.
- Sleep is not overrated. For that matter neither are rest days. Both do your mind and body good unless done in excess.
- Have a goal range - yes and upper AND a lower bound. Have an action plan for either end of the spectrum.
- Have a plan but be flexible. If is ok to deviate from a plan if you think about the ramifications and take action if needed because of it. Plan your meals/snacks, be aware of your options when you go out and ask for accommodations, just because something is on the menu a certain way doesn't mean you can't ask for a modification.
- Find an activity or activities that you love. You can stick to what you enjoy and you are more likely to do it at an intensity that matters.
- Keep your calorie checkbook in balance. To do that you have to either log (food and exercise) or be very in tune with your body signals. If everyone was good at this or could learn this, there would be no need for this site
- Know appropriate portion sizes, a food scale can help train you on this but there will be times where you'll have to eyeball it.
I am currently at goal weight and successfully staying there.7 -
kommodevaran wrote: »Pretty consistent across the board
Nobody has mentioned "always eat breakfast" or "eat a low fat diet" yet
Why aren't those scientists interested in us?
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.0 -
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.0
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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...1
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