Silly (but effective!) Rules
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I like simple rules, boundaries that are effective without feeling restrictive. Mine are pretty standard:
Eat meals, and only at meals. Wait until I'm hungry before I eat, and eat a real meal. A meal consists of at least a source of protein and fat, and a vegetable.
Between meals, drink water, black coffee and unsweetened tea.
Make exceptions, but not so often that the exceptions become rules.
Plan meals, and write shopping list based on meal plan. Follow shopping list and don't buy anything "just in case".
Only eat food I like. Never ban any food I like. I can make it fit (that'swhat the meal plan is for).
Move every day.
Weigh every day.5 -
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itsfitnessnotrocketscience wrote: »I'd be interested to hear if anyone has "rules" for their health that are simple but maybe nonstandard. Two of mine:
1. No eating in the car. Candy at the grocery store, fries on the way home, etc etc etc. Just say no. This (for me!) is always mindless and unfulfilling.
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.
Anyone??!!
I don't have rules about where I eat. Calories are the same whether they are eaten in the car, sitting on the couch, standing in front of the fridge, or sitting at the table. Same with food - calories are calories whether they are in the form of chips and salsa or a taco or whatever. The only rule that I go by is log what I eat and aim for eating less than I burn so that I can lose weight.2 -
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.3 -
Pizza is only an option on days I have a spin class.2
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Whole fruit or veg with every meal (this isn't always as easy as it seems).2
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My only rule is "log everything".
Some good advice I aim to follow: I do try to avoid secret eating, and I try to always enjoy what I'm eating and pay proper attention to it. I love food, so it genuinely makes me sad if I stuff something down mindlessly and then have to log all those calories. Such a waste!4 -
No eating in secret. No hiding or hoarding food. Share treats. Eat meals as a family.
I liked this. Even though I live alone, these rules appeal to me. For me, it's about mindset. I'm eating in a way I'm not ashamed of now. When I'm buying groceries, I don't pretend I'll need all that ice cream because I'm having a party, or "hoping" I'll be using those vegetables for a great big stew, and I'm not trying to tell myself that the family-size bag of candy will last me a month or two.
This has had a remarkable impact on my overall stress level.7 -
calorie deficit for weight loss
micros/macros/structured lifting for body comp goals
no foods are off limits or bad2 -
sarraheclark wrote: »Pizza is only an option on days I have a spin class.
why?0 -
My only rule is.. keep changing the rules.2
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Wine OR dessert after dinner, not both.2
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One rule, for me: Everything in Moderation.
Very simple. If I want something, I eat it because if I don't eat it I'll think about it until I eat every piece of it that I can get my hands on. So not emotionally or physically healthy.
Except for working out - that I do to stop me from going crazy lol and because I love it - which I do every day, or every other at the very least.4 -
My rule is simple to eat it is to log it. Usually to say that to myself and it is enough to stop me from putting food I don't really want into my mouth2
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Not eating in the car and not eating in bed. Not because of health or diet but because I don't like messy cars or messy beds/bedrooms.
Always eat sitting down at the table and not in front of the TV (except for desert at night).3 -
sarraheclark wrote: »Pizza is only an option on days I have a spin class.
why?
Because some of us do well with rules. If you don't need them and can reach your goals in a flexible way -- yay!
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kommodevaran wrote: »No eating in secret. No hiding or hoarding food. Share treats. Eat meals as a family.
I liked this. Even though I live alone, these rules appeal to me. For me, it's about mindset. I'm eating in a way I'm not ashamed of now. When I'm buying groceries, I don't pretend I'll need all that ice cream because I'm having a party, or "hoping" I'll be using those vegetables for a great big stew, and I'm not trying to tell myself that the family-size bag of candy will last me a month or two.
This has had a remarkable impact on my overall stress level.
I will do a version of this when shopping -- if I'm buying something because I'm planning on having one serving, I make myself answer the question about what is going to happen to the rest of it. There may be a day when I can easily fit in the calories for 3 Oreos, but am I going to be able to easily fit in the rest of the package? If not, I won't buy it -- I'll either buy a smaller portion or skip it.
I don't trick myself into thinking that I can easily incorporate a family size bag of potato chips into my diet before they go stale. It's much less stressful for me at home when I'm not surrounded by things that I would prefer not to eat but that I really want to eat. The foods that I have trouble portion-controlling either stay out of my home or come in much smaller packages.4 -
I really like the one mentioned about no secret eating. I suffer from binge eating issues, and I know that I'm doing badly on conquering it on days where I'm hiding in the kitchen trying to eat something quietly so nobody hears me, then when I hear someone coming down the hallway I thrust it into a drawer or choke it down as fast as I can before they see me. Secret eating goes hand in hand with shame in my case.
Personally, my biggest and only "hard" rule is that I have to log EVERYTHING. I remind myself on bad days that I'm an adult and I can eat whatever I want (i.e. stop being ashamed of eating, even if you've eaten too much--overeating isn't a moral failure or a crime to feel guilt about) BUT, I have to measure it out and log it.
I also try to limit mindless eating, because it's sad to waste "delicious points" (calories) on something that you didn't even taste! I always get upset with myself when I'm eating a meal and get distracted by my phone or something and just mindlessly keep eating, then I look down and all the food is gone and I haven't savored it a bit!5 -
I don't like rules. The only eating rules I really have are 1. to stick to my calorie goal and 2. eat at least 100 grams of protein every day. The rest takes care of itself.1
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sarraheclark wrote: »Pizza is only an option on days I have a spin class.
why?
When my hubby orders pizza, it's not just a pizza. It's likely a large stuffed crust meat lovers with a side of wings and cheese bread. 2 slices of pizza end up being around 700cal which is half of my daily cals. During spin class I generally burn 500+.1
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