You can figure out the main piece of advice in my book by the title: Weigh Every Day. Obviously, I suggest that you should weigh yourself every day. This gives you a foundation to stand on, a point of reference that needs to be the basis of other changes you make.
But the next critical component—and the second half of my book—is that you need to create your own food rules. These are personalized rules that you decide on, based on your own judgement of what you need to avoid, and what you need to do more of.
Some people just don’t like the word Rules. Even though these are your rules, that you have chosen, and that you can create exceptions for, the word rules turns them off. If this describes you, feel free to substitute the word Guidelines in your head. I’ll continue to use the word rules here.
One strategy is to target the worst food habit you have
If it’s buying food from fast food restaurants regularly, your first food rule may be Never eat at fast food restaurants. This would mean a big change, but maybe you’re up for a big change. And if eating at fast food restaurants is a big part of your life, then this kind of rule could make a big change in your food intake, and thus your weight.
Or perhaps your food rule should give you an easy win…
But maybe a strategy like that is too big a step. Perhaps you’d rather target an easy win. Say you go to coffee shops every day, and buy fancy sweetened drinks like Caramel Cloud Macchiato or Pumpkin Spice Latte. Your rule might be Never buy anything but plain coffee or tea at a coffee shop. And you allow yourself to still add sugar or cream to the drink. Once you successfully follow this rule, it gives you the confidence, and you can then add more rules that would continue to help you manage your weight.
When you’re deciding on food rules, remember that at the beginning, you’re experimenting. You want to figure out—is this a rule I could follow for a lifetime? That means it can’t be too difficult, and it can’t make you unhappy. It shouldn’t prevent you from having a social life.
And remember also—the scale is the ultimate guide. If you’re following your food rules but not losing any weight, then you need to change something.
