What are your "golden rules" for weight loss?

I have four Golden Rules that work for me. They are:

Nothing from a packet, nothing with a name brand.
No junk food.
No dairy.
Nothing processed.

Do you have any "Golden Rules" and if so, what are they?

Tue. May 11, 10:12pm

I've already penned my golden rules here.
=> see "my golden 20ies" some posts further down. ;-)

Wednesday, May 12, 2010, 8:22 AM

No golden rules...I'd just break em anyway.

One thing that my doctor says is to eat a salad or veggies with every meal.

He says you can't lose weight without eating the veggies. So I try to at least incorporate them into my "diet".

Any more golden rules and I would have broken all of them by the end of the day.

I guess it's just human nature!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010, 12:48 PM

My big golden rule is to try out things and figure out what works for you...despite all the "top secret weight loss plans," people really are just different. I know a lot of thin vegans, but I was one of those fat vegans! But, Iknow that's not satisfying, so here are mine:

1. I run on occasion for the challenge, but my exercise is centered around whole body weight exercises done with intensity (ie, lots of sweating.). Its short, so I can always fit it in, and it builds muscle that increases my metabolism.

2. Eat real food. Unless you've had a heart attack...just eat the butter, and the full fat yogurt and the nuts. Does it make sense to you that food adulterated by man with all kinds of additives is better than what god/nature/your own deity devised for you? And, you'll be satisfied to boot and won't overeat.

3. Eat like a civilized human being and practice portion control. Sounds boring, but its necessary. Its not even usually a burden. Sometimes I get small portions but tell myself "if you're still hungry, go ahead and get seconds." But you know what? I rarely ever want seconds. But if I had put first+seconds on my plate, I would have cleaned it like the good little girl I was brought up to be.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010, 2:34 PM

PP - I have a question about your second rule.
Butter and yogurt are also "adulterated" by man. As are most veggies - even organic veggies have been genetically altered at some point (for example, naturally carrots are not orange - they were made that way by men). Where does the definition of "real" food begin and end? There are very few foods left that are unaltered by man, at least in some way.

Thursday, May 13, 2010, 11:24 AM

I get at least 5-10 servings of fruit and veggies each day (which keeps me full); I drink at least 5 16-oz. bottles of water a day; and I exercise AT LEAST 30 minutes, every, single day. Everything else fell into place when I started doing those three things.

Thursday, May 13, 2010, 12:12 PM

I'm not the pp, but my general rule for 'natural food' is if I had the time and equipment, could I do it myself as per the ingredients.

Eg- tomato paste is processed. But, if I had the time, I could make tomato paste. So long as the only ingredients are 'tomatoes', I will consider it natural food. I know that tomatoes are often pumped full of dye, and I can't tell what quality of tomatoes went into the paste. If I had a yogurt maker, I could make yogurt. Despite the fact that I'm an excellent baker, I couldn't duplicate a twinkie very well. I could mill my own flour if I had the time or equipment. I could cut my own tenderloin if I knew how and had the time and equipment.

I think the most processed ingredients I use are expeller pressed oil, xylitol, and Imagine Organic Broths.

Just how far each person goes into 'processed food' is a choice. Cooking and cutting veggies is processing them. Most of us do that (raw foodists are the minority). I'm most concerned with complex processing or additives.

Thursday, May 13, 2010, 1:08 PM

PP responds

Well, my big golden rule is to do whatever works for you. So, go forth and use whatever definition of real food that works for you. I'm just a human being just like you, doing the best I can with what I have...not a food philosopher!

But for me, since I'm not going to camp out next to a farm, I just use common sense. Real butter has no additives...we certainly don't churn it anymore, but it should only have milk and cream, and maybe salt (I've seen butter with a great deal more than that listed!). Real yogurt has milk and bacteria. Check out labels...some yogurt has like 15 ingredients. Since we've been farming for thousands of years, everything, of course, has been changed or created by men. But I'm not advocating a religion that demands purity in all things. But it sometimes just pains me to watch people eat fat free cheese or fat free cookies because they think they're healthier, even though they've had to add factory made fillers in order to imitate the real thing.

Thursday, May 13, 2010, 8:33 PM

Nice response, PP :)

My golden rules - I had to laugh at 12:48 b/c as much as I'm a rule follower in all other aspects of my life...give me food rules and I become hell bent on breaking them! Even when I agree with them 100%!

Thursday, May 13, 2010, 9:26 PM

For weight loss, my Golden Rules are
1. Eat less
2. Eat less
3. Eat less
4. Keep exercising.

Thursday, May 13, 2010, 10:38 PM

lol 8:33

You claim to not be a food philosopher, and then you offer up your own personal philosophy on food.

You can't tell people to do whatever works for them, and then criticize some people's choices. I do eat fat free cheese and low fat cookies because guess what? It works for me! Don't let my decisions "pain" you. It's not worth your stress.

Friday, May 14, 2010, 10:28 AM

Of course she can. Giving someone the right to do whatever works for them doesn't mean she has to agree with or respect the choices. There is an often forgotten difference between tolerance and acceptance.

Eating fake foods may "work" for you in that you're losing weight, but many of us think weight is not the only or largest indicator of health. I won't lose weight at the expense of my overall health, and I don't think fake food makes me healthier.

Friday, May 14, 2010, 11:18 AM

No PP - I'm just sick of these people who pick up the Fuhrman book and buy into it like it's gospel, and just because Fuhrman writes in one of the most intolerant ways I've ever seen, all of his followers turn into intolerant little copy-cats (why does a diet book need to spend so much time personally criticizing people on other diets anyway?). No one has the right to say "eat what works for you, and whatever you feel comfortable eating, but just know that you are causing me pain by eating a cookie." Give me a break.

If Joel Fuhrman told people tomorrow that everyone needed to eat a sheet of toilet paper every day, they would probably do it without a second thought. He has no scientific basis for any of his "theories" and uses his position as an MD and personal charisma to advocate extremism.

Personally, I see little difference between the Fuhrman fanatics on this forum and the Mormons who knock on my door on Saturday morning.

Friday, May 14, 2010, 11:45 AM

So, why not just feel secure and confident in your food choices? And what's the worst case scenario for someone who's *brainwashed* by Furhman? They eliminate heavily processed foods and eat a primarily whole foods diet? Oh the horror!!! Those who don't want to buy into it won't and won't take offense if they feel good about their own choices.

Can't speak for all of those who believe in the message of Furhman, but I think generally those of us who 'buy into it' and espouse the benefits, it's because there's a genuine excitement by feeling like we're doing something great for the body. Show me the research that eating fake and processed foods does a body good and I'll be the first to incorporate a daily dose of cheetos and cupcakes back into my diet! Until then, research or not (and having read the books - I feel there is more than adequate backing up of claims) plain ole common sense tells me that eating more whole foods has GOT to be better than eating heavily processed and chemical laden foods!

Friday, May 14, 2010, 12:01 PM

11:45 AM
Mormons are great people. Your comment was uneducated and uncalled for.

Friday, May 14, 2010, 12:30 PM

PP,

I don't think the reference to Mormons was intended to slander their character. I think the 11:45 poster meant that both seek to convert people to their ways, whether it be religious or nutritional.

Seriously, can't we all just respect the way we choose to lose weight?

Friday, May 14, 2010, 1:04 PM

12:10 - I wasn't criticizing the Fuhrman diet per se, just his tactics and the intolerant comments from him and many of his followers. I will continue to eat what I want, but I will also speak up when someone tells me I'm causing them pain because I ate a cookie, or I ate white flour, or I ate fat free cream cheese. I'm not "unaware" about what I'm putting in my body, and I'm not "uneducated" just because I don't follow the extremist views of Fuhrman - as so many Fuhrman followers have accused me. He outright attacks people in his book, and I've been attacked by his followers. I've never been attacked by a Adkins person, or a Jenny Craig person - probably because those programs don't encourage intolerance and hatred of others.

That's great that you feel you are doing something good for your body - but how much of that feeling is based on fact and how much is based on a leap-of-faith? The Fuhrman book contains some pretty bad research - even his own followers admit that. And if one fact he makes is bogus (olive oil is bad for us, even in small doses?) you have to put the rest of his ideas under a microscope.

and 12:30 - that was not an attack on Mormons. I just wanted to get across that I appreciate Fuhrman fanatics criticizing my food choices based on the vegan-agenda of a single diet book just as much as I appreciate Mormon missionaries coming to my home and trying to make me change my life based on a single book of religion. They can believe what they want, but the minute they try and push it on me and criticize my chosen life-style based on their faith-based lifestyle choices they have stepped over their bounds.

Friday, May 14, 2010, 2:01 PM

"plain ole common sense tells me that eating more whole foods has GOT to be better than eating heavily processed and chemical laden foods! "

To 12.01

The problem is that many people can't find a balance between what is wholesome and what is processed. Having a little processed food is not going to kill you, but mention on here that you like a little bit a cool whip every now and then and some whole-foods person will respond that cool whip will kill you, and will then spend the next 10 posts telling you how wrong and stupid you are. It has happened here again and again, and I'm so tired of it.

Basically, all my doctor has told me about dieting is to eat sensibly, reduce calories and fat, and not follow any diet that tells you to eliminate any one food group because the success rate of those diets is much lower, and people are much more likely to go back to eating bad and put the weight back on again.

Friday, May 14, 2010, 2:17 PM

I am one of the ones w a hate on for cool whip, and anyone who justifies is b/c it has no sat fat, when its from cocobut oil, clealry isn't aware of what they're eating.

However, I also hate Fuhrman. I think he's off his rocker. Some can survive on a vegetarian diet, I can't. I think most of us were designed to eat animal flesh.

But, I sure as heck don't think we were designed to eat hydrogenated coconut oil with high fructose corn syrup, and all other kinds of highly processed chemical laden products. I maintain a belief that the quality of food is more important than the calorie count.

If you can't tolerate criticism, you shouldn't be on the internet. So you don't thnk that cool whip is bad- maybe someone else then reads it and thinks "hmmmm, maybe I should try eating healthier". That's the whole point of a forum- generate information, encourage open discussion, and critical thinking.

I can't stand the Fuhrmanists either, but I respect their right to believe and say what they want, so that I can believe and say what I want.

Friday, May 14, 2010, 3:51 PM

Those who have actually read some of Furhman (Eat for Health, specifically) - discover he doesn't tout all plant based, veganism, vegetarianism, etc. He promotes nutritionally DENSE - whatever the source. Eat for Health does not rule out animal products. Eat to Live, yes - from what I remember, it's plant based, but that book was designed for people in need of serious intervention b/c their current dietary habits were literally killing them. Extreme circumstances sometimes require extreme approaches. Eat for Life is more for your average joe who isn't on the verge of keeling over from their 20 year fast food habit.

And, hate - talk about bad for your health! Probably better to take a spoon of Cool Whip once in awhile than to carry around and voice such negativity! ha. And, yes, Mr./Ms. Cool Whip Hater, I presume you'd rather die than eat a spoonful of the stuff! (what about real whipped cream...any oppositions to that?) :)

Friday, May 14, 2010, 4:53 PM

Do I hate real whipped cream? Of course not. Had some at lunch. You'd have to refer to the anti-cool whip discussion elsewhere to be in the loop.

Friday, May 14, 2010, 5:11 PM

getting back on topic of the thread..

1. don't wait for a special day or a new week to start.. NOW is the time
2. watch your portions, eat on smaller plates
3. salad is NOT a side its a main. meat is a condiment not the main attraction.
4.cardio, weight training, watching food choices, drinking water= long, lean.healthy , sexy bodies..
5. water as my drink choice- at home or eating out.
6. eat on smaller plates
7. the three bite rule .. you can eat anything with three bites and feel no guilt.
8. don't feel like exercising.. do it anyway. its as important as going to work or keeping an appointment.. its your health.
9.use your food scale and measuring cups until you are sure of your correct portions..
10. do not become a slave to the scale.. use a measuring tape or a pair of jeans to track progress as well as the scale... its a tool.. it doesn't define you
11.greens= energy- love my green smoothies.
12. do not deprive yourself, but eat in moderation
13.put your fork down between bites. eat slowly and mindfully.. pay attention to every bite
14. log every bite.. actually this should be further up the list.- you bite it you write it.
15... if you slip make a u turn with your next choice.. the whole day doesn't have to be ruined for one slip.
16.believe in yourself- push yourself out side your comfort zones.
17. don't be afraid to lean on your groups and teams.. thats what we are here for. PT rocks!!
18.baby steps= big goals.. I cut my weight into 5 pounds increments
19.believe in yourself.. nothing is impossible unless you allow it to be.
20.. NEVER quit.. keep moving forward.. keep climbing your mountain.. you will get there. slow and steady wins the race.

well that is some of the things that have helped me to get to where I am in my journey.

I hope they are some help..

*lynneta*

Monday, May 17, 2010, 1:25 AM

"Food Rules" by Michael Pollan

I am surprised no one has mentioned this book. It is a quick and humorous (yet based on fact and experience) by a cardiologist.

His rules are fairly simple and fun...

* If it is a plant, eat it, if it was made in a plant, try to avoid it.
* Avoid foods you see advertised on TV
* Don't eat breakfast cereals that change the color of your milk
* Eat all the junk food you want, as long as you made it
* Eat when you're hungry, not when you're bored.
* Do all your eating at a table
* If your great grandma would recognize it, avoid it.
* If it was delivered to you through your car window, it isn't food.

Obviosly there are exceptions, but I thought it was a cute book over all.

Monday, May 17, 2010, 2:54 PM

Golden Rules

1. No processed foods.
2. Veggies at lunch and dinner.
3. No more than one carb per meal, if that.
4.Look at each day as four quarters. That way, if one quarter of the day didn't go as well, I still have three left!
5. No more drink mixes! Water, water, water.
6. Log everything! Your body keeps an accurate account of your eating so if you lie to yourself, your body won't.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010, 11:19 PM

fruit veg and exercise, if you eat crap you'll look like crap

Thursday, July 1, 2010, 10:27 PM

Tuesday June 29 11:19 post

I love the day as four quarters idea, genius!
I often blow my diet and then spend the rest of the day eating, because I figure I might as well start afresh tomorrow (if you do that a few times a week thats where you get problems!) So I have a real all or nothing mentality, I think quarter days will really help.

Thank you :o)

Wednesday, July 7, 2010, 4:47 PM

This group should consist of a teacher from the lower three grades in the school, the middle three grades and the highest three grades, for a total of three teachers. It should have a school administrator, usually the head of school. Thanks.
Regards,
coaching interview

Friday, July 12, 2013, 3:15 AM

My golden rules consist of a continuum of things as I am participating in the "Progress not Perfection" team on PT and have a commitment with Jehovah God. The first four things are:
NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP PRODUCTS
NO DEEP FAT FRIED FOODS
NO HYDROGENATED/PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED OILS
ADD AN EXTRA VEGGIE AND/OR FRUIT 3 TIMES A WEEK

LR

Sunday, July 21, 2013, 9:26 PM

THANK

Link

Monday, November 4, 2013, 11:45 PM

With thousands of diets, all with different rules, and conflicting advice on the best way to lose weight, it’s hard to know what works and what doesn’t. Regards, mehr

Monday, April 14, 2014, 1:12 AM

Hi

Thank you for your article

Link

Thursday, July 20, 2023, 3:41 AM

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