Rules....

Here are 5 of the basic rules I live by!  Keep in mind, rules are made to be broken!!!  But for the most part it is all making healthy eating choices and exercising!  It’s also mathematically simple: Energy In (measured in calories) minus Energy Out (exercise/movement) = weight loss!

1. I try and be as prepared as much as possible!  Bob and I go over menus every week.  It helps our grocery budget and helps me prepare what we will need for my lunches and dinners!  I make sure I have healthy snacks at work, in my purse wherever I just might need them!  It makes it harder to make up excuses!  I do eat massive amounts of salad.  I find this almost a brainless option - I get my vegetables and I always have a protein handy!
2. I don't turn one bad meal into a bad day or week!  I might whine about it and feel guilty, but I make sure the next meal is healthy and I like to think I don’t indulge too often.  The scale can tell!!!  DO NOT THROW IN THE TOWEL!
3. I don’t drink my calories.  There's nothing sadder than realizing you just consumed hundreds of calories by sipping a sweet drink... and you're still hungry! For the most part, I drink water.  Those days that I do go on a long run, I make sure the drinks I have are 10 calories or less!  I do have a glass or two of red wine just about every night!
4. Identify and avoid your trigger foods.  For me these are the cookies I can't be trusted around - "just a few" turns into WAY too much; these are the  foods that seem to make you hungrier and hungrier. Don't keep these foods in the house. They're too tempting and not worth the trouble.
5. Learn to say - No butter, No oil, No salt!

Until Monday - keep thinking veggies and protein!