1. I keep track of everything I eat. I don’t track or consider the calorie value of exercise. It’s just an excuse to eat more.
2. I treat it as simple math; if I keep my calories below a certain threshold, I’ll lose weight. Maybe it’s more complicated than that, but more complicated approaches are easier to quit. Simple and doable is good.
3. I learned to be ok with being hungry. It’s pretty primal to fear hunger, but it’s ok to be hungry. It makes sense to me that if you’re losing weight, you’ll probably be hungry. Also, the worst part of being hungry is getting hungry. Once you get used to it, it isn’t so bad.
4. I prioritize foods that I can eat a lot of without getting fat. A steamable bag of broccoli is 100 calories, costs $1, and takes 3 minutes to microwave. It’s also very filling and makes you feel good. An apple is also about 100 calories, is crunchy and sweet, costs like 50 cents and takes 10 seconds to wash. I could have probably lost weight just eating ice cream, but I would have been even hungrier all the time. Once you get used to a food, anything can taste ok.
5. I’m ok with a lack of variety. Once I find meals that work, I beat them into the ground. The less thinking and figuring I need to do, the more likely I am to stick with it. Simple beats fun for me.
6. A lot of the stuff that makes us fat — junk food, fast food, drinks, party foods — we barely even pay attention to while we’re eating. We don’t really taste it, just shove it in our mouths. If I’m going to spend my calorie budget on something calorie rich, I stop and only pay attention to eating it. No eating chips while watching the game, no scarfing down a candy bar while I drive. If I’m paying for it in calories, I’m going to enjoy it.
7. la Croix Lemoncello tastes better than Coke/Dr. Pepper/etc.