The Ten Commandments of Weightloss (for Me)

The Ten Commandments

1. Watch the sugar.


2. Record calories.


3. Eat often.


4. Eat protein.


5. Pace yourself.


6. Plan your food.


7. Use willpower in short bursts.


8. Lift weights.


9. Do intense cardio.


10. Walk daily.

The Explanation

1. I have issues with sugar. I may have to avoid it entirely sometimes in order to prevent bingeing.


2. To lose or even maintain my weight, I must record my calories at the end of the day. When I stop recording my calories, my weight increases rapidly. I can lose weight at about 2800 calories a day, assuming I exercise a lot and am consistent with my eating.


3. At least for now, in order to feel okay, I must eat every three hours, if not more often.


4. To feel okay, I must also eat a lot of protein.


5. If I've overeaten early, I cannot make up for it by eating less later in the day without feeling crappy. I'm not willing to feel crappy to lose a seventh of a pound. In fact, based on my experience, I'm willing to gain a seventh of a pound or more rather than feeling crappy. Whether I eat 400 calories or 700 calories for lunch or dinner, I'll be just as hungry 2.5-3 hours later.


6. I can most easily lose weight by planning a sensible eating schedule at the beginning of each day. Although I'm not great at sticking to it, I generally come close. Therefore, I plan to eat fewer calories than I have to in order to lose weight.


7. If I don't have a plan for the day, it's easy to exercise willpower for the thirty seconds it takes to commit to a healthy meal. I don't need willpower all day, just for several thirty second periods.


8. Weight training seems to make me lose weight and gain muscle even if I do only one set of each major exercise a few times a week.


9. Intense cardio appears to help more than long, slow cardio.


10. Even short, daily walks seem to help.

I'm Back!

It's been too long. Actually, it's been just over a year.

What got me motivated again? In part, Steve Pavlina's excellent new Personal Development for Smart People Forums. I'll be posting there under the name GreatnessBlog in addition to making more frequent posts here.