The first rule is the most important one: you must break the other nine rules occasionally to be able to sustain following them. You should never, NEVER, NEVER feel guilty when you do.
Major Rule #1 Break the rules in moderation three to five times a week.I break my food rules--more about them later--on a regular basis--by eating:
- a small scoop of ice cream
- scotch
- steak
- chocolate
- white bread
Occasionally I break them less moderately with things like banana splits, winetasting with hors d'oeuvres and the five or six wine tastes that go with them, or too much granola.
Major Rule #2 When you stretch or break the diet rules that you've devised for yourself, don't eat anything that you don't like. For example, I never did like strawberry ice cream, so if I am going to eat fat and sugar-laden ice cream, I'll pick a flavor I do like, such as coffee. I also avoid margarine because I've never liked it and when people in offices serve whipped cream cakes to celebrate birthdays, which I've never liked, at the most, I have one bite and then quietly and inconspicuously get rid of the rest.
Major Rule #3 Give yourself credit as much as you can.
Losing weight is hard work. Notice how you are doing. Some people recommend only weighing yourself once a week; some people recommend weighing yourself more often. I weigh myself every morning. I want to know if I ate something that filled my system up a lot. I also want to see as soon as possible when my weight is down another notch. Good news on the scale makes my day. Bad news only reminds me that I need to be more careful. When things go well, give yourself credit; when things don't go quite as well, be sympathetic to yourself.
Major Rule #4 Go out to eat.Don't view up doing out to eat--even at top places--just figure out how to do it. One thing to remember. When you are dieting, you don't eat and drink as much. Because you are, for example, consuming only one glass of wine--versus two--and you aren't having that martini or Grand Marnier or dessert--going out to eat can be much less expensive. As a result, you can perhaps treat yourself to going to better restaurants than you have in the past.
Major Rule #5 Listen to your body.Quit eating when you are feeling full. Notice how you feel after you've eaten something. Experiment. Try something that you haven't had for a while, like a glass of wine or some sherry. How does it make you feel? While you're drinking it? After you've finished it? Or perhaps even the next day? Make your body happy, which also means eat something when you feel like you need to. Small snacks are good.
Major Rule #6 Exercise, exercise, exercise.Especially at first, work on developing your stamina for longer periods of exercise rather than exercise of greater intensity. If you are walking, visualize moving forwards towards a goal. Consider joining a health club and/or getting a trainer--or a good friend. Whenever your glucose seems too high, exercise--MOVE!
Major Rule #7 Avoid eating late at night.You don't want too much sugar in your system when you go to bed. Probably the worst thing you could do would be have a sugary alcoholic drink before going to bed or a rich dessert. Try to have dinner fairly early, and if at all possible, go on a walk after dinner to work off any high blood sugar in your system.
Major Rule #8 Plan rewards for yourself that aren't related to food.To do this well, you really need to know what motivates you and possibly the images you have of yourself in the future. Would you like to have a vacation in the South Seas and look good in a much smaller swimming suit? Or can you visualize what it would be like to have much emptier closets--and they are empty now because you lost so much weight that none of your clothes fit you and you had to buy a few new ones.
Major Rule #9 Work out a system for eating that works for you.Some people want to think about food; other people don't. Some people like to cook complicated recipes; other people think the simpler, the better. Some people will eat prepackaged food; some people find that they end up throwing up their "lean cuisine" because they can never make themselves eat it (I'm one of them). Some people need to "eat on the run"; others can slow down and stop what they are doing to eat. Don't try too hard to change yourself too much here. There are many ways that you can manage your diet. Figure out a system that works for you and stick with it.
Major Rule #10 Recognize that you'll be feeling better.Don't be too surprised if you feel overwhelmed as you are trying to change your diet and increasing the amount of time you spend exercising. If you have bad memories about weight problems as a child, for example, they may come back to haunt you.
For example, I can still remember the name of the pediatrician, Dr. Glick, that I saw when I was eight or so, and his refrain, "No more cookies, no more candy, no more cake." It hurt then and it still hurts. I would always get a balloon whereas my sisters would get lollipops when we went to the doctor. Recognize that changing your diet is a step-by-step business and that as you start to lose weight and as you control your sugar levels, you will begin to feel better and to have more energy. Ultimately looking good is a by-product that comes when you make changes in your diet: the goal is feeling better, having more energy, and warding off the major threats that diabetes can pose to your ongoing good health.
