I have lost over 20 lbs during this DietBet. I give thanks to all of my fellow DietBetters to help me keep up the motivation. However, I have to attribute a lot of my weight loss to the development of 3 Rules that I have lived by during this DietBet and have had immediate results in my life:
1. Elimination of the word "can't". No more saying that I can't do it. No more saying that I want it but I can't have it. I can do anything I want when I put my mind to it. And I can have anything I want whenever I want it, however, I have to realize that whatever I take in, I have to burn off later. So I can enjoy a few seconds of happiness in enjoying a treat, knowing that it could end up making me take 1000 or so extra steps a day to burn it off. Nothing is off-limits, but knowing the consequences helps put the enjoyment in perspective.
2. The stairs are my friend! I have effectively eliminated elevator use unless absolutely necessary. My office is on the second floor of the building, and I'm embarassed of how much I used the elevator to get up there. The only times I use the elevator is when I am going to Court and don't want to be sweaty with my client in front of the Judge. Beyond that, I am going stairs-only. It is those little things that make you realize how sedentary you really are.
3. Keep moving! I got a FitBit, to see just how many steps in an average day I was taking (and to beat my Mom when it came to steps; she got one months before me). I was shocked at how much I had to move around during the day to reach 10,000 steps, even with walking our dogs in the morning. So now I make sure that I never spend more than 30 minutes at my desk in a row without getting up and taking a jaunt around the office, getting water, going to the bathroom, etc. 10,000 now seems like nothing to me!
Now, my new rules for healthy living may not necessarily work for every person. But I know with me, this was going to be a challenge to stick with, and if I half-assed it like I did every other time I tried to lose weight, I would fail. So, I had to develop a hard-line, and make it incumbent on myself to make the change towards a healthy lifestyle. I am on my way, and I hope you all are too!
Anyone else take the same approach as me and set rules for yourself? If so, I'd love to hear them!