Using Meta-rules to Lose Weight

I recently hit my lowest weight (126 lbs, approx 55 lbs lost) since my sophomore year of high school, which Was also reached as a weight loss milestone. When I was in high school, I lost the weight on Weight Watchers, which is still think is a great program, though expensive. This time around I was able to follow CICO, falling back on the skills I learn from WW when I was a teen.

This morning I ran across this article on NBCNews.com about 2 economists who lost a combined 120 lbs, who used “Meta-rules” to regulate their eating habits. I didn’t know what that meant until I read the article and that’s when I realized I did the same thing.

Here are some of the meta-rules that worked for me:

1. Only eat meat every other “dinner”

   I did this for a mix of health and sustainability. I’m not ready to go fully vegetarian, but I can make an effort to eat vegetarian 80% of the time. I don’t often eat meat during breakfast or lunch, but I was consistently eating meat at dinner, so dinner became my focus. Do I still eat meat occasionally at breakfast or lunch? Yes. Do I count it against myself? No. It’s a non-issue because I know it is only an occasional treat. I also like to big batch cook, so that means I cook dinner once and eat the leftovers for 1-3 days depending on the recipe. Then I cook again 2-3 days later, alternating to a vegetarian recipe. And repeat.

2. Only order takeout when we cannot cook at home

This one has been major. I still eat takeout on days I spend with family, when I have limited control over what is served. Even then, I have occasionally cooked for or with them instead of ordering out. They are getting more accustomed to cooking during visits, and I really hope that sticks. My husband and I live in a big city with a great restaurant scene, so we have a separate goal of trying 1 new restaurant each month. Since quarantine, that is normally the only time we buy takeout for the month.

1. I don’t buy packaged foods I can make yourself

I’ve got into the habit, especially since quarantine started, to make my own sauces, dressings, and condiments, and baking my own muffins and scones. I recently started making my own tortilla chips and next on my list is making my own granola. This has accomplished a few things: I make exactly what I want, the flavor is customized to my taste/craving, which means I’m almost never stuck with a whole box of something that was only okay. On top of that I have complete control over what ingredients/calorie count of I make. The third thing it accomplished is getting me to look at those items as treats that I only use occasionally, limited by the frequency at which I want to make them. Nothing I listed takes more than 15 minutes of active prep plus cook time (generally less than 30 min), and in all cases, I make more than 1 serving, so I’m partially prepped for another meal or more.

1. I weigh myself daily, right after I wake up

This works for me, but YMMV. It’s not great for everyone’s mental health. If daily isn’t for you, weekly, biweekly, or monthly might be better. Just set the expectation and do it. Consistently. I like daily because the more I see it, the better I understand it, and the less power normal fluctuation has on me. I can see the daily trend on MyFitnessPal, and mitigate any negative guru reactions to seeing my weight pop up .5-2lbs throughout the month.

1. Calorie track what I eat, no matter what

I’ve used MyFitnessPal for 3 years, and that first year I wasn’t even cutting calories, just trying to get back in the habit of journaling. It’s a discipline. It is time consuming, but I haven’t found anything better for me to keep accountable. It can’t always be perfect or exact but as the saying goes “don’t let the ‘perfect’ be the enemy of the ‘good’” That means I have several holidays tracked with 2-3x as many calories as I was supposed to eat that day. No shame. It’s logged, it’s a known enemy. I find knowing the damage is healthier for me mentally than ignoring it and skipping tracking for the day.

1. Don’t rely on activity/exercise calories

I found when I’d eat every calorie MFP said I burned, I wouldn’t lose weight. I also found that when I focused really hard on exercise, it was a lot more difficult to control my calories because I’d feel really hungry for like 24 hrs after my workout. I haven’t figured out how to balance this yet. It’s probably because I was eating the wrong foods, not focusing enough on protein etc. This doesn’t mean I wasn’t active, but the point is my focus for weight loss was to eat healthy-controlled portions. I considered my workouts separate, and would limit myself to only count my workouts if I broke a sweat or spent a good amount of time being active. Then I’d make a point to eat only 1/2-2/3 of my calories burned during that activity.

1. I can eat any food but some have a time and place. Sometimes the answer is just “not today”

I can eat whatever I want, nothing is off limits. But I have goals, like living more sustainably, reducing food waste, eating healthier, and sticking to my meal plan. But that doesn’t mean I can’t occasionally or even often indulge. I build the indulgence into my meal plan when I can, so I never feel deprived or overly strict. Instead of framing cravings as “I can’t eat X.”, I think instead “not today”.

I’m sure I have one or two more, but I think this is plenty for now. Thanks to anyone who stuck around to read this whole thing! I’d love to know who else follows their own meta-rules and what they are. I still can’t believe I’ve lost the 55lbs. I’m here as proof it is completely achievable, and I can honestly say I’ve never felt healthier in my life. Best of luck to all of you on your health and weight-loss journeys!!

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