New Rules

I had to lay down the law and give my students some new rules today, and I've decided that I need to do the same thing for myself.


Alcohol

1) If I'm going to be serious about my diet this time (again), then I need to give up one more thing - alcohol. I don't drink often, but I do sometimes have a few when I'm out with my friends for happy hour or over at someone's house playing Rock Band. I can't bemoan the fact that I'm not losing weight if I work hard all week long and then reward myself with a Margarita or two on Saturday. Alright, so, that's it - no more alcohol. Not even a little bit.


Cheating

2) Another thing - no more weekly cheat days. I will sometimes let myself have a cheat meal or a cheat night (this is usually accompanied by the previously mentioned Margarita), and that has to stop. If I'm going to see results, I need to stop cheating and stick with the plan. If I go out to eat, I need to go somewhere that has awesome salads or good, healthy, low carb alternatives. I hope that I won't have to make a "no eating out" rule, but that will be next if this doesn't work.

That being said, I'm totally going to cheat a little on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Come on now, don't be silly. My extended family has a pot luck meal that is absolutely delicious (unless my mother is making the stuffing - sorry Mom!), and I'm not going to miss out on that. I will try to exercise some discipline and portion control, and I probably won't let myself eat any pie, but I am definitely going to stuff my face with stuffing (obviously that's what it's for) and some of my grandmother's delicious chicken dumplings.


Oh No!

3) One more change; this one doesn't really have to do with weight loss per say, but I am considering giving up carbonated beverages for awhile. I love Diet Dr. Pepper, and I have at least one a day. My boyfriend Gary is always harping on me about how unhealthy they are; they have "no nutritional value" and can, in the long term, lead to osteoperosis. Gary doesn't often read my blog, so I feel pretty safe in posting here that giving up Diet Dr. Pepper will be one of his Christmas presents. That means that I still have a little over a month to continue to enjoy them. Then, I switch to coffee so I can increase my caffeine addiction!

This isn't a New Year's Resolution. In fact, I can guarantee that I will give up on my "no alcohol" rule to celebrate New Year's Eve. I will at least stick to these rules for the rest of 2010, and reevaluate once 2011 hits.