Rules - one at a time

I attribute my lifestyle improvements/weight loss success to staying realistic.  I did not try to make a whole bunch of changes all at once, instead implementing one change at a time, getting used to that, and then adding another change.  Each new change is like a new rule to live by, and approaching then one at a time makes it manageable.

Jan 2014
Rule #1.  Stop drinking
This one was a challenge, which is why I don't think it would have worked well if I had been trying to exercise or alter my diet at the same time.  I also approached it as in "I'm going to quit for awhile" instead of "never again."  My experience may not be typical, but after a few days without, and with the encouragement of the weight loss starting due to not drinking, I no longer even wanted to drink anymore.  Knowing that I still could if I wanted helped, and in the almost two years since, I have only drank socially maybe eight or nine times.  Not too shabby considering the old me would have drank about 600 times in those two years!

Early 2014
Rule #2.  Portion control/limits on snacking
The old me could easily fall into a snack hole and eat one thing after another in the evening in front of the TV.  Reheated leftovers, a slice of pizza, a sandwich, or a cup 'o soup were all fair game.  Many nights I was literally eating a fourthmeal between dinner and bedtime.  I decided to go "spartan" and either not snack at all or put some serious limits on it.  For me, no snacks at all, kinda like when I had a doctor's appointment the next day that required fasting for bloodwork, was "full spartan."  Regular spartan would be eating one dark chocolate Hershey bar.  My basic snacking rules are:
smaller meal portions - pizza is the best example - instead of 3-4 slices, I stop at two slices and find I am pretty full anyway.  After thinking like this for a little while, your stomach has less room and you won't need to shove in extra food!
no snacks from the fridge - only portion controlled snacks, nothing that needs heating or could turn into a meal
no snacks at all until 11:30 PM.  I found that if I could delay any snacking until that late, I could do better at maintaining self control
water and mints - I keep drinking water to keep from noticing hunger pangs as much, and eating a mint or three (Wint-o-green Lifesavers) made me feel like I was snacking

March 2014
Rule #3.  Smoothies for breakfast
I could not have faced a smoothie for breakfast if I was still feeling the effects of the previous night's drinking.  So it was beneficial that I added this rule only after drinking was solidly in my rearview.  By March, my weight loss was going strong, so it made sense to work on eating healthier.  I have had a smoothie for breakfast every day since then except for a week long vacation in Florida.

With these three rules in place, I rocked 2014, losing 45 pounds.  I found that starting the day with a healthy smoothie made me more aware of what I was eating for lunch and dinner.  I was a lot more likely to order something like fish at a restaurant and eat less in general.

March 2015
Rule #4.  Salads for lunch
While researching a FoodSaver purchase, I saw mason jar salad ideas on Pinterest.  Up until then, my wife and I would enjoy a homemade salad for a day or two before it got wilted and gross.  Since there is quite a bit of prep work involved, we tried buying those bags of salad, but they simply do not taste as good as "real"lettuce.  So after getting the Foodsaver, it became a regular thing for us to make a big salad on Sunday and jar it up for the week.  Typically we will make 8-10 salad jars on Sunday and each have one a day during the week.  It sure makes lunch more efficient and saves money too.  I add in a protein (leftover chicken, extra taco meat, a packet of tuna) and some dressing and I am good to go.  No need to drive and pick up food or take time to make food - no thinking involved!  By varying the protein and dressing, along with trying different types of hot peppers and other salad ingredients, it doesn't get boring.
I will take pictures and post about the salad making process soon.

June 2015
Rule #5.  Swimming
Over the summer I took my kids to the pool at lunchtime when I was working from home, 2-3 days a week, plus another pool visit or two on the weekends.  Since my kids are all good swimmers, I started doing a few laps before playing around with them in the water.  I think I did less than 10 laps the first time.  When school started up, I kept going on my own, 3 times during the work week and one or two more times on the weekend.  I am up to 46 lengths per visit now (November).  Feels great afterwards, and if I ever start to feel lazy, I just think of the Nike slogan (Just Do It) and remind myself that it only takes 25 minutes or so.

I don't know what the next rule might be, but I am solid with the above 5 rules, so adding a sixth won't be any problem when I do!