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Rule #1
Your Diet Is A Bank Account
This simply means, balance what you put into your mouth. If you have a carb-loaded meal for breakfast, balance it out with a low-carb, protein-filled lunch. If you splurge on that cookie post-lunch, skip the dessert or glass of wine later. This is balancing your diet - you will likely get all the food groups, nutrients, etc. that you need all in a day's time without ever feeling deprived.
I like this rule because there is room to mess up. We are not perfect and that goes for our diets too. The wiggle room this rule allows prevents you from ever feeling guilty about a food choice. It's OK to eat the donut, don't beat yourself up. No one food makes you fat and you'll always have another chance to pick a healthier option.
Remember, checks and balances here people! If you have a cocktail party to go to at night, remember that and plan ahead. Eat lots of veggies, fruits and proteins throughout the day to make up for the empty alcohol calories you are likely to consume later on! And remember, NOTHING is forbidden here - everything in moderation.
Eating will become a lot less stressful if you follow this rule. It will free you from ever counting calories again. Isn't that quite an incentive?! I think so!
Rule #2
You Can Have It All, Just Not All At Once
This rule means you can have anything you want, just not all in one sitting. If you want fries, you are more than welcome to get those fries! Just don't supersize the order with a double cheese burger and a shake. Our body needs treats every now and again to make sure we don't binge later. But treating ourselves does not mean go eat two days worth of calories in one sitting.
Once you practice this rule a while, you'll start to not crave bad foods all together. Eat a little at a time to satisfy your cravings and then stop. After two or three bites, the food you are eating usually starts to taste ordinary, meaning it doesn't taste as AMAZING as it did when you first put it in your mouth. This is your time to stop. Bethenny calls this the point of diminishing return. The point your food satisfies your craving (usually after 3 bites), stop! Easy as that. You got your sugar or salt fix, but with hardly any calories!
Remember, all foods are there for the taking, just not all at once - MODERATION is key.
Rule #3
Taste Everything, Eat Nothing
This rule might seem like rule #2, but it actually isn't. This rule is in place to take all anxiety and stress out of going out to dinner with friends or attending a cocktail party - if you are like me or Bethenny, sometimes its tough to be excited about going out when you know there's a likely chance that you will break your diet. And then a more likely chance of eating and drinking everything on the table.
You no longer have to think this way! You are allowed to go out and live your life and be excited about it, but while doing it, you will taste everything, but actually eat nothing.
To do this, order soup before your meal or order three apitizers for everyone to share. Take two to three bites or until your point of diminishing return and then stop! Therefore, you are left completely satisfied, but not bloated, puffy, disgusting, etc - you know what I'm talking about. You will feel confident when you wake up the next morning and proud of yourself for going out and not spoiling everything you've worked so hard for.
Remember, eat steak, eat spinach dip, eat lo mein, but only a little of each! Same goes with the wine...have a glass, but not 5! You'll feel much better with yourself after and not have wasted thousands of calories you could have potentially consumed eating and drinking out.
Rule #4
Pay Attention
I'm sure you've heard of MINDFUL eating, correct? Mindful eating is when you sit down, enjoy the feeling, smell, texture of your food, all the while being very aware of how your body feels and the environment that you are eating in. It all makes a huge difference when not overeating.
Eating on the go, standing up, in the car, at your work desk - this is all MINDLESS eating and you are almost always going to over eat, because you will not be paying attention to what you put into your mouth. PLUS, on the go, getting healthy veggies, fruits, whole grains and proteins that your body needs aren't usually readily available, making it very hard to provide the right kind of nourishment and energy to your body.
Always pay attention to what you are eating, what time you are eating, where you are eating, etc. - it will help you enjoy your food more, consume only enough for your body to rejuvenate itself and help you feel and look better in the end. It really helps the mental battle - what's most likely the underlying foundation to your food phobias. PAYING attention will help you stick to nutritious choices and prevent you from binging - the key, you will soon learn, to becoming naturally thin and happy with your body.
Rule #5
Downsize Now!
I always say moderation is key. If you're going to get the body you want and finally free yourself from a lifetime of dieting, you cannot keep eating the same giant portions. You have to downsize immediately. If you are used to eating an entire bowl of pasta or a steak the size of your plate - you are never going to become naturally thin if you do not change your habits. Check portion sizes. The amount of pasta you should have in one sitting is about a cup, a steak should be about the size of your palm.
Downsizing might be difficult at first if you are used to eating large portions at every meal. But from talking to people who have lost weight, they agree that this was the first change they made and without cutting anything out of their diets, the pounds just melted off. It's like a miracle fix.
Try it for a couple weeks and see what a difference eating in moderation can do for you. You can still eat anything you want, but only eat 1/4 or a 1/2 of it and save the rest for later. It will make a huge difference in how you look come a month from now.
Aren't you excited that something as easy as cutting your portion in half can shave off tons of pounds!? Pretty cool, I think. No counting calories necessary. That's a blessing in itself.
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