Rule # 4: Moderation Is Sometimes For Good Things, Too

Don't drink two v8's in the same day.  You WILL get heartburn.*

*This one probably only applies to me.  But it needed to be said.

-Amber

Rule # 3: Learn From Professor Poop

When you get a cold while trying to lose weight, what do you do?  There is no answer.  Or rather, there are dozens of answers.  Just take it an hour at a time.  If, at this moment, you think you could maybe get up and wash a couple dishes, do so.  And don't feel bad or beat yourself up because the trash is still there.  It's freezing out, and you're ill.  It's okay.  And if you think, at this moment, that you could manage to make yourself a sandwich on some nice whole grain bread then please do, and don't feel bad that you really just needed it to have cheese on it.  Some lovely, sharp cheddar or some earthy, mild swiss.  Just don't bother your poor sick head about it, because it's what you could do at the time and you're doing great.  How I wish I could have told myself these things this morning when I woke up and my reaction was "Oh, piss!" but it's okay.  That's fine, that's what learning is all about, isn't it?  If the fact that I fricking bombed today didn't result in improved behavior tomorrow, then there'd be a real problem. You can always learn from crap that happens. 

-Amber

Rule # 2: Follow Your Own Rules

You are not a lazy employee who can use the fake excuse of "Oh, I didn't understand you the first time".  This is you talking to yourself, and you know darned well what you meant. You've said it, you had good reasons, it's a good rule, now follow through for the love of warriors!!! Don't repeat yourself, and don't stay up till 6:30am the night after you make a rule for yourself to get sleep.  That's like a kid having to be told numerous times that cutting your own hair is dangerous for a five-year-old.  Now he's missing both ears.  That's stupid.  Don't be like that.

-Amber

Rule # 1: Sleep!

Nothing makes a day more likely to suck than not getting enough sleep, especially when you're trying to lose weight.  Weight loss is an emotional thing and lack of sleep makes you irritable and unstable right from the beginning.  It automatically puts you in a bad place.  It's hard to stay on plan when you already feel crappy, and this is so avoidable, not to everyone I realize, but certainly to me, and definetely worth working on.  I always feel so stupid when I've just eaten something terrible and I realize that there was no good reason, I was just having a crappy day because I'm tired and headachy and irritable.  It's like accidentally losing a finger because you were cutting vegetables after having deliberately coated your knife hand with butter.  Why would you do that?  There's no good reason for that.  Don't do that.

-Amber