The Rules

In my kitchen there is a sign that reads:

Eat Whole ~ Live Well

Make Beautiful Trash

While this mantra is fairly subjective, it pretty much sums up my philosophy on life. For those, like me, who like specific instructions, I submit these 10 commandments:

1. Don't get hungry - Getting hungry makes you tired and cranky and it gives you a headache. Hunger makes you less able to make smart choices or even think straight. It makes you more likely to say "f#%* it" and eat the chocolate cake. Getting hungry ruins everything. Don't do it.

2. Drink water - Duh. You knew this, right? But you're not doing it.

3. MOVE - Fitness, health, even weight loss is SO much more about moving more than it is about eating less. Park far away from things. Stand whenever you can. Walk. Bike. Take the stairs. Pick up heavy stuff.


4. Don't eat crap - Again, duh. But if you're not cooking three meals and two snacks per day in your home kitchen, you really have no idea what you might end up consuming. The big stuff is easy: no bacon double cheeseburgers. But did you know there are 1,400 calories in a Fajita Salad at a major restaurant chain?

5. Don't give up your favorite foods - Adapt. It is what has kept civilization going for thousands of years. That Fajita Salad I just mentioned? You can order the actual fajitas from the same chain for 950; hold the cheese & sour cream for 700; hold the cheese, sour cream and tortillas for 375. There are ways to make ALL of your favorite foods healthy and delicious. I will show you those ways here. I take requests.

6. No recipes. I don't believe in them. Eat whatever is fresh and local. Eat things together you've never tasted together before. Eat what you're craving, just prepared in a more thoughtful way. Please don't ask me for traditional recipes here; I'm not writing this stuff down and I drank my short-term memory away a long time ago.

7. Don't weigh yourself - There is almost zero value in weighing yourself. Ever. It's a rough estimate at best, it fluctuates constantly, it is not a measure of health, fitness, or life expectancy. It goes up when you replace fat with muscle. It discourages you. Pick up your bathroom scale 50 times with each hand instead of standing on it and you'll make better use of it.


8. Measure your progress - Measure yourself at the chest, widest waist, smallest waist, widest hips, butt and around both thighs. Add those numbers up. Write it down. Wait a week. Repeat. Notice trends. Set goals. Meet them.

9. MOVE AGAIN

10. Read more - No matter how much you're reading now, you should read more. That one's not so much about the eating whole advice as it is the living well advice. When you're living well, you will make beautiful trash. Try it.