A Map for this Ice Creamless Road

We're well on our way into the first week of this competition, and I say we all give ourselves a high-five for jumping into a weight-loss challenge in the middle of the summer because goodness knows that ice cream truck music sounds like its just laughing at me all the way down the street.

I thought I'd post a tool to help us stay focused when the ice cream and strawberry daiquiri spritzers are calling- sometimes its easier to make healthy choices when you have a bit of a road map. =)  These are Bob Harper's rules from his book, Skinny Rules.  I really enjoyed the book last summer, and I've always thought if I could choose between Bob and Jillian on the BL show, I'd totally be a Bob girl.  I like that these are straight forward and simple.  Think about picking and choosing a couple to focus on and follow, then add a few more each week.  Or don't use these at all- whatever floats your boat. =)

Bob Harper's Skinny Rules: (italics are mine)

Rule 1: Drink a large glass of water before every meal- no excuses!
Rule 2: Don't drink your calories (I'm looking at you, Starbucks Iced Vanilla Latte)
Rule 3: Eat protein at every meal- or stay hungry and grouchy
Rule 4: Slash your intake of refined flours and grains
Rule 5: Eat 30-50 grams of fiber each day
Rule 6: Eat apples and berries every single day.  Every. single. day.
Rule 7: No carbs after lunch (nooooooo!)
Rule 8: Learn to read food labels so you know what you're eating
Rule 9: Stop guessing about portion size and get it right- for good
Rule 10: No more added sweeteners, including artificial ones (there he goes hating on my vanilla latte again)
Rule 11: Get rid of those white potatoes
Rule 12: Make one day a week meatless
Rule 13: Get rid of fast foods and fried foods
Rule 14: Eat a real breakfast
Rule 15: Make your own food and eat at least ten meals a week at home
Rule 16: Banish high-salt foods
Rule 17: Eat your vegetables- JUST DO IT! (ouch. he's got me there.)
Rule 18: Go to bed hungry
Rule 19: Sleep right
Rule 20: Plan one splurge meal a week (now we're talkin')

If you like these, the book is really good.  I felt like it was very do-able- especially if you're serious about making a lifestyle change vs. a crash diet.  Each chapter covers a rule and expands on what he means and how to incorporate it into your diet. He also includes several recipes and meal plans, so its a very practical tool.  And the rules are a lot less intimidating when you read the book and get the detailed scoop.  (He's not giving me a free book for hawking his wares, but I think he should, don't you? hehe)

Whatever route you take for kicking the pounds, I hope the kick-off this week has gone well for you so far!  Get your weigh-in to me via email by midnight tomorrow, and I'll be back soon with an update to see how we all stacked up.

Happy Thursday!