My "rules" are not your rules, but they might offer some help...

About five and a half years ago, I discovered that my total carbohydrate consumption seemed to be the variable most closely correlated to my body weight (& body fat).

If I dialed the carb intake UP… my body weight (and body fat percentage) went UP.

If I dialed the carb intake DOWN… my body weight (and body fat percentage) went DOWN.

So naturally, I dialed down the carb intake (to about 60-70 grams per day) and the weight (and body fat) started to fall off…

I noticed that if my daily carb consumption went above 90, I would start to regain weight…

I also noticed that the elimination of sugar, grains and processed carbs helped immensely in reducing my hunger and cravings, but I still frequently felt as though I needed more food.

I read about the importance of protein in achieving satiety and eliminating cravings.

I started experimenting with a daily protein target, starting at about 135 grams per day, and gradually increased it to as high as 220 grams per day.

I finally settled on approximately 200 grams of protein per day.

200 grams of protein per day for me is 1 gram per pound of desired body weight.

I learned that my is the LEVER that makes it easy for me to keep me under my carbohydrate limit.

But what about FAT?

Along the way I learned fat consumption is important, and that there does seem to be a minimum daily threshold I need to hit in order to minimize cravings and achieve satiety. For example, I’ve never done well in the area of satiety when eating mostly very low-fat meals (such as chicken breast and broccoli).

I learned that as long as I included high-protein foods that included ample healthy fats, I never seemed to run into problems.

It turns out the foods I regularly eat (beef, salmon, chicken thighs, cheddar cheese, sour cream, eggs, nuts, avocado, extra virgin olive oil, and occasional HLTH Code meal replacements) include enough fat that I never have to track or count.

I also realized about six months into my low-carb journey that I was rarely hungry in the morning.

I experimented with skipping breakfast, and noticed improvements in the way I felt. I experimented with a variety of eating windows, and eventually settled on 16:8 time restricted eating (TRE).

With 16:8 (or 17:7) TRE, I generally don’t eat after 8 pm and I don’t eat again until after noon the following day.

I have noticed I have more energy, especially in late morning, and the hunger and cravings have become virtually nonexistent.

Once I’d figured out a series of practices that allowed me to sustainably (& easily) maintain my 80-pound fat loss (29% of body weight) I decided to turn what I’d learned into a simple set of “nutrition rules” I could use to keep myself on track moving forward.

The idea of the rules was to keep them as simple as possible, mentioning the fewest rules possible that would still be effective…

This is the list I came up with:

I carry a few copies of the rules in my wallet and frequently share them with others who ask about my “diet”.

Important to note: My rules probably aren’t perfect for you (in fact, yours might be quite different).

But, I’ve become a believer in the importance of “rules”.

If there’s an area in which you constantly struggle, it’s essential that you change what you’re doing.

And in order to follow through on any plan involving change, it’s essential that you understand what it is you are committing to do.

That’s what my rules do for me.

Over the past year I’ve had dozens of people send me drafts of “rules” they created after seeing mine. Occasionally, I’ve made some minor suggestions on how they might improve them.

Recently, I’ve been getting feedback from a growing number of these individuals. Some of the results have been eye-opening. Several people have literally transformed their lives for the better. Others have made significant improvements and are in the process of adjusting their rules to take those improvements to the next level.

Once I had a set of nutrition rules that had transformed my life, I began creating “exercise rules” in order to help me reach new goals. My exercise rules have helped me improve my cardiovascular fitness (starting with a 30-minute 5k in May 2021, running my first half marathon in October 2022, and completing the Los Angeles Marathon in March 2023), and I’m stronger now at age 59 than I’ve ever been.

This is the latest iteration of my exercise rules:

I strongly believe most people have the capacity to make dramatic improvements to their health span & lifespan through lifestyle changes.

There is a path. Find it. There are people who want to help.

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