Well it’s week two of this column, and I wish I had something inspirational to write about. With another week of dedication and determination, I only lost one pound. But I have to keep looking at it positively. It’s one more pound than I had lost last week, and it’s one pound I didn’t put on. And that’s the point, right? Changing your life  is for the better – for the sake of being healthy, not for the sake of a number on a scale.

It’s hard to stay inspired week after week when you don’t always see hoped for results, but I keep going because it’s the only thing that’s ever worked. It may not always work as well as I might like, but it does work when you look at the big picture. So what are the rules anyway? In my book, there are only a few and they are very simple. These rules were actually given to me by my mother when I was a tennis player. To stay at peak physical fitness, she recommended I make these changes and it still applies true as I try to get back to that state.

The rules are:

1) No seconds

2) No snacking

3) No dessert

4) No soda

The reason this set of rules works for me is because it enforces the fundamentals of good nutrition that I can’t always stick with on a decision-by-decision basis. Portion control, low sugar intake, and balanced meals are guidelines you hear all the time. But it’s a lot easier to define what NOT to do. So I made the rules, and now I stick with them. The longer I avoid sweets and soda, the less I crave them. The more I choose fruit and whole grains over junk food, the less I enjoy the taste of the greasy foods I once frequented.

So I suppose my inspiration is simply that I’ve come up with a plan, and it’s working. Regardless of the outcome or the length of time it takes me to achieve my end goal, I can stay encouraged by the fact that there is any progress at all.

Until next week, Tribune readers. Stay encouraged. Stay inspired.

Rachel E. Mawhirter