[djmcmath]

Great thread.

I've always been a pretty fit guy, but decided last summer to start working out regularly. I signed up for a gym membership and spent a few months just putzing around -- lifting a few weights, doing some random-length runs, whatever. Then about October or November, I started actually paying attention to what I was doing and trying to drive my workouts in a direction. So now I alternate running days with lifting days. My weight numbers are going up, my run times are going down, and I'm seeing a noticeable difference in the mirror.

A little trick I use to entice myself to run longer: I love listening to RadioLab and Freakonomics podcasts, but I only allow myself to listen to them while I'm running. So I spend more time running because I'm *actually* doing something that isn't boring.

My big challenge is the diet. While most of my intake is reasonably healthy, I splurge too often. I bet if I gave up alcohol for 12 weeks I could have a 6-pack. ... But I *really* enjoy craft beer. And pizza. And my favorite salad dressing is either ranch or Caesar, both of which are basically pure unhealthy fat and sugar.

Who's got good diet "tricks?" How do I incentivize myself to eat more healthy? I mean, aside from obviously just exercising good self-discipline, what have you guys found that's worked to develop better eating habits?