Everyday Systems

I've noticed several people here discussing their successes and failures doing 21 consecutive days of No S. I'm curious whether during the 21 days these people actually take S days, or is it truly 21 straight of days of no snacks, no sweets, no seconds.

As noted in a recent post, I've been back on No S for a few weeks and I'm doing well, but I thought a 21-day challenge (or even a month with no S-days) might be a good way to begin the new year.

Any advice from those who've tried this or something similar would be greatly appreciated.

During the 21 days the idea is to try out the No S habit - so, yes, you have S days.

Mon-Friday - No snacks, no sweets, no seconds
Sat & Sun - S days
repeat each week until you've succeeded in doing 21 days.

You can start any day of the week!

I did 21 days when I started, then another 21 days - then just kept going!

jakemart wrote: As noted in a recent post, I've been back on No S for a few weeks and I'm doing well, but I thought a 21-day challenge (or even a month with no S-days) might be a good way to begin the new year.

I think if I did a month (or 21 days) with no S days, I'd rebel, LOL! The S days keep me on track for N days, and the N days often help me have better habits on S days (this past Sunday notwithstanding!) I think the goal of the 21 day challenge is to get the feeling of good, sustainable habits in place, and to build from there. 21 days without any S days might do the opposite and backfire.

S days are ALWAYS available on weekends. The whole point is to have release valves IN CASE the pressure becomes too great. Some people slide right into moderation on weekends; some don't. But week after week of N days is the backbone.

Welcome home!

The 21 days is because of some habit theory that says it takes 21 days to establish a new habit. Experience has shown that food changes take longer. But it's still a nice benchmark.

Keep up with us!

oolala53 wrote:Experience has shown that food changes take longer. But it's still a nice benchmark.

Are you speaking of personal experience, or some kind of studies?

I'm now starting month 2 of NoS, and really find my giddyness over that first green and yellow calendar kinda funny--it's funny how such an easy, small tracking device is inspirational, LOL! But I have wondered when it will all feel more...second nature. When did that happen for you?

Merry wrote:

oolala53 wrote:Experience has shown that food changes take longer. But it's still a nice benchmark.

But I have wondered when it will all feel more...second nature. When did that happen for you?

Some people really do click almost instantly. That's awesome when it does.

Sometimes people, in the rush of the newness, think they're clicking with it and it turns out that the test of time is something different.

Sometimes people struggle like crazy.

This is only ONE study, but it indicates that the time to establish a habit can vary widely.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3505409/

NoelFigart wrote:
Some people really do click almost instantly. That's awesome when it does.

Sometimes people, in the rush of the newness, think they're clicking with it and it turns out that the test of time is something different.

Sometimes people struggle like crazy.

This is only ONE study, but it indicates that the time to establish a habit can vary widely.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3505409/

Cool, thanks! Looks like within about 10 weeks there's a good chance a new habit will seem "normal." I could handle that. I think a lot of aspects seem "normal" now, but others don't yet...