Everyday Systems

So - just completed day 3 of No-S ing. 2 S days went well and didn't eat as much as I normally would but actually felt quite relaxed about what I was eating. Today I think i've been suffering from sugar withdrawal. Not pleasant but stuck it out. It's actually quite scary to realise how dependant your body can become on certain foodstuffs. Will I ever get hooked on cucumber?

Hooked? Probably not.

But a lot of us here have found that after a while sugar isn't as enjoyable as it used to be. It's too sweet and the little zing that it gives you not really all that pleasant. So, cucumbers might start tasting better.

After No-S'ing since last June, I don't really feel differently about vegetables (not cucumbers- we don't have them in our house because Nicest Husband hates them, and I don't like them nearly enough to get them just for me). I do feel differently about snack food and sweets, though. I find I enjoy them more when I get them, and get more pleasure out of having less of them. I think this is because I know I can't have them all the time, so they seem more special when I do have them.

Nicest of the Damned wrote: I do feel differently about snack food and sweets, though. I find I enjoy them more when I get them, and get more pleasure out of having less of them.

This is definitely how I feel about sugar and treats. I enjoy the heck out of 'em, but I sure don't need or want them every day, and serving sizes are much smaller.

mbell, as you train your appetite, you'll find that your relationship with sweets will change. Though I don't buy the sugar as a physically addictive substance thing, myself. (I'm one of these jerks who tends to classify addiction to a substance with whether or not you get actual "I can't go to work" withdrawal symptoms if the substance is removed -- like DTs migraines or vomiting. I know not everyone agrees with this.) However, you might have an incredibly POWERFUL habituation to a food, and breaking that can be a challenge, too. That you're up for sticking it out this early in the game says you'll probably retrain your appetite just fine. Just don't freak at a failure!

mbell wrote:Will I ever get hooked on cucumber?

I find little to love about cucumber, though I don't *mind* it.

On the other hand, I've been amazed at how much I'm into fruit, these days. Apples, oranges, grapes, pears -- it's incredible how *sweet* these things are! (Baby carrots, too.) I eat one or two with nearly every meal. I don't remember enjoying fruit this much, and though I can't prove it, I suspect that the last year and a half (EDIT: hey, time flies, it's actually a year and two-thirds) of reducing my daily intake of sugary sweets may have had a positive effect on my ability to taste sweetness in other things.

NoelFigart - Interesting what you say about your take on habitual versus addictive. I did actually have a migraine last night and often get headaches post binge when I'm eating more normally. Got me thinking about the kind of foods I like and realised that I veer towards sweet tasting foods, even fruits and vegetables. (Not excited at the thought of an apple but would quite happily consume a punnet of ripe juicy strawberries or a very ripe mashed banana). I think this No-s life is going to be a bit of a challenge but what the heck!

mbell wrote:Will I ever get hooked on cucumber?

My daughters and I must have different taste buds -- we're ALL hooked on cucumbers. They're always in our salads, we all like cucumbers in sandwiches -- one of my favorites is cucumber and avocado with a little salt and pepper and mayonnaise on whole grain bread. Yum! I'll eat cucumber spears as a side with my soup or as a snack (naturally only on S days!). One of my favorite sides with my soup lunches is strips of bell pepper and strips of cucumber.

wosnes wrote:we're ALL hooked on cucumbers.

Me too. I love cucumbers....and I even get to eat them
in my current low-carb experiment.

My first attempt at No S was horrible. I had the worst sugar withdrawals imaginable, shakes, headaches, and just feeling plain awful. It was so bad that I've yet to go more than one day on No S again. It was scary. Maybe one day I'll make my body obey me and not the other way around, hence why I toy around the forums. But it is not going to be easy if you have the cravings I did. Maybe if you know this in advance, you can stick it out.

OMgosh, 3 days in? You are just getting going. I think you'll find cravings and withdrawals will come and go in waves. I doubt most people just stop wanting something one day. If they look back they'll probably remember there was a little bit of mental gymnastics going on. for instance, today I had lunch out and it was great. I've been sick so it was nice to want a meal, and I was with a friend, when I often have to eat alone. I ate what I wanted, took a doggy bag, left full, and was walking home-- and the old feeling of just wanting to get some sugary item and chow down appeared again. I was full! I decided it was just the vestige of an old habit and ignored it. At first, it took a little more doing to process the thoughts and choose to think about something else. Now it goes faster. But that still happens to me after a year of No S and many more N days than not. But I had a pretty serious sugar freak on for DECADES. I'd tried to deal with it the non-diet way for years, and I think those efforts helped make No S possible this time around.

Oh, my, there are some times, esp. when the weather is hot, a cucumber salad with jicama shavings, lemon and salt, all very cold-- yes, I can crave that.

Well 11 days in and the sugar cravings have definitely subsided, only to be replaced with constant thoughts about my next meal, so much so that i can barely concentrate on anything else! Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Huh. I like thinking about food so long as I know I can get some soon! Anticipation is a good thing.

I do think about food still more than I'd like, but my habits aren't solid. However, I don't feel the sense of obsession as I used to.

I wonder if you're eating enough total food.

You can affect what you're thinking about, too. If you find yourself thinking about food, determine if you might be legitimately hungry and vow to eat more at meals. If not, just chalk it up to an unnecessary anxiety about having to detach from food; then consciously involve yourself in something else. That can become a habit, too.

mbell wrote:Well 11 days in and the sugar cravings have definitely subsided, only to be replaced with constant thoughts about my next meal, so much so that i can barely concentrate on anything else! Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Very, very familiar. Not so much right now since I'm staying with family and not doing my own cooking, but when I'm home, I'll sometimes have dinner completely planned in my head by 10am! As the constant foodfoodfood reminders from my permasnacking stomach/habit have begun to fade, this has happened less often though.

One of my favourite parts about No-S is planning delicious meals, something that I haven't done for a long time. I love that my focus is shifting to waiting for - and enjoying - a satisfying main meal, rather than grazing on junk all day.

Not sure if I will ever love cucumber though!

Sharpie wrote: I'll sometimes have dinner completely planned in my head by 10am!

I don't think this is a bad thing. I ALWAYS know what I'm going to eat for my meals on N days, and I've been doing this almost 18 months! It's much less stressful for me to not only know when I'm going to be eating, but to know what I'm going to eat. That way I can be assured I will be having a satisfying meal.

Up with Cucumbers!!! I love them.

I'm trying to do more meal planning. There are studies that show that people who plan meals eat healthier than people who don't. This goes along with my experience, as well. I'm not much of a planner by nature, but I'm trying to plan meals more so that Nicest Husband and I eat healthier.

I don't know about studies, but I do know that I do tend to include a wider range of foods and cook from scratch when I have a meal plan.

I DONT consider a meal plan a straight jacket, though. If I planned to have Coq au Vin on Monday and Puttanesca (my latest dietary obsession) on Wednesday, and I find that I had busy day on Monday, it might be that we'll be doing the puttanesca on Monday.

But even so, the meal plan means that I always have all the ingredients for a week's worth of varied meals in the kitchen. I do try very hard to balance simple and complex meals, though, rather than getting all amibitious about trying to make a gourmet meal every night.

Puttanesca. mmmmm

I really should stop reading food related posts after 4PM.

sounds kinky

Yes. It will pass as you do this more. Remember to eat enough at meals so you don't regret not having enough at the last meal!

mbell wrote:Well 11 days in and the sugar cravings have definitely subsided, only to be replaced with constant thoughts about my next meal, so much so that i can barely concentrate on anything else! Does this sound familiar to anyone?

mbell wrote:Well 11 days in and the sugar cravings have definitely subsided, only to be replaced with constant thoughts about my next meal, so much so that i can barely concentrate on anything else! Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Yes, very familiar. I have said on here that this way of eating is, to me, no less of an obsession than any other plan except that it is at least a healthy way to eat and can be maintained in front of family, friends and co-workers without the -
Oh, I am on a diet thing. Nobody stares at you if you are eating a normal sized plate of food like they might if you were refusing to eat at all or eating four plates of food from the buffet line.

I've sometimes thought if I ever get this down as a routine, I will go to a hypnotist and ask if s/he can help me forget my history with food problems. 'Course, if they could do that, maybe they could do it for me now.