Celebrating One Year of NoS Sanity!

(New!) Read (or post) about people who have stuck with No-S for 10 or more months, lost 10 or more pounds, or 10 or more percent for their starting weight. Periodic updates strongly encouraged -- you can think of it as "Yearly Check In."

Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating

Post Reply
vmsurbat
Posts: 499
Joined: Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:12 am
Location: Montenegro

Celebrating One Year of NoS Sanity!

Post by vmsurbat » Thu Jul 16, 2009 2:07 pm

Woohoo! I just passed the "One year since I began NoS" eating habits.

For the record, I am 5'2", nearing 50, mother of 5, and have thyroid issues. One year ago I decided that I would never lose weight just "watching" what I ate after repeated attempts, so I began searching the web for a diet that was doable. I clicked link after link (Zone, South Beach, Eat to Live, etc, etc--never Atkins, though :-)) and discarded them all as way too intrusive, undoable (we live overseas and have to eat what is available here), and often just weird. I had saved my NoS link for last, thinking that the words meant "No Sugar" which is also not realistic for our current lifestyle, but I thought I might be able to fudge around the sugar requirement.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I began to read the sane and sensible approach outlined on the NoS home page. I *knew* this was just the right amount of structure for me. As Reinhard says in his book, NoS is a great framework, but leaves the details up to us.

So, one year in and, drumroll please, the results are:

* 30 pounds lost!
* 5.5 inches off my waist!
* 5 inches off my hips!
* Retrained thinking ("One=done", "Mark it and Move on", "Pre-disapproved", "Nothing is in and of itself." (from the book))
* Healthier plates (big benefit of focused meals--no thinking I'll have my fruit or veggies later as a "snack.")
* Guilt-free holidays and vacations!
* Butter (a smear) on my bread every day!
* Delicious desserts every weekend!
* Increased Willpower and Self-control (I've gained a few more good habits since starting NoS--consistent exercise, a new daily "facial" regimen that is doing wonders for my skin, daily fruit consumption, working on "Vitamins taken at dinner" habit right now....)

I found that my progress has been steady but slowing as I get nearer a realistically healthy weight. I lost the first 20 pounds in 5 months, and the last 10 pounds in the past 7 months. I think I will now average 1-2 pounds per month until I reach a natural weight.

But the WHOLE PROCESS has been VERY ENJOYABLE, and I wouldn't trade "speed" for the "sanity, superiority, success, and SATISFACTION" of NoS.

A former glutton (I appreciate the honest term!),
Vicki in MNE
7! Yrs. with Vanilla NoS, down 55+lb, happily maintaining and still loving it!

User avatar
la_loser
Posts: 629
Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:43 pm
Location: Deep in the Heart. . .land

Awesome!

Post by la_loser » Thu Jul 16, 2009 2:43 pm

Wow--what a great testamonial to No S. Impressive results!

Your contributions to the boards have helped many of us over the year as well--Mark it and move on!!!! You said it first! Now KCCC and I repeat it all the time!

Thanks for sharing
LA Loser. . . well on my way to becoming an LA Winner. :lol:

kccc
Posts: 3957
Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 1:12 am

Post by kccc » Thu Jul 16, 2009 3:30 pm

What a WONDERFUL testamonial! :)

In addition to being a nice record of some impressive progress, it's also a nice "round-up" of your great quotes! You've contributed so much to the boards while on your own journey - thank you!

Too solid flesh
Posts: 639
Joined: Wed Jan 17, 2007 5:22 pm
Location: England

Celebrating One Year of NoS Sanity!

Post by Too solid flesh » Thu Jul 16, 2009 3:35 pm

Congratulations! You have achieved impressive results, and your post is a wonderful celebration of No S.

Thalia
Posts: 569
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2007 8:15 pm
Location: Southern California

Post by Thalia » Thu Jul 16, 2009 3:47 pm

Happy No S-vversary! What a wonderful and inspiring accomplishment!

User avatar
mimi
Posts: 1427
Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2007 2:20 pm
Location: The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia

Post by mimi » Thu Jul 16, 2009 4:35 pm

What a wonderful and inspirational testimony vmsurbat!

Hats off to you - you have accomplished something truly great!

I hope that's me too in one year!

Mimi :D
Discovered NoS: April 16, 2007
Restarted once again: July 14, 2011
Quitting is not an option...
If you start to slip, tie a knot and hang on!
Remember that good enough is... good enough.
Strive for progress, not perfection!

User avatar
sophiasapientia
Posts: 919
Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2008 3:09 am
Location: Michigan

Post by sophiasapientia » Thu Jul 16, 2009 5:18 pm

Thanks for sharing your inspiring testimony Vicki and congratulations on your great success! I too hope to have achieved such success and have such a sense of peace by the time I celebrate being here for a year. :D
Restarted No S (3rd times a charm!) January 2010 at 145 lbs

Ms
Posts: 61
Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2009 2:19 pm

Post by Ms » Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:50 pm

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I especially like the last part of your post: "I wouldn't trade "speed" for the "sanity, superiority, success, and SATISFACTION" of NoS."

StrawberryRoan
Posts: 461
Joined: Tue Apr 28, 2009 1:39 pm
Location: United States

Post by StrawberryRoan » Thu Jul 16, 2009 7:42 pm

Amazing!

Congrats and thanks for the inspiration.

Berry :wink:

Mounted Ranger!
Posts: 83
Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 7:35 pm

Post by Mounted Ranger! » Thu Jul 16, 2009 9:15 pm

Ms wrote:CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I especially like the last part of your post: "I wouldn't trade "speed" for the "sanity, superiority, success, and SATISFACTION" of NoS."
me, too!

Congrats!
Mounted Ranger!
No S-ing, Ranging, and Shovelgloving since 7/7/09

Bushranger
Posts: 368
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2009 3:30 am

Post by Bushranger » Fri Jul 17, 2009 2:15 am

vmsurbat, that's an awesome result. I'm sure it was the slower and more stable approach that allowed the long term success. As you have already pointed out "speedy" is not the way; it's a gimmick to sell diet plans and all the additional branded food replacements. You are doing so well. :D

Bushranger
Posts: 368
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2009 3:30 am

Post by Bushranger » Fri Jul 17, 2009 4:15 am

Happy 1 Year No S Birthday!

Image

User avatar
reinhard
Site Admin
Posts: 5918
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2005 7:38 pm
Location: Cambridge, MA
Contact:

Post by reinhard » Fri Jul 17, 2009 4:52 pm

Vicky,

Congratulations and thank you for sharing this with us!

Your quantitative results are impressive, but even more impressive is how you managed to do this despite obstacles that could EASILY have served as very compelling excuses for inaction (FIVE kids? I'm about to jump out the window with two! :-)).

And the non-quantitative results you list are pretty fantastic, too. I think no-s must be the only diet where the "side effects" are arguably more important than the primary result of weight loss.

Bushranger -- love the cake. You are on a role. I think we have to open an online gallery for your productions.

Reinhard

sterhill
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 1:47 am
Location: artist

Post by sterhill » Sat Jul 18, 2009 2:23 am

Vicki - thanks for the inspiration! I also am 5'2" and over 50... I quit smoking 2 years ago and gained 20 pounds over the 10/15 I already had in excess... I have tried a lot of diets and just have not been able to get it off and I have good expectations for this... You did great! This way of eating makes so much sense!

Sterling

vmsurbat
Posts: 499
Joined: Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:12 am
Location: Montenegro

Post by vmsurbat » Sat Jul 18, 2009 6:20 am

Thank you everyone for your kind words.
This way of eating makes so much sense!
It really does--both in theory AND practice!
I think no-s must be the only diet where the "side effects" are arguably more important than the primary result of weight loss.
They are... As you and others have pointed out in other posts, the concept of family/social meals has sadly been lost, much to our detriment. "Food", the growing, preparing, enjoying of it, is SO MUCH MORE than "fuel." I think NoS fosters a wholistic relationship with food once again....and that is eye-opening for many...
Bushranger -- love the cake. You are on a role. I think we have to open an online gallery for your productions.
I agree! And everybody, enjoy a piece--it's an S-day! :-)

Looking forward to reading more testimonials in the upcoming weeks and months,
Vicki in MNE
7! Yrs. with Vanilla NoS, down 55+lb, happily maintaining and still loving it!

User avatar
bonnieUK
Posts: 352
Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2007 2:37 pm
Location: Near London, UK

Post by bonnieUK » Sun Jul 19, 2009 10:59 am

Hi vmsurbat and thanks for sharing this inspirational testimonial, go you! :D

I too noticed that the benefits of No S are much more hollistic than just losing a bit of weight (the main focus of other diets). I've mentioned in various posts that No S has helped me in the following ways:

* increased energy levels
* more even/stable moods (from more stable blood sugar levels)
* better digestion (no longer eating seconds and feeling stuffed/bloated)
* help with developing other good habits too like regular exercise
* improved quality time with DH - we no longer spend evenings sprawled on the couch stuffed from overeating at dinner :lol:
* a cleaner kitchen - I have the energy in the evenings to clean everything up before bed, so I wake up to a nice clean kitchen :)

I bet Reinhard didn't think his diet idea would lead to a cleaner kitchen, but there you go :wink:

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Sun Jul 19, 2009 4:39 pm

Congratulations Vicki!! :D
Wonderful testimonial!!!
Very inspiring!!!
8) Debs
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

User avatar
Dandelion
Posts: 696
Joined: Tue Sep 15, 2009 2:42 am

Post by Dandelion » Wed Sep 30, 2009 1:07 am

Thanks for posting this. I'm hypothyroid among other things - so it's good to know it *is* possible.

Post Reply