Everyday Systems

LoriLifts

oolala..Thanks for the eloquent post. Remorse, guilt, disappointment, they're all included in "false hope syndrome". And just like you said, the typical pattern is the harder the fall, the grander the declaration to change. I'm usually not a reader of self help books. The Willpower Instinct is proba...

LoriLifts

Still reading The Willpower Instinct. Still freaking out because it's hitting so close to home. Last night I read about "False Hope Syndrome". Here's a couple excerpts.. "Vowing to change fills us with hope. We love to imagine how making the change will transform our lives, and we fantasize about th...

LoriLifts

Here's what Simmstone posted on his blog.. I am going to refrain from posting my 'lessons learned' from each month... chiefly because 'learning' something and 'doing' something are not synonymous with me. I re-read some of my old epiphanies and realized that they haven't always necessarily led me to...

LoriLifts

I am going to refrain from posting my 'lessons learned' from each month... chiefly because 'learning' something and 'doing' something are not synonymous with me. I re-read some of my old epiphanies and realized that they haven't always necessarily led me to different actions. So I will not be grand...

LoriLifts

Welcome!
I'm enjoying your blog

Lori

LoriLifts

I'm still reading "The Willpower Instinct". It's messing with my head! Last night I read the chapter called "The Brain's Big Lie". The author talks about dopamine, which is a "feel good" neurotransmitter. When your brain recognizes an opportunity for a reward (like pie after dinner), it releases dop...

LoriLifts

I'm still reading "The Willpower Instinct". It's messing with my head! Last night I read the chapter called "The Brain's Big Lie". The author talks about dopamine, which is a "feel good" neurotransmitter. When your brain recognizes an opportunity for a reward (like pie after dinner), it releases dop...

LoriLifts

I was wrestling with "lose weight fast" thoughts today. I found out that my annual company meeting is scheduled for June this year.Upon learning the date, my mind began calculating how many weeks I have before the convention (about 20). If I do a "cleanse" or "detox", I could be at my optimum weight...

LoriLifts

I hope you all enjoy this book as much as I do. I keep going back to re-read pages that resonate with me, just like I do with my No S book!

BrightAngel, I'm glad you liked the book, I know you are an avid reader.

Lori

LoriLifts

I think I've found a mod that's working for me. Instead of having 2 S days per week, I'm allowing myself 1 S per day. Everyday, I can have a snack, sweet or second. I don't have to use them but if I don't, I can't carry them over. It's one and done, everyday. So far, I'm liking this way of eating. F...

LoriLifts

Learning new habits takes time. Un-learning old habits takes even longer! I've been doing No S for over 3 years and am still a work in progress. My biggest accomplishment to date is eliminating evening snacks. I never thought I could do this, dinner is my last food of the day. It took about 2 years ...

LoriLifts

I'm doing more cooking at home this year. My Christmas present to myself was a sous-vide machine. It was pricey but I really like it. I don't eat chicken but I cook a bunch of pieces for my husband. The water bath makes it the chicken very tender. My husband says that aside from grilled, it's the be...

LoriLifts

Congratulations!

LoriLifts

This may be why I keep failing at 21 day Vanilla S challenges.. The Problem with Progress: Why Succeeding at Your Goals Can Sabotage Your Willpower Are to-do lists perilous to your goals? Published on December 11, 2011 by Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D. in The Science of Willpower Most of us believe that mak...

LoriLifts

This may be why I suck at 21 day vanilla s challenges.. The Problem with Progress: Why Succeeding at Your Goals Can Sabotage Your Willpower Are to-do lists perilous to your goals? Published on December 11, 2011 by Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D. in The Science of Willpower Most of us believe that making prog...

LoriLifts

In The Willpower Instinct, the author talks about how different parts of the brain divvy up the job of self control. One part specializes in "I Will", which help start and stick to projects (i.e.. I will do a 21 day vanilla S challenge). One part specializes in "I Won't", which holds you back from f...

LoriLifts

Hi Adrian, I have a book obsession too! The author suggests that the reader focus on one specific willpower challenge at a time. Read the whole book, do the experiments, then begin again with a new area of focus. I'm starting with No S. My next area of focus will be controlling impulsive spending, t...

LoriLifts

I'm reading a fascinating book.. The Willpower Instinct "How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It" by Kelly McGonigal PhD The author teaches a course about this subject at Stanford. It's a 10 week program and is among the most popular in the history of Stanford's...

LoriLifts

Still baby stepping it. I'm reading a fantastic book.. The Willpower Instinct "How self-control works, Why it matters, and What you can do to get more of it" by Kelly McGonigal PhD The author teaches a course about this subject at Stanford. It's a 10 week program and is among the most popular in the...

LoriLifts

I wrote a very profound and pithy blog entry. Unfortunately it's been lost in cyber space. In a nutshell... -Jumping into 5 days of Vanilla S is too stressful for me. I'm tackling it in baby steps, building one day a week until I'm 100%. -Tuesday was a successful No S day. I built an iron curtain ar...

LoriLifts

Hi Franxious....I like to set big scary goals! Ones that get me out of my comfort zone!

Today was the first time in a long long time that I wasn't tempted to have a snack at 3pm.

I'm on week 2 of vanilla S. I'm tickled pink.

LoriLifts

Thank you for sharing your story. I read it twice!

Lori

LoriLifts

I think this would work for me. I'm one of those people who likes to smell food, even if it's not permissible to have it yet. For example, my job has me in and out of supermarkets all day. I like to walk past the bakery and inhale the smells even on N days. This would be torture for my husband. He'd...

LoriLifts

Welcome back Rubyslippers! I don't think you have to be concerned about any dietary experiments. I've been off and on juice fasting, raw foods and primal diets without incurring any judgmental No S wrath. I've come and gone and came back again without any negative feedback. The No S community is one...

LoriLifts

I'm full of surprises in 2012. Besides sticking with vanilla S, I'm actually using my HabitCal! Every morning, I'm coloring my square green. If I do slip up, I'll have to go back and re-color it red. I would hate to do this, declaring the day a success in the morning may give me the kick in the pant...

LoriLifts

Hi Franxious1 (I like your username)

I know what you mean about fasting. My husband would rather cut off his arm, or at least a hand, before he would go 24 hours without food.

Have a terrific Sunday...

LoriLifts

Thanks Franxious! We both rock! I'm going to add a couple fasting days into my plan. I've been using the EatStopEat method for a couple years. One or two times a week I'll fast from 6pm until 6pm the following day. Even though it's 24 hours, it doesn't feel like it, since you only skip 2 meals. Inte...

LoriLifts

Thanks for stopping by thtrchic :) Wow, I actually had a successful week. Five N days and 2 S days. I don't think I had a successful vanilla S week in all of 2011. I don't know what happened, maybe it was the 50 mile race last weekend, but something seemed to have clicked. I was tempted to have an a...

LoriLifts

I've been thinking about my 24 hour race. After 35 miles, I went back to my hotel to rest for a few hours. As I lay in bed, a million negative thoughts flooded my head. "My feet hurt, why don't I just stop at 35 miles and sleep the rest of the night" "This is stupid, nobody else I know would do some...

LoriLifts

50 miles in 24 hours....done! It wasn't pretty but I completed my goal. Round and round a 1.05 mile track in Arizona until I hit 50 miles. Actually 50.4 but who's counting. Compared to some of the other participants, I was a slacker. Some runners were trying to do 300 miles in 72 hours. I feel sane ...

LoriLifts

"Like a drifter I was born to walk alone" Now Whitesnake is stuck in head! I've been at this No S thing for 3 years and still have my ups and downs. I haven't been able to get through a 21 day challenge yet. I'm tempted to try again on Jan 1 (it's a new year!), but I'm resisting the urge. In 2012 I'...

LoriLifts

I've been packing my lunch in a bento box. The little compartments are fun and are too small to put cookies in! I also bought an egg cooker and love it. Hard boiled eggs are done in a snap, and give me a nice protein boost for breakfast. One more thing..I've been roasting vegetables on Sunday. Brocc...

LoriLifts

I enjoyed reading your blog, especially the Dec 14 post. I can't believe some of the crazy diet related things I've done too. Just to name a few, I've juice fasted, only eaten raw foods, endured colonics, drank shots of wheatgrass and eliminated wheat (even though I'm not gluten intolerant). The eve...

LoriLifts

Holy crap, it's Christmas! 2011 flew by! 2012 will be my 3 year anniversary on this site. I remember that about this time in 2007, I was looking at all the new "diet" books on Amazon. I was a hobby dieter, jumping from one "hot new trend" to the next. My average time on a diet was about 2 weeks, if ...

LoriLifts

Merry Christmas to the No S community.

It's Christmas and it's an S day.

How great is this!

LoriLifts

Graham,
I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sending you a cyber hug.
Lori

LoriLifts

So what have I been up to since my last post? Experimenting. Not with different diets, I'm No S lifer. I've been experimenting with foods/schedules/gadgets to make my N days easier. For example, I've been adding more protein to breakfast. I bought an electric egg cooker that rocks! I can have perfec...

LoriLifts

Awesome!

LoriLifts

Still working my baby steps. I'm up to Vanilla S from 7-3 on N days.

If I continue with my plan, I'll be able to tackle a 21 day vanilla s challenge in December.

I'm getting ready for another race. Next weekend I'll be in Las Vegas for a half marathon.

LoriLifts

I've been reading an interesting blog... www.fit2fat2fit.com . This guy is a personal trainer who has always been in shape. His overweight clients would tell him that he doesn't know what it's like to workout and be heavy. He doesn't understand the struggles they have to lose weight. His solution? H...

LoriLifts

Just read this post on Zen Habits. Very timely for the day after Thanksgiving.. Get Back on Track Post written by Leo Babauta. People trying to get healthy and fit all around the country are feeling guilty today after indulging way too much on Thanksgiving â€” and if youâ€™re outside the U.S., youâ€...

LoriLifts

Talk about S days gone wild! Thanksgiving was epic! The good news is that I don't enjoy the "stuffed to the top" feeling anymore. I never really enjoyed it, I guess before No S, I could tolerate it better. Usually I finish dinner before 6:30. I've kicked the evening snack habit so dinner is the last...

LoriLifts

I'm a big fan of pomegranates. I'll eat the seeds as my lunchtime dessert or mix them in yogurt for breakfast.

LoriLifts

Congratulations!

LoriLifts

Thanksgiving is my favorite S day of the year!

The refrigeration is full of holiday goodness. The weather is perfect, sunny and in the high 50's. My husband and I are going for a long afternoon hike before dinner.

Until then, I'll surf the web and eat some coffeecake.

Life is good!

LoriLifts

The No S community is the most supportive and motivating group of folks on the world wide web!

We rock!

LoriLifts

Sometimes my thoughts are a mystery to me. I'm committed to the No S lifestyle. I plan to do it the rest of my (hopefully I'll live to be 120) years. I may not be vanilla S yet but I'm taking the steps needed to get there. But yet..I still..feel the urge to do a "detox" or eliminate wheat or go pale...

LoriLifts

Still heading to vanilla s using baby steps. I tweaked my original plan, at the risk of sounding ADD, I won't talk too much about it. I'll just say that if all goes according to schedule (and I'm confident that it will), I should be able to be Vanilla S in December. I would love to head into 2012 co...

LoriLifts

San Antonio marathon... Very difficult...hot and humid, but got it done.

No Snacking (for 3 days this week)..Very difficult,,it's 4pm which is my trigger time, but getting it done. Today is the second no snacking day, one more and I'll complete my goal for the week.

LoriLifts

Hi hf

I must be the smallest stepping No S'er in the group!

Next week the plan is at least 3 days of No Snacks.

Tomorrow I'm flying to San Antonio. Sunday is my 35th marathon!

LoriLifts

Your podcasts rock!
Thanks for doing a new one...

LoriLifts

I am the queen of baby steps.

November is the month of No Snacks. This week my goal is 2 days of no snacks, next week will be 3, and so on until I'm at 5 N days of no snacks.

Next month I'm using the same strategy to eliminate No Seconds. In January I'll tackle No Sweets.

Teeny tiny baby steps...

LoriLifts

First day of no snacks was a success! My nemesis is the 4pm snack. It's had quite a hold on me for a long time. I decided to use a strategy that worked to conquer my evening snacks. After dinner I would immediately brush my teeth. This was my signal that food was done for the day. Today I tried brus...

LoriLifts

You're doing great!
Congratulations!

LoriLifts

Did I mention that I signed up for a 50 mile race? 50 miles doesn't seem very moderate, I'll be mostly walking instead of running. There's the moderate part of the equation! I couldn't resist this race, it falls on the weekend of my 55th birthday. And it's in Las Vegas! I love doing races (I like co...

LoriLifts

My November plan is to strengthen the No Snacks habit. Thanks to No S, I was able to kick my "have a snack in the evening" habit. Unfortunately, I'm still wrestling with my "have a snack at 4pm" habit. Nothing good ever goes in my mouth at 4pm, yet I do it everyday. When I conquer this habit, the No...

LoriLifts

It's not too late to turn November around...I'm in! I'm working on 1 habit at a time. This month it's No Snacks . 11/5 S Day 11/6 S Day 11/7 SUCCESS I conquered the 4pm snack monster by brushing my teeth! 11/8 SUCCESS 11/9 11/10 11/11 11/12 11/13 11/14 11/15 11/16 11/17 11/18 11/19 11/20 11/21 11/22...

LoriLifts

You rock!!

LoriLifts

Los Angeles half marathon..done!
November HabitCal..created and being used!

I'm off to a good start for the month.

LoriLifts

After much (about 3 years) of experimenting, I've found the best way for me to do No S...

-No Snacks
-No Seconds
-No more than 1 small sweet a day

Except on days that start with S

LoriLifts

Thanks Janie!

If it's Saturday, that means I must be in a hotel room, less than 24 hours from another race.

This time it's the Los Angeles half marathon.

Time to carbo load!

LoriLifts

Thanks to a fellow No S'er ( thank you Imogen Morley), I've read the article that perfectly fits my personality..

http://www.psychologytoday.com/collecti ... cks-treats

Time to face reality, I'm a "daily small dessert" kind of gal and I like it!

LoriLifts

Thanks so much for the article, this explains why I freak out when I try to do vanilla S. I'm a "daily small dessert" gal.

LoriLifts

St Louis marathon..done!

Coming up..the Los Angeles half marathon next Sunday.

Sticking to No S...not so much. I am re-reading the book and that's a good start.

LoriLifts

janie...thanks for stopping by! r.jean..you can do a half marathon, if I can do it, anybody can! I'm in St Louis getting ready to do the marathon tomorrow. The plan is to maintain a "moderate" pace and enjoy the scenery. My hotel is across the street from Busch Stadium, the whole city has baseball f...

LoriLifts

Hi Janie, I almost changed my username too. I've been off and on No S so much that it's kind of embarrassing! It's been over 3 years and I still haven't been able to complete a 21 day vanilla S challenge! The important thing is that we're back. The half marathon in Denver was terrific. Next weekend ...

LoriLifts

Over43..It's good to see you're still here! Looks like a lot of folks are still around. My blog keeps re-inventing itself, I think I started my first one back in 2009. Even though I sometimes have taken a "hiatus" from No S, I never stay away for very long. It feels good to be back into the No S com...

LoriLifts

Who Me? (I like your name)
Thanks for stopping in...

LoriLifts

I need to stop browsing books on Amazon.com. Especially the ones about diets. I began ordering a couple but stopped before I hit the "confirm purchase" button. Moderation is tough. But being on the diet roller coaster is tougher. I had my annual physical this morning, complete with the (yuck) blood ...

LoriLifts

I'm in a hotel room in Denver tonight. Tomorrow morning I'm doing the half marathon. I used to do full marathons, over 30 in total. I completed one in February, since then I've only been doing half marathons. I used to mostly run, now I mostly walk. I'm trying to incorporate moderation in all aspect...

LoriLifts

Moderation ain't easy. I should know, I've been an off and on No S'er for years. On and off and on and off. I'm turning 55 years old next April. I don't want to spend the next 55 years (yeah I know, that will make me 110 years old, I'm cautiously optimistic) bouncing from one extreme diet to another...

LoriLifts

It's a gorgeous day in New Mexico. My husband and I are going to go for a long hike this afternoon.

I'm so happy that the summer fruits are arriving. I'll be using them on my meal plates to help bust my dessert habit. A good piece of watermelon is almost as good as a cookie!

LoriLifts

Hiya Who Me?

I've been starting and stopping No S for over 3 years! I would have had to disembowel myself in 2008!

LoriLifts

Although I admit failure with my "One dessert a day" mod, I can happily say that I successfully completed another half marathon! Last weekend my husband and I went to Green Bay Wisconsin for the half marathon. I've never been to Green Bay, running a race is the best way to see a new city. It's fun t...

LoriLifts

Look who's back in town! Me! After much contemplation, I've arrived at one unavoidable conclusion... Sugar is the common denominator on the days I fail at No S. I kicked the evening snack habit and not having seconds is easy. Unless I eat dessert. One small dessert everyday has been my mod of choice...

LoriLifts

Uh oh, I really did it this time. I registered for a 50 mile race, it's next April 21 in Las Vegas. The timing was too good to resist, 2 days later, on April 23, I turn 55 years old. It's the perfect way to celebrate! I have 1 year to lose the extra weight and train. It's very do-able, I just need t...

LoriLifts

I'm pasting this article on my blog. When I begin to think that the No S rules are too tough, I'm going to re-read it.. Lessons from The Marathon Monks â€“ How to Achieve the Impossible Iâ€™m big on goal setting. While I donâ€™t always reach my goal, I know that I get a lot further toward it than I ...

LoriLifts

So here's the big plan... Next April 23, 2012, I'll be turning 55. I want to celebrate this huge number by completing a 55 mile ultra marathon on April 21, 2012. Training begins Dec 5. I have until that time to lose about 25 lbs. I'm no math whiz but that works out to about 33 weeks to lose 25 lbs, ...

LoriLifts

If it's Saturday, it must be time to do a half marathon.

Albuquerque half marathon...done!

3 half marathons in 8 days baby!

And I've begun a 21 day vanilla S challenge!

I'm on a roll!

LoriLifts

Who was the last person to cross the finish line on Sunday? Me. Who came in first female in the 50 - 59 category? Me. How crazy is that! I even got a special award! My husband and I were in Las Vegas last weekend to do back to back half marathons, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. I was slow on Sat...

LoriLifts

Tomorrow I'm going to Las Vegas for the weekend. Am I going for the endless buffets or the free cocktails or the bazillions of slot machines, waiting to pay me BIG BUCKS! Nope, not me. I'll be doing a half marathon on Saturday and a half marathon on Sunday. Back to back races! I'm going to be too ti...

LoriLifts

I'm 2 hours away from completing my second fasting day of the week. I'm a happy camper.. Since January I've been attempting (and failing) to get back into my 2 days a week fasting schedule. I'd do one day then quit halfway through the second. Some weeks I couldn't even make it through the first day!...

LoriLifts

I'm giving a big thank you shout out to fellow No S'er TexArk. Thank you TexArk :D She linked an article on the discussion thread. It's under Habit Formation and the Extinction Burst. The article begins with this.. The Misconception: If you stop engaging in a bad habit, the habit will gradually dimi...

LoriLifts

Thank you so much for this article. It explains why I can't stick to a 21 day challenge. I'm going to re-read it on a daily basis.

Lori

LoriLifts

I'm re-reading Brian Wansink's book "Mindless Eating". One of the many good ideas in the book is choosing 3 diet changes per month that are easy to achieve. I think this may help me to get the No S rules to stick. The 3 small monthly changes will be focused on 1 No S rule. I'll work on 1 rule at a t...

LoriLifts

Hi Kevin,
If only I could transfer my commitment to exercise to No S, I'd be invincible!

PS...I'm working on it.

LoriLifts

I sound like a broken record. I'm going to do a 21 day challenge...I'm gonna do it this time..uh oh, I have a red day...I'll get back on track..but not today...I'll start next week..or next month.. I'm even bored reading what I wrote. Ugh... The good news is that I completed another half marathon la...

LoriLifts

I was just reading a blog called The Drive Through Runner. This guy decided to eat only McDonalds for 30 days. I know that it's been done before but here's the kicker. He's a marathon runner. A really fast one. During the challenge he was training to run the Los Angles marathon, which is today. He w...

LoriLifts

My weighted vest has arrived! And it's kicking my a$$! I've been reading about weighted vests. Firefighters and the military use them for strength conditioning and fitness. They can be worn when you do interval training or hiking or even as added weight when doing a weight workout. I was at a fancy ...

LoriLifts

Sometimes I go to a fancy spa in Utah. They offer the HGC program for $1000 as an add on to the 7 day stay. The 7 day stay is about $2000.00

That's some pricey urine!

LoriLifts

Speaking of races, I've seen some stellar signs this year. Before this year, my favorite was "Run like you stole something". At the New Orleans marathon, toward the end of the race, there was a lady holding up this sign " You've just run 25 miles. You have lots of stamina. Give me a call at 474-2853...

LoriLifts

I had 3 goals this month. Complete the half marathon in Las Vegas. Post everyday and complete a 21 day challenge. I completed the race. Good for me! I haven't been posting on a daily basis. Bad blogger! As for the 21 day challenge, I can still pull this off if I don't succumb to anymore red days in ...

LoriLifts

Here's a great post from Brad Pilon, the Eat Stop Eat guy. After Reinhard, he's my next favorite common sense writer... Life is too short to be overweight. Seriously, I know this sounds shallow, but I believe itâ€™s true. Something about feeling fit, not worrying about the health of your body and lo...

LoriLifts

I have one rule for taking an extra S day, if it falls within 48 hours of a race. On Saturday I'll be in Las Vegas for a half marathon. That means that today is an S day! I won't be able to update my blog until Monday, when I'm back home. My plan is to take an S day on Friday and Saturday, then back...

LoriLifts

I'm glad you're feeling better too....

LoriLifts

Count me in! My goal is to complete the 21 day Vanilla S challenge. March 1 SUCCESS March 2 SUCCESS March 3 EXEMPT (48 hours before a race rule) March 4 S DAY March 5 S DAY March 6 Uh-oh March 7 Nope, not yet March 8 A successful day is around the corner March 9 Not this one March 10 Or this one eit...

LoriLifts

My everyday posting in March commitment prevented me from failing today. Around 2pm my motivation and focus tends to lag. The mental bargaining begins at the same time. Today my sneaky brain was whispering "Why don't you start the 21 day challenge after the half marathon this weekend". Start it as s...

LoriLifts

It felt good to mark the first square of March green. Actually today is a fasting day until dinner. I haven't done one in awhile, it was tough going around 1pm. It's later in the day and now I feel fine. Fasting days are so much easier when you stick to a regular schedule. For March, unless a work o...

LoriLifts

Tomorrow is March 1.

What if I tried posting everyday for a month?

What if I tried the 21 day Vanilla S challenge again?

Let's see what happens..

LoriLifts

Sunday is an N day for me. I use Fridays and Saturdays as my S's. I'm happy to be back to an N day, my S's were a bit wild this weekend. One of the reasons I love this plan is that no matter how much I indulge on S days, I get to wipe the slate clean with an N day. I just had some fruit and yogurt f...

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