Everyday Systems

osoniye

I keep coming back to NoS because it seems like the most sane approach to eating for the long-term. When I "go off" it's usually because of travel for work, or vacation, and I just get out of the good habits and then it takes me a while, and some weight gain, before I come back. But then no matter w...

osoniye

I'd say try it, and set yourself an exact time limit, say one month, and if it is working at that point, good for you keep it up. If you find that just really doesn't work for you in real life, then give vanilla NoS a try, and then you can compare.

osoniye

I like to have coffee and then eat breakfast a bit later when my stomach has had a chance to wake up. I like to have - a banana, 2 scrambled eggs and a heaped half cup of leftover broccoli or cauliflower heated in the same pan with spices. -a cup of greek yogurt with 8 oz or so of chopped fresh frui...

osoniye

Hi, jld- What oolala said above is just excellent. I second all of that, and just add the advice to try to get a really big plate to start out, and eat heavy, whole types food. Like chili over boiled potatoes. Avoid puffy things like bread and chips. Get the most weight out of your plate and you mig...

osoniye

Right now, I have all sugary junk and snacks OUT of the house. Yay. I take Sundays as an S day and have a piece of cake or a couple scoops of ice cream after lunch. I don't really take Saturdays, 'cause I work at home those days usually, and if someone offers me a slice of cake at work or something,...

osoniye

I'm sure many would be loath to add another S, but I agree totally... I have to eat an early supper to stay on track. Rolling around on a full stomach all night is not good for me, and makes me not hungry for breakfast. I think it also turns to fat a bit quicker!

osoniye

One way or the other, I still think about food A LOT!! Some is healthy planning, some is obcessive. Not sure if that's ever gonna get better...

osoniye

My policy is to avoid oatmeal at b-fast like the plague. Leaves me starving and miserable by 10:30.
For the past few weeks I've been having a hardboiled eggs (2 ) and avocado sandwich in the morning and have felt fine and pleasantly hungry at lunch time!

osoniye

Through experience I can 100% guarantee that if there is chocolate, chips or ice cream in the house I will eat them when it is not an S day/not meal time. While it is very, very hard to pass them by in the supermarket, it is MUCH easier to roll past them there, than it is to keep walking every time ...

osoniye

I agree with the statement someone once made "They ALL work if you do 'em!".
It's that (short or) long term compliance that's the problem!

osoniye

Hi nteng- I used to be in an offshoot of Overeaters Anon, which gave a sheet you could choose foods to form meals. (So the day could be 50-140g carb, depending on what you chose.) I lost ~25 on that and have maintained for 2 years on NoS, which I think is pretty good. I'd like to lose more, and thin...

osoniye

Mmmm. Enjoy those nice, hot, non sugary drinks between meals... not a snack.

osoniye

I'd say, "Don't over-think it!" You will get to sort of know when it was an accidental ommision of something you could reasonably have had, verses you've finished your plate of food and are still feeling a little peckish, so you go for another scoop. It's good to be honest with yourself, but you don...

osoniye

Nobody wants to say "Don't do what your doctor told you.", but MD's often don't have a lot of nutrition training in thier programs. Would you be open to getting a "second opinion"? or talk to another health care professional? It is risky taking advice from people off the internet, but I'd want a lit...

osoniye

Mmmm... potatoes!!

osoniye

So... here I am after 2 years of NoS, 149#- exacactly where I was when I started, and a few # down from last year. Not bad really. I am trying a small mod from vanilla NoS these days... just that evening meals should not have a starch and should be over by 6 pm. This is not a hardship for me at all,...

osoniye

So... here I am after 2 years of NoS, 149#- exacactly where I was when I started, and a few # down from last year. Not bad really. I am trying a small mod from vanilla NoS these days... just that evening meals should not have a starch and should be over by 6 pm. This is not a hardship for me at all,...

osoniye

My opinion would be that's not that much sugar. A serving of a sweet is defined as 75g by some, and my off brand V8 juice has 8g per glass, I think!

osoniye

Hi oolala,
Home made biscuit? Would you share the recipe for that?

osoniye

@Want2GetHealthy- where do you buy chia seeds, and how much do you use per meal? @everybody- thanks for replies! I am still struggling with this. For example, yesterday's lunch I weighed out to see if I could figure out the problem- 3 oz chicken breast WITH skin, 1 oz meunster cheese melted on top, ...

osoniye

I sometimes have pancakes on N days... I try to limit it to 2, and have one with peanut butter (+/-raisons) and one with jam. (I don't put sugar in the whole grain batter).
As you can see, we all interpret things slightly differetly...

osoniye

I use a 9" plate for all meals, but I allow a side salad plate as I don't like my hot and cold foods mixing!

osoniye

Nice to hear from everybody! I'm surprised to hear so much about protein powder and satiety! I have never tried the stuff. I go into a health food store intending to buy some, but the staff usually don't have a lot helpful to say to someone who doesn't know what they're looking for, and the sticker ...

osoniye

Still going along fine. Will be away from home for the next few weeks, which usually goes well, NoS-wise. Packing oatmeal and tuna, but also cheese for days that hunger might strike. I can get good bread where I'm going. Have been slack in exercise, and that seems to keep the weight from leaving... ...

osoniye

My perspective is slightly different... I could see pretty quickly that vanilla wouldn't work for me. One thing that is helpful is to TRY to make one mod and let that be for the month and then reevaluate. Maybe change the WHAT is on your plate, (a certain proportion of frt/veg on your 1 plate meals)...

osoniye

Thanks to all who responded for your comments and input. I think with the oatmeal, it ISN'T filling for me, but I eat it a lot of normal work days and I am distracted by my work and don't think of hunger or cravings. Then when I eat it on a day that my work is not so engaging, or when it doesn't inv...

osoniye

I guess it's good I have so little to report! I'm still hungry some of the time. But I've pretty much stuck with my 3 meals. One thing that is realizing the S day splurges have to "come from" somewhere, if I want to lose weight, so I often eat only 2 meals on an S day, so I can enjoy seconds/sweets ...

osoniye

Thanks for thoughts on filling foods, Violet. Wouldn't it be nice to eat salmon every day! I agree about the eggs. Not so sure what the effect will be on my cholesterol, but I have been having 2 lots of mornings, as that does seem to carry me longer. I've found that pumpkin is a good filler these da...

osoniye

Doing fine here... took the whole S day on Sat this week. Enjoyed a huge portion of chicken and rice and cheesecake for lunch!!
Stressful week ahead at work. Will need to pack lunchces instead of coming home, etc. Hope all goes well...

osoniye

Things continue well. Wt is a little up and down, but slightly downward in trend. S days have settled into a full S day on Sundays, and 2 other "S meals" during the week, where I might have seconds +/- a sweet thing, usually in a social context. I'm not sweating it. I'm surprised at how much the 3 m...

osoniye

@Blithe Morning- interesting question about the filling foods- some of the above really are my filling foods- fruit and dairy, like apples and cottage cheese or plums and yogurt are very filling combinations for me. Salads can be. But the oatmeal is probably in the "supposed to be" category. I mean,...

osoniye

Doing OK. I've switched from counting carbs to counting calories... don't think it matters so much WHAT I'm counting, as long as I try to balance the whole week by some measurement. I think the basic idea is that I can either eat 3 satisfying healthy meals per day all week with reasonable treats on ...

osoniye

Thanks, Everybody, for your replies. I DO drink a few late's with whole milk, no sugar in the mornings, so don't want to add to that. I think my take-home message is that hunger is OK, just a feeling and one I guess I'd better get used to if I want to lose wt, and perhaps maintain a lower wt. I keep...

osoniye

Thanks oolala! Feeling a bit better but not energetic yet!! Trying something new, which is an Average of 100 Carbo-calories per day rather than using that as an N day limit. Makes the S days that are a little wild result in lighter salad like meals during the week, which is not a bad thing. Trying n...

osoniye

Yes, WhoMe, here's hoping!! So, I still have the cold and that has lessened my appetite, but I posted a question about hunger, since that was a huge struggle while I was healthy and traveling. And I will be traveling again soonish so am eager to hear good ideas about appetite control. Right now, I'm...

osoniye

So, I'm just wondering what tips you have for dealing with hunger that isn't just the odd pang, but is a result of the ol' fat cells getting really tired of not being as full as usual, and rebelling on N days by not pouring any nice "feel satisfied" hormones into the blood stream after you've eaten ...

osoniye

Wel, this cold is playing right into my weightloss hands, as I have nearly no appetite! I'm sure that will rebound, but I'll enjoy it while I can. I'm trying to eat healthy fruits/veg and tofu or fish.

osoniye

Well, back from trip and caught ANOTHER cold on the way back. So, I've taken an extra S day for sick and had some ice cream yesterday, just 1 scoop. I think I lost a couple pounds on the trip, did a lot more low-fat cottage cheese and less provalone than I sometimes do for packed lunches, and avoide...

osoniye

OK, the last day before travel for work. I've had my 1 plate "veg hash" for breakfast, and plan that I will virtual plate for supper, but that's OK because of an event. I hope the trip will go well for NoS. Travel often does for me. Things are more clearly defined, and I don't have access to so much...

osoniye

I'm all for 9" plates. You can still get a LOT of food on them, but at least it looks like a lot of food, and for me, a normal depth layer of not too rich food on a 9" plate three times per day is about right for weight loss.

osoniye

Here's hoping it goes really great for you. In the midst of all that transition and potentially difficult circumstances, I think NoS will provide a stability and structure in at least one area, and that probably will leak over into the other areas. Wishing you the best!

osoniye

oolala53 wrote: Food just hasn't played the role that it does for some of us.

I feel ya, oolala. I hope for many of us, food will take its proper place in our lives over time. NoS is a great way to encourage that!

osoniye

Just passing the point of 1 week on this cold. I'd like it to be over. Things are going well on the 3 meals/day, and I'm working my way through the fridge. Some combinations might not please everybody, but they work for me, and I'm sticking to a plate.

osoniye

Well, there are muffins and there are muffins. Personally the ones I make and serve at home are not a sweet, but I'm always experimenting with recipes and trying to come up with something tasty as well as "healthy". That's just my 2 cents. With time you will work it out... when in doubt, you probabl...

osoniye

tireddad5 wrote:I stopped drinking to be a better husband and father through this difficult time.

I really applaud this! Great you realized this might help and were willing to make the change for the sake of your loved ones. I hope things are going well. Welcome to the community!

osoniye

Yeah, I pretty much stopped walking this week, due to not wanting my cold to worsten. It's also cold where I live, and uninviting in the mornings.

osoniye

Hi, r, thanks for stopping by. Yeah, I like the idea of listening to our bodies, not trying some mysterious "stomach growl" thing, but just using common sense and doing what seems best both in mind and for health. I'm still not feeling too well, but am back on 3 meals a day until further notice. I h...

osoniye

Broke down and took an S, as in Sick day on Tues. I think the body needs a little more fuel when fighting a cold, so indulged a bit. Not sure about today, keeping in N until/unless I really think my body is telling me to do otherwise.

osoniye

Hi Noel, Great to see you're still NoS-ing and that it's going well. 4# is progress, especially against our bodies' tendency to want to put back on anything we lose. Wishing you the best- Sonya

osoniye

Sat was a red day, as I ate a cookie without realizing it!! A friend bought a new kind and I was dieing to try it, and lo and behold, it was down the hatch. Otherwise it was an N day. Had a kind of out of control S day on Sunday, but I'm accepting that. Today, back on track. I have a bad cold and it...

osoniye

It's been going really well keeping to around 100 carbo-calories on N days and having 2 full floating S days per week, plus and extra 2 per month if needed. I feel like I'm finally into a set of habits that are sustainable, and my clothes are fitting looser. I'm hungry a lot between meals, but I thi...

osoniye

Yeah, I support the "focus on habit" idea. I've been doing NoS for over a year and am just now getting back down to where I was when I started, weight-wise. I am doing a floating S days mod, but otherwise am lately doing a LOT better at having a reasonable plate of food 3 times a day on N days.

osoniye

I've been using 9" plates for a long time without thinking about it. I finally measured them. Funny, but I often eat at a friend's house whose plates look HUGE to me, I guess they're probably "normal" dinner plates!

osoniye

:D oolala!! I would worry about mice! If I can't have my candy, I don't want anyone else (small and furry) to. Things are going OK. I have managed to stay away from sweets on N days, and am happy about that. I am finding, and I know this is NOT profound, that if I'm going to lose wt., plates of food...

osoniye

Thanks oolala!! I have been traveling for work and just got back yesterday. Away from home is much easier as I don't have my candy stash to worry about. I ate a pretty steady diet of B=Optomized oatmeal, L=cheese or tuna sdw on brown bread, tomato+carrot, S=More brown bread and 1/2 oz almonds. I ate...

osoniye

Seems to me, the meal structure is the part of NoS that sets it apart from other diet plans. I'd say start with 3 (or however many) meals and get out of the habit of snacking. That would mean you could have seconds or desert to see you through to the next meal. Then maybe give up sweets during the w...

osoniye

Thurs turned out red again... I got a real bad stomach ache in the afternoon, and ate some candy, not that it helped, but it was just what I wanted. Anyway, today is so far so good. I am committing here and now to stick to the remaining 2 meals and not eat sweets or snacks or seconds today, no matte...

osoniye

Congrats on eating 1 plate at a buffet!! That can be a bit of a challenge!!

osoniye

Better day today. I virtual plated breakfast, but didn't overdo it, and ate a reasonable and healthy lunch. I had pigged out last night, on a designated S day, so I think I broke that huger/craving cycle of the past 2 days. Hope I can stay on track now.

osoniye

Tues was a RED day. Ugh. I think I ate breakfast too early, to have it before an early meeting. That meant an early lunch and then instead of being clever and preparing supper early, I turned to candy. I was under a lot of stress with work and family issues, so it seemed a combination of real hunger...

osoniye

I have to add my 2cents that though people go mad over mashed cauliflower, I find it nasty. I LOOKS like mashed potatoes if you use your imagination a little, but the texture is all wrong. I LIKE c by itself or with cheese sauce but mashed makes it kind of yucky. IMHO.

osoniye

The 100 Carbo-calores thing went well for the rest of the week. I have tried sticking to meals with a special treat for my 2 S days this weekend. That meant wedding cake on Sat., and a pastry after lunch Sun. Hard to predict how the week will unfold, as I have several lunch dates this week, but shou...

osoniye

Good on you for making her birthday special!

osoniye

Thanks, oolala- yeah, I look forward to the day, but it seems it will be long in coming before not overeating at "special" times becomes "normal". I ran across a copy of the Carbo-Calorie diet, from the 70's. I read it and like it... it seems like a reasonable compromise between low cal and low carb...

osoniye

I think we're such a part of "diet culture" that we've gotten used to having to be told what to eat and how to micro-manage it. Filling a plate with "whatever" probably seems a bit out of control and scary sometimes.

osoniye

Congratulations, sheepish! I love the NoS lifestyle, but haven't been consistent enough. It's so great to hear about how things can go if you follow the plan a bit better. Wishing you continued success! That's a great idea to track what you don't eat b/c of NoS. I might try that- seems like it would...

osoniye

Sunday was an S day... I was invited to some friends house for a cookout. A "no seconds" family, as it turned out. It was so strange- there were 5 teenagers present and 5 adults. There were enough hamburgers for each person to have one, same with potatoes, a modest bowl of salad, pan of baked beans,...

osoniye

I totally agree that vanilla would be best, if it's feasible with someone's schedule. I'm single, live overseas, and have a busy social life during the week and nearly zero on the weekends. If I had restricted myself to vanilla, I don't think I could have done NoS at all. I've done too many mods for...

osoniye

Ooooo, that biscuit sounds yummy!

osoniye

Hi Noel,
I love the new avitar! Seems to me the changing of the "what" on your 3 plates of food is a perfectly great mod after these months of vanilla. What kind of treats are you enjoying on S days? Still low-ish carb?

osoniye

Thanks for that post KC. I'm from a "food is love" family, and it's a bit disfunctional, but I'm trying to appreciate the effort, and also put in the effort with a more detatched attitude, as you described. I have a problem with friends who use "food as love", or "eating together as bonding". I real...

osoniye

Hi Everybody, Yesterday I went out for Mexican, and was thinking of the idea of passing on the free chips and salsa, but then had an idea or ordering a soft chicken taco, a la cart, and eating half a basket of chips with the salsa. My bill was looow, and I had a satisfying lunch that would have fit ...

osoniye

Today went better.
B: Peaches, cheese, 1 slice bacon, 1 slice bologna
L: Sm bowl soup, large salad, 4 oz flank steak w/1 slice bacon
(walked past candy aisle during a sale, patting myself on the back...)
S: Roast, carrots and other random veggies, green peas.

osoniye

Tuesday went OK. I've been trying to eat soup for one meal per day with a grain product, but find myself adding a fruit, or extra meat or something, as the soup acts as an "appetizer" rather than being filling. Maybe I need to blend it or make it richer. It's all what would fit on one plate, though,...

osoniye

Wow. Thanks everybody, for your thoughtful responses. I think, for now, I'll conclude fasting is not for me, for weight loss, and revisit it if I want to for maintainence or for religious reasons in the future. It's interesting how different fasting has been for different people. We are not all the ...

osoniye

Hi, I'm back. I had a long grueling trip to the US from Africa, due to the lesser known volcanic erruption that spewed ash over the Red Sea from Eritrea! I took S days for the trip, as my eating was on a schedule dictated by what I could get out of the airlines! The weekend involved a family reunion...

osoniye

Glad all is well and the wight loss is going well,

too!

osoniye

Hi Graham, Sorry you're having a tough time. There's a fasting thread on which oolala advised me, rather than fasting, to stick with 3 meals and make one of them a little smaller for a while, than another, etc. I have not had great success fasting, and am coming to the conclustion it's not for every...

osoniye

Well, I had nut cheese and mixed fruit salad for breakfast. All I have in the fridge right now is some raw tomatoes and carrots and some uncooked cabbage and some soy beans and eggs. I will divide that between by 2 remaining plated meals and call it a day. I am traveling tonight on an overseas fligh...

osoniye

Sat was an N day... I ate a late breakfast at 11a, and then lunch at 3 and supper at 6:30. All meals were light and fine. Watched 2 DVD's but didn't even consider popcorn. All's well. Today, Sunday, is just sort of a run of the mill N day for me. I ate toast w/jam and pb for breakfast, ate a plate o...

osoniye

Hi Everybody- Just wondering what others have found when they combine NoS with fasting. I tried this for 1-2 days, for a few weeks at different times over the past year, fasting 23 hours from lunch time to lunch time. Are others of you finding it a good tool for weight loss? My problem is that I get...

osoniye

Friday was the strangest N day. I was invited to 2 different places, for lunch and supper. Lunch: Traditional Norwegian meal 2 meatballs, 2 med boiled potatoes w/gravy, 1/3 c carrote, 1/2 c raw veg salad (all fit nicely on one plate) Supper: Potato bar 3x 2 1/2" baked potatoes, ham/bacon/cheese topp...

osoniye

Hi and welcome. It depents what you mean by "work". I have known a number of people who have gained an enormous amount of weight while experienceing back problems and I would bet that NoS would prevent the worst of that. I don't know if you're likely to lose weight or not, if that's what you are int...

osoniye

Hi Noel,
Haven't seen much from you the past few days... hope all is well. I miss reading your perspective on things!!
-Sonya

osoniye

Thanks, Oolala... you are giving me a very sane and sensable perspective. My head agrees with you 100%. The inner 2 year old doesn't want any part of being told "No"!!!! Thanks for sharing. I know you are right. I have changed gears A LOT, and it is tiring! Thurs: Nice N day, managed to skip some ti...

osoniye

Well, here I am wondering yet again about going away from the 2 S day per week mod. What about Taking full S days on Sundays and then S events during the week ONLY when in a social situation? I'm thinking about this. Monday I just had a snack on my S day, and then today I had a small sweet. I don't ...

osoniye

Tuesday: N day... Had a nice cup of coffee out with a friend, and was only minimally tempted by snack items set out on a buffet table. Ate a late breakfast, and pushed all my meals later, which seems to work for me, rather than skipping a meal and still trying to stick to single plates! B: orange/gr...

osoniye

Sunday was an S day, so that was all good. I was "starving" (yes, I know that's not true) when we got to the restaurant, so instead of ordering the usual (1/4) BBQ chicken from the board, I noticed on the written menu they offered "1/2" BBQ chicken. Due to the sudden shaft of light and the angelic v...

osoniye

Hi Everybody, Well, I'm 1 year into NoS and my net weight change is a gain of 3# (starting wt.149#, current wt.152#). I hesitated to post, because I thought, "Who is going to be encouraged by reading about a 3# weight gain?", but then I thought of a few factors why even this is a postive tesimony to...

osoniye

Thanks for stopping by oolala! I'm taking an N day, as my S days this week were Monday and Sunday. I had a "fail" on Tuesday, when I ate a second plate of not very good food for lunch. I just felt unsatisfied, and it was one of those social situations, where I felt awkward taking a very full plate f...

osoniye

Things still going well. Wed N day- B: Cantaloupe and milk (2 c) L: Chinese restaurant: fried fish chunks, beef from hot iron plate, rice, few small steamed dumplings, watermellon. (All fit nicely on a plate) S: Tofu/beef (4 oz total), stirr fried green beans and cabbage, sm side salad Thurs and Fri...

osoniye

The floating S days is working like a charm. Monday (N day) B: Braised fish and cantaluope (Ate one chocolate covered coffee bean someone made, but am not counting that as a fail, as it was so very small!) L: Mixed salad with 1/2 oz wheat germ and some leftover beef and salmon S: Leftovers: some las...

osoniye

Sunday- planned S day

Had nice breakfast and lunch (grilled chicken and fries) and a wonderful dessert of tiramisu and a scoop of ice cream @ a coffee shop. Don't plan to have anything more of an "S" today and feel quite satisfied!

osoniye

Friday was a really great N day. I ate: B: cantaloupe, left-over roast beef with mayo and mustard, coffee Mid am: coffee w/milk (resisted the starchy thing served with it!! Yay!!) L: Sourdough pancake with various (savory) toppings, water S: Leftover lasagna with extra cheese on top, water Saturday ...

osoniye

I, too, love to read and eat at the same time. Especially message boards (a challenge keeping my computer screen clean!, since the salad dressing seems to fly.). I live alone a lot of the time (share a house with people who are gone a lot) and since trying to eat more healthy, it takes so long to ch...

osoniye

Hi Noel,
Hang in there, I know you will. Nice thing about a lifestyle, is that it's more stable and deep rooted than a "diet" or any other fad. We're in it for the long haul, eh?
Best wishes,
Sonya

osoniye

So... what kind of wine did you have on Tuesday. It sounds wonderful!!

osoniye

Sounds like your lunch would have fit on 1 plate. I wouldn't think that's a failure, esp if you're sick. Hope you feel better soon!

osoniye

I want to be scrupulously honest about my N day failures, and if that means a month of mostly red with a few yellow squares, so be it, I will have learned something. Wed S day: Ate seconds of curry and pudding for dessert w/supper. I ate an eveing snack of candy and cookies. This was a planned S day...

osoniye

Well, here I am back again for the 100th time, after more work travel. I still haven't found the right mod for me as far as S days to make them my own. I still eat my most special meals of the week on evenings during the week, so I think I want to try floating S days, rather than floating S events o...

Everyday Systems

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Anybody else modifying suppers?

Anybody else modifying suppers?

What do you do about "real hunger"?

Re: Wow, do I ever feel stupid!

Virtual plating on the cheap

Fasting question

Sonya's first year