Everyday Systems

Amy3010

I'm with Linda! No need to feel like this is an obligation in any way - come here and track, or vent, or just get support, whatever feels like it helps the most right now

Amy3010

I do the best I can to eat what would be a normal, one-plate meal for me (virtual plating if necessary), and I try to focus on enjoying the company and not worrying about the food. I never take food home with me. I always try to remind myself that being moderate and consistent most days at home is m...

Amy3010

Congratulations!

A solid green day in the bag! Keep taking it day by day and don't punish yourself if you have a red day - mark it and move on.

Amy3010

Thanks, Ellis!

Amy3010

I love your Petsmart description!

The only thing I would add is to take them out for at least one good walk every day.

I hope Creator's feeling better soon - it sounds like the home cooked stews are soothing to his system!

Amy3010

Aside from the food poisoning, sounds like it was a great vacation, and you're now in a good place with your food and exercise routines!

Amy3010

Just focus on working towards vanilla No-S in the beginning- it doesn't even have to be perfect, just better than you are doing now. Hang in there!

Amy3010

Welcome back, Sammy...I hear your frustration and desperation. It sounds like you've got some good support in place, with your dietician and therapist. Hopefully with their support and the No-S structure, you can get to a place where you feel better soon. We will cheer and encourage you along the way!

Amy3010

Thanks, Pink

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Amy3010

100 days! Woo hoo! :mrgreen: And kudos for experiencing your stress (what a day!) without reaching for something to numb it out. It was when I started cutting back on alcohol that I started noticing that when I did have it, it really triggered anxiety, not only in the middle of the night, but the n...

Amy3010

Auto, Pink, routines can be so great :mrgreen: No more decision fatigue! I also have the same breakfast every day during the week (overnight oats), and pretty much the same lunch most days. I worked the evening shift at work yesterday (til 8pm) and when I got home, had my one plate late dinner and d...

Amy3010

So great that you have taken the time to reflect on what has not been working and what would actually be really sustainable for you! By taking your own preferences and patterns into account you can craft a healthy eating routine that works for you without it feeling like such a struggle to maintain....

Amy3010

I was a 2-cup per day coffee drinker for years, but I had to cut back to 1 cup when I hit perimenopause and started having trouble sleeping and more anxiety. It does seem to help, even though it really made me sad to let it go. I replaced the second cup with a cup of green tea, after lunch. Not the ...

Amy3010

Great you got your walk in despite not feeling like it! :D When I stopped going to the gym during the pandemic, I started doing weights at home, following along with Youtube videos (there is a lady from Canada, Cheryl Coulombe, who does good workouts for women over 40 *cough cough*) - I usually have...

Amy3010

Thanks, Auto. It is weird but the 800 calorie day sort of reminds me of how much I get to eat on a normal day... I try to keep it simple and pretty much follow the same plan each Wednesday, which looks like this: B: 100g blueberries w/ 100g plain soy yogurt L: Salad w/ lettuce, cucumber, carrot, tom...

Amy3010

It is so important to give ourselves credit for what we have accomplished

Safe travels to California!

Amy3010

Thanks Auto! And Linda, so nice to see you again! :mrgreen: About fasting days, I can't say I enjoy them, but found in the past that doing it for a short period of time seemed to help me "reset" my appetite and get back on track when I feel like my eating is all over the place. We shall see :wink:

Amy3010

This: "overeating is SHOCKINGLY similar to the patterns of alcohol misuse. But food is harder, because there is no option to just never eat again." Totally agree with you on this. Which makes it such a lifelong struggle and why we have to keep returning to the basics. Just no way around it. It sound...

Amy3010

I could never make IE work for the exact reason Linda mentioned...

Hopefully you enjoy your visit with your friend from NY without letting the food worries bother you too much, Pink! Vacation is vacation, after all

Amy3010

Hi Linda! So nice to hear from you! And I am with Pink and Auto: maintaining a lower weight all those years is definitely something to give yourself a big pat on the back for!

Congrats on the milestone with your volunteering!

Amy3010

He was definitely ahead of his time - you do see it everywhere now. I am so glad I found his book way back when - it has had a profound impact on my life, not just with food, but also with other things, like exercise habits, or cutting back on alcohol...

Amy3010

Oops, my bad!

Amy3010

800 is weirdly not bad at all - 500 is hard!

Amy3010

It does indeed help to have a purpose while walking! :mrgreen: "I have realized right now my body doesn't need as much food as I have been feeding it." Such a key realization! And then the work becomes adjusting our intake to match what our body really needs, and learning to respect the hunger cues ...

Amy3010

I hear you 100% on it being annoying that it takes so much work just to eat normally and sanely. Sigh. :( I often wish I didn't have to think about this all so much and be vigilant all the time. But then I always come back around to thinking about what the consequences would be. Interesting looking ...

Amy3010

Thanks, Soprano, thanks, Pink! It's 5:2 but the "fasting" day (about 800 calories) only one day a week. So I guess it would be 6:1

Amy3010

Turned over a new leaf for July - my plan is to take a fast-mimicking day on Wednesdays, this really worked for me in the past. M-T-Th-F will be normal No-S. And I will see where it takes me. So far, three green days in a row, which I haven't managed in a long time.

Amy3010

90+ days of no alcohol - well done!

Do you feel like that is a big factor in helping to improve your sleep?

Amy3010

What great insights you are getting with IF! I think this is one of the big plusses to practicing some kind of fasting: not only does it seem to reset your appetite, but it also puts you back in touch with your hunger cues. But I do think the way you are taking time to really think it through and be...

Amy3010

Oh, Pink, I am so sorry to hear about the uncertainty about your job. Especially because you are so happy with your current situation. I do hope things end up evolving positively for you. I can really relate to your thoughts around IF. I have done 5/2 fasting in the past, and it did really work for ...

Amy3010

Yes, a very hard pattern to break...I have been trying to shift my focus from that more towards gentle consistency in my daily life. It is definitely a work in progress. Sometimes it feels very discouraging, like this morning, looking back on a week with lots of red. But I always remind myself that ...

Amy3010

I have a very vivid memory as a child when we lived in Birmingham, AL, being lifted out of bed to shelter from a really big tornado...scary stuff. I hope all of you in the Southeast stay safe!

Amy3010

Hi Pink, welcome back from vacation! Ugh, it does sound like a lot of things going on to trigger stress...so frustrating when that translates to eating we don't actually want to be doing. I hope by taking note of it, you manage to figure out what is going on and are able to find a way to manage it. ...

Amy3010

Congrats on not crossing the line over to diabetic. It must be so challenging to be surrounded by so many treats at work!

Fingers crossed that the heat doesn't affect your sleep too much...

Amy3010

Hang in there!

Amy3010

Also 100% with Pink here, Sinnie - everyone is welcome and free to eat the way that works best for them!

Amy3010

A big yes to gorgeous outfits!!!

Amy3010

Thanks, Ellis :mrgreen: I've been continuing to chug along, marking my HabitCal daily - lots of red :oops: but I am still trying to keep my focus on habits and avoid diet head...not always easy when I see how I still respond to stress with overeating, and then feel like drastic measures are called f...

Amy3010

I totally understand the event related anxiety! We just got our tickets to go to a family wedding in December and I can already observe my brain going into logistics and prep mode, including diet-related thoughts...

How did the gym trial go?

Amy3010

Welcome back, Minimizer! Sounds like things are going well

Amy3010

Hi Auto! Nice to see you here again...I remember when your boys were little. Crazy how fast they grow up, isn't it? I'm so sorry you and your family went through what sounds like a very difficult time. Those old coping habits do tend to come back up to the surface at times like that...good for you f...

Amy3010

Hi Soprano! Nice to see you here again

Amy3010

Oh, Pink, I am sorry to hear your reflux has flared up again. Hopefully the new schedule helps! Such a tricky balance to find between hunger and activity...I remember when I was running, a longer run would make me ravenous. Now a really long day hike can do that. But like you said, sitting around al...

Amy3010

Hi Pink! Same here - and it goes way beyond vanity, I believe. I genuinely feel better in myself at that little bit lower weight range. Thanks for the encouragement! Had a solid green day yesterday :mrgreen: We went to Antwerp for the day to visit the photography museum and some galleries (big moder...

Amy3010

Thanks, Pink! :mrgreen: It really does seem to get harder, the closer you get to your goal weight! Sometimes it does feel like such a struggle - to maintain, I have to be mindful about what I am eating most of the time; to get to that lower weight range I have to be very vigilant pretty much all of ...

Amy3010

Smart to track calories for a little bit to get a realistic idea of what your meals are, calorie-wise. I think a lot of us underestimate how much we are taking in, and it is easier than we realize to eat way over what we should be eating.

Amy3010

Hi Ellis! I am still aiming for weight loss, I would like to get down about 3 - 4 kg and maintain there. I was in that range in 2022 and I really felt happy there. When I started working at my current job in 2023, my weight started creeping up again - I got sloppy with my habits, stress eating start...

Amy3010

I am so sorry that the diabetes weighs so heavily! It makes all of your decisions around food and eating much more complicated. I understand how you would be anxious after your eye appointment, even if the doctor didn't seem too concerned. And it makes sense that you keep trying to figure out an app...

Amy3010

I applaud you for how you have encouraged your girls to have a normal relationship with food! The fact that they are able to listen to their body's hunger signals will serve them well. My grandma always told us that not eating all our food was "throwing pennies down the sink" and that was a message ...

Amy3010

You are doing such a great job really tuning into your hunger, but also the underlying reasons that trigger you to eat more than you need. I bet a lot of us could trace our current eating issues back to when we were kids...

Amy3010

Way to go on using info you've been noting about how you feel after meals to adjust them -it sounds like it really made a difference to have a bit more protein and fat with breakfast and lunch! I make up three portions of overnight oats in advance and I love being able to just pull it out of the fri...

Amy3010

It really does, Pink!

Amy3010

Oh no! Wishing you a quick recovery!

Amy3010

:mrgreen: Getting back on track is the best feeling! :mrgreen: M 28/4: :mrgreen: T 29/4: :mrgreen: W 30/4: :mrgreen: T 1/5: :mrgreen: F 2/5: :mrgreen: S 3/5: :D S 4/5: :D M 5/5: :oops: T 6/5: :mrgreen: W 7/5: :mrgreen: T 8/5: :oops: F 9/5: :D S 10/5: :D S 11/5: :D M 12/5: :oops: T 13/5: :oops: W 14/...

Amy3010

Almond milk is definitely lower calorie density than regular milk or soy milk, so that could certainly have been an issue. I notice the same thing when I am craving peanut butter, it tends to signal that I'm not getting enough protein or fat. For the past year or so, I have been adding a scoop of pr...

Amy3010

Thanks, Pink!

Had my tea in the evening...helps a lot.

Amy3010

Being so mindful of how you feel after eating and taking care to note it down is giving you really good data, which I imagine should be encouraging to make changes?

Amy3010

Thanks, Pink! Yesterday was a non-weekend S day (book club in the evening) and the roofers are now done, so from today it will be back to normal programming. I am determined to finish the month out green! :mrgreen: M 28/4: :mrgreen: T 29/4: :mrgreen: W 30/4: :mrgreen: T 1/5: :mrgreen: F 2/5: :mrgree...

Amy3010

This is a very interesting experiment you are doing, Pink! And that sandwich sounded wonderful

Amy3010

Hi guys, and thanks for the support! I wish I didn't get thrown off so easily by this kind of stuff, but I do... Yes, the roofers were here super early, but they did a great job. They will be back tomorrow and possibly Tuesday but then it will be done and we can start putting stuff back in the attic...

Amy3010

Hi Pink! I turned into a fast eater with my babies, too! :wink: Such a good idea to go back and look at your food logs to see your patterns, and where you need to adjust things. It really is hard to change habits, but once a habit is established, it becomes much easier to maintain it, and that is wh...

Amy3010

Thanks, Pink! It was a good time. This week has been a struggle with habits because our roofers started with planned work unexpectedly ahead of schedule and we have been scrambling to get things out of our attic and garage, which has been stressful and thrown my routines for a loop. Sigh. Oh well. I...

Amy3010

Hi RG and welcome to the boards! It sounds like you are really exploring how No-S can work for you - I think a lot of us here have gone through a similar process and we wish you success

Amy3010

Travelling can be so hard - I hope you get your luggage soon! And hopefully No-S can give you some structure and peace of mind so you can enjoy yourself.

Amy3010

My mom is in Texas and we love eating Tex-Mex when we visit - but yes, the portions are huge. This weekend in Paris, we really noticed how reasonable the portions were at the restaurants...and we also noticed that most people are slim. Of course, with all the walking people do there, as well... Here...

Amy3010

Oh wow, the story about you and your co-workers and the speed of eating lunch - I am the person who cleans her plate and finishes before everyone else, always have been :lol: By the time I remember to tell myself to slow down, I have usually already eaten 2/3 of my meal. But I know it is something I...

Amy3010

What Imogen says about eating to manage a health issue adding an extra layer of restriction is so true, and makes it that much harder! And sometimes it feels so unfair to have that extra burden.

Amy3010

Thank you! We had a great weekend, walked a ton - the weather was gorgeous. Explored some new-to-us areas of Paris and ate great food! In the end I granted myself an S day for Friday, not that I went overboard, but we shared appetizers with dinner, so not technically a one-plate meal... Back home no...

Amy3010

Hi Imogen and Pink! I definitely get sucked into WTH thinking at times, too! :wink: I have been tracking on the HabitCal for years, it is one of the first things I do every morning and I think it has evolved over time to be a kind of reminder to myself to look at each day as a new opportunity to eat...

Amy3010

It's so hard to get off the diet roller coaster...I totally understand your struggle, I think so many of us here have been there, many times. It's worth focusing on building the habits, even if it takes you temporarily off course for your weight goals...but this is a frightening thing to do. I think...

Amy3010

Wow, Pink - I never heard of the Bragg diet - is that the same Bragg as the aminos condiment? What was that like for you as a child? It sounds like your body fully incorporated that eating rhythm.

Amy3010

Hi Pink! Eating a little bit less of "real" food to make room on your plate for a special occasion cupcake - this sounds like a perfectly rational, normal eating thing to do. And I am in awe of your ability to do 19/5 IF - I have read/seen a lot about IF and the benefits, but the thought of actually...

Amy3010

Thanks, Pink!

What is it about exercising in water that makes you so hungry???

M 28/4:

T 29/4:

W 30/4:

T 1/5:

F 2/5:

S 3/5:

S 4/5:

M 5/5:

T 6/5:

W 7/5:
T 8/5:
F 9/5:
S 10/5
S 11/5:

Amy3010

You're welcome :D :D Something that is helping me lately is focusing on being consistent rather than being perfect. If I make a mistake, get right back into my habits without beating myself up. And like you, aim for reasonably healthy meals at home, and enjoying those infrequent meals out without le...

Amy3010

Hi Ellis! at the moment my favorite meal is a vegan version of "asperges op vlaamse wijze" with a creamy tofu scramble on top of the asparagus :D After my good start last week, I have to mark yesterday as red - I had dates and walnuts after dinner, felt super hungry after aquagym. Better today! M 28...

Amy3010

Oh, Ellis, it sucks to be in this spiral that feels so endless... I am sure that a lot of us here (myself included) can relate to how indecisive and lost you feel right now, like being on a roller coaster that you can never get off of. I hope you won't beat yourself up for this weekend for too long....

Amy3010

Glad to hear your weekend went well! :mrgreen: And well done on being okay with skipping ice cream and also saving some Easter chocolate for later - good strategy! It is a very fine line between maintaining the habits you need to promote health and a healthy weight, and having those habits trigger d...

Amy3010

Hi Ellis, thanks for popping in! My diet in Texas... :lol: I do my best to stick to healthy choices while I am there, and to my usual habits as much as I can, but it can be challenging because the tendency is to eat out a lot more than we do at home. And everything is big in Texas, including restaur...

Amy3010

Welcome back, Sammy! I think a small piece of dark chocolate is okay, too, if it doesn't trigger you to go off what you planned for yourself.

Amy3010

Hi Ellis - nice to see you here again!

How did your weekend end up going?

Amy3010

It's all about finding that sweet spot where you eat enough to satisfy your appetite, but not so much that it's more than your body needs. And if you're small it's so easy to go over that, isn't it? But it sounds like being busy this weekend really helped you!

Amy3010

Thanks for popping in, Imogen! And thanks for the reminder about being sure to eat enough at lunch to stave off afternoon snacking :mrgreen: I actually did have quite a big lunch yesterday and it really made a difference. I have also noticed that making sure I have a good source of protein with my l...

Amy3010

How nice to see so much activity on the boards! :mrgreen: It took me a while (way too long :wink: ) to get back into normal routine after coming back from TX. So I set a consistency challenge for myself for the next 90 days, committing to really focusing on my habits for this period. I will set an e...

Amy3010

Welcome!

Amy3010

Welcome back!

Amy3010

I totally agree - onward and upward is the only way to go. What other option do we have?
Hang in there!

Amy3010

Thanks for checking in with me :) Visiting my family in TX took a lot out of me. My mom is experiencing mobility issues, and while I was glad to be there to help her with them, it is also hard to see what she is going through. Also the realization for myself that the habits I cultivate now as far as...

Amy3010

Hi Pink! I think what you said about choosing your hungry is interesting - I think a lot of us have a hard time dealing with feeling hungry, and the idea that we have to accept it to a certain extent is sometimes a hard realization. It sounds like you have found a way to deal with this for yourself....

Amy3010

Hi folks! Thanks for checking in! I've been having lots of red days - busy at work, busy outside of work and also getting ready to travel to see my mom in Texas has impacted my usual habits. But I always tell myself, just keep chugging along. The protein bar was actually quite helpful! I won't be on...

Amy3010

Good for you!

I think it's those non-scale, habit victories, that in the end, have the most impact! Have a great weekend!

Amy3010

Thanks, Oolala - I honestly hadn't thought of this, I was just lazy about formatting :lol: But looking at it, I think you are right about less drama, and more focus on the behavior that I want to positively reinforce. I seem to be in a good groove at the moment and am on the cusp of my first 100% gr...

Amy3010

It is sobering to see how few calories we get as older women, just for maintenance. And then the struggle to make sure we get enough protein...

Amy3010

That's exactly what I mean about figuring out things for yourself! We all have to find the best way to apply moderation and habits to our own lives.

Amy3010

Thanks! :D Just chugging along here, as usual. Having a stressful week at work, and gave into some snacky behavior yesterday. The thing is, it does not actually help, just makes me feel bad about myself. Sigh. Mark it and move on. Three more possible green days to go this month! :mrgreen: WED 1: YEL...

Amy3010

Calorie counting is triggering for me, too, so I understand where you are coming from. Don't worry about what we might think about anything, this is your process and you are figuring things out for yourself, we are here to support you and be a sounding board!

Amy3010

Progress, not perfection!

Amy3010

You got this, Win!

Amy3010

Thanks, Win :lol: Five more opportunities to get green this month - let's do this! WED 1: YELLOW THU 2: GREEN :mrgreen: FRI 3: RED SAT 4: YELLOW SUN 5: YELLOW MON 6: RED TUE 7: GREEN :mrgreen: WED 8: RED THU 9: RED FRI 10: GREEN :mrgreen: SAT 11: GREEN :mrgreen: SUN 12: YELLOW MON 13: GREEN :mrgreen...

Amy3010

Thanks for your support, folks :D Co-opt away, Win, my pleasure! Red days happen when I let what I want in the moment override what I want for my future self. A great way to prevent this is reminding myself of my reasons for doing this (reading my list of reasons), but sometimes I don't think of thi...

Amy3010

Hi Win! I love the idea of a habit tune-up - welcome back!

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