Everyday Systems

ClickBeetle

Thanks, Nathan and Deb. Days E9 and E10 are S-days Saturday: -- coffee for breakfast -- root beer float for lunch -- ha ha! -- for dinner, cookout: tortilla chips with seven-layer Mexican dip, burger, baked beans, mixed fruit, potato salad, beer, wine, Dr. Pepper, fruit juice w/soda water Sunday: --...

ClickBeetle

Juergen, good going.

I continue to be amazed at your perfect English. Are you not a native speaker, and if not, can you say why your colloquial English is so good?

Just curious, because I have a long way to go with German.

ClickBeetle

Days E7 and E8: success

I really wanted to have a "supplemental serving" of dinner last night but avoided it.

I haven't gotten much exercise lately because we had a lot of hot and humid weather this week. Does this place *ever* start to cool off??

ClickBeetle

Jan, num-num! I wish I could eat over at your house!

ClickBeetle

Oh, it was Blue Daisy -- "no depriving, only delaying" -- sorry

ClickBeetle

empty calorie food with nothing but a taste bud high going for it

That's the truth -- that's the difference in calories you get with No-S, right there. Eating vs. snacking.

Congrats on saying no to cake. Someone said, "With No-S there is no deprivation, only delay", I think. Who was that?

ClickBeetle

Fantastic, congratulations!

Sometimes I see it. Sometimes I don't. Sometimes I sit prodding my jaw and wondering if it feels bonier

ha-ha! Yep, yep, we are familiar with that ...

ClickBeetle

No, it was a small hurricane this time! (been through 4 ... maybe more, I've lost count)

ClickBeetle

One of the nice things about people like Jack Lalanne and Richard Simmons is that they take the "approachable" approach to exercise - - really making it comfortable for people to get the idea that they would be interested and that fitness is not just for the Steroid People. (I mean, I know a lot of ...

ClickBeetle

Don't get angry, but just thrash that manager's sorry a** at some point!

Oops, sorry sorry ... note to self: nonviolence, nonviolence!

ClickBeetle

Day E6: success! B: coffee, peach, milk w/cocoa L: roast chicken and potatoes, orange juice D: drinkable (non-sweet) yogurt & nabs -- was late to an evening class! -- then eggplant casserole, cheese, potatoes, and milk when I got home at 10:00. Exercise: None today, as we were having a hurricane. (a...

ClickBeetle

Blondie, YOU WIN!!!!!

ClickBeetle

Oh, that is too nasty for words, if you'll pardon my saying so.

ClickBeetle

OOPS, sorry to gum up your blog, Cynthia, with my moon-eyed nonsense. Back to the subject at hand ... failure ... ah, don't fret it too much. I decided early on I couldn't deal with the f-word so I labeled my screw-ups "non-success" or "less than satisfactory" or something wishy-washy like that. May...

ClickBeetle

Isn't he cute? With that self-effacing humor? This is why all the girls on the board adore him.

ClickBeetle

Betsy, reporting to the set! (Late, as typical!) Wait, I don't recognize the director ... oh, that's because she lost so much weight!

ClickBeetle

Well, to make things simple, let's just say my challenge is to name a thing we use as if it were a "fruit", but which is not the fruiting part of the plant. That is to say, it comes from some other part of the plant than the fruit. In other words, culinarily speaking, it's a fruit ... but botanicall...

ClickBeetle

Patty, I totally understand what you are saying about clothes, not having any, not wanting to buy any, and feeling frumpy as heck! Here's what I did to overcome this: the first two weeks of No-S, I was very strict, went on a bit of a crash calorie-reduction program, and walked like crazy. End result...

ClickBeetle

It was so awesome! Day E5: success B: coffee, milk L: eggplant casserole, cocoa & milk, bread & butter D: remnant of steak salad on romaine lettuce, bread & butter ... then small amout of crawfish etouffee, jambalaya & corn muffin Tonight I rode my bike downtown to a place called Yancy's Juke Joint....

ClickBeetle

Also, sustained exercise (more than 20 minutes) reduces your triglyceride levels.

Sounds as though there is some real benefit to extended periods of lower activity (endurance exercise) vs. sprinting. (although I imagine that occasional sprinting adds its own special benefits).

ClickBeetle

I find I just can't stomach a big breakfast early in the morning. The most I can look at is coffee and maybe a biscotto or milk or something light like a tomato sandwich (you know me) :roll: . However, I can see why skipping breakfast would tend to lead to snacking later on. With no-S, one eliminate...

ClickBeetle

It was indeed a great post! I guess the LPI principle is behind my refusal to bring krinkly bags in the house ... if I don't bring a krinkly bag of snacks in, I won't be putting my hand in the krinkly bag over and over again til it's all gone ... I paid four dollars for a coke float last weekend, ev...

ClickBeetle

Good point, Deb. I once did some personal mindwork on the concept of choosing "active refraining" ... as opposed to just struggling to avoid temptation. This involved meditating on non-action as an affirmative choice ...

ClickBeetle

I'm with ya, Peetie, one thing that will keep me awake for sure is hunger. I have allowed the occasional cup of hot chocolate if I get hungry at bedtime -- it helps me relax and get to sleep, it makes up a dairy serving (of which I'm often short at the end of the day), and I make it only semisweet a...

ClickBeetle

The Clickbeetle challenge was to name a vegetable that's really a fruit ... other than the tomato ... Cucumbers, squash, and zucchini all are fruits ... Green and red peppers, jalapenos and the like, too ... I'm sure there are others that I can't think of ... Now here's the BIG challenge: name a fru...

ClickBeetle

I nominate guavas ... the fruit that's a "divider, not a uniter" ... you either love 'em or ... well ... one of my uncles says they are something a respectable cat will try to cover up ... My grandmother lived in Florida and we had a neighbor with a guava bush ... so we often had guava jelly, guava ...

ClickBeetle

Yeah, thanks, I don't think I have ever lost 11 lbs before! Day E4: success B: coffee, milk, 3 peaches L: roasted chicken and potatoes, orange juice D: crab/shrimp bisque, part of steak salad on romaine lettuce, pint of perry exercise: bicycled to bike club meeting - 6/10ths mile of downhill coastin...

ClickBeetle

Thanks, Navin. Don't know that I've been anyone's hero before. Day E3: success (S-day) B: coffee, ? L: chicken leg with roasted potatoes; orange juice, eggplant casserole D: chicken leg with roasted potatoes; orange juice snacks, etc: 3 pieces of toast with cherry jam, grapefruit soda exercise: went...

ClickBeetle

Day E2: success (S-day)

B: coffee, milk, nabs
L: coke float ... then some eggplant casserole late in the afternoon & orange juice
D: pint of perry, appetizer-y stuff at pub

Today's caloric intake was mostly alcohol and sugar ... hah hah hah hah

exercise: ran errands on foot & bike

ClickBeetle

James, you look great!!! You must be the most cuddly biker bouncer dude ever. And what a little cutie ya got up there on your shoulders!

ClickBeetle

Jan, another week well done! By the way, I love your new quote ... so cute. It kind of reminds me of "Time flies like an arrow ... Fruit flies like a banana" !

ClickBeetle

I'm sort of a wimp when it comes to challenges (I like to say, I'm very competitive as long as I'm winning

)

But this time I will gladly take you on ... as it means we will both stay motivated and end up winners, regardless of who "loses" more!

ClickBeetle

Hey, Kevin! Wow!!!! You met your target weight!!! That's terrific! You gotta be feeling good right now.

ClickBeetle

Day E1: Success B: coffee, milk, peach L: macaroni & cheese, orange juice D: haven't gotten there yet Starting out on Round 5 (or "E", I guess). Round 4 got off to a rocky start, then finished nice & square with a succession of good-habit-building days. Hoping the momentum of this will carry over as...

ClickBeetle

From what I understand (never having been to France) the French take food very seriously and surround it with a great deal of ceremony and social custom. As opposed to eating junk alone out of krinkly bags while driving and talking on the cellphone. Although I'm sure there are some in France who do ...

ClickBeetle

Day D21: hey, I made it! Well, not really. There were some flaky days early in this round so it's not a true 21-day qualifier. I just didn't want to start counting again because it seemed healthier to acknowledge and accept imperfection without having to ditch everything and start over "fresh" (kind...

ClickBeetle

Congratulations! You did it! Now you know you can!

ClickBeetle

It gets thrown back in the freezer for another day! I hope there are no squirrels in there. Day D20: success B: coffee, peach, milk, small slice farm cheese L: buttered herb bread, lentil/sausage stew, orange juice D: 1.5 tomato sandwiches, pork, milk bedtime: hot cocoa exercise: biked one errand an...

ClickBeetle

Oh my gosh, I just was looking at this thread and I realized it really looks like I was trying to rebut Freakwitch's remarks about willpower. Actually, I thought his advice was really good and it goes a long way toward explaining how to engage your will. I wasn't trying to offer a rebuttal in the le...

ClickBeetle

Well, if I can offer any advice, it would be first of all forget that phrase "just a lack of willpower." We have this problem in our society with a "magical concept" called willpower. No one knows what it is or how to define it or even how to get it. It is said that you either have it or you don't. ...

ClickBeetle

Tonight was very clear and dry and I went for a Ranger walk and as I got to my bridge I saw two bright planets clustered near the crescent Moon. The Moon was also lit by earthshine. The sky was still lavender-blue and there were no other stars visible -- very pretty. The planets were Venus and Jupit...

ClickBeetle

Day D19: affirmative SUCCESS Today and yesterday were true N days. Feels good to be back on track for real. B: coffee, milk, peach, herb bread L: lentils and sausage, buttered bread, orange juice D: chickpea salad on 2/3 of a whole wheat pita, cheese, tomato sandwich, milk rangering: biked to 2 erra...

ClickBeetle

Related observation -- The last couple of weeks I have been doing too much "virtual plating" and it tended to undercut my no-snacking habit. I had several 'incidents' as recorded in my log. Nothing too horrible, but not what I had planned, and not consistent with no-S'ing. I think I had just turned ...

ClickBeetle

Jan, your daily pattern seems so healthy in so many ways! I hope it will continue through the coming change in your schedule.

And BTW ... I'm quite impressed by all the subjects you teach!

ClickBeetle

Nathan, I like your idea about meal planning and I think I will focus more on that. When I do try to plan ahead it definitely improves both the overall quality of my eating as well as reducing snacks. Toward that end I made a rather large amount of lentil-and-sausage soup yesterday. Recipe: In a Dut...

ClickBeetle

Welcome, Daisy -- like you I snack a lot if I watch TV, and one of my little rules when I started this was to avoid snacking situations like that. I have a real problem going to bed at a reasonable hour and so I would love to hear more about how your 9:30 goal works out and what strategies help you ...

ClickBeetle

Cleaning the basement would almost be an improvement on Raleigh nightlife. Deb, I would love to have a glass of Riesling with you! Maybe we should all gather in Nathan's basement and convert it to a wine cellar.

ClickBeetle

I only have a second to post my S-days ... B: coffee, milk, peach L: Wendy's cheeseburger, fries S: orange-cream chocolates, baked potato chips D: shrimp & scallops & tomato sauce on spaghetti, bread, 2 glasses red wine exercise: walk & bike a little B: coffee, milk, orange juice L: sausage & lentil...

ClickBeetle

I did some web research on freezer burn (now there's an oxymoron) last year and how to prevent it because I was so frustrated at losing good food in the freezer. There are 2 components of "freezer burn." One, the water in the food sublimates (evaporates directly from the frozen state without melting...

ClickBeetle

OK, since one of my favorite vegetables is really botanically a fruit, I'm going to nominate it here: tomato (what else)

Take the Clickbeetle challenge: Name other veggies that are really fruits?

ClickBeetle

Tomatoes with bleu cheese dressing ... now that sounds really good. Tomato Girl gives her seal of approval!

I'm with Peetie ... I finally listened to my mom after I turned thirty ... she always has said "Don't borrow trouble."

ClickBeetle

Well here it is 10 pm on a Friday night and I am home as is typical :neutral: Today was reasonably successful ... I had a bunch of cherry drops ... but it was after 5:00 so I suppose it was technically an S day ... but I hadn't really planned on starting in on the sweets so soon. I just cannot figur...

ClickBeetle

Welcome! I've been no-S'ing for three months and I've lost ten pounds. I have also been trying to get some form of moderate exercise (so far I've walked, hiked, swum or ridden my bike) at least 3 to 4 times per week and that has really helped. I'm in a LOT better shape. My first nine pounds came off...

ClickBeetle

A delicious Elberta peach ... the "Georgia Mango".

ClickBeetle

Congrats!

PS Maybe this is a good time to have the treat of your choice!

ClickBeetle

GO, Deb and Richard!! WELL DONE!!!

ClickBeetle

Ah, the peach -- truly a gift to humankind. And quite a few possums. We are still getting plenty of peaches in at the Farmer's Market, and they should continue coming in right through September - though the taste of the very latest-season varieties declines rapidly toward the end. The sweet corn wil...

ClickBeetle

Hey Deb, I'm really sorry to hear that there's no news. The say the communications in & out have been practically impossible, so it sure seems like no news may not necessarily be bad news. Anyway, you are in my thoughts & prayers.

ClickBeetle

Hey, thanks, everyone! Nathan, this catcall is for you , baby! :wink: Deb, I'll be sure and carry a tomato on me from now on. But it'll have to be from the supermarket. I wouldn't want to waste a homegrown tomato on a jerk! This is day D14 and it went reasonably well. (all things considered) B - cof...

ClickBeetle

By now everyone has probably figured out how to send aid for hurricane relief efforts. But I thought it might be helpful to post this list anway, which appeared in the New York Times today. Remember that money is the most critical and portable way to send assistance. I know that both the Red Cross a...

ClickBeetle

Thanks, Kevin and Blondie! You made me feel really good! And, I'm glad you did because I kind of needed cheering up today after the thing that happened this morning. I got my bike out to go to a business meeting. (The governor is asking everyone in N.C. to conserve gasoline because we get most of ou...

ClickBeetle

Gee ... Thanks for the compliments, Dru! Sorry you had to bike ride around the City. That can be dangerous! Oh no, it was terrific !! it convinced me that I was up to much more activity than I would have thought. And it was not unsafe at all because San Francisco has such a wonderful system. And the...

ClickBeetle

Well, Deb, you have a very inspiring son, there! I imagine it makes it a bit easier to meet the challenge when he is right there with ya.

That is a weird breakfast ... but, sounds satisfying at least!

ClickBeetle

Hey, Sandy, When I decided to cut down on sweets it was because of my friend who lost 85 pounds by cutting out sugar, and at about the same time, my blood test came back high for triglycerides and I read that one of the causes can be high sugar intake. I don't know if you have had a blood test but w...

ClickBeetle

Snazzy, my heart goes out to you and your son. I had a friend in college with MD. She did much better than she or her parents had been told to expect from her diagnosis, but it was still very tough for her. We used to go out "dancing" together although she was in a wheelchair! My prayers for you and...

ClickBeetle

Gee, thanks, you all!

OK, so maybe the candle is actually floating in a cup of cherry lambic. Don't tell anyone, pleeeease!

ClickBeetle

Mandy, that's great (the habit in place and the exercise). It's very inspiring.

I'm sorry to hear you have relatives who had to evacuate! What a wretched situation to be in.

ClickBeetle

Wow, Reinhard, don't you just love the way the No-S Gang can handle delegation?

ClickBeetle

Jan, what a great day that sounds like! Any day in which one eats home-grown tomatoes and tosses lots of junk from the storage room has to be counted a success.

RE: the Gulf coast -- yes, what a wretched situation for those poor folks.

ClickBeetle

Dru, I like your approach of adding in "sweat" this round! Sounds like you are off to a running start ... so to speak!

ClickBeetle

With some help from my fiance, who has promised to send me a bill for services, I am now able to post the following "before" and "during" pictures. Before: http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b212/navinrjohnson/BetsySanFranScaled.jpg Above: I was in San Francisco for a city planning conference. I hear...

ClickBeetle

Day D12: Success B: coffee, milk, peach, orange juice L: half pita with chickpea salad; milk & cocoa; slice of sheep's milk cheese D: tunafish sandwich on whole wheat; 2 ears of sweet corn; peach I haven't had much vigorous exercise in a few days ... hot, and the pool is now closed :( ... but at lea...

ClickBeetle

NOT a cheat!!! No way! That was your belated one-year anniversary half-a-lousy cherry turnover. It's not your fault if you were broke on the actual anniversary. I spent most of last year being broke, and yikes! I can surely sympathize with how stressed out and anxious it can make a person ... especi...

ClickBeetle

Hey, Sandy! I'm glad you posted your failures. Wow! Now that takes guts! Of course, I'm not glad that you didn't meet your goal, but that goes without saying, I guess ... Sweets have been my downfall for the last week or so. You know how I got started on No-S? I was looking for information on low-su...

ClickBeetle

Dude! Er, I mean, dude-san! Welcome back!

It's nice to "see" you again -- and also nice to know if I ever fall off the wagon & climb back on I'll be in great company!

ClickBeetle

Day D11 ... so far so good B: coffee, milk, half bagel w/ cream cheese L: other half the bagel w/ cream cheese, tomato sandwich, milk, peach D: half a whole-wheat pita stuffed with chickpea salad & a smear of labneh (very thick yogurt like sour cream); slice of kashkaval cheese; raspberries Exercise...

ClickBeetle

Ha ha, Navin and Deb, you tickle me!

ClickBeetle

Hey girl -- congratulations on your one-year anniversary! It's great inspiration to know that this is "stick-to-able"! Quite a milestone, and well done!!

ClickBeetle

Snazzybabe, I appreciate your concern about my diet, but it is unfounded. I typically drink a glass of milk with every meal, and it's so typical I often don't bother to list it, so I suppose a couple of my daily entries appear short on food. And I sometimes forget to list everything I ate. A person ...

ClickBeetle

That's really weird, Deb, I was feeling very alone this weekend, too! I'm like you, I haven't had a boy-girl relationship in a really long time. ( Not that that's the only source of togetherness, but let me say a word about THAT here -- Don't blame yourself -- the USA way of relationships (mainly da...

ClickBeetle

Saturday and Sunday, days D9 and D10 ... went great. I didn't overdo the eating but I definitely took in my share of simple sugars this weekend ... when I tote up the peaches, orange juice, grape juice sweet corn, bananas, and tea-biscuits I ate today and yesterday, it's quite a lot of sugar ... a b...

ClickBeetle

Day D8 ... reasonable success Still having those carbohydrate cravings ... couldn't resist a couple of Starburst candies and a Charleston Chew ... but this was minor ... B: coffee, cream, peach L: milk & cocoa, 2 ears of buttered sweet corn D: chocolate milk, chickpea-tomato-parsley salad on whole w...

ClickBeetle

Well, it's Day D7 and I did pretty well ... if you ignore a few Altoids ... which I think are negligible. B: coffee, cream, two tomato sandwiches L: tortilla chips (that does not mean Doritos, OK) and mozzarella cheese; two ears of sweet corn; milk D: rather large chicken salad sandwich; fruit Range...

ClickBeetle

Today is D6, and boy did I goof! I've been having these incredibly strong carbohydrate cravings ... and ... this afternoon I spotted the multicolored bag of saltwater taffy that I got the other night ... intending to save it for the weekend ... well ... the mistake was in letting it in the house bef...

ClickBeetle

Deb, that's terrific. It's great to hear of your good news!!!

ClickBeetle

Ooh, that sounds very interesting! I must put it on my list. While I was driving to Vermont I had lots of time alone in the car (about 28 hours total there and back! whew! ), so I listened to David McCullough read his book "1776". -- It took up 10 CDs, and really helped with the solo driving!! It wa...

ClickBeetle

You live in a small town?

ClickBeetle

Aww, I like Martha .

.. she got a worse rap than she deserved ... let's pick on Richard Scrushy. (He has no style, anyway!)

ClickBeetle

No 8-year-olds ... aagh! (I know you're kidding!)

How about sustainably harvested maple from Vermont; recycled plastic and steel; and living wages for rehabilitated ex-cons?

Better yet if the manufacturing is done on work-release by former CEOs convicted on stock fraud.

ClickBeetle

I agree with most of what Nancy said except that good-quality food is more expensive. I've saved a lot of money with No-S because I don't buy expensive snacks or cookies any more. When I take a look at my staples -- olive oil, whole-wheat bread and pita, plain yogurt, 2% milk, eggs, canned black and...

ClickBeetle

It is so true.

ClickBeetle

Thanks, Peetie and Deb! Those are some REALLY great ideas! and thanks for your support. I can honestly say these glitches were no big deal. In fact, they hardly register! By the way in looking at your comments, I re-read my post and one thing really popped out at me: and I ate a chocolate that I had...

ClickBeetle

All right!

ClickBeetle

Carolejo, you fortunate soul, you -- I ran across this lovely-sounding piece on Amsterdam http://www.slate.com/id/2124561/entry/2124563/?nav=ais and I had to post it here! It sounds absolutely enticing! Sigh .. and they all have health insurance ... something I need to work on getting ... The articl...

ClickBeetle

Re: skim milk -- that's funny about blue milk -- My grandmother grew up on a Tennessee farm in the 1910's, and she told me they skimmed the milk, put the top milk (which was basically light cream) on their cereal, and slopped the hogs with the "bluejohnny"! BTW, she was thin her whole life, despite ...

ClickBeetle

Good for you! Keep a-goin'! Isn't it nice to know, when you do sit down to supper, that you've EARNED it!

ClickBeetle

All right, so today was D5, and I was in a long meeting this morning and I ate a chocolate that I had in my handbag (but only because I was trapped, there was nothing else available and I was about to pass out from hunger). After lunch, which was healthy, I caved again -- with no excuses this time -...

ClickBeetle

Some thinking regarding the macro & micro scales -- I've been thinking a lot about Reinhard's (hopefully) upcoming book :) and it seems to me that the 3-page explanation of No-S could come with a kind of "Commentators on the Acts," or the "Talmud" that goes with the "Torah," so to speak. Basically, ...

ClickBeetle

On one of my urban ranger outings I have discovered a monster hackberry tree (actually earlier this spring, but I just thought of it again). I checked the state and national records online and it appears to be larger and taller than either of those. I have a picture, but posting it here is probably ...

ClickBeetle

I checked, and today is actually D4 (I'm on my fourth go-round of No-S, day 4). I swam tonight, as I'd intended, but didn't make it to a mile (went 1650 yards last time, which is 4,950 feet or 330 feet short of a mile). I stopped at 1500 yards -- was pretty well worn out at the point, though not exh...

Everyday Systems

Search found 410 matches

How to help with hurricane relief

Giant hackberry tree