Everyday Systems

oolala53

Wow, just noticed that this thread has had more views than the etiquette thread that has been around for years. It can't just be us... Hello, lurkers!

oolala53

I recognize you, too, vmsurbat! I stay around because I just like the zeitgeist, if I may use that term here. Lost all my weight since age 56 and more in the last six months (making changes for other reasons).

oolala53

Just about how S days are supposed to be. You'll get plenty of good stuff to eat without adding anything else, no? Happy Birthday!

oolala53

Weight loss alone rarely serves as a successful long term motivator.

oolala53

MM, a worthy use for a diet or restriction.

oolala53

I have to admit that I am a bit intrigued to think I could drain off some of the fat. Believe me, I could go a long way before I'd approach low bodyfat. It stings a bit that it's gone up nearly 11% from its lowest. I gained fat this year and lost a little muscle! But just as back when there was no u...

oolala53

Did you make some changes this week? How tall are you? Are you in the overweight range or higher? or lower? I don't know if it's my imagination, but I seem to do better when I am not eating baked flour items more than once a day and sometimes none. But i'm kind of a weirdo, who took a cooking class ...

oolala53

TX for asking! All my problems are mental, though some of them might be made milder if I were active more consistently. Catch-22.

oolala53

Going off track for only one day through all this is pretty darn good!

oolala53

R u weighing infrequently? I would weigh the last three days before the weekend and average the 3 days.

oolala53

You've given it a good shot. It's worth a try. Some people try and it works, or find they figure out how to make Vanilla work.

oolala53

Now, I hadn't remembered that from the book, and boy, ain't that the truth. It is a drag about your parents, but you do know the real truth about them and anxiety, right? I'm back on drugs, too, as an experiment, but I don't think it's going very well. Last week, I took a Xanax from a very old presc...

oolala53

IF YOU GET TRIGGERED BY CALORIE TALK, BETTER STOP READING NOW. I've been tracking for a reason that I realize now doesn't really fit my real needs, but it's been interesting. I didn't track yesterday because it was just too complicated. When I go to Temecula, I have the snacks. There are so many lit...

oolala53

You are learning exactly what the plan offers. When you make the choice to eat less of anything because you want to avoid feeling cruddy, rather than just for weight loss, it's a lot less risky. You see that it's not the same kind of deprivation because you get the payoff that day whether there are ...

oolala53

Reinhard wrote in the book that eventually, a person may or may not have any S's on S days. He doesn't say this but to me it always implied that the S day is just a day you COULD have an S, so it's still an S day even if you don't have any. It is not meant to have all S's every S day. That's just a ...

oolala53

Sorry to hear about the bad thing, NF, but glad to see you. I've never thought of you as leaving because I didn't suspect that you had gone and tried something else nor had given up the guidelines. I hope posting will help get you through whatever you need to get through. I know very well how the ol...

oolala53

I think of all weekend days as S days whether I have an S or not. I have weekends on which I have no sweets, but rarely because I declare to myself that I won't. I don't call that not taking an S day. I might eat three meals. I might eat less. It's still an S day to me. The criterion is how do I wan...

oolala53

Did you eat the ears and tails of the bunnies first?

oolala53

May I ask what year that graduation was? My high school year was '71. I went to a small school. I know of only one, but there must be more. But I think about it a lot of times when I read of people dying who are younger than I am...

oolala53

I realized yesterday, I think, that I haven't thought at all (until now) of the fact that Easter candy will be discounted soon. Even with all my years in, that old memory would crop up every year, even though I haven't acted on it for a few. But I mostly forgive myself, so to speak, for still feelin...

oolala53

a great week!

oolala53

Thanks! but it's pretty much my life, though last night was a bit extreme. I had been awake an hour when I wrote that. I usually last until at least 2, more often 3. (This can happen if I got to bed at 9 or 11.) In mid-afternoon I get tired enough for a short nap, but not as often as you'd think. Th...

oolala53

Awake. Oh, well, it isn't as if I haven't been through this. But I did take a sleeping pill. Should have been knocked out for another couple of hours. Just practiced Weil's breathing technique and here I am. Wish it was Saturday tomorrow! I had some incredible nights of sleep during break. Just happ...

oolala53

Doesn't that just make your day? Well, I have descended down the scale from France to Madagascar where the obesity rate is under 5%. One other chart on Madagascar I looked at showed that about 9 of 11 girl children born at the same time as I was have already died. There thinness seems unrelated to l...

oolala53

I've been tracking and am having a bit of a love/hate relationship with it. One part of the hate is that I like to have such a variety of things at a meal or include leftovers. I had a quinoa concoction that a friend made that had four different things in it and there I was estimating how many table...

oolala53

That's actually kind of cool. I hope they offer some freggies...

Oh, how I wish I had been ready for No S when I was in college. It would have been totally doable.

The campuses I've done workshops at have had incredible cafeterias!

oolala53

Just do your best to put food on a plate for each meal and try to eat so that you're hungry for the next one. If you're not, consider eating less.

But enjoy every bite.

And if it's more active, fill up on the company and ambience.

oolala53

And just once a year. Besides, there's nothing to say you have to eat all day long on any S day. Or even eat any S. You just COULD.

oolala53

You could just carry a paper plate or a plastic plate for a week or two just to get the approximate sense of what is a reasonable amount. And/or, just start looking at your plate of food at meals where you do use a plate. Get used to the proportions. My rules of thumb for lunch or dinner are about a...

oolala53

I forgot I had already talked about the grocery thing. Boy, my life is just riveting! I'm a little more peaceful these days with my lack of appetite. I have some days I bend to it and others I just go ahead with regular meals. It's becoming a bit of a rhythm of its own, though I still plan approxima...

oolala53

Having meals be social and satisfy hunger is a nice reinforcing pairing. The way it's supposed to be!

oolala53

I can get so rattled by people. Even when I do what I think I need, I can feel so shaky inside, and especially afterwards, running the whole scene. But it sounds like you had good reason to change your plans. You can't control whether she takes it well or not. She isn't even obligated to, though it ...

oolala53

Well, I wouldn't call a day's red a tome. Maybe graphic novels?

oolala53

With No S, it's almost an advantage that restaurants push so much food. Nearly everything is half price when you get two meals out of it! Sometimes I even get three, but I just about always add my own freggies.

oolala53

Try to keep in mind how much better it feels to eat modestly, even when you're exposed to food you might not get often, and DO savor every bite you DO take. Remember that beverages are allowed. I've cut way back on between-meal drinks, but when I'm on vacation, it seems like such a civilized way to ...

oolala53

I didn't listen to the whole thing, but I've got an opinion anyway! I hate the term cheat day. And thinking of it as an extra pleasure day eventually lets you weigh if it really is more pleasure. The longer I stay, the less important the sweets become. I still like sometimes having a day-really just...

oolala53

I find that I rarely wake up hungry after ignoring food thoughts. I will sometimes promise myself that I'll have a big breakfast if I just hold out, but never want the big breakfast the next day. But it still works each time because I give myself permission to have it IF I wake up starved. Hasn't ha...

oolala53

When you have more experience, even imperfect lunches won't seem like such a big deal. Guess it's too late in your evening to recommend doing whatever you can to have a moderate rest of the day. But it's over. Now for a bit more spontaneous weekend before the peace of routine again.

oolala53

We like to say there are no stages, unlike diets where people do some crash version, etc., but there really are for most of us. Isn't it interesting to look back and see how much we clung to our eating? But I don't think we can rush the process, at least not without some compelling reason. It just e...

oolala53

Hi.

oolala53

Holy moly. I once got up to three minutes, but never beyond. I'm amazed that some people, not even boxers, jump for 30 minutes. I'd be glad to get to 10. Working on rounds of 30-60 seconds now. Your tenacity is inspiring.

oolala53

Now that you mention it, I don't know what you call it except a sick day. I guess it's NWS, but it doesn't seem like it should count as the two allowed ones , Probably a good idea to be gentle with your tummy for a bit even when you feel better, which I hope you do soon.

oolala53

It occasionally happens to me that I finish a perfectly good meal and feel like I've had almost nothing. In the old days, I would have picked at this and that and gotten too full. Now, I just call it an appetite illusion and wait it out. Even if for some reason the body needs more, I have reserves. ...

oolala53

How long do you skip rope for at a time?

oolala53

Yeah, when are the failures? What are you saying to yourself, even if only metaphorically? For me, the failures are more about my motivation than anything. How much do I NOT enjoy it when I fail, I mean, physically? Why do I think this is my best bet? I never feel quite as good as when I'm sticking ...

oolala53

There are actually some basic things that are just eggs and beef, etc. But everything has a name. I guess recipes from other countries have names, too. I think the baking craze is pretty common in the paleo crowd, too. Hey, I've got some coconut flour in the freezer. But I don't claim that the urge ...

oolala53

That's exactly something! I swear, if I had just kept doing 12 sun salutations on N days since I learned them at age 27, I'd definitely have a different body.

But we have a lot of those, "If I had just...."s, don't we?

oolala53

I think one red in the middle of all this is pretty good. It wasn't WTH, right? Next!

oolala53

TexArk, I didn't start with public school system until I was 46 years old, so I will have only 18 years in. Hardly made much money before that but I did earn my quarters for soc security, though yes, it will be cut quite a lot. I'd actually like to think I could do something else and get some more q...

oolala53

THM just basically tricks people to limit their portions even though they're always saying that you can eat to fullness, and clean up their acts because they're against frankenfoods, unless they sell them. It's possible all the protein could be a detriment in the long run. We won't see the results o...

oolala53

I still often get a little surge of desire to eat when I feel light-hearted. Food used to "puncuate" the day all day.

Sounds like you might want to use a NWS day next week

Get ready, Grandma!

oolala53

I don't remember talking about using dessert plates. I don't like using little plates, although I'll sometimes put my morning bread on a saucer. I have luncheon plates but they're 8", I think. Anything smaller than that and I feel like I'm sitting at the kids' table. But the dense food is usually le...

oolala53

All you have to do for now is put non-sweet food on a plate 3times a day and eat it.

For exercise, start with just floor exercises for 4 minutes.

Don't underestimate the power of small, consistent changes leading to bigger ones. Just don't try to plan what those are now.

oolala53

As an old roommate used to say, you know what you have to do.

oolala53

It takes an average deficit of 100 calories a day (or a bit more on N days so that S days can be a bit more generous) for an entire YEAR to sustain a 10-lb. weight loss. That's a 365,000 calorie deficit, not 350,000 we would expect because the body adjusts downwards. Knowing that fact helped sober m...

oolala53

Ah, yard work, the cheapest gym around.

oolala53

What a drag! But it doesn't sound to me like you went off the program at all. Remember that you WANT to have "nothing left" from your meals at some point during the day. If not, your body never has a reason to draw on its glycogen stores and fat. It has to have a reason to draw them out. Otherwise, ...

oolala53

Larkspur, do you think you are ready to cut anything at your meals? Is there any reason besides weight loss that would make you be willing to shave off some food? Because if you aren't, if it seems it would be making it too unpleasant, then try to be ok with the status quo for now because you're not...

oolala53

I think some people even have a habitcal strictly for WTH.

oolala53

Just reading this reminds me that I meant to do some weeding before dinner today! Too late.

A green hump day tomorrow.

oolala53

You are ahead of the game when you're happy about being hungry about an hour before meals. Relishing hunger is a big plus, I think. (I never understand people saying they like some diet because they are never hungry. Then why eat?) To have joy around food is such a gift! It's really even better than...

oolala53

I gently suggest you also make a list of the benefits, especially in well-being, you'll get from truly surrendering to this lifestyle. What unpleasantness in your life are you putting up with to keep your old habits? I think Reinhard had intrinsic investments that he may not have even known were mot...

oolala53

Regarding food fantasies, me, too. I'm pretty sure Brian Wansink found all over the world that people tend to gain a bit on their respective weekends and lose it during the week. The amounts have to be mostly water because the weight loss does not coincide with calorie reduction great enough to chan...

oolala53

Your call, MM. Also, seeing the contrast in how you feel is one of the greatest motivators and reinforcers. Magnify it in your mind and minimize any pleasure you get from the offending foods. Go for the green.

oolala53

You'll always be glad you waited it out. You've got stores you want your body to tap in to. It needs practice. Unless you want to go the LCHF route.

BTW, that is about where I started, though I thought I was an inch taller...

oolala53

oolala53

Felt in the spirit of full disclosure, I should post about a fake food I am enjoying these days. It's partly because I'm using up the larder, so I started using some protein powder that's been sitting around. I had also bought some guar gum (can't remember why) and glucomannan because on ex-No S er ...

oolala53

Walked to the class. Had a pancake lunch at the local 19th Hole. Beautiful view and breeze. Still pretty full, but will have a concoction I've come up with that I really like in about an hour. Will likely be staying up late doing work I've procrastinated on, but we really need to hit the ground runn...

oolala53

Your estimation means most, but from here it looks like you are right on track.

oolala53

Okay, a quarter of the way through 2017. If you're sailing along, nothing to add. If not, see if you can calmly ratchet up your ratio of success. Even a 20% increase in successful days will be an improvement, and who knows where the momentum will go from there. Keep looking for intrinsic reasons to ...

oolala53

Thanks for the comforting! I know what you're saying and have conducted most of my years on No S with pretty much that attitude. But I think some numbers may be worth chasing, if the circumstances are right. I certainly think anyone on No S who has diabetes or CVD or other illnesses can't afford to ...

oolala53

Sounds like you have a plan. But for clarity, how tall are you and what is your present BMI? Eventually, you may find that being very hungry when you start a meal doesn't mean you eat a lot more at that meal. There are some biological reasons to want more, but a lot of it is just expectation that ha...

oolala53

You don't have to explain ice cream for breakfast. At least you didn't stay up until midnight to eat it, which is something I did in the first year for chocolate, and not just a couple of kisses. I'm pretty sure that is NOT canonical No S. It's probably one of those things Reinhard wouldn't think he...

oolala53

I think there's a big difference between thinking, "I can't take an S day," and "My last meal was enough. I'll save my appetite for the great one coming up," or "I'd really rather eat more savory foods than leave room for dessert." Etc. Without dwelling on it. See if there's a way to make the day co...

oolala53

What a fantastic month! And nothing like functional exercise. No gym dues.

oolala53

So many cultures have loaded tables, especially of starches. I read a blog this week of a woman who moved to Calabria (I'm pretty sure this is the one I'm thinking of.) She said the local people rarely have bread and pasta or any other starch at the same meal. I was surprised. And I think I read one...

oolala53

Be careful of not letting yourself bargain next week to fail and make it up on the weekend. That can get very out of hand.

At the same time, eat so that you feel good today.

oolala53

Terrific!

oolala53

So the bar and cookies felt good, no clogging? Neato torpedo!

oolala53

No, I mean more feeling rather full from your eating. Do you see your weight go up even when you never feel full, or does it usually follow a fair amount of overeating? Feeling bloated is often from eating past the point of satiety before it kicks in. It can also come from water weight long after th...

oolala53

Pumpkin pasta salad: is the pasta made with some pumpkin, or is it added to the salad? vinaigrette type dressing or creamy? Any other veggies in it? Intriguing. I sometimes get a wonderful commercial squash soup that I add bits of sausage to. Nice complement. Hope you are enjoying the visitors. Do y...

oolala53

I went for a private intro lesson on Russian kettlebells on Monday...with a Russian champion. He had me do only one kettlebell exercise, but put me through some other stuff I assumed are ways he assesses someone. He said I need work on my legs and back. I have been feeling it from neck to heels all ...

oolala53

I'm probably doing something hazardous, but I actually sometimes eat in the car. I put a dish towel over my lap. I can chew much more slowly on the freeway than when sitting at home. I could lie and say I always take things I can easily pick up with my fingers, but I spoon some things. Do you want t...

oolala53

Out of curiosity, noni, do you not feel any different from your eating before you see the result on the scale? Does the body feel neutral but the weight goes up?

Stored glycogen will weigh more and will usually feel at least a bit different.

oolala53

3square, that's the magic of S days. Nothing will help a person cut down on S's like having them not be as fun or having them ruin meals, IMHO. Sometimes it takes awhile to get clear that they just don't give like they used to. I think it's because we actually miss the fun that we can't count on. Bu...

oolala53

I think the kids have fewer toys?

oolala53

I guess I'm on a diet? My cholesterol is still climbing. It's at 201! (It was lowest when I was almost at my heaviest, crappiest eating years.) But my HDL is at 84, so the ratio is 2.39. Stats say the ratio should be -1-3.5. But all except trigylcerides have gone up, though I have lost weight this y...

oolala53

Oh, there have been some people at my work that have lost some ice cream (from big 5-gallon tubs) that they probably didn't realize was gone- nor expected anyone to take... I think I felt pretty vulnerable at a couple of years in, too. It fits with the stats: 50% of people relapse and apparently don...

oolala53

I meant just that, that there is stuff that people have around. The food in the secretaries' little office is just stuff other people have brought in. It's not provided by the school. So everyone assumes if something is left, it's meant for anyone to help herself. That's sweet, but tempting, too. I ...

oolala53

Texark, I'm the one who has trouble getting rid of stuff. I"m sure you've seen those hoarding shows. What the therapists know is that the person herself has to be the one to make the decision to let things go, and she can do it with the right support. Turns out it's pretty expensive! I've paid hundr...

oolala53

Yeah, MaggieMae, that's what I meant about his attitude. If you're not ready for that message, it complicates things. Unless you have some health conditions, let yourself see if you can just work to decrease those foods over time, and increase the ratio of better quality food. My first year, fast fo...

oolala53

My understanding of insulin resistance is that longer gaps between eating events can get the body to process insulin better. It's very reasonable to think that some of the sensations are the body not being able to shift to its other sources, so would feel uncomfortable. Feeding it food often definit...

oolala53

I can't tell you how many people want to eat mid afternoon. It has actually never completely gone away for me. The only times that come to mind it doesn't is when I've had something like Costco pizza or flat out overate at lunch or am really really occupied during those hours. I think for me it's al...

oolala53

Just that one's person experience can't be predicted in another. Previous habits, preferences, health conditions, body type, mindset, etc., can all affect how easily things go. Some people drop a lot of weight rather fast. Others inch along. Sometimes inchers suddenly make changes they were convince...

oolala53

To me, an S day with one S event IS Vanilla. An S day on which I happen to have no S events is Vanilla, too. I guess I just cling to the term. I don't know why. I guess it's because S days were never meant to be gorge days. That was meant to be a temporary release valve. I really think most people d...

oolala53

I hope it's okay if I post something that represents my own bias. http://eatingless.com/prev/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/INTUITIVE-EATING.e-book.pdf I actually think it COULD work, but is just as hard as dieting, if not harder, and harder than No S in my experience. Oh, how I wanted to believe it! I ...

oolala53

I think I lost 5 lbs. in each of my first two months, 100% compliant, starting at 185. Sounds like a little more than half of your record. It took a long time to get the next 10 off, and two years total to get 40 off, with one period of relapse. It was never steady. Drops tended to follow a pattern ...

oolala53

Noni, sometimes those little extras can keep a person from jumping ship! Only you can tell which ones are expendable and when. I saw after a few years that I was using decaf stevia mochas as a crutch between meals, not a remedy for real hunger. I also came to doubt the wisdom of how often I ate fast...

oolala53

Isn't that funny? Some people do pull out the iinnerds (sp?) of rolls but they'd rarely eat just the crust of a slice of bread. I still like good sourdough or white flour artisan bread in restaurants, though they are the exception for me. It's just Wonder and its brethren that it never occurs to me ...

oolala53

I guess I'm wrong, but I've never thought of permanent unbridled S days as Vanilla. I doubt anyone can eat S after S on weekends and experience much satisfacion with the program. That's just inherent in the experience of repeated excess. If having to exert any control on S days means it's not Vanill...

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