Everyday Systems

oolala53

"If I can just stick to those four things each day I will be fine... "

You're right.

oolala53

My biggest issue with the colonoscopy, although the lead-in and actual experience wasn't quite a party, was that my elimination was messed up for a few weeks. And you have to have someone take you home. I don't have that many people in my life I can ask that favor of. Don't think about it much. You ...

oolala53

Wouldn't it be great if you could create your own little No S culture at home?

oolala53

Keep your eyes on the habits! I gently suggest that you just make it a goal to stick to the habits now and through your vacation because you are looking for a way to live! Even if you get to 160 before the vacation, if you aren't committed to eating moderately most of the time, you know what is goin...

oolala53

Nice work! I'd be happy with consistent 14 minutes. maybe it'll turn into an hour of dance later...

oolala53

Hi, nosnos. Yes, I feel pretty married to No S, though we have our spats. All my doing. A good day despite more plumbing problems. Cost me 65 bucks to have someone snake my drain over 25 feet and it didn't even work. but he made the house call after hours and spent about an hour. Wonder what it will...

oolala53

There is also P90X. That's why I call 14 mintues + NO S + walking/moderate cardio ...RE (Reinhard Engels) 90X. Except you do it all year. I guess it should be RE365X. I still haven't done 90 straight days of all three, though. Never mind a year. But hope springs eternal. In fact, whenever I think of...

oolala53

No S isn't really intermittent. The S days are a constant, too, in that they allow the OPTION for a few extras (after the open season/ idiot stage) forever, if you really want them. Not allowing for those along the way is likely one of the reasons so many other plans are not sustainable for would-be...

oolala53

Yes, but I doubt you heat stew on a grill. Don't you have to put it in a bowl anyway? I put bowls on the plate, too. I tend to use either dessert-sized ones that leave room for entree, starch, and veggies, or deep ones that still allow room for bread and fruit on my plate, if the soup is a meal soup.

oolala53

I think if you really believe down deep that your S day mods are fair and reasonable, they will become your new default.

Happy Monday!

oolala53

Got it! Here's to another nine months and more.

oolala53

I've had that problem with grill size, too, and with food getting cold while I ate slowly. Now I put the food on the plate before I heat it to get the amount. Then if I need to heat things in stages, I know I'm still eating one plate's worth.

oolala53

Once again, I think Reinhard has the right idea. Eat and exercise moderately and consistently for vitality and be happy with the results. It isn't likely you'll be able to do more than that for the long "run" anyway.

oolala53

I've gotten to the point at which school breaks are not a big issue anymore. I can fail anytime! :roll: No, I actually have many green or nearly green N days during breaks now. I want to gently say that if your cholesterol is an issue, I think even Reinhard would say you should probably try to find ...

oolala53

Not sure what you mean by a rolling average of 2 exceptional days. No S already provides for extra S days, but LIMITS them to 2 per month with no rollover, so you can't take 4 this month and none next month, or vice versa. It's also recommended to declare them beforehand, not decide in the moment. Y...

oolala53

Well, the mods are your own devices, too, or become your own when they become your default. If they don't, then you get to pick new devices to try. I know when I got to the point at which I started thinking that it was okay to experiment with different guidelines for eating without each one being a ...

oolala53

Yes, this is a different time. One of the lucky things, I think, is that the hottest weather will be over before you're very far into it. We're still having overcast mornings here in S.D. That's usually gone by August. I'm liking it because I'm sensitive to heat, but I fear we'll pay a price later w...

oolala53

Oh, I don't recommend IF. Every time I think about it, it's because I've eaten a lot and feel food hung over. It's usually on a Sunday or Monday. When I try, I hardly ever make it to 24 hours. But it helps me wait to get hungry. Keep up the good work! You're doing better than a large percentage of t...

oolala53

Eating moderately can be a great support through difficult times.

I affirm healing for your niece's family soon.

oolala53

This IS the place to fret, if you're going to. You know, No S was never meant to be "good during the week, nuts on the weekend." In fact, on page 105 in the book, it says that "a perfect S day is when you've basically stuck with your three-meal rhythm but have added an extra reward, something especi...

oolala53

You said you have about 74% compliance. What are the failures over? I assume they're not this, since you were asking. This sounds minor. I agree with wosnes and Blithe Morning. Shoot for compliance on the major offenders. Brad Pilon, the big guns on intermittent fasting, says the most important thin...

oolala53

I've been wavering lately and went to a bookstore last night to see if I could find some books to bolster me. It did help. How? It just made me more determined because I am so sure that most of the diet books are bad juju. I know a lot of us rant about this so it's not new but it's just unbelievable...

oolala53

Thanks for your note on my thread. I might still post here even after I try my focus shift, keeping a bit of a record of my new "obsessions." BTW, when you said "a salad" at lunch in the post above, what does that mean? How does it compare to the side salad you might get at a restaurant? Or is it mo...

oolala53

(My quote icon doesn't work.) "Don't try to add any mods until you've got the basics of No S down, unless you really are finding the basics too difficult and need to add mods to reduce the difficulty. Even if it seems too easy, don't try to make it harder." I second this. There is always the option ...

oolala53

How long have you been at it and how compliant have you been?

oolala53

AS someone else pointed out, are we talking about diet as any food one eats or an attempt to weigh a certain amount? Baumeister and Tierney in their book on willpower: "To lose weight, the authors suggest, try to make small incremental changes toward a healthier diet, and importantly, never go on a ...

oolala53

I know years ago I lost about ten pounds one month by doing about an hour a day of cardio. Dang, it was hard work. These past years' losses have been from food redution and no purposeful starving. Maybe I wouldn't lose more if I exercised moderately consistently? I know it would still be worth it to...

oolala53

Ha cha cha!

oolala53

Welcome back. You may not have been posting but it sounds like you have been No S-ing. It really does support most situations, at least in our culture, meaning we have access to food when we need it. Good luck with the inspection and follow up.

oolala53

The way I heard that one is "99% is a b&*ch and 100% is a breeze." But this may be too much like the No S phrases thread.

oolala53

Even after a couple of years, I still have to make a decision at times NOT to overeat sugar. But I'm glad I didn't try to do it right away. The desires to overeat them may not just dissipate on their own but after several months, there may be appropriate purposeful limits to impose. They don't have ...

oolala53

I dated a Swiss man whose father owned a factory. His dad paid his mom a kind of salary. She managed the budget of the house and she did a lot of entertaining of their business associates. He believed she deserved money of her own to be recompense for that. Pretty cool, huh? Of course, not every man...

oolala53

Kudos!

oolala53

Had a good week, though not completely green, but since I had been bingeing on sweets every day for awhile, I was just glad not to be doing that. I'm trying not to be annoyed because a neighbor I like is playing a radio outside that is too loud for me. This time of year always brings up this issue. ...

oolala53

Almost no-longtermers cut out sugar, especially not early on. Some of them find they don't eat it very often, but it's not out of denial. You cannot judge your ability to eat sugar in moderation without many months of compliance with green N days, and even then the odds are against you! Meaning that...

oolala53

Oh, I just noticed the 2-9 servings of protein. It's true that a person could adjust those to his/her own bias. Sometimes my 1/4 plate size can hold more than one serving...and that's okay for now. But I appreciate the concept. I do the same thing, loosely, and I've used the palm/fist approximation ...

oolala53

I think 14 minutes of resistance and 16 minutes of brisk walking on N days is pretty doable for the long term. And if your daily duties are analogous to either of those, I say count 'em!

oolala53

Hang in there! You do have insight into the process. Getting to 30 minutes consistently is going to have an effect on your sense of discipline and vibrancy, I bet.

oolala53

Thanks for this. I don't think anyone has ever adequately explained the "logic" behind the WTH effect, just that it is a real and persistent phenomenom that successful weight losers find a way to thwart. The fact that so many have been unable to do that is testimony to its power. Knowing it's not so...

oolala53

Is there something about IF that deems that one has only three starch servings a day, but many more proteins? I thought IF was basically short-term fasting, such as 24-36 hours.

oolala53

I never think of my family as pushing food on me until I left home and then returned, mostly on visits. I almost never drink orange juice and my mother would ALWAYS offer me orange juice when I first got up. It would infuriate me, too. Later, I realized I could just say no. I realized my anger was b...

oolala53

Wosnes brings up an important point. Women do not need to "eat for two," or at least two whole human beings. It doesn't take many calories to provide for the baby's needs. I'm pretty sure not every culture thinks pregnancy is a time to let moderate eating go. It seems like it would be a good time to...

oolala53

I don't know why I resist using the Habitcal. Perhaps I'm afraid it would actually work and I'd have to totally give up my extra food and the freedom to make a random decision to eat? I didn't say I would use it, but I'm gearing up to that for August. I also hope to finish July strong. I updated my ...

oolala53

Thanks, all! As it turned out, the principal told me she had just needed to put that class somewhere in the schedule, so I didn't have to teach it! Yeah! In fact, as things stand now, I have a pretty good schedule. I will be working in a new subject area and with a different teacher than I have befo...

oolala53

Remember also that Reinhard's main focus is not to weigh the least he can. It's possible he might be thinner on a restricted diet (possible, but he is pretty lean-looking) but it's not habit-friendly. So, it is possible you would gain some weight if you ate a wider variety of food. If you read some ...

oolala53

Trimpey called it the Feast Beast.

oolala53

I have Trimpey's book on strategies to deal with food. It works pretty well with No S. The "beast" is the voice that says to have S's on N days and tells you to go overboard just because of a small fail. I am not always successful fighting it, but it did help at times to have read his book. However,...

oolala53

I salute you! If there is any time to be choosy about what you eat, it seems this would be one. The highest quality food you enjoy is going to best for you and best for your baby. And moderate exercise will likely be a boon as well. I don't know enough about your expectations regarding weight gain. ...

oolala53

Welcome to grandma's place. Try not to be too concerned with the weight loss at first, though it may happen quickly. Most don't lose it all and then keep it off, as so many people wish they could do on "diets." You've seen how that works. Just keep going and be honest about your appetite. You'll hav...

oolala53

That didn't seem long-winded at all. Although it does take a bit of effort, it seems like a fair trade for the effect.

It would be nice if the pendulum just comes to rest in the middle regarding S days...

oolala53

Yes, you refined what I was thinking. It just seems a shame in a way that weight loss has taken on this significance, and it is rarely related to its real values; health and peace of mind. I often imagine some housewife in India most of whose existence is focused on having food and shelter for her f...

oolala53

I used to have that problem of having my skirt sweep papers off student desks in tight spaces. And not the hem of it.

oolala53

Roxy, I saw your post on the thread of someone who is also doing WW about how the diet club has helped. I wondered what you've replaced the frozen dinners with. Are you actually counting the calories in your meals or doing something else? I'm always curious about what conclusions people come to natu...

oolala53

Didn't get to the library and can't find some books that are due. this drives me crazy! I try to keep books in the same place in the house but obviously don't succeed. I'm sticking to No S today but it is really hard. I am in a funk over the class I got assigned to teach-- so far. My schedule is act...

oolala53

Hi, Deb. Are you struggling? I am. I had my two meals so far today and find myself having urges to go S out. I got news that my work schedule is not at all what I wanted and I'm already stressing over it, which is pointless. It's not going to help me prepare just to imagine how tough it's going to b...

oolala53

There's time to end the month well. When is your baby boy due? You've got some hot weather to get through, right?

oolala53

I don't know how I missed this news! Next year, there'll be a new little face in the family mix! Warmest wishes on that. In my last year or so on No S, I definitely had some nausea but not from being pregnant. It was the first time I found out how nausea can be quelled by crackers or such. I almost ...

oolala53

I started on a Saturday! That was nearly 31 months ago. It's been worth it.

oolala53

This the right spot. I'd add only one rule to Reinhard's: enjoy every bite of that food on your plate!

oolala53

I felt something like this, but my explanation might not work for you. I determined when I started No S that my main aim was to reduce my bingeing and I have. I also lost around 30 lbs. I think I feel a little funny about people assuming I've done this just to lose weight. I'm glad I have and proud,...

oolala53

Oh, BTW, I'm never offended by someone using something I've said, if it helped.

oolala53

Are you saying you want to use WW total points allowed per day on No S? Or the tracking or what? It really is your choice if you want to count. Reinhard doesn't say you can't. He just says it's not necessary and it trips a lot of people up. But, if you look at the check-in threads, you'll see that m...

oolala53

I agree with BrightAngel. I used the loophole in the beginning and I think I would have been better off not doing it. Unless you want to count by the hours to make it more honest. If you think of S days as encompassing Saturday morning until Sunday night, you're talking about 36 hours, give or take....

oolala53

I think I need to find some hobby sites, too.

oolala53

I'd like to hear those cons.

I love to find that I'm not alone in my pathos.

oolala53

I did find that committing to three meals a day helped me stop my bingeing, which was my first issue as well, though my weekends could be wild. I find that it's the random decisions to eat that are problematic. They tend to come from fake hunger and vague needs and thus rarely feel fulfilling. Alter...

oolala53

I wasn't offended, either. Just conversing, I hoped. I would love to see pictures of your plates! A lot of the formatting icons here don't work for me. Not sure why. And I don't know how to post pics. I take pics of my plates sometimes, too. Psychologists consider it normal in the U.S for women to b...

oolala53

Thanks, gals! The nibbling and even overeating has continued, but I'm still not freaking. It's not whole pizzas or the like. And it's settling down. I just can't let myself get too upset over it. Or anything, really. Have been trying to get back on a better sleeping schedule. Got up yesterday around...

oolala53

Genius!

oolala53

Good luck with school! I'm returning to teaching on Monday.

oolala53

This is such a down-to-earth board, IMHO.

oolala53

I think this is a great idea. Having been the perpetrator, I, too, have my eyes glaze over when people talk about theory and not long-term praxis. They live on the excitement of the "sales pitch" of the diet book, which is all promises of how fast you'll lose or how you won't be hungry or how you'll...

oolala53

TUK, I didn't mean to imply that all French women are very thin. However, they do have the lowest BMI average in Europe, or near it. Plus things may have changed. I just know when I lived and traveled overseas, and worked with foreign students here in the States, when I saw a very thin woman, she wa...

oolala53

I gently suggest you should not be beating yourself up for having a second slice at any time. Beating yourself up is negatively correlated with habit change. I second the coffee (or beverage) to replace the fruit snack. Serve yourself more grapes for breakfast and then put them out of sight. And it ...

oolala53

Are there any thin people in your family or other revelers? I've reported here before that my thin brother and nephew-in-law never seem pressured to eat because someone else tells them to. They just keep deflecting. "Not now." "I'll have some later." "Too full." "Not hungry enough. " "Saving my appe...

oolala53

I would regard this chart as just a comparative measure of weight to height and ignore the reference to obesity. I can't believe I came up as most like the French. There is no way I am thin like those gals. And I'm not aiming to be. The Pacific Islanders seem to value being heavy, as well as having ...

oolala53

Only Sunday morning? Oh, the hours I've spent. Yet, I think they have helped me be compliant. I haven't succumbed to spending any money on the offers and they often make me more committed to moderation rather than being a freak for a period of time and then wishing I could get back to some ultra fit...

oolala53

Actually, with all due respect to previous posters, the fact that there is often a decrease in compliance after restricting for an event to me is proof that having that kind of goal beyond just plain old long-term moderation is reason not to use them as motivators. Frequently remembering how good yo...

oolala53

Well, it all started with the thought, "But I deserve these cookies" on Wednesday night after what turned out to be a stressful time at dance camp (intermixed with a lot of fun, too). Since then, I've pretty much eaten every binge food to excess except containers of frosting. I did not feel frantic ...

oolala53

Don't know how I missed your posts all the way back to June, but I had. I also just returned from a 4-day trip. I very much want to encourage you to try to drop deadlines from your thinking. I know that's hard to do and might seem counterintuitive but I gently observe that you sound like you want th...

oolala53

Back from my trip, and glad you feel back on track.

oolala53

Nothing to stop you from having a starchless meal if you desire it, but I've lost all my weight eating moderate portions of starch at just about every meal. Who knows, maybe I could be skinnier with fewer carbs, but it doesn't seem worth it at this point. The best thing is when you get the habit dow...

oolala53

Yes, after restricting highly palatable foods, eating them then will increase the urges, but OVER TIME, if those urges are tolerated rather than given in to, they will decrease. (Giving in to them will make the stimulus stronger.) Will they ever disappear? Doubtful, since even many thin people somet...

oolala53

Sill, it was a yellow, right? Meaning a small slip. I think July 4 has has me wavering with a lot of thoughts about cookie dough, but so far, I've made it. I haven't said NO Choice to myself today, but I did yesterday. We have so much freedom! I went to an event last night and there were probably te...

oolala53

This reminds me of when I was about 11, I was in the house of a new friend and they had candy in a glass container on the kitchen counter. When she was out of the room, I took some. She came back and I know she could tell what I had done. So embarrassed! And now looking at it, I see how driven I was...

oolala53

It really takes a lot longer to get over that. I felt that sense of grief and fear over not being able to binge into my SECOND YEAR of No S. It doesn't mean I don't think you shouldn't have your treat foods. I think you should have them, but I think you should choose the atmosphere that would be the...

oolala53

I did end up going to a potluck on the 4th so it was a NWS day. I did scarf about 6 shortbread cookies that I love, some pie and ice cream and two bread rolls later that I really didn't need, but hey. Hunger has been light and I've been eating in accordance with it. Yesterday, I did get a hankering ...

oolala53

Yes, that's something! Big something! I think it's interesting to note that before you went away, you were worrying about being with your family and being around food all the time. Now you're worrying about being back home. Ha! I think you're really narrowing in on the most egregious element of the ...

oolala53

Reinhard is probably Ludditing this holiday. I'm sure he'll get on it.

oolala53

I agree that plate size can vary. And if you are not adversely affected by having space on your plate, no worries. There is no obligation to cover the plate.

oolala53

I think this is in for wrong forum?

oolala53

I've always had milk because it's been shown to satisfy the same way solid foods do. I think it's because of the protein to carb ratio. It never made sense to me to drink fruit juices since they are all sugar, plus some righteous vitamins and such. I just knew with my sweet tooth, they wouldn't help...

oolala53

Good luck with the upcoming birth!

So after the baby comes, you will not need to keep eating often?

oolala53

It's recent. I noticed that I was often not hungry for breakfast and I would sometimes have an especially milky mocha instead. But even that was bugging me. But I was usually hungry for lunch and dinner. Then I started noticing I wasn't for one or the other. I tried to eat smaller meals, but geesh, ...

oolala53

Hey, the issue with the pizza and your boys was just logical. It wasn't like you had your own food and picked at theirs. I'm glad you didn't stop and get a treat, esp. when the meal was so hodge podge. I'm working on not having to feel I got the exact right meal in order to feel I got fed. Thin peop...

oolala53

Have had a decent week, though I'm plagued with lack of hunger again. Yesterday I had no hunger in the morning but finally decided to have vegetable soup for breakfast. I thought that would crack the trend. I did get hungry for a nice lunch, but hunger vanished again, even after Jazzercise. Soup wit...

oolala53

Good job planning for steak and ice cream. And cheesecake, slowly...

Sorry about the heat. That always does me in, too. Not that I have a consistent habit anyway.

oolala53

Why don't you eat the casseroles and stews? I imagine a serving of one of them plus some veggies would make a good meal, no?

oolala53

Knowing the odds is what helps me. Really, the house wins. Is there truly anything about my circumstances that would make me believe I'll be one of the extremely few exceptions, even though they get such media coverage? Not in my case. When I even think of aiming at low calories, I get the jitters. ...

oolala53

Don't give up if it takes longer than you want. Later, you can add in purposeful redirecting of your thoughts.

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