Everyday Systems

wosnes

I am reading through the book over and over and trying to do what he says, because what he says is very obvious (like what Reinhard says is obvious, but we need a 'program' before we get it!). I think the most difficult part for me is the ingredients in packaged items. I cook a lot, but often I wil...

wosnes

Jan, check this out. I like the daily devotional idea. Read them all and start over again. Though I do think there could be some additions. One would be not to demonize any food group. Because somewhere some group of people is eating those things and is not overweight or unhealthy. Another would be ...

wosnes

And yet another article complete with reader comments.

Piece of Pollan trivia: Michael Pollan is the brother of actress Tracy Pollan and brother-in-law to Michael J. Fox.

wosnes

Pizza isn't an S day food, either, as long as your serving fits on a plate.

wosnes

If you have any food rules that you think Michael Pollan should know about, he's still collecting them. There's an email address in the body of this article where they can be sent.

wosnes

I've been eating ceasar salads and the yogurt above as dinners for months and I've been losing. Ceasar salad is a great thing to make at home, as long as you measure out your dressing, croutons and cheese, it can be light but SO flavorful. (just use the serving suggestion on the package) try it! Be...

wosnes

Eating breakfast like a king might have made a lot more sense when folks worked hard physically in the fields and so on -- though breakfast was probably not first thing in the morning, but later in the morning. Personally, I think small to medium meals are probably best all day. We're just not that ...

wosnes

The original book has some recipes that include some whole-grain flours, but are still mostly white. I saw the issue of Mother Earth that Blithe mentioned, but couldn't bring myself to pay $5 for it at the newstand... I'll put that toward the book instead! From my brief glance, breads made totally ...

wosnes

I completely missed that! To be honest, I only read the subject line and thought "it's similar to No-S."

wosnes

I'll have to go look at todayshow.com. It was pre-empted in our area today due to weather conditions. Sheesh, you'd think 6" is a LOT of snow or something. A lot of it was updating road conditions and I hope that those who were on the road weren't watching TV. Well, anyway...I've long suspected that...

wosnes

This isn't the first time this has been asked. Here's my view: you can't have seconds if you didn't have firsts. A few bites isn't a proper serving. So get rid of the offensive food and replace it with something you can eat -- just like Jan did! I've had it happen twice at restaurants. Both times th...

wosnes

TunaFishKid wrote: YMMV.)

I need a translator!

wosnes

My own thought on that is if you want strawberry-flavored yogurt, add strawberries to yogurt. I don't consider the flavored yogurts to be "real food." However, I think in the past it's been decided that they're okay.

wosnes

Michael Pollan has become my food guru -- and it's largely because he doesn't demonize any food group and he acknowledges that there is more than one way to eat and be healthy. There are, in fact, lots of ways and some are quite extreme. I've never been able to buy that this, that or the next food g...

wosnes

And speaking of cooking (because I did) I enjoyed this piece by Michael Ruhlman. Though I acknowledge that there are people who don't have time to roast a chicken on a weeknight. My neighbor used to not cook -- she was under the impression that cooking was difficult. If she did "cook", it was openin...

wosnes

Well, here's what Pollan says the most important rule is. Before I heard it, it was my guess.

wosnes

Initially I was going to agree with KCCC, because that's how I've been looking at them. But I remember when I was younger, they were part of a meal. Not only that, some other cultures routinely eat things like that as part of a meal. However you choose to incorporate them into your diet, just be con...

wosnes

I posted this almost exactly a year ago -- and I've reposted parts of it probably half a dozen times since then. I don't know exactly what you're eating, but I think "real food" goes a long way towards taking care of hunger.

wosnes

Ditto. Perhaps longevity statistics are not too important. How long people live is a different idea than how well they live. I picked up a copy of his new little book yesterday and inhaled it last night. There is so much sense in what he writes, which is why I keep coming back for more from him. Pu...

wosnes

I saw this book this article is about. So, relax and don't worry so much!

And here's an article from Redbook magazine about the book.

wosnes

I'd also add that our longevity has a lot to do with improvements in public health, sanitation, and the ability to prevent and treat infectious diseases. Plus the ability to treat traumatic injuries. I noticed he didn't really mention any of those things in his wonderful little book. But they are r...

wosnes

Well, yes and no. It starts off with a highly faulty premise. Without any of the modern technology that we rely on today, our primitive ancestors were able to enjoy exceptional health and rarely encountered the many chronic and debilitating conditions that are so common today. Our life expectancy t...

wosnes

The Zen version of babysteps? Cool! Recently I realized that if one were to create a 200 calorie deficit daily, at the end of a year one would lose 20 lbs. For each 100 calories "lost" daily, another 10 pound weight loss at the end of a year. I think that in terms of making "easy" changes, that migh...

wosnes

Pregnancy is a different experience for different people, and there's a wide range. For me, it was an absolutely marvelous time, in the full sense of the word - full of marvel/wonder at all the changes as my son took form. I remember that period of my life as tremendously joyful, and wish the same ...

wosnes

Remember, it's not no sugar; it's no sweets.

wosnes

What can you have during the fast?

wosnes

I'm a fan of both Pollan and Mark Bittman. While their messages are similar, they're not identical. I like Part 12 of this video . The whole video is good. I can understand why Pollan's message would be extremely unpopular among some sectors. Unfortunately, those sectors are contributing to the obes...

wosnes

I think one of the problems is deciding calorie values or how food 'behaves' in a lab not the same thing as how it actually works in our bodies. There's also the tendency to pick apart diets - as if you could take one or two items from another culture, like olive oil, and add it to a generally unhe...

wosnes

I liked how 4 out of 5 of the pyramids described sweets as "weekly" - reminds me of No-S! :D Did it bother anyone else that they used a different structure for their own pyramid? It was the only one that listed everything as a daily value with calories included. I would have preferred that they use...

wosnes

I also no longer eat cereals, but here's my advice: if you think it's too much, it's too much. Don't worry about what I say or what anyone else says -- we all have different ideas. Here's the guideline I'm going to give you: if you think it's sweet enough to be a sweet treat or a dessert, it's too m...

wosnes

I do seek out things that weren't factory-farmed. The difference in taste is incredible, not to mention that they're healthier. Unfortunately, so is the difference in price.

wosnes

As mentioned on the other board, I'm currently reading Michael Pollan's Food Rules . I like it. It's divided into three parts based on his mantra from In Defense of Food : Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much. Each section begins with a question: What should I eat? Eat food. What kind of food shoul...

wosnes

Thanks! After the my boys go to bed and I get housework done, I tend to sit and watch shows we've recorded on our DVR; I'm thinking putting up the treadmill and watching the shows while I walk guarantees at least 30 minutes of exercise a day; sometimes more since a lot of the programs we watch are ...

wosnes

Welcome! I don't use the HabitCal at all. I find those kinds of things to be too "diety" -- and something I know I won't keep up. The biggest problem with most diets is that they're something you go "on" to lose weight and "off" once you've lost it. No-S, on the other hand, is a series of behaviors ...

wosnes

Between some blogs I've been reading and books I saw at the bookstore yesterday, I think I've discovered the diet buzzwords for 2010 -- or maybe this whole decade: nutrient dense, fiber and moderation. I can tell you this already: there is lots of disagreement on what foods are nutrient dense! I did...

wosnes

I woke up hungry this morning. As you probably know, this is extremely unusual for me. It's happened a couple of times recently -- and thinking back, I think I know why. My neighbor and I went to dinner last night -- one of the chain restaurants. The food I ate was far more processed than I'm used t...

wosnes

Thanks everybody! :) We have only told our parents and one of my sisters so far... Waiting until three months (March) to really announce it :) So I guess my new resolution is to continue to eat healthy, get light exercise 3-4 times a week like usual, and get the laundry put away. Oh, yea...if you t...

wosnes

wosnes...that sounds like a real healthy resolution :wink: The heck of it is, I'm an R.N. and I know better!! Having said that, a group of nurses that I used to work with talked about how we always encouraged our patients to be compliant with their treatment/medication regimens. Most of us, however...

wosnes

Aha! I came up with a resolution. I have CHF and several medications to take daily -- some twice a day. Without fail, I remember to take part of the meds in the morning, but not the others. So my resolution is to take my meds as ordered.

wosnes

Breakfast about 7:30 Lunch between 12:00-1:00 Dinner between 6:00-7:00 I should revise this. IF I eat breakfast, it's at about 7:30. I typically don't eat it because, like reneew, I most often feel yucky if/when I eat breakfast. My first meal will then be about noon. However, if I get hungry before...

wosnes

Nichole wrote:Yeah, I eat a lot like wosnes. One proper portion of meat. Usually just at lunch and dinner.

I generally only have meat at dinner. Lunch only if it's leftover -- and I try not to have leftovers.

wosnes

I've followed a vegan diet in the past, but have eaten meat in the past and currently eat meat. I've never allowed more than one serving of meat/person at a meal. There might be seconds of other things, but never meat or the main dish including meat. Never more than one hamburger or hot dog, never m...

wosnes

Dandelion wrote:I"m so new to this - I don't even know what garter stitch is <blush>

It's when you knit every stitch -- every row. No purling.

wosnes

Marlew -- great day to start! It's a holiday (S-day) followed by 2 more S-days -- so there's no way you can fail in your first three days following the plan. I'm also a knitter, but I knit ONLY garter stitch. It's part of a plan and not necessarily because it's simple. Garter stitch has infinite pos...

wosnes

eating fat does not make one fat I've been thinking about this ever since you posted it. On the one hand, I agree. We've been lied to about fat and its importance in our diet and the "harm" it will do in terms of health and weight loss. On the other hand, fat is twice as calorie dense as carbohydra...

wosnes

I am going to try to remind myself that I have 104 S days (+ at least 10 more birthdays, holidays and anniverseries) ahead of me in 2010 and I don't have to approach each one as an opportunity to make up for years of deprivation! Seeing real numbers puts things in such a different perspective. 104 ...

wosnes

From Recipes for Health this week: Comfort Food for Holiday Houseguests (or just for you!)

wosnes

I found a link to this during some other reading. It fits in nicely with No-S. This one about women's preferred body type was interesting, too.

wosnes

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!

wosnes

It isn't "no sugar", it's "no sweets." This is probably the hardest time of the year for everyone, unless you live in a cave. I've found that it's the time leading up to Christmas that is the worst -- between Christmas and New Year's isn't so bad. Don't be so hard on yourself. It sounds like you've ...

wosnes

Breakfast about 7:30
Lunch between 12:00-1:00
Dinner between 6:00-7:00

wosnes

Agreed on the laundry... do it all and be done. Time it sometime - it will shock you how little time it actually takes if you just do it! (This is learned from hard experience; I have learned that I can spend more time in dread than on the actual task.) One more thought that might help... there is ...

wosnes

I guess I could break it up over a couple of days. Fold one day, put away the next, then put away the hanging laundry lol. I'm just so bad and sometimes it sits for a week! Oh, that sounds like so much work! I find a load a day is easy to manage -- and just get it all done at once. When I was worki...

wosnes

Jammin' Jan wrote:The recipes looked good, too!

I thought the pork tenderloin and the roasted vegetables sounded great. The rice, not so much for me.

wosnes

Anthony, you're 14 years old. I'd definitely concentrate on mastering the habits and not gaining more instead of worrying about weight loss (though just by changing your habits you're going to experience some weight loss). At 14, you're still growing.

Congratulations for committing to this!

wosnes

This article about food portions and serving sizes is a helpful tool. Some of the links in the article are interesting, too. On a similar note, there's an article in the current issue of Fine Cooking magazine by Ellie Krieger called The New Geometry of the Plate . I don't think it's news, but it is ...

wosnes

I've been filling in my chart. The problem with keeping a small snack for awhile means I need to mark a red failure. It bothers me a lot. You're wrong about that small snack being a failure. If you decide to start with one habit at a time, such as no sweets, for instance, only messing up that one h...

wosnes

I enjoyed this, but I'm wondering how long the periods of fasting should be. I know there are people who routinely eat only 2 meals daily and have no problems. I also know that there are people who eat more than 3 meals daily and have no problems. I think frequency and exactly what and how much is e...

wosnes

If you scroll down to the bottom here, there's a list of various traditional diets -- most South American. Makes for some interesting reading.

wosnes

Yikes! It's a hard call. If you think it will keep you on track, then do it. Otherwise, personally I would not choose to get my calories through a drink. I would consider it a sweet, but that's just me. I think you will find greater success if you make it an S day thing, but again... if you need to...

wosnes

But surely you can still fail if you take more than that number of S events? Yes, you could. That's where some deciding in advance what will be S-events and what won't be enters the picture. I generally know in advance when I'm going to have an event that could be and S-event and plan accordingly. ...

wosnes

I can see the benefits of eating more raw (or just more vegetables and fruits) and I do like smoothies some of the time, but to do it 100% of the time -- no way. Not even for a week. At this time of year, raw and smoothies often don't sound good!

wosnes

Jammin' Jan wrote:I wonder if those whole grains are more difficult for you to digest or eliminate?

I think they're more difficult for me to digest. It's funny, they're far more bothersome for me than any beans/legumes.

I'd never consider going raw, but this looks interesting.

wosnes

http://www.urbancrossfit.com/pt/blog/default.aspx?dtf=20090201000000&dtt=20090228235959 I found this , this and this in relation to that pyramid and the study. The last sentence in the article in the Daily Mail struck me as funny: "But one negative effect was the decreased intake of calcium (from d...

wosnes

The problem with three course meals at other people's houses is that they involve dessert and I find it really socially awkward to say no to. This happened to me last night. I had just gotten to my parents' house for dinner (had flown into NJ from TX and hadn't seen my family in 6 months) and my mo...

wosnes

Again Recipe for Health from the Well blog: Make Room for Mushrooms And maybe not as healthy, but very good, Pioneer Woman's Beef Stew with Mushrooms . I doubled the mushrooms in this. When I reheated the leftovers, it needed a little liquid and I added a dab of sour cream. Then it reminded me of Be...

wosnes

This goes along with Voting with Your Mouth and/or Voting with Your Dollars:
Why "Big Food" Isn't Quite as Evil as You Think It is

It's quite simple: the foods most heavily demanded by consumers always survive. If we want the crap to go away, we just need to stop buying it!

wosnes

The problem with three course meals at other people's houses is that they involve dessert and I find it really socially awkward to say no to. Maybe just take a few bites and leave the rest -- or take the remainder home to be finished later. It seems that you think alcohol is the biggest problem in ...

wosnes

I'm going to address the plating and social things. For at least the first year I followed No-S, I didn't realize that there was a one-plate rule. By the time I realized it existed, I couldn't think of a reason to change what I was doing: eating one serving of whatever was being served. The habits a...

wosnes

Interesting! It reminds me of this which has been around for several years.

wosnes

I don't make New Year's Resolutions!

wosnes

Wosnes...Do you mean to say that you take up to only 2 events a week? As I understand this, it is only having, let's say for instance, a dessert on Monday and perhaps seconds on Thurs. and the rest of the week is much like Vanilla No S with a light breakfast and lunch? . Yes, that's pretty much wha...

wosnes

No-G (no guilt) is the best thing about No-S!

wosnes

Wosnes...Do you mean to say that you take up to only 2 events a week? As I understand this, it is only having, let's say for instance, a dessert on Monday and perhaps seconds on Thurs. and the rest of the week is much like Vanilla No S with a light breakfast and lunch? You don't feel deprived? . Ye...

wosnes

It probably will, but it probably won't happen quickly.

I think often when we want to lose such a small amount of weight, it's vanity weight -- we want to weigh a certain amount or wear a certain size. Following No-S will give you good habits to follow for a lifetime.

wosnes

Sure, a bacon cheeseburger made from all-natural meat, a whole grain bun, unprocessed cheese and a slice of organic cake trumps a McDonalds quarter pounder and apple pie thing any day for all kinds of reasons---but it won't help you lose weight. I have to disagree with this. The bacon cheeseburger ...

wosnes

It seems like *not* snacking makes me less hungry in the afternoon, paradoxically enough. I'm more hungry on the days when I eat a "good" breakfast than if I eat a very light one or none at all. It's almost like I can't shovel the food in fast enough when I start the day with a bigger breakfast. Co...

wosnes

There's a great story in Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families . When you board a plane headed for Orlando, you expect to land in Orlando. The plane is off-course 90% of the time, but the pilot is continually making adjustments to get it back on course -- so you will deplane in O...

wosnes

From Recipes for Health in the Well blog. I think the granola muffins sound good (especially with homemade granola). I've made something like the Morning Couscous before and it's very tasty.

wosnes

I tried to set out as many of these as possible in the beginning, but things come up that I forgot about, so this is always a work in progress. Allowed on S-days: - Any cereal allowed in the house when I was a child (plain or honey nut Cheerios, plain crisp rice, Life, raisin bran, etc. - also incl...

wosnes

My son came home the other day complaining about something he saw at school. It was a step by step on 'how to make pizza'. It was 'open the packet of dough...', 'open the sauce packet..' 'Open the cheese packet...' But a whole lot of people out there consider that 'cooking'. I think a big part of t...

wosnes

I'm not participating in the challenge and I don't use HabitCal, but I think you could do either with floating S days. You'd just have to tally up the S events at the end of a week -- no more than 2!

Mavilu, I'm not suggesting you do that, just saying I think it could be done.

wosnes

marygrace, I'd like to think that the tide is changing -- and from what I read, it seems to be. What I see at the grocery, however, doesn't indicate that it is changing much at all. It doesn't matter if it's Whole Foods or Wal Mart, there's a lot of processed foods going out the door.

wosnes

Why are there overweight people who live on smoothies, salads, and meal replacement bars? Because that food isn't pleasurable, and they are compensating (I'm sure without even realizing it) or attempting to satiate their appetite by simply eating more and more. (Sure, smoothies and salads are fine ...

wosnes

My own experience, and my observation of others, tells me this is a very common problem, and I think it is the primary defect of "Vanilla NoS" for many people. And, for some, while Bingeing on S days might lessen with more time spent on the Plan, S day overeating combined with N day normal eating s...

wosnes

wosnes... Please keep us updated on how you do. I have real problems with S days. I eat because I "can". Hunger has nothing to do with it. I seriously gain 5-10 pounds every blessed weekend! Honestly! I sometimes wonder if I had started out on no S without any S days, would it work better for me? I...

wosnes

... but I'm 5'5" and 118 lbs., Seriously? Your BMI is 19.6 - that's so not obese. Or was that a typo? I have no idea what my BMI is, but the height and weight I mentioned are correct. I'm a women's size 4 or 6, so I definitely consider myself pretty "medium" sized. While I've never been obese, I wa...

wosnes

I don't know how healthy it is, but lately I've taken to microwaving a cup or so of milk (about a mug's worth) for 1 minute, 30 seconds, then adding a teaspoon of real unsweetened cocoa and a packet of sweetener (sugar or Splenda). Then a dash of cinnamon. It is delicious! I'm never going back to t...

wosnes

Let's see if I got it right...

Yep, I did!

wosnes

Over the weekend I found an article titled What Is Processed Food? at Mindful Eats. 20+ years ago there was a diet book for children called The Stoplight Diet . Foods were coded red (high calorie), yellow (moderate calorie), and green (low calorie). Green foods could be eaten as desired with more mo...

wosnes

I found an article titled The Anti-Fast Food Diet over at Zen Habits. Also one titled A Single Principle to Declutter Your Health which makes some valid points: 1. When it comes to reaching our goals we fail ALL THE TIME. But this is perfectly all right because this is the only way we learn. 2. Succ...

wosnes

mrsj wrote:Merrykat, have you tried a dash of cinnamon in your cocoa? Really brings out the chocolate taste!

So does a little coffee.

wosnes

Granola bars are pretty much the same as candy bars -- with oatmeal. So, they're a sweet treat.

wosnes

With the possible exception of overly sweetened cereals, nothing is off limits at meal time. There are some things that are obviously better choices than others, but in the end, the choice is up to you.

wosnes

I'm very happy that your modification works for you, but I would never do it. I would make anything an event-even the dog saying woof! I suppose I could do that, too. But it isn't an option. As I said, I don't indulge every time the spirit moves me. Floating S days are not an excuse to eat whatever...

wosnes

For the last month or two I've been experimenting with not routinely taking S days (especially the weekends). I had the feeling that I was consuming more sweets/treats and snacks by observing regular weekend S days than I would by having the occasional S event. There are 8-9 weekend days and another...

wosnes

With Sugar Busters my mind has been pretty much trained to think that sugar, white bread, white rice, white flour and white potatoes are basically poison and to be eaten rarely, if ever. So it sounds totally amazing to me to think that I can lose weight on a diet which i actually can have a breakfa...

wosnes

Don't feel bad about no responses -- it always seems that we're slower to respond on the weekends. I read your first post, didn't have time to reply and planned on doing it today.

Yes, two beers a day are permitted and they don't have to be "lite" beer.

wosnes

I just posted a link to a discussion between Mark Bittman and Ezra Klein. One of the things they discuss is the availability of snack and junk foods. We eat so much of it because it's always available. The most obvious thing to do is make it less available. One thing would be to take vending machine...

wosnes

Hi Mollie! Welcome, and good luck.

Everyday Systems

Search found 4168 matches

Quit Worrying about Your Health

Food Rules

Diet Buzzwords 2010

Hungry for Breakfast?!?!

Comfort Food for Holiday Houseguests

Slow is Fast and Fast is Slow

Food Portions and Serving Sizes

Re: Complete disaster

Re: Eye of the beholder...

Make Room for Mushrooms

Why Big Food Isn't Quite as Evil as You Think It Is (Whew!)

Re: Processed Foods

Re: First week all green!

A Breakfast of Hearty Grains

Re: My borderline-foods list

Processed Foods

Food for Thought from Zen Habits

My Floating S-Day Experiment

Re: Yet another Newbie!

Making things inaccessible