Everyday Systems

kccc

Saturday Ran - Week 6 session 1 of Couch to 5K. Today was cookie-baking day - four varieties, with kid helpers. I told them at the beginning that they could have ONE of each batch (not pan, each kind of cookie) plus two "choice cookies" at the end... and I pretty much stuck to that too. I also plann...

kccc

Starla's right. They come and go... and if you can stick it out through a hard time, you are doing SERIOUS habit-building!

Hang in there!

kccc

Okay, rose, now I want to know how you posted your example WITHOUT turning it into a URL!

kccc

Trytrytry, that was a great post. You've captured my own experience - what Wosnes is doing makes perfect sense to me NOW, but would never have worked for me before I'd built the No-S habits. (I'm not sure it would even work for me now - there are a lot of places in my life where I do better with a b...

kccc

Ended up with just chicken quesadillas and applesauce. A bit bland. Oh well.

Today - Pilates and Yoga
Br - oatmeal/nuts/craisins
L - chicken quesadilla (1/2), broccoli, clementine
D - TBD. Grilled cheese and soup, probably.

kccc

Wednesday was good, and so is Thursday so far. Broke out my old T-Tapp dvds, and like them a bit better this round than I did initially. May try a "boot camp" over the hols while the gym is closed. Did the "Instructional 1" and "Basic Workout Plus" on Wednesday. Today was a running day - week five, ...

kccc

I did that yesterday...I knew around 4:30 that I was going to call it a failure day. So, I had a cupcake at 10:30 because I really wanted it. And, since I was already on track for a FAIL, I ate it. If it wasn't a fail day already, I would have been able to resist. So, that was silly. But, I'm not g...

kccc

It's a bad sign when I stop updating. Two reds (Friday night and Tuesday night) in the last few days. Sigh.

Moving on... I AM exercising.

So... "dusting off the crumbs" and starting again. Monday was good, today was good. Take it from here.

kccc

Like wosnes, I don't do New Year's Resolutions... but instead, I do "Habits of the month." (Which pre-date my finding this board.) If there's an over-arching resolution, it would just be to be more intentional about the habits I select to work on. And I can't resist telling this story... my husband ...

kccc

In 2010 I want to: * Really really commit to doing No S instead of just thinking about it. * Turn off the TV at 11p each night so I can go to bed earler. * Practice my guitar almost every day. I want to resume my lessons after I learn how to play an F chord. * Do some kind of movement almost everyd...

kccc

Thursday dinner was a grilled chicken salad with bleu cheese - probably "high" as salads go, but the best available. Friday Exercise: muscle strength class Br -oatmeal, nuts, figs L - Holiday party at work. To be announced. D - Probably pasta or something else easy. I did skip homemade cookies at th...

kccc

Wednesday as planned. No exercise. :( Thursday Exercise - 30 minutes on elliptical. I fell going to the car in the dark (tripped on a pile of wood I'd forgotten about) and landed on my knee on the concrete, so wanted low impact. The knee is a bit bruised, but I put ice on it after I exercised and I ...

kccc

Finishing up Monday... Tower of Tortilla, broccoli Tuesday Exercise - run and stretches. Week 5 of C to 5K Br - oatmeal, raisins, nuts L - blew it. Went out with the group from work, and we went to a Mexican place. I ordered a reasonable lunch, but ate too many pre-dinner chips. I cannot virtual pla...

kccc

Thanks for posting!

kccc

Ah well... grand words, but the weekend got away from me. Good thing that an S-day is "failure-proof." The feeling of choice comes and goes... but I like when I feel it, and hope that celebrating it will encourage it to stick around. Monday Exercise - short run to warm up, followed by yoga sequence ...

kccc

I like that system. May adapt it for my weekend days.

kccc

Water comes out of my faucet... pop does not. We have reusable water bottles and I try to plan ahead and always have fresh with us. We rarely drink pop, but when we do, I buy the big 2 liter bottles to limit the plastic or can use, or use my soda fountain which uses none. Just some ideas. :wink: Th...

kccc

My mom was half-German, and we always did Christmas Eve growing up. I miss that sometimes. (It was really important to my hubby to do Christmas morning, so we do.) I have wonderful memories of opening gifts late Christmas Eve, though. Edited my inital thread, to reflect my holiday choices. So "perfe...

kccc

On Friday, lunch ended up being a crab cake sandwich and salad. I ate only 1/2 of the kaiser roll it was on. One plate, with some leftovers. Good. Dinner was the holiday party. I ate one plate, then chose to have one "S-event"... dessert. I had half-portions of two homemade items, one a peanut bar w...

kccc

Sounds like you're doing really well - and your hubby too. (I can't eat food that's too hot either, and my husband likes it even milder. Our nine-year-old is the spicy one at our house!) Jan, it's so nice to see you around here. I remember you from when I first joined, and learned a lot from you the...

kccc

That's marvelous! Especially this time of year.

kccc

Welcome!

kccc

For environmental reasons I prefer to avoid single use items... Yea for you! Me too. Those water bottles everyone has were the dumbest thing ever made! :roll: At least as many soda bottles of the same kind of plastic get used, and I always wonder why no one complains about them. Yes, water bottles ...

kccc

Ate stir-fry last night, with brown rice. It was good, but I honestly didn't get enough. (We ordered 2 dishes for 3 people, which usually works out well, but my son is evidently in a growth spurt...) Had an after-parade decaf latte, which helped. Friday!! Exercise - Strength training class. I can te...

kccc

I absolutely agree. Out of sight, out of mind. The days I have most trouble are those in which the "food cues" are unrelenting (usually at meetings with a sideboard of junk all day). At home, I don't buy junky stuff, and I keep most food in the fridge or panty. (The exception is that bread - and som...

kccc

Liz, that's a very helpful thought! Thank you. I took a hard look at December (93 meals, lol!), and there are a total of 8-9 actual parties. Of those, 3 fall on normal S days. One more is simply a lunch out with colleagues, which I think is an easy N. That leaves 4-5 events to consider. Two are okay...

kccc

Hi Mrsj Egg in a hole is called by a number of names - toad in a hole, egg in a basket, etc. It's essentially an egg fried inside a hole cut in a slice of bread; the bread gets toasted at the same time. I make it on a non-stick griddle, with whole wheat bread lightly buttered on one side. I cut out ...

kccc

There's a wonderful quote that someone on the board uses (you can probably find it in the "sticky" thread): "If hunger is not the problem, food is not the answer." I think that applies to exhaustion. If you're genuinely weak from lack of food, eat better meals and have a glass of milk between. If yo...

kccc

BA is right. It's normal to have a big drop at first (and I've even seen a scientific explanation, which I can't replicate for you) and then have it level off. Most people get discouraged then, but sounds as if that pattern will work for you. (Though it is amazing how many calories one can take in t...

kccc

Wednesday Rainy icky day here, and I'm so happy to be working at home in my fuzzy slippers. :) Br - egg in a hole L - squash soup, 1/2 cheese sandwich, salad D (planned) - spaghetti with clam sauce, salad, other veg. Maybe bread if I get my act in gear fast enough. One extra coffee already... and I'...

kccc

I was a bit hesitant about joining this one, because the word "perfect" is an emotional trap for me. But I liked the idea of self-defining it, and identifying what my goals are. And as I thought about it, I realized I had a couple of places where I could have problems if I didn't decide in advance. ...

kccc

This is not going to help you.... but your post has the potential to help ME, and I want to know more! How do you freeze your baked goods? I usually make a couple of batches of different things, but we just eat them and then don't have any for Christmas. I'd like to bake about the same amount, but s...

kccc

It's been over a year since my last update, so thought I'd go ahead and post. This has been a relatively difficult year for me in terms of maintenance, which is why I've been posting on the No-S board relatively frequently. Final count: I'm up to 148 (was 145 on my last check in; 143 was my WW goal ...

kccc

These are really helpful ideas! Thanks... and keep them coming!

kccc

So glad you had a good Thanksgiving, and are getting better (however slowly).

It's always good to hear from you!

kccc

Welcome back!

You are wise not to wait.

We have a Wii fit too. On days where I haven't had time to do any exercise before the evening, it's fun enough that I'll do 30 minutes... and I can certainly work up a sweat if I pick from the aerobic sections.

kccc

Weighed this AM and am at my pre-Thanksgiving weight. Still a bit high (because it was then), but I'm satisfied with where I am for a Tuesday morning. Exercise 30 minutes walk/run (Couch to 5 K week 3) Yoga stretches for 10 minutes Br - oatmeal, nuts, raisins L - turkey soup, salad, mandarin oranges...

kccc

Go, Kathleen!

kccc

Some links... very conflicting advice out there. http://exercise.about.com/cs/weightloss/a/weightplateaus.htm http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=23561&sc=801 http://www.live5news.com/Global/story.asp?S=11427124 http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/10-ways-to-move-bey...

kccc

Well, Sunday was a bit more over-the-top. We went out to eat at a buffet for lunch, and I had seconds/dessert. Then made cookies in the afternoon, and ate too many. Otherwise "normal"... but there were a LOT of cookies! Back on track for Monday. :) Exercise - Pilates/stretches Br - oatmeal, nuts, ra...

kccc

Until the past few years, we've done the big extended family Christmas dinner late on Christmas day. Then we decided that it was too hectic, and we'd do it the day after... a VERY good decision for everyone! But I realized I don't have any ideas for cooking on Christmas Eve/Day. I don't want to repl...

kccc

Starla, I'm so sorry - those bouts are awful! Hope you are feeling better, and did manage a little quality family time.

kccc

KCCC, There's almost a downward push to eat less because you don't want a stomach ache! No willpower whatsoever is involved in my not eating! I agree, Kathleen! I really did overeat on Thanksgiving, but I got it out of my system and am "done" for a bit. It really did feel good to be hungry yesterda...

kccc

That was how I felt, too. I ended up telling some of my family about it, and what they commented on was not that I'd lost weight, but how obvious it was that I was enjoying it so much :) That's wonderful! :) I do think that's the biggest benefit of No-S - -permission to actually enjoy food again. I...

kccc

Lol!

My husband says it's imperative to exercise the day after T-day, before the food has a chance to become fat. I don't know if the scientific evidence supports that... but hey, it can't hurt!

kccc

If this is the first week with no reds, my advice would be to really work on getting to "no reds" and give it another month. Those reds can make a real difference. Another reason to give it time is to allow any weight loss to show up. For me, weight loss has never been linear (whatever program I'm f...

kccc

KCCC - Remember -- you can have over the top eating without a side order of guilt! It seemed somewhat childish of me to relish pecan pie in front of my mother in law. I told her that seh'd see by next summer how I'm doing with this diet! Kathleen Kathleen, I enjoyed every bite - even those that mad...

kccc

Thanks KCCC! I don't know if it is just me but after meal, I still find myself looking for something to nibble on. I tried counting to ten to see if the craving goes away but it never does. I'll try out the tea and let you know how it goes! :) I used to do that too. Prior to No-S, I'd eat reasonabl...

kccc

I'm well aware the my binging is primarily a result of work stress. Speaking of which, work keeps me from eating my dinner on time. Although I get off work at 6pm, I normally reach home past 7pm. By this time, I'm already famished and I end up eating more than what I intended. Do you recommend that...

kccc

KCCC...you sound like you have a good focus. Sometimes it helps when we talk things out with others and then we see we have the answers within us. Sometimes we don't recognize the answers until they come from someone else. :) (Then there's the shock of "oh, yeah..." recognition.) â€œA friend is som...

kccc

If you decide not to quit, you will never be back at square one again. Jan, that is AWESOME advice. So true!!! Valerie, some ideas... First, get back on as fast as you can. The quicker you "dust off the crumbs" and start again, the less damage you do (both physically and psychologically). I actuall...

kccc

Wednesday was just sammiches and fruit and such. Dad broke out a pumpkin pie early, but I resisted. Thursday was total, indescribable, over-the-top eating. I did walk 2.5 miles early in the day (go, me!). Then I ate until my stomach hurt, so I have no desire to repeat the process. :) Friday... Br - ...

kccc

My goal is definitely to keep the N-days N-days... I don't intend to worry about the S's, because they tend to be self-correcting if there aren't too many in a row. It's only when I let them string out that real problems arise... it's like I get pulled down into a perma-snacking hole that I can't ge...

kccc

And you might not count it as a fail the first time - retroactive fails are too hard on the spirit! Plus it seems so unfair that when you've made a genuinely positive break-through (identifying a weak spot) that you get punished for it. So, congratulate yourself that you've found a weak spot, and te...

kccc

Great poem - really sums up the way stuffing down emotions with food feels.

I'm glad you're not there anymore... and glad a number of us aren't.

kccc

Wednesday, Nov. 25

Exercise - 2+ mile walk.

Br - egg in a hole
L - PB&J, banana
D - will be with the folks, and thus a challenge by definition. But it's the last meal before an S-day, so I can deal.

kccc

Ditto! May the food be delicious, and the relatives/guests good-humored.

kccc

Great advice! To summarize for myself... 1) Plan ahead (which is what I'm trying to do with this post!) 2) Remember the benefits a) Don't un-do hard-won progress b) Remember how much better I feel when I eat properly, in contrast to when I overload. (This one really resonates for me!) 3) Choose what...

kccc

This is a time period I always find a bit hard. Technically, Thanksgiving and Christmas are S-days... but I tend to want to stretch my S-days from Thanksgiving to Christmas! (Actually, I want to start NOW!) When I was growing up, my mom started baking around now and didn't stop until Christmas. It w...

kccc

Dinner as planned yesterday. ;) For today... Breakfast - PB & banana on whole-wheat bread L - leftover pasta w/spinach and beans (much more garlicky as leftovers), canteloupe and banana D - (planned) sausage, potato, and broccoli and cauliflower. Also an extra coffee, and a glass of wine (going to s...

kccc

I say the same - start now. Advantages: - You won't pack on more weight in a "pre-diet-feeding-frenzy" intensified by the holidays. (Even if you hold steady on No-S, that's a plus) - You won't tie your effort to an arbitrary date, so when (not if!) you slip, you will be able to just start again...wh...

kccc

This is an interesting post. Thanks, BA. I've always known that I have to pay more attention to eating than some of my friends - overweight and all its associated ills (diabetes, etc.) run in my family. Just how it is... I like looking at all the "scientific evidence" together. The one that I found ...

kccc

Ended up using it along the lines of noni's recipe... but appreciate all the great suggestions! (Will keep them for future reference.)

kccc

www.geocaching.com Sort of a high-tech treasure-hunt... or a sneaky way to get kids out for a walk. This was actually a class our local parks service held to introduce the concept to newbies. I've been wanting to try it for a while, so dragged my son and a friend along. We were lucky enough to have ...

kccc

Two reasonable S-days... some special things, but not over-the-top. Good deal.

Not enough exercise, though. Took kids geocaching on Saturday, so we walked a bit, but I'm not sure how much.

kccc

Well, instead of the disappointing stew, my colleague and I went to dinner between sessions. Longhorn's Steak Salad, which I love. A nice treat. Strength session this morning. Made it through okay - whatever was the issue yesterday seems to be over, knock on wood. Br - oatmeal, nuts, figs L - brough...

kccc

Mimi, you have had a rough year for sure! Like others, I'm impressed that you haven't fallen into a terminal pity-party. You're a good role model.

I am wishing you continued progress, and a relaxed and joyful holiday.

kccc

I don't have IBS, but I'll take a stab at generating options... First, what does your doctor recommend in terms of number of meals? Medical advice trumps No-S. Second, No S says "no eating between meals," but does NOT specify how many meals you have (though it does point out that every additional me...

kccc

Lol! I opened this thread all ready to talk about how the two could fit together if you wanted (having done both)... Sounds like it's not an ethical dilemma at all, just a choice. If you want to see the folks, and it's worth $39/month under your financial circumstances, go for it. If you think you c...

kccc

No exercise on Wednesday. :( Today (Th), I planned to do the elliptical, but found I didn't feel well when I got on. The stats confirmed my feeling - my heart rate was higher and my speed lower than normal. I bailed after a mile and did some stretches instead. Still feel icky - slightly nauseated. N...

kccc

Knew I could count on this group!

kccc

It seemed like last week, every recipe that looked interesting had spinach in it - raw spinach, cooked in. So now I have some baby spinach I need to use up. And the recipes I was stumbling across before seem to have run for cover! Lol - time to do some Google-ing. (Though, if anyone has suggestions,...

kccc

Tuesday

Exercise - 32 minutes on the elliptical (3 miles)

Br - oatmeal, raisins, nuts
L -PB&J on homemade bread, salad, 2 clementines. (Need to use UP those clementines! I love them, but a box is too much.)
D - chicken quesadillas, broccoli
Glass of wine

kccc

Glad to hear you're making progress!

kccc

Glad to see you. Tiffani! :) Sounds like the elimination diet is really helping you. Hope things are going well overall. NO exercise this weekend, which I'm not happy about. Actually took a "red" on exercise for the first time in a very long time. (My rule is at least 15 minutes for "5 of 7 days.") ...

kccc

Kathleen, you're really working hard at this, and I wish you every success. I have found that people notice/care less than you think. I can say "not just yet" ("yet" never comes), or a simple "no thanks" or "no thanks, I'm not hungry" and no one usually cares. Everything becomes easier with practice...

kccc

My hubby did mac and cheese, broccoli, and peaches for dinner. Not my fave, but nice that he did it. My son LOVED it, lol! (Dad's one specialty.) Exercise this am - 15 minutes on the Elliptical (1.3 miles) and 20 minutes yoga. Br - oatmeal, raisins, nuts L - more leftover chicken enchilada, clementi...

kccc

I understand... there are days like that for me too. Usually, meetings with liberal arrays of junk food in the meeting room... First, take what action you can. There's usually hot water... I bring my own tea, and sip on that. And I relax over my one-plate lunch (that used to be a big stress, before ...

kccc

Before you go to the drastic extent of dropping S-days, listen to the "S-days gone wild" podcast and read the accompanying thread (it's stickied above).

There are a lot of intermediate steps that might work.

kccc

If you were doing this before and lost weight, it might work for you. You fit the profile of someone who can afford a few extra calories - young, male, etc. If it doesn't, then you'll need to re-group, and figure out what "not being an idiot" means for you. :) No-S offers broad guidelines that every...

kccc

Tuesday was a long erratic day, with no exercise. :( I missed that. I did do some evening stretches just b/c my shoulders hurt so much from sitting at a computer all day, but didn't time them, so am not counting. (It still helped and was good to do.) My mindset about exercise has changed from someth...

kccc

Connercream, that's genuinely considerate of you. I think there are people for whom plain No-S works fine - all they need. Either they have a naturally high metabolism or they tend to choose lower-calorie food instinctively. Once they cut out the sweets, snacks, and seconds, they're golden. Others h...

kccc

Hilly, Dandelion, and Mimi, many thanks. It's always nice to get a word of encouragement. I appreciate it. Hope things are going well for you three at this point. Mimi... you mentioned on your thread that your red days came after disappointments... I've noticed that I deal well with 1-2 things, but ...

kccc

Connercream, I've been following your story with interest. It really brings home to me how much unconscious knowledge (about calories/nutrition) I brought with me to No-S that helps me "not be an idiot" - at least most of the time. There are people who really don't have to worry about watching what ...

kccc

I am not going to start counting calories again (yet) until I am truely comfortable with this new NoS way of eating. I am, however, going to try to make the same healthy decisions I made before, and not just eat a burger & fries when I'm out because I can! I think that's by far the best approach. C...

kccc

Hard day. I'm going to whine a little, because writing helps me to think. First, a major work project ran into unexpected problems. I met a colleage today to get set up for a session early next week, and we ran into technical difficulties. I ended up rousting a programmer out on the weekend to fix s...

kccc

I'm glad to see you back.

Welcome.

(No "doh" remarks here. We all have to try things and learn what works for each of us.)

kccc

Back in my home state, though not yet home. Staying overnight with a friend/colleague to do work, because my guys are on a camping trip with Cub Scouts. Eating going okay, I guess. Too much restaurant food, which has a lot of hidden calories as well as being over-large portions. I have chosen as wel...

kccc

Welcome! Glad to have you here!

kccc

People do lose. Just check the testimonials page. However, the rate varies, and is slower than other diets. You're essentially teaching yourself to eat normally. If you've been over-eating, that means you're creating a calorie deficit that will lead to loss. (Maintaining at overweight is still overe...

kccc

Just sending good wishes.

We all have our ups and downs on this plan. As long as you get up more times than you fall down, it's okay. As Janie says, get up and brush the crumbs off and start again...

Hope your healing is going well.

kccc

Kevin, you're right about traveling. At least I didn't have to do the big meal my colleagues went to last night - sounded awful. Too much food, going too late...I'm glad my cold got me off the hook on that one! Lunch was a ham sub - another box lunch. I didn't want the cookie or potato salad, but wa...

kccc

Grammy G, thanks for stopping by! I love the Halloween treat ideas you shared. I'm thinking that I'll need them for the next few years, since we'll be doing Halloween birthday parties for a while! :) Traveling... Tuesday dinner was a blackened-chicken salad at the airport. Expensive, but decent. Wed...

kccc

Thanks, Starla and Tana! The recipe I chose came from Allrecipes, and I do like the comments - sometimes the "variants" make the best versions! But I had never seen their ingredient search until you pointed it out. I think I'll like that. Sometimes I look at Cooks.com (I think that's right), but it ...

kccc

Lol, Kevin, ain't it the truth! And the sad thing is that most of it isn't even that good! (And I still eat it... and I'm not alone.) Back to normal... except I start traveling today, which is always a challenge. I packed a lunch to stave off restaurant food as long as I could. So, thus far... Exerc...

kccc

I am going to try my best to chose one day per week (either Friday or Saturday) to socially drink with my friends. Also, I liked the tip about alternating between an alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink. I will definitely try to implement that, and I believe this will help me to drink less! Half the c...

kccc

Have any of you ever done this? If you have a collection of ingredients you need to use up, that you think ought to work together in a some kind of recipe, you just enter the foods in Google and see what recipes pop up. Tonight I located a recipe for broccoli-potato soup that used up some evaporated...

kccc

Hard to know without more info on how much you're actually drinking. NoS technically doesn't address alchohol consumption of "non-sweet" drinks. (That's a different "system," for different concerns.) And S-days are not restricted in terms of snacks, sweets, or seconds... though the expectation is th...

kccc

Been a while... I'm detoxing from Halloween, and from the birthday party that preceded it and the dinner out with a friend-who-rarely-visits after... I am glad it's Monday. Not the usual reaction to Monday, but I'm glad to be eating SANELY again. The sleepover birthday party went well. My son loved ...

kccc

Wednesday Exercise - yoga, about 20 minutes. Minimal, but worth doing. Br - bagel w/cream cheese L - Ate out, at my favorite grocery-store deli. (Sounds weird, but it's sort of a whole-foods place and they have a hot bar and I LOVE it. All healthy food, and I am so glad on No-S that I can just have ...

Everyday Systems

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