Everyday Systems

jw

LOL, automated, I remember doing that with my nephews and nieces when they were that age and there were so many hot cinnamon candies and fingerprints in play, I really kind of lost my appetite . . . But I have to admit it was fun!

jw

Thanks, automated and Linda, for putting things in perspective! I remember thinking that your appetite coincided with the additional ballet exercises, automated, but I am not far enough away from myself to see the same thing in my own life! And I am retaining fluid a bit, Linda, not sure why. I don'...

jw

For the first time since starting No S, I am up a pound on my weekly weigh-in. Thanksgiving damage? Not too bad, I guess -- but then, I had a very modest Thanksgiving and didn't expect any damage at all. I think I've been loading up the plates a little more lately -- it's been an anxious time (city ...

jw

Great description of Last Supper syndrome, Imogen! I have often wondered if we're wired to do this -- eat while you've got it, tomorrow there will be a famine. Bears do it, squirrels do it . . . Our food supply is no longer iffy, but our inborn signals still say, eat, eat, eat! And look what happene...

jw

Just lived through this, Donna -- amazing how past associations with snow days and treats kick in! (Pancakes!) I made a big pot of soup, and baked bread instead -- but I don't have kids to please. How about hot chocolate and some kind of quick bread that wouldn't be too off-plan? Good luck! The ice ...

jw

Happy belated birthday, phx! Sounds like you handled the celebrations just fine!

jw

Kookie, glad you came back when things got chance-y -- restricting just doesn't work for you, it sounds like. And great work on cutting out the smoking -- I finally did it, too, after smoking for 25 years and it was the hardest habit to break. Make sure you're getting what you need at every meal and...

jw

Good work, Donna! It sounds like you have found the happy medium in weighing in as well. Congrats!

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I just joined a few months ago, but welcome back anyway! You're brave to start again right in the middle of the holidays!

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beautiful post, finallyfull!

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15 minutes down and half an hour up! It's not the length of the walk, it's the thought of tackling those two steep hills at the end of the day! But I have actually enjoyed it --

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Me three! And it happens almost unconsciously. I haven't weighed in yet -- automated, you were brave and your results were really good!

jw

And I love the way you are saving up your chocolates from the Advent Calendar, eschano! I walked to work again today. All my digging out just exposed the sheet of ice under the car, and if there's one thing I hate, it's getting stuck on the ice half in and half out of traffic. I'd rather walk. I hav...

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Me too, Linda! I have been forgetting to check in and even to do habitcal! All the best through the holidays -- Thanksgiving weekend was moderate, so there's no reason why the rest of it shouldn't be as well!

jw

Sounds like a nice Thanksgiving after all, phx -- delicious and quite moderate!
Yes, I live in rural northwestern Pennsylvania. This is not typical weather here -- this past week, we got more than half the total amount of snow for all of last year!

jw

Well, all my plans for a restaurant Thanksgiving were blown away with the big snowstorms we've been having -- 30" over the past week. My sister and her husband took Thanksgiving dinner to my parents, so that was OK. I had two invitations here in town, but when it came to digging out the car, I only ...

jw

You are doing really well, English Gal -- evenings were my big snack time, too. I have a warm drink or two throughout the evening instead, but it takes some will to teach your appetite new tricks! Soon it will be second nature!

jw

Hey, phx, I am on my own, too -- not because of a loss like yours, but because of snow. I got the car about half dug out in the equivalent of five shovel glove sessions and then thought, enough, tomorrow is another day . . . however, I had turkey, stuffing, and cranberries for lunch, took a turkey-c...

jw

Welcome and Happy Thanksgiving! If you are in the USA and tofurkey is on the menu today, you'll get plenty of protein! Seriously, make sure your plate includes beans and lentils and soy products with your grains for adequate protein, dairy and egg as well if you're ovo-lacto veg. Other things that c...

jw

love your thoughts on physicality vs. virtuality, Reinhard! When you really want to get down, even a programmer needs a pencil and an index card!

jw

I have to say, it started easy because I really focused and it has kept on being easy with less and less focus as time goes on (I am almost 5 months in). But there are certain days when it takes more effort, who knows why? Anybody who has ever used food as a reward or a way to relax and forget your ...

jw

Hard times, Keepongoing -- my parents are in their late 80's with various health problems, still in the family home, but it is becoming less and less viable. Feeling fed up is just as human as your compassion for your mom's disorientation! Make sure you take extra good care of yourself through all t...

jw

There is a chai that has cocoa hulls in it -- heavenly! -- a little cafe here used to carry it but it changed hands and menus and now I don't know where to find it . . . Night of the Iguana chocolate chai.

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I walked to work anyway! it was great!

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Welcome, sweetaj -- you're off to a good start! This board is a great source of sanity and moderation. Great to have you here!

jw

I love your expression, "the mind goes shopping." That's exactly what it is! And it's as dangerous as the catalogs that come in the mail, showing you things you never knew you wanted until you saw them!

I usually opt for hot tea, but I'll try water. They say thirst often masquerades as hunger.

jw

Feeling much better, thanks for the good wishes, KCCC and c! And all my failed intentions about exercise? shoveling snow for an hour yesterday and again today is exercise! And more snow will fall tomorrow and Wednesday . . . and if it's bad enough, I'll be walking to work and back, too! Mother Natur...

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Happy three-month anniversary, automated!

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S Days are often over the top in the beginning, c -- they calm down all by themselves eventually, so don't waste time worrying about them or beating yourself up -- you simply can't fail on an S day! just keep on going green on your N days and you'll be fine!

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Imogen, I started No S on a weekend and since it seemed crazy to eat snacks and sweets, I treated the days as N days. Someone on the board (wosnes, maybe?) wrote, oh, you should have taken your S days, because on S days you can't fail. Two days a week, we have this get-out-of-jail free situation -- ...

jw

"What is being revealed now is that I don't really know what to do with my time if I'm not bingeing and obsessing about diet and food." This is when the simplicity of No-S is revealed as well -- so many intricate counting diets keep you so busy/obsessive, there's no time for anything else! I think t...

jw

Welcome, English Gal! You are off to a good start -- and this board is a great place to come to for support.

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You're doing great, rosie! No need to be too careful on S days -- as you note, it's not a diet. You will soon find yourself looking forward to N days after the weekends just as much as you look forward to the S day treats!

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I misunderstood, Crafty -- didn't realize you were already on board! I think the best secret to portion control is to give yourself good, substantial portions the first time around -- and then, close the kitchen. Seconds are non-negotiable. It's a stressful time -- holidays, wedding day -- so it sho...

jw

Another "wasted" S weekend -- I made a meatloaf yesterday, my mother's recipe, had seconds but nothing too over-the-top, and woke up about 5 a.m. sick as a dog. Miserable morning, then lunch and dinner limited to soup and bread. Feeling better now -- I think the ground meat must have been "off." The...

jw

"DH just bought me a rowing machine for Hanukkah from amazon! I'm so so excited. I used to be on the rowing team in college and this is something I can do from home and won't aggravate my bone spurs. Yay--finally a good solution. It'll be in here in a couple days--can't wait!" Fantastic! ask for fun...

jw

http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic ... 683#140683

11/23 post by psychicsdirectory01.

jw

No S is a great strategy for sane eating for the long haul -- not so great for short-term, want-it-right-now weight loss, though. Your wedding is only 7 days away and you want to lose 5-10 pounds. I've been losing steadily and happily following No S, and it took me 2 and a half months to lose 10 pou...

jw

Thanks, ladies! I don't see Thanksgiving as a big hurdle, Linda -- it's only one day, one plate plus dessert -- but Christmas doings start right after. And there are so many seasonal things that you want to eat out of nostalgia and sentiment rather than hunger! If I can limit my S's to the really sp...

jw

Look at all those green days! Go, cbecker!

jw

Hats off, joasia -- you are so persistent, it's bound to pay off. I wonder what it is about this weight that makes your body think it has to stick here? Is it part of your body's "memory?" Were you around this weight for a long time on the way up, so to speak? Anyway, frustrated or not, fed up or no...

jw

Glad you took a little pie break, Linda! You may well reach size 8, but you've only actually been No S-ing for 3-4 months. I've been at it about a month longer and I haven't lost a size yet that I know of -- my clothes all fit way better, but I am still trying on the same clothing size when I shop. ...

jw

They are predicting a snow storm tomorrow, so I bought some sweets today (nut rolls and poppy seed rolls) -- I know exactly how you are feeling! I just finished lunch and they are calling my name!

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Linda, weary is understandable, you've been so rock solid in your commitment -- any way to spice things up again? bring back the old No S spark? How is cooking your way through the cookbook going? Doing automated lunches and coming up with wonderful weekly soups brought back the enthusiasm for me a ...

jw

Love how you kept updating and took us right through to the happy ending, automated! Whew! All kinds of things can feel like hunger. I remember when I quit smoking years ago, the tobacco withdrawal felt like immense hunger, a deep gnawing in my belly. And I kept wanting to put things in my mouth, of...

jw

"I find it better not to talk to a lot of folks about what I am doing....for now at least!"

Me, too, Zippadee! Amazing job on the pumpkin cake! Multiple Thanksgivings make things a little harder, but you really held out!

jw

Twenty down since July! And in another three pounds (= 3 weeks, if Thanksgiving doesn't upset my progress), I will have lost one tenth of my starting weight. Yay, No S! I am going to wait to post a testimonial until I have both records behind me and have successfully survived the holidays, though. H...

jw

You did very well, considering the stresses and disruptions, phx. If you just hit the reply button at the bottom of this post for your responses, you'll be able to have all your entries in one long thread, like a diary. Makes it easier for people to converse with you and also easier for you to look ...

jw

Clarebear, my sister just got back from a 2-week visit to family in Perth and said she effortlessly lost 5 pounds while she was there! She said she didn't do much exercise, but the family eats a very good high fruit-and-veg/low baked goods diet, oatmeal for breakfast, and -- :idea: NEVER eats betwee...

jw

If you can keep the No S Habits in place, then why not experiment with what food you eat? I don't see why No S and Weight Watchers (or any other approach) couldn't combine, if it's really important to you to see movement on the scale -- three weight watchers meals a day, snacks and sweets on weekend...

jw

Works for me, automated!

jw

Has it gotten really cold where you are, automated? The first week of cold here, I was ravenous! And I have noticed an increased wish for peanut butter on the bread, lentil soup instead of vegetable soup, just heartier food all round. I think your instincts are good to go for calorie density. Best o...

jw

http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic ... 495#140495

spam post by flowebdesign01

jw

I enjoyed that, Reinhard! And it confirmed for me yet again that No S is a "when and how" approach rather than a "what" -- and thus, compatible with whatever other nutritional foibles we've found helpful. Thanks for all you do!

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Donna, I weigh weekly at the end of the week. I associate daily weighing with dieting and it can get a little obsessive for me, so I avoid it. Some people don't weigh at all on principle -- others weigh daily and post their weight. It comes down to what is most motivating for you!

jw

It's most likely not all back, Alice -- don't weigh again until Friday and it will be gone, and maybe another pound with it! I made the mistake of weighing on a Monday about a month ago and thought I had regained 5 of the 15 pounds I had lost to that point overnight! Something about sugar and baked ...

jw

automated, I remember when you first posted this! It has been great to have you along for the ride and to see what fantastic progress you have made!

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Welcome, Rosie -- it's OK to have a blowout on an S day! Just keep on going!

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Welcome aboard, phx! I also started on an S day back in June -- this is a really doable plan. Best of luck to you!

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LOL, Linda -- too funny that we all think we are such meanies! this is my first experience with an online message board and I love how all round positive it has been. S days have gone very well -- I made a pumpkin cornbread crumble yesterday, but today treats have been limited to fresh-baked bread w...

jw

Love your realizations rant, grothkat! Yes, relax into it -- gritting your teeth and fighting yourself will only mean a harder fall off the wagon somewhere down the road. Anyway, your meals look like a nutritionist's dream -- no worries there! Happy friend's giving!

jw

I love to see how you've eased up on yourself and just accepted what works for you, Sinnie! You sound so much more relaxed now about your eating and everything else! That's real progress!

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You must be getting excited now, Clarebear -- I have a niece in western Australia named Clare whom I haven't seen since she was a toddler. So I particularly envy you!

jw

That third meal on Thursday doesn't look like an S to me, lderoc -- it looks like one of Reinhard's default go-to meals of oats and dried fruits and nuts. Happy S days ahead!

jw

Go, Kookie! Just a few weeks ago when I talked about this, you found it really scary, and now you're there! Good for you!

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automated, I just saw your post about being the meanest person on the boards -- no way! I thought I was! I am very outspoken and tend not to cushion my opinions with a lot of disclaimers. But you are right -- the spirit of this board is invariably kind. Aside from moderation, maybe we're learning ho...

jw

Excellent week -- for the first time, schedule disruptions didn't make a difference! I was up at 4 one morning -- just couldn't sleep -- and had breakfast by 5, then nothing until lunch at 12:30 -- over seven hours. Today, I had lunch at noon and didn't get to dinner until 7:40 -- nearly eight hours...

jw

Alice, welcome! I don't even have that much of a sweet tooth, but I went out shopping for S day treats and really took advantage the first two months! That settles down for most of us eventually -- don't feel guilty in your first weeks or try to monitor your Ses too much! Just enjoy them!

jw

Yay! We need an emoticon that jumps up and down and claps! That is a fantastic track record, joasia!

jw

Welcome, SS -- this board is a great place to document your progress and get support. Three successful weeks behind you is a fantastic start! and kudos on the decision -- we've got plenty of extra S days ahead this month and next. Good luck!

jw

Automated and Linda, you're so sweet to ask -- he was a dream dog! He respectfully walked up to each of the six people in my meeting, made their acquaintance, accepted a treat or two, then lay down! Couldn't believe how well it went! Then I brought him home to a house full of workers and he went nut...

jw

Sorry life is so stressful just now, automated. Hope you all feel better and get some rest soon!

jw

Welcome back, cbecker! It sounds as if over time, you allowed things to become negotiable -- so easy to do, one little concession here, another there . . . But if you tell yourself X (snack, sweet, second) is simply not an option today, you will have made a good start. Brilliant to start on a Friday...

jw

Hope you both sleep tonight and feel better in time for the weekend, Linda!

jw

Schwarzwurzeln are called salsify -- quite a rare veggie in US supermarkets. I eat eggs for breakfast every day -- I also like to prepare them with lots of different veg, Heather! -- and I save muffins/pancakes/quick breads for S days.

jw

You are on a diet where you're losing weight fast, 10-day roll -- and you're looking around for another diet. That tells me you feel like you can't keep it up. No S is something you can do indefinitely and it gets easier as you go along. The trade-off is the weight loss is slow and you may regain a ...

jw

You're doing really well, Keep On Going NMW! You've survived a minor slip and a stressful day very early in your No S career without getting thrown off track. Good news -- it gets easier as you go along, not harder!

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I found that, too, idontknow -- I feel in a better, more stable mood when I avoid sweets. And I agree that a little hunger before dinner is not at all a bad thing!

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Welcome, Heather, and best wishes!

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I love that breakfast! but we call it bird's nests.

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Love these last two posts -- love this board! Imogen, I guess I didn't realize you were so close -- yes, you are as good as there, weight-wise, but you're not as happy as you should be about your great progress and your good habits, as well as your almost ideal weight. Somebody very wise (I forget w...

jw

This kind of ties in to the 50's slenderness posts, come to think of it! Food wasn't a haven in times of trouble, as it is now!

jw

Well, drinking and smoking have become unacceptable! LOL :lol: Food has become the go-to solution to all kinds of problems, in the way people used to have a drink or a cigarette to calm down, settle the nerves, take a break -- whatever. All of those things mask the thing we wish would go away (the t...

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Automated, I am taking Crockett, my big old gangly over-protective mutt. Katie is kennel trained and much easier to leave -- Crockett would break his teeth trying to get out of the kennel to bark at the contractors! So he's coming to work. People love him, he's very endearing -- but he doesn't love ...

jw

Thanks, KCCC, Clarebear, and Keep on Going NMW! I am well again, but chaos is on the agenda today -- the contractors are finally coming today to redo the ceiling and walls damaged during the plumbing fiasco in August. I am taking the more unmanageable dog to work with me (God help us all!) -- I have...

jw

Agreed that anything we eat is food -- but remember "The Men Who Made Us Fat?" Moderation with some intensely flavor-enhanced manufactured foods is really, really difficult for me -- as in the old potato chip commercial, "you can't eat just one!" Some foods are engineered to take us into excess. If ...

jw

Feeling so much better, thanks, Linda! My S days featured multiple helpings of chicken soup and toast, spoonfuls of honey and lemon, and half a bag of crystallized ginger. I didn't really understand the S for sick days before, but now I do -- a lot of my eating came from wanting to relieve the sore ...

jw

Excellent read, Heddi!

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You're in charge of your S days now, Clarebear -- that's such an accomplishment! And it's not because the rules say you have to, it's because you yourself want a better Monday!

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"Why have 4 S days in a row? " Good point, Kat! The last three-day weekend we had, I didn't want the third S day for that very reason -- and my body really wanted to get back to N, strangely enough! I'm in the middle of this cold now, had not much to eat yesterday and have absolutely no desire for s...

jw

Your sons are beautiful! I used to eat lunch out every day and sometimes dinner -- now that I work part-time, I can't really afford it. And I realize, I love my own cooking! I think you'll enjoy it AND save money, as well as having more control over your food for No-S purposes. I have the cold too -...

jw

Wow, I looked away for a couple of days and now I see single digits after that 2! Yay!

jw

Thanks, automated! I took a 4-hour nap and am feeling a little better -- working all day tomorrow, too, so I have to hold it together. And I am working Monday -- we can choose either Veteran's Day or the Friday after Thanksgiving and I'd rather have the 4-day weekend! I am not sure what we are doing...

jw

Thanks, KCCC -- lemon and honey, sweet tea, chicken broth with garlic, ginger are on the menu. This is an official S day.

jw

Kat, if you are not overweight, any losses will probably be in very small increments. One day you'll wake up and weigh and a pound or two will be gone. Losing quickly when you're already at normal weight can set you up for rapid rebound gains in the future -- as I am sure you know! As for feeling fa...

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That elephant loves some olive bread, eh! It is so easy to do -- but I do think strict is the way to go, until you're solidly back in the groove, KCCC.

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You are staying strong, Donna! Great start on your No S journey!

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Sore throat, I feel a cold brewing and I have a day of meetings today and two events tomorrow. I had lemon and honey before bed last night and I did NOT change my green habitcal -- nobody would consider that a snack or a sweet.

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Kookie, that's what real moderation is -- knowing when the right thing to do is to celebrate with others! Hope your theater do with your old friend is great -- it's certainly S-worthy!

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100 Days with No Fails tomorrow! Yay, Linda!

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