Everyday Systems

Starla

Sheepish, you remind me of my father, who used to say oranges had skins to prevent him from eating a dozen at a time! I love fruit (except for melons), and I eat it as part of my meals. I have an apple or a banana with breakfast, and an orange as part of lunch every day. I frequently eat fresh pinea...

Starla

I had a good, busy weekend, and was happy with my eating and treadmill. Today I discovered two boxes of Girl Scout cookies on my desk when I got to work, and I'm not even freaked out by that. They'll go in the freezer until next weekend. I made some delicious chicken chile last night, and I'm lookin...

Starla

Congratulations, magicman! This is so impressive, and I hope you're very proud of what you've accomplished this year.

Starla

Success yesterday, treadmill included. Today should be a good S day - I'm working an adoption fair, so I'll be very busy all day, and I have my chocolate-covered almonds, so my treat is all set.

Starla

Success yesterday with eating, but I did not do treadmill, and that's the second day this week I've skipped it. That means I have to do it today and both days this weekend. It's so easy for me to get out of the treadmill habit; I think today may be a make-or-break day for me. Just 10 minutes! I can ...

Starla

Sorry about the job, Laura. But you should be VERY happy that you realized your old coping methods weren't helping. Congratulations on getting back on track so quickly! I hope you enjoy your volunteer work. I volunteer with a no-kill organization (all cats), and get a lot of satisfaction out of it. ...

Starla

You're last name isn't Sparta by any chance, is it? :) Ha! You've never seen me and my chocolate covered almonds! My problem was that I tasted, seasoned, tasted, seasoned, tasted, seasoned and then realized I had no real feel for how much I had actually eaten. So I decided to go without for 15 minu...

Starla

Success yesterday, and it was a tough one. My dinner plans fell through, and I got home about an hour and a half later than usual - starving, and with nothing planned for supper. I made myself a hamburger, and in my freezer I found a rice/vegetable microwavable side dish. It was horrible. Not only d...

Starla

Thank you for posting this! This is exactly what I've experienced; it's nice to know there's a scientific explanation.

Starla

You may want to read the burger and fries thread - it deals with some of your questions. My answers: No. 1. I do use skim milk on my cereal, and I do use lower fat ingredients in some recipes. After dieting on and off for 30 years, I have discovered some recipes that I truly enjoy with lower fat ing...

Starla

Success yesterday. Same as Monday, except 30 minutes on the treadmill. I'm going to dinner with a friend tonight, so there will be no treadmill today.

Starla

No, you won't!!!!!

Starla

hilly6000 posted something I've found helpful when I've been tempted to waiver: But then I just thought, "Well, when are you going to really change?" So I guess that's what got me. And that's it. If not now, when? How many more chances am I going to get? If I can't do No S, which is the least restri...

Starla

Success yesterday. The usual for breakfast and lunch. I had a hamburger on a toasted bun and herbed potatoes and carrots for supper. I walked on the treadmill for 16:30, which is when the battery on my mp3 player died. It was an easy day.

Starla

Congratulations on a successful day one! I can tell you that it does get easier as you figure out your meals and your body gets used to eating at mealtimes.

Starla

I had a good weekend - very busy, and the weather was beautiful. I ate a few treats, didn't go overboard with anything, and walked on the treadmill both days - 31 minutes yesterday.

Treadmill's up to 10 minutes/day minimum, five days a week.

ETA: Woo hoo! I made it to page 2!

Starla

Oh, I'm sorry you're sick, but very happy you had a great S weekend. I know you've been worried about that.

I hope you're feeling better soon.

Starla

Yesterday was a success. I went out to dinner, but chose a meal that would fit on one plate - snow crab enchiladas with Mexican rice. Mmm mmmm good. I was able to completely ignore the basket of fresh, hot fried tortilla chips and salsa. No exercise, though, and that was the second day of the week I...

Starla

Success. Meals as planned and 30 minutes on the treadmill. I'm going out to dinner tonight and then to see "Carmen," so I won't be getting any exercise today. I'm really happy with how treadmill is going. I'm feeling stronger and healthier.

Starla

Dandelion, that sounds like a very successful day to me. You resisted the "old way" of handling a problem - food. You found a way to incorporate the food you wanted to eat into the plan. I think I read somewhere that if you look at No S as a lifetime plan, it doesn't matter if you ate more than you ...

Starla

^^^howfunisthat, I think you've written a beautiful post. I completely agree with every word.

Starla

OK, here's an unambiguous reply for you - yes, it works. Tomorrow will be my two-month anniversary of doing this. I take my "official" weight once a month, so that will be tomorrow, but I weighed myself this morning because I'm going out to dinner tonight, and I want to inspire myself to stick to an...

Starla

I'm another one who needs protein at breakfast, or I am starving at lunch. During the week I eat a bagel with peanut butter; I don't want to take the time to cook. How about a breakfast burrito? There are lots of recipes out there, and that structure would allow you to vary the ingredients so you're...

Starla

Good luck on the job interview! There are always treats at my office, including two candy jars in front of my face 8 hours a day. I've found that No S helps me deal with it - it's ALWAYS off limits, and I find I don't even have to make the "eat or don't eat" decisions any more.

Starla

^^ Thanks tlang! I am very pleased with this system of eating.

Another success yesterday. Meals as planned, and 16 and a half minutes on the treadmill.

Starla

Another good day, with meals as planned and 25 minutes on the treadmill. I'm not quite back into the almost Zen-like calmness, but I'm not really struggling either.

Starla

I think your changes make a lot of sense, and I like the way you've handled this - analyzing the situation, identifying the problem and arriving at a workable solution. I will be very interested to see how this weekend goes - I think you've set yourself up for SUCCESS!

Starla

Thanks so much, Marc; this is very helpful. When I see your hard months as part of the process of losing 90 pounds it makes me hopeful that I'll be able to see my own hard months in the same way. And I don't think you should worry too much about the BMI. I saw the pictures you posted and would never...

Starla

Success yesterday, which was nice after a rough weekend. Breakfast was bagel, PB and an apple. Salad and an orange for lunch, spaghetti with meat sauce and broccoli for supper. I hope for the same today.

Starla

You can also do this at the Ingredients link at allrecipes.com. You can specifiy up to four ingredients you want, and four ingredients you DON'T want. I like that site because of the comments, which are usually very helpful.

Your soup sounds great!

Starla

Welcome and ask away! If you mean go back to your plate a couple hours later - that would make it a snack. But really, I think you'll find that if you're not snacking between meals, you'll need a full plate, especially at the beginning. For example, I'm not hungry for the first couple hours in the m...

Starla

Well, I had by far my worst weekend on No S. It all started with the almonds - I bought a different kind this weekend, and they were not good. In fact, they were BAD. So bad that I threw half of them away! Chocolate-covered almonds have been my treat every weekend, and I never get sick of them. This...

Starla

Business as usual yesterday - success. This morning I have three unopened bags of Halloween candy, and it's an S day, so I could be eating them. And I'm not even tempted, because I have some chocolate covered almonds for a treat today. And I almost cannot believe I'm at the point where I'm not seizi...

Starla

Welcome, Rachel! I think you've hit on what No S is really about - changing the place food holds in your life. I've been doing it a little less than two months, and I have never felt so calm about a "diet" or so sure that I am on the right path. Buttercreampillow said: "I look forward to each meal a...

Starla

Congratulations, hilly! I believe No S is established in little victories that are really BIG wins - and you just had one with your Half Baked Ice Cream. Remember, especially at the beginning what's important is establishing new habits. You may overeat at some meals, but don't freak out about it or ...

Starla

Those turnips sound good! I belong to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm and get a box of produce every other week, and that's been great for No S. We got turnips in the spring, and I just cut them up into salads, but it's nice to have other options. Unfortunately, growing season is over a...

Starla

Congratulations on a controlled S day! I think it's a good thing you're heading into the weekend not feeling deprived, and knowing that you handled an extra S day just fine.

Starla

I have noticed the same thing Kevin. Maybe it's a remnant of our hunter gatherer days when we had to stay sharp to find and chase down food. This is exactly what I thought when I read Kevin's comment. I think you're my No S soulmate, Dandelion! Yesterday was a good, strong day. Treadmill is up to 8...

Starla

Back on track yesterday.

Starla

Well, after bragging about how easy this is for me, yesterday was just a hard day. Really hard. I was tired and grumpy. Managed to make it a success simply because I had no sweets in the house. I did have two pieces of bread with my stew, but I didn't count that as a failure. I was hungry at suppert...

Starla

On weekends I don't eat breakfast until 9:00 - 9:30 (and I'm always up by 7:00 or 7:30). I'm another one who isn't hungry first thing in the morning. But on weekdays I have to finish breakfast by 6:45, and if I don't eat a substantial breakfast I can't make it until lunch time. It's the one meal I e...

Starla

Congratulations! 30-35 pounds is a lot of weight, and I'm sure you look and feel better.

I think Kathleen is right - you've been losing weight so slowly it's not obvoius to people who see you regularly.

Starla

The weekend was OK - a little overeating, but nothing too dramatic, and I don't worry about S days.

Yesterday was a success. The usual for breakfast and lunch; beef stew with toasted sesame semolina bread and butter for supper. Beef stew is one of my perfect fall foods.

Starla

Thanks for posting this - I was LMAO the whole way through it.

Starla

^^That's great, Dandelion! I feel like I'm in a groove - everything about this is easy for me right now. I don't expect it to always be that way, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

Thursday and Friday were successes. Pretty routine.

Starla

...I look forward to each meal as something to enjoy. I don't feel frightened of food, or eating opportunities, or of myself as some kind of insatiable monster barely contained by my own frail willpower. I think this is the perfect description of the mental change. If Reinhard writes another book, ...

Starla

Thank you for that post, studio. That was very brave, and you'll never know how many people you helped. I don't have an eating disorder, but I know exactly what you mean about "wanting to get it over with" and the mindless eating without pleasure that accompanies that feelng. I've been doing No-S si...

Starla

The keys for me: 1) Make meals I enjoy on N days, so I don't go into the weekend feeling deprived. 2) PLAN a treat for each weekend day. This ensures that I'm having something I want and I'm not just in "shoving food in my face" mode. 3) Don't worry if I eat more than I wanted to. You cannot fail on...

Starla

If I had read about this diet in my 20's, and if I had been able to afford it, I would have been all over it. I actually lost a lot of weight in my 20's trying to keep calories under 500 a day! It ended one Sunday morning when I was laying in bed watching my chest shake with every heartbeat, and my ...

Starla

Congratulations! I agree with you - there's none of the usual stress of being on a diet - and it gets easier as time goes on!

Starla

Yesterday was a success, with a roast beef sub for lunch and everything else the same as Monday.

Starla

I'm another one who needs vanilla No S. I posted a picture in the "catch phrases" thread of the counter part of my desk at work. It holds two candy jars, and those jars are in front of my face every day, eight hours a day. I've had years to prove I can eat sweets moderately, and I've proven I can't....

Starla

^^Absolutely wonderful. Congratulations!

If you would be interested in posting what you thought were your biggest hurdles, your biggest successes, and the key decisions you made that led to your success, I would love to read it.

Starla

^^Thank, buttercream! Yesterday was a success - same as Monday, except that there was a plate of cheese and crackers at the office, and I had a small piece of butterkase cheese with my salad. I could not find my glasses this morning, and ran out of time to make a lunch, so it will probably be a sub ...

Starla

One thing that strikes me is that you're bothered by how much you're thinking about food, not how much you're hungry for food. Maybe that means this isn't about hunger, but about the stress you're feeling. KCCC on this board talks about how overeating is an attempt to self-nuture, and I think that's...

Starla

Yesterday was a success. Mondays are my easiest days of No S. It's almost a relief to get back after the weekend. B - bagel with peanut butter and an apple. L - salad and an orange S - two homemade chicken enchiladas, cooked carrots and two slices of toasted Vienna bread with butter. Treadmill is up...

Starla

Good luck tomorrow, mimi. I hope you get great news and get rid of that cast!

Starla

Congratulations! I think this diet is won and lost in those small victories. One of my biggest successes was in my first week of No-S, when I hadn't figured out breakfast yet. I was so hungry before lunch I had a headache. And my reaction was to think "I have to figure out a better breakfast," not "...

Starla

GrammyG, that was hilarious! It reminds me of the time I brought a friend home to discover my cat had opened up a tampon and thought he'd found himself a white mouse, which he was batting around the house! KCCC, I love reading your posts, because you're very analytical, and I frequently see things i...

Starla

Thanks - that was interesting. I agree with the commenters who said habits that are important to ME, not to someone else, are the easiest to form. This article should be encouraging to people who are struggling getting to 21 days with No S and those who find there isn't anything magic about 21 days.

Starla

My favorite thing isn't a specific food; it's the lack of structure. I like knowing I can eat whatever whenever, and if that means nibbling on chocolate-covered almonds for lunch, so be it. I think allowing myself this release makes it possible for me to actually enjoy the structure of N days.

Starla

Yesterday was a success. I had a big lunch, as noted above, but I wasn't very hungry at supper time and just had a couple pieces of toast with butter.

Starla

I agree. If I'm going out there's usually temptation to eat and/or drink more than I want to. And if I'm staying home, I have the same feeling you do - I've finished a long week at work, I'm tired, and I deserve a treat. I think of how someone on this board (KCCC?) described overeating as an attempt...

Starla

Stef, your post made me so happy to read. I'm a relative newcomer (about a month and a half in), and I feel the same way. For the first time I don't even care about the weight loss because my relationship with food is calm and happy. Yes! That calmness has been such a surprise to me. That's the part...

Starla

Hi, John. I've been doing No S only since Labor Day, so I'm no expert, but for me the key has been including protein in every meal, and it doesn't have to be a lot of protein either. When I first started, I had a bagel for breakfast with a little whipped cream cheese and a banana. I was extremely hu...

Starla

^^You SHOULD be able to - actually everyone on the board should be able to, because No S is the reason we're having the spread. One of my co-workers knows I'm doing No S, and she's watched me skipping the treats we have, and she initiated a lunch so that I could be included. What a sweetheart!

Starla

Yesterday was a success. I didn't have time to make a salad for lunch, so I had a chicken salad sandwich from Panera. Mmmmmmm. Not the healthiest choice, but it was delicious. I did succeed in having an apple for my side instead of chips. Today is bosses' day, and we have quite a spread, so I'll be ...

Starla

Welcome, Braden! First of all, congratulations! I wish I had had the sense to start this approach to eating when I was 15 - it would have saved me years and years and years of having my life revolve around food. I agree with everyone who's told you not to focus on the number on the scale. Can you lo...

Starla

Success the past two days. I can tell how routine this is becoming; I'm not in a rush to post every sucess.

Starla

My comfort meal has always been creamed chicken on biscuits. It's the meal I always picked as a little girl on my birthdays.

But after reading this thread, I know what I'm making on Saturday - grilled cheese sandwich with Jarlsburg cheese for lunch and chicken enchiladas for the week ahead.

Starla

This is amazing, incredible and inspirational. How wonderful!

Starla

^^Thank, Kevin! I very much appreciate your encouragement to newbies like me. I see you are the founder of the 21-day club, and that was a very big motivator for those first 21 days. I don't count my days any more because this seems like the natural way to eat, but it was so helpful to have a short-...

Starla

I had opposite problems on my S-days. Saturday I worked an adoption fair for the cat rescue group I volunteer with. That meant no lunch, and by the time I got home I was too tired to make a meal. So my food intake for the day was a bowl of Kix cereal with a cup of skim milk, one banana, two slices o...

Starla

I made Zuppa Toscana for supper last night, and it was delicious! I used turkey Italian sausage, and that broth and the bacon made it taste wonderful. This is the first time I've ever cooked with kale. Thanks for a recipe I'll be using again.

Starla

Starla

Yesterday WAS a long day, but it was a success, if success means that supper was three pieces of pizza.

Starla

Success yesterday, although not the healthiest I've ever eaten. Today will be a long day, but tomorrow's an S Day!

Starla

I think in the book Reinhard says if it's a hearty soup, add a hunk of bread and call it a meal. If it's a lighter soup, use a smaller plate for the rest of your meal. I've been doing this for just over a month, and I too have a lot of weight to lose. But there are so many good things about eating t...

Starla

Dandelion, thanks for the Zuppa Toscana recipe. I received kale and potatoes in my CSA box today, and can't wait to make it!

Starla

Success yesterday, and I did start treadmill. Even five minutes is boring, so today I'll listen to music while I'm on it. I was running late this morning and didn't have time to make my lunch, so it will be sub sandwich today. I love this diet!

Starla

carolejo, I just read through your thread. Every post of yours shows how much your Caitlyn was loved. My heart breaks for you.

Starla

Success yesterday. Today is the one-month anniversary of my start of No-S. I weighed myself this morning, and I have lost 7.5 pounds! I'm pretty happy with that. I was perfect for the month, with no extra S days. Almost as an aside, I've gone from drinking all Diet Coke to drinking all water. Today ...

Starla

Yesterday was a success. Breakfast and lunch were my usual workday meals; supper was a hamburger, roast potatoes and cooked carrots. I've been craving beef after having vegetable soup for most of my main meals last week, so this was delicious.

Starla

I agree. My favorite thing about No-S is how I feel after a meal - satisfied. Not stuffed, not hungry, not resentful - just satisfied. I'm choosing my meals based on what appeals to me; I'm reassured by the structure of No-S that I CAN have my favorite foods without overeating.

Starla

The weekend went fairly well. I had my usual chocolate-covered almonds for a treat on Saturday and some popcorn Saturday evening, but I didn't eat very healthily the rest of the day. We were discussing our fave childhood treats at work last week, and the discussion turned to Drumsticks, which I love...

Starla

I'm in. I started September 7, and my No-S was perfect for the month. I promised I'd start adding exercise after I'd been on No-S for a month, and October 7th is coming up. Years ago my neighbors gave me a treadmill they didn't want to move. I was completely out of shape, and I started with five min...

Starla

Thanks, mimi. Did you know I can get from my desk to Panera and back in 9 minutes? I knew I was having soup for supper yesterday, though, so I had a sub sandwich from Jimmy John's and an orange. So Thursday was another suceess, and today I'm back to a salad and orange for lunch. I'm really looking f...

Starla

I read this in a freshman philosphy class many years ago, but only vaguely remembered it. Thanks for posting this - it's certainly relevant to this group. And thanks, Jammin' Jan, for the link. That will be much easier than digging through old textbooks in the basement.

Starla

Wednesday was just like Tuesday - SUCCESS!

Today may be a rough one. I have that "depressed for no reason" feeling, and I didn't bring lunch. I've been making a salad every day, but I don't want one today. I don't think I'm sabotaging myself; I think I'm just sick of salads.

Starla

I don't know if this will help, but one of my best friends teaches third grade. A few years ago she was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma right before the school year started, and she missed the fall semester. She was devastated, but I know the following spring semester was her best ever. She cam...

Starla

^^Only one red day since May? Congratulations - that is very impressive. I think the "mark it and move on" part is going to be my biggest challenge.

Tuesday's meals were exactly like Monday's, except I had an apple with breakfast instead of a banana.

SUCCESS!

Starla

Congratulations! You are inspiring a newbie with a lot of weight to lose; I love the way you were able to stick with this through the months of slow weight loss. It's very helpful to see your loss posted, month after month after month.

Starla

^^Thank you so much for the welcome, Mimi. You are one of the long-timers I've found so helpful. I saw the picture of you with your huge cast! I am very impressed that you are not using your misadventures as an excuse to take a break from No S. I would be SO tempted! As for the daily check-in Monday...

Starla

Yesterday was my 21st day. Thanks so much for the idea of the 21-day club, because as I'm sitting at my desk, a co-worker walked in with apple bars. We don't eat those on weekdays in the 21-day club, do we? I'm a little afraid of what will happen when I DO finally have a red day, but so far this see...

Starla

Today is my 21st day on NO-S; I began on Labor Day. I visited my mother on Labor Day weekend, and she told me about it, and it just made so much sense to me. I have a ton of weight to lose, so much that I feel like writing down a goal would just depress me. So I'm focusing on getting into a habit, a...

Starla

I'm only on my third week, but I don't track except for Habitcal. I plan to weigh myself after a month. Now, I've weighed myself a few times in the three weeks, but I always sabotage it - with clothes on, at weird times, just after I've eaten - and I tell myself the only time it "counts" is at the o...

Starla

Dandelion, I am one weekend ahead of you, and this past Sunday was my "worst" S-day, although I try not to think of it like that. Breakfast was a bowl of Kix cereal with skim milk and a banana. I didn't eat lunch, but snacked on chocolate-covered almonds. I made spaghetti with meat sauce for supper,...

Starla

Sometimes mothers use food as a way to show love, and their children's eating is a way of accepting that. When you've finished your full plate could you try saying "Thanks, Mom - I really enjoyed that meal." That acknowledges her taking care of you. And when she asks if you want more, you can calmly...

Everyday Systems

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