Everyday Systems

Blithe Morning

Worst case 5 year scenario on No S: you do vanilla No S faithfully and you maintain. Most likely 5 year scenario on every other diet plan: you lose weight and then rebound so you are 5, 10, 20 lbs heavier then when you started. So far, you haven't been part of the small percentage of people who los...

Blithe Morning

Is the salad and yogurt what you want to eat? Or are you picking it out just because you are still dieting? As long as you are eating a meal there and not a snack eat what you want as long as it not more than plateful . You'll have to skip the soda pop, though. If you are worried about the plate siz...

Blithe Morning

That's worth everything right there. Welcome to sanity.

Blithe Morning

I'm enjoying the mental image of someone fending off a bodily attack of trade paper and hardback books. Next time, bring a lighter. That's like garlic to vampires.

Of course, the time of year has a lot to do with it. Diet books sell this time of year.

Blithe Morning

I use almond milk on my cereal because I'm trying be a daytime vegan, meaning I save animal products for dinner time. And except for half and half in my coffee, I've mostly been successful.This has more to do with carbon footprint rather than health/diet, though so I don't consider it a mod. I don't...

Blithe Morning

Rich, I think you can lose bloat. I puff up when I snack. It ain't pretty.

Blithe Morning

In November, I did some school programs at Hutterite colonies around the state. Hutterites are an anabaptist sect - think of Amish with electricity. These fine people were very self sufficient. Their meals were meat, potatoes, and canned (as in home canned) veggies. I was shocked to find a lettuce s...

Blithe Morning

So, if you want fries, make them yourself. You're probably not going to do it every day. Now roasted sweet potatoes are easy and one of those things you can make frequently, assuming you have an oven and about 40 minutes. Preheat oven to 400Â°F/204Â°C. Wash and cube sweet potatoes. You can add othe...

Blithe Morning

"In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan is a breath of fresh air regarding what is good food. It's worth reading at some point as it fits well with No S's old fashioned, common sense approach to eating. IDoF can be summed in three guidelines: Eat food (the closer it resembles something your great gre...

Blithe Morning

Urg. I can't imagine how I would feel with just snack foods. I could graze all day and be ravenous by the time I'm done. Good on you for bringing your bento. The idea of bringing lunch seems to be archaic. I live in a smallish city where people go home for lunch or go out. Since home is 3 miles away...

Blithe Morning

Well, I will applaud you for No Speaking. This is a great opportunity to learn as you will have to fill your time and emotional energy with something else. When you think of all the amazing, fascinating topics out there to learn more about, you will be really glad that you freed up this room in your...

Blithe Morning

Too solid flesh wrote: OK, now I'm curious. What were the other two, please?

I'm guessing children and vacations.

Blithe Morning

As I go into the new year, I'm adding a mod. Instead of S days, I'm doing 5 S events a week. This allows a little more flexibility in my plan. I think five may actually be a little high, but it's about what I would have on a weekend. On plain vanilla No S Wednesday nights were always tough because I...

Blithe Morning

I'm not against sugar substitutes because they are bad for your health, I am against sugar substitutes because with them one believes he can eat sweets w/o gaining weight. As I said, I'm old school enough to believe that actions should have consequences. If you eat too many sweets, you should gain w...

Blithe Morning

Back in the day, I priggishly did not add the teaspoon of salt or whatever it was to the blondie recipe I made. Never mind the stick of butter or cup of brown sugar. Salt was BAD. What I was trying to do was to do damage control. If I couldn't make the blondies good for me, then at least I could mak...

Blithe Morning

Interesting. It's sort of a cross between the 5 minute artisan bread and Mark Bittman/Jim Lahey recipes. Have you made it yet?

I wonder how to substitute the cooking spray. Mist it with olive oil perhaps?

Blithe Morning

Turkey! I thought it would be a standing rib roast with Yorkshire pudding. Since I live in the heart of cattle country USA, we will be having prime rib, twice baked potatoes, "Chinese coleslaw" (which is neither Chinese nor coleslaw) and homemade bread using the recipe I posted in the Off Topic foru...

Blithe Morning

<snip> We have endured a barrage of tabloid speculation for the last nine years. I feel for you. My personal New Year's resolution was to decrease my exposure to pop culture. Somehow, The Engagement snuck past my barriers and I learned of It. I will have to be extra vigilant and batten down the inf...

Blithe Morning

Removing a consequence from an action can create moral confusion as what is "right" is no longer clear and evident. While I would not go so far as to say that using artificial sweetners is immoral, I do think it contributes to the mindset that we can have what we want, when we want it. I'm old schoo...

Blithe Morning

Maybe with more regular eating you have lost some bloat.

Blithe Morning

I've been on the road a lot the last few weeks and as a result I haven't been exercising as much. I've noticed that my hunger has increased GREATLY. I've always had the occasional "tapeworm" day when it felt like I could never get full but this past week especially I've been hungry all the time. I a...

Blithe Morning

If it's cold and gray I chop and pop the apple I have for lunch into the microwave. Heck, when I was a kid we would have applesauce in lieu of a vegetable on pork chop nights.

Blithe Morning

Mon: On the road to see my son's JV football game
Tues: Hamburgers/polish sausage
Wed: Stew
Thurs: Either tacos or baked mac n cheese. Depends.
Fri: Varsity Football. DH might be out of town. DS will be playing football. I might have spinach/mushroom pizza (frozen) and a salad.

Blithe Morning

I think what Blithe Morning is referring to is how I cook beans/legumes. I cook all of them this way, no matter what kind of dish they'll end up as. 1 cup dry beans, rinsed and picked over (about a half pound) 5 cups hot water 1 tablespoon olive oil, butter or bacon fat 1 onion, chopped Put all ing...

Blithe Morning

Interesting! When my son was in A'stan, they got burned out on the MREs and the next-step-up-from-the-MREs pretty quickly. Since he was there in summer and fall, he and his platoon started to go to the market and buy fresh veggies - mainly tomatoes, onions and green pepper - oil, and rice. Since the...

Blithe Morning

Olivia, I am betting you will find that a lot of the weight gain is bloat. For whatever reason if I'm not eating well, I bloat. If I start eating properly, I unbloat 2 - 3 lbs in a week. Since that's what ... 10,000 - 15,000 calories I don't think I'm losing actual fat but rather just water my body ...

Blithe Morning

Thank you, NofD. Shanah Tovah to you as well! Aren't holidays and celebrations so much better without the angst of fearing the food?

Blithe Morning

I don't eat a lot of whole grains because I don't like them, but I do eat legumes daily. You are the bean queen! I used your recipe to start making chili beans at home and wow! They are so much better than anything in a can, even Bush's. It helps that I have the seasoning down right, but the beans ...

Blithe Morning

If I were concerned about losing too much weight, I would count calories (or kilojoules) for two weeks to make sure I was taking enough in. Unexplained weight loss MIGHT be a sign of something more serious. If you find that you are taking in enough calories then go to a doctor. How do you feel other...

Blithe Morning

I have an unusual mod that I've been doing for a few weeks. It's based more out of a desire to take action on climate change than concerns about weight. I've eliminated most animal products at breakfast and lunch. I do use a little milk in my cereal and coffee. Meat and cheese are for dinner. I have...

Blithe Morning

I absolutely can tell a difference when I've been shorting myself fruit and veggies. I like to have fruit/veg with every meal and really need to have them for two meals.

Blithe Morning

DH knows what it is but is not keen on getting fully on board. I've mentioned NoS a few times to DS1 who just finished up his active service with the Marines. Now that he won't be required to maintain weight (and the Marines do require it) or to run 3 miles in 24 minutes, I hope this will be a tool ...

Blithe Morning

I'm glad it worked out and that your DH was open to reason. One thing to help in your self protection is to change up your route frequently. I stayed by myself at state park campground in lieu of a hotel when I went out of town for a class. DH wanted me to take bear spray to protect against a person...

Blithe Morning

RJ, just wanted to offer some commiseration. I'm reading The End of Overeating by Dr. David Kessler and he talks about the neuroscience of how our brains respond to "highly palatable foods" i.e. foods high in salt, fat and sugar. Hope you get some relief. It can't be easy struggling with health prob...

Blithe Morning

There was a NY Times blog about this a while back. I actually went out an bought a fit ball to use in my office. I don't think I'm burning very many extra calories because of it. But it's fun to bounce on. It's hard to stay stressed when I'm bouncing. I feel like Tigger.

Blithe Morning

I'm sorta in this camp. We are looking at slowly adding some permaculture features to our lot, though I don't know if we will ever be mostly self sustaining when it comes to food. Like, for example, we need a new roof and I am advocating for a steel one for potential rainwater collection for irrigat...

Blithe Morning

Sometimes, weight is just water bloat from constant eating and the sodium. Well done!

Blithe Morning

It's been a while since I posted... I've always been of the opinion that if you are finding No S emotionally hard, then your problem isn't poor habits. I suspect there is some other issue (anxiety? depression? OCD?) that underlies the inability to comply with No S. Please keep in mind that I am NOT ...

Blithe Morning

I have been working towards that. I too nap on Sunday afternoons, the only time during the week when I do so. Sometimes, I putter in the garden. Other times, I go for a bike ride. Whatever I do, it's not a
"chore". It gives the week a nice rhythm.

Blithe Morning

I'm thrilled, absolutely thrilled!

Well done!

Blithe Morning

I've recently purchased mostly grass fed beef (with some corn supplements) and I've noticed something. Twice now, I've made roasts in the crockpot and when I go to dish out leftover the next day there is no layer of fat on the broth. The ground beef is also much less fatty. And the flavor is good. R...

Blithe Morning

I clicked through and looked it up. Ironically, the article published before it was about a study which found single women were less heavy than married women by 11 lbs and less heavy by married women with children by 15 lbs. Some expert (a Dr. Dobson from Australia.; not the Focus on the Family Dr. ...

Blithe Morning

KCCC, the January issue of Mother Earth has some of the Healthy Recipes. The one I was looking at yesterday featured Bob's Red Mill 10 grain flour. I might mix that one up today and try it later in the week.

Blithe Morning

Good to know. Michael Pollan has the ear of a lot of influential people - specifically educated, employed people with healthy amounts of disposable income. Some of my work overlaps the Ag sector, producers mainly as opposed to Big Food (ADM, Cargill and Con Ag) and they - even the producers - really...

Blithe Morning

Now I'm thinking about foods that didn't make it. Naturally, I can't recall any. Do they still make Fluffanutter?

Blithe Morning

I bought some dark rye flour. I got a Kitchenaid stand mixer with a dough hook for Christmas so I decided to try some of the heavier flours. In a recent edition of Mother Earth there was an article with recipes for different types of flour.

Blithe Morning

I knit. I've done a scarf, several headbands and "coasters" (actually just swatches but I'm going to use some of them for coasters). Knitting has helped me get through several long air flights and car rides. My goal is eventually a sweater. I think I will try mittens next after I finish this headban...

Blithe Morning

Anthony, I've raised three sons and in about three years you'll hit a growth spurt where, if you are consistent with your eating and exercise now, you'll lose the fat and gain muscle. Since you are still growing, if you need a fourth meal to keep from binging (like after school) please take it and d...

Blithe Morning

So tonight, I actually used a pizza stone. Since I don't have a pizza peel, getting the bread in and out of the oven was a challenge.

I think I will stick to using a dish of some sort, maybe even a loaf pan. The bread was blobbish.

Blithe Morning

Soup and bread (you could use the artisan bread recipe) Grill out. It will take a little longer but it will be fun. Enchiladas. Do breakfast for dinner. For the actual breakfast, make crockpot oatmeal and let people "decorate". Have fresh squeezed OJ or good grapefruit. This Christmas, we are doing ...

Blithe Morning

The best advice I've ever seen on making bread at home was in Elizabeth David's book, where she says something along the lines of "you should make the bread fit your schedule, not the other way around", and this looks like a nifty way of doing that. Do you heat the dish in the oven before dropping ...

Blithe Morning

A while back - maybe August - we had quite a discussion about the Time magazine article about how exercise doesn't help you lose weight. Here is a little more about that from a recent Well column in the NY Times. If you read through the entire article, I think it says pretty much what we already kno...

Blithe Morning

I remember when I was 15 and finished my life guard training. I thought "This is IT? THIS is what life guards know? ACK!" Suddenly, I no longer felt as safe with a life guard watching over me. The same is true, I think, for adulthood. And probably doctors, the President and 5 star generals. They mig...

Blithe Morning

Wasn't soylent green like human kibble?

Blithe Morning

I've been on No S since March 2008. There have been times I've been completely compliant and times I have completely ignored the rules. However, since I never intentionally adopted another style of No S, I still considered it my eating plan.

No S is for life, in every sense of the phrase.

Blithe Morning

No kneading required! You let the yeast do all the work.

The Corelle Ware is to simulate the steam oven. The temp stays at 450Â° the whole time.

Blithe Morning

Uhm... so what's the No S equivalent of a qui...

Nevermind. Some things just have no corollary.

Blithe Morning

Interesting question. I realized that I don't think I've ever missed breakfast. I've skipped a few times mainly due to indigestion from overeating the night beofre but never missed.

I think I would just eat my two meals, maybe piled a little higher than normal.

Blithe Morning

Having been there, you are suffering from Diet Head which makes the beginning and end of food about weight rather than nutrition and enjoyment. Forget about how much you weigh. Follow the rules, get your exercise, call it good. Maybe you'll have to make peace with your body just the way it is. But s...

Blithe Morning

Grammy, it took me about three tries to get it right. The first attempts weren't bad but each time it got better. I've come to realize that a learning curve is normal and necessary.

Blithe Morning

What have I said no to? This week, not much. Not a good week, No S wise.

Blithe Morning

I store it in a big bowl, maybe 12 cups? I've covered it with 1)plastic wrap, 2) a dish towel and 3) a plastic plate. The dish towel let it dry out too much. The plastic plate (one of those picnic ones) worked ok but it wasn't a snug fit. The plastic wrap worked best so far. Despite the faults with ...

Blithe Morning

I've noticed the same thing KCCC. Some weeks I'm superwoman. Some weeks I ain't. Not beating yourself up comes with trusting yourself that once you CAN go higher/harder/faster you will. Of course, I know my inner slacker (I think she shares a room with my inner 5 year old) and I have to keep on her ...

Blithe Morning

Grammy, it tastes very good. It gets a little more "sour doughish" as it ages but not it's not bad. I wish I could make a daily loaf of bread out of the recipe but it's not nearly enough. The recipe makes 4 smallish loaves or 2 big ones. I do the recipe as written. When preparing to bake, I don't al...

Blithe Morning

I use a scale for measuring ingredients. A cup of flour is 120 grams. A cup of milk (and water) is 240 grams. I don't know why, I like knowing that stuff.

Back in the day, I used it for calories but that was too much information.

Blithe Morning

I like to drink water, too. More in the summer, less in the winter. I don't drink with meals, however. I don't know why.

Blithe Morning

Well done! Very freeing, isn't it.

Blithe Morning

The beans came out very well. The best I've made yet, especially as I've figured out the seasoning for taco beans:
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic salt
2 Tablespoons tomato paste

Blithe Morning

The main flaw is that the Smart Choices program is to show foods that are "better for you", but they don't say better than what. While a bowl of Froot Loops is better than a doughnut for breakfast, neither is as good as a smoothie or oatmeal or egg and cheese sandwich. And even within those options,...

Blithe Morning

I'm getting better. The bread no longer sticks to the CorningWare (use butter to grease the dish AND coat liberally with corn meal). I also use half the dough to make a loaf instead of a quarter.

This was last night's result.

Blithe Morning

Some weeks are hard. Some aren't. Last week and to a lesser degree this week have been hard. I'm making bread tonight and took two little snitches of dough. (sigh)

Blithe Morning

Don't you know that if you don't have a handful of almonds or half an apple with two Tbs peanut butter every single day that you will dangerously lower your metabolism to the point where you pass out if you stand up too fast. You'll also get nosebleeds and probably feminine problems (even if you are...

Blithe Morning

Disclaimer: One of the great benefits of No S is that no food is off limits. However, those of us who have been on the diet a while have realized that in becoming more intentional about quantity, we are more aware of quality. If you are still working on the quantity aspect, please don't let this thr...

Blithe Morning

Wosnes! Wow. That is certainly a powerful indictment against processed foods. I have a family history of high blood pressure and right now my blood pressure is "pre-hypertensive". My doctors aren't worried but I think I need to work even more on the no processed foods thing. Let me start another thr...

Blithe Morning

What is ironic is that I actually lose weight quite quickly if I actually stick to a diet and workout program, but unfortunately food has won in the past. On No S, it's much harder for food to win. There's an old joke that pertains here (slightly modified): Losing weight can be fast, easy and perma...

Blithe Morning

First batch made. I'm taking a page from KCCC's playbook and freezing the rest. They came out very good. I even took pictures.

Cookie Pic

Blithe Morning

I would leave a little space on the main plate for the plated salad. If you can't make room for the salad, then maybe something needs to go.

Blithe Morning

Hey Man, Have you read the original published research "proving" snacking boosts your metabolism ergo you burn more calories? I've read magazine articles that referred to the research (although they never seem to cite it). And I did a quick search on Google Scholar and Pub Med for "snacks increase m...

Blithe Morning

Thanks, Bright Angel. We are supposed to have cool temps this weekend. I might just have to try this.

Blithe Morning

About the only store bought cookies I've tried that I like anymore are the Pepperidge Farm Chessman. Except for dextrose, the ingredient list is quite recognizable. And chunked up on a dish of Ben and Jerry's... now THAT'S an S day treat worth waiting for. I wish I had a better chocolate chip cookie...

Blithe Morning

Restaurant food tends to be higher in salt, fat and sugar than their homemade counterparts. Add to that a restaurant plate is usually larger than a home plate and it is VERY easy to overeat.

Blithe Morning

How to quantify "sometimes", hmmm, that is sticky. I've started by limiting snacks since seconds are limited by hungry I am and sweets are limited by what's in the house.

Blithe Morning

The upbeat, sunny tone of these articles irritate me. I'm not a snacker and haven't missed it.

Blithe Morning

Hi Tiffani,

Low carb isn't no carb. If you feel better eating this way, then by all means do it!

Glad you are getting some relief.

Anne

Blithe Morning

Salad, sandwich, piece of fruit. Sometimes, if I am feeling especially tapewormy, I throw in some chips, too. Soup sometimes in the winter.

Blithe Morning

Oh my yes. Last summer when all three sons were home I celebrated! Ice cream, during the week even. It was hard reigning myself in but I eventually did. Something clicked and it just got easier to be firm with myself. Now the oldest is in Afghanistan (Helmand Province for those who follow such thing...

Blithe Morning

How do national holidays (Thanksgiving, Easter, Labour Day, etc, depending on where you live) come out, on your scale? I wasn't sure how to evaluate how well I know the people involved, for example, since it's the whole country -- or do you only count it as an S-day if you're doing something with f...

Blithe Morning

Blithe Morning, I love your metric for rating possible S days. Do you mind that I posted it to my check-in? I would like to keep track of it to use when I can't decide if a day is S-worthy. I'll take it down if you object. BCP, I am honored if you find this valuable. Post away. Heck, I'm not even m...

Blithe Morning

I bought two plates! The pattern is called "Fossil" which is appropriate as I work at a science center.

Blithe Morning

My non-weekend S days are pretty well identified in advance. If a last minute opportunity presents itself I use a metric I devised to see if it merits an S day designation. I have to score something a 7 before I can call it an S day. My metric for special days: A) How often does this event happen? (...

Blithe Morning

Tuna shake. Oh, my. I am feeling nauseated thinking about it. I like tuna with mayo and chopped onion but that's about it. I think the worst thing I ever tried was a tofu and sugar free Jello dessert. I didn't know back then that dessert was for special occasions and if I ate it infrequently (not ju...

Blithe Morning

I've always believed good habits will get you through bad times.

Blithe Morning

It came about pretty good. I used a CorningWare dish with a lid which means you can forego the whole water in a broiler and baking stone thing since the CorningWare traps the steam and gives that crunchy crust. However. I didn't grease the CorningWare dish (silly, silly mistake) and the bread did st...

Blithe Morning

I decided to use the recipe above instead of the longer rising time one I found in the NYTimes.

The dough is rising. The bit I snitched tasted a little on the salty side which is a complaint I heard about this recipe. I think it will still be edible though.

Blithe Morning

If you are consistently experiencing extreme hunger after all this time, I think it's time to see a doctor and get your blood sugar checked. If you are eating decent sized portions made up of a variety of food (protein, complex carbs, fats) and staying hydrated, then I think it's time to rule out an...

Blithe Morning

I posted but it hasn't shown up. I'm assuming there is some sort of moderation?

Blithe Morning

It is hard to know what is healthy anymore. I used to think I knew, but I really don't anymore. The more I research, the less there is for me to eat.

Harmony, so true. And so tragic and unnecessary. Too bad more people aren't relying on their common sense.

Blithe Morning

Wow. That took a lot of courage. Thank you for sharing and I wish you the best as you continue on this journey.

Blithe Morning

Haven't done it yet. I'm going to mix up the dough Friday night and bake on Saturday. I will use another version which recommends an even longer rising time.

I promise to report. If it comes out good, I'll even post pictures.

Blithe Morning

Kathy, A while ago I was reading some women's magazines from the 50's and 60's and even back then there were articles harping on diet. However, like you noted, whenever I look at pictures from that era, there are few if any people who are as heavy as people are today. I wonder what they were fussing...

Everyday Systems

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