Everyday Systems

kccc

Varies... but a representative one... Breakfast - Cafe au lait (1/2 cup milk heated in microwave in HUGE mug, filled up with coffee, 1 tsp sugar) Whole wheat toast with PB Banana Maybe orange juice Lunch Quesadilla Salad Cherry tomatoes Tangerine Dinner Spaghetti with clam sauce (Whole wheat spaghet...

kccc

I can't quite get to your poll to answer... but for me, the "wilder" the S days the more relieved I feel to get back to No-S.

kccc

I feel the same way about the "sanity" of this program. Following this plan removes all the old anxiety about eating (whether I was eating badly and feeling guilty, or following WW and obsessing). What a relief! And how pleasant to simply look forward and enjoy a meal. So, I totally relate to what y...

kccc

"" Impulsive, not thinking things through = young Rigid, not willing to consider new ideas = old Experience, with flexibility = "about my age" "" Strange I think the same things about people..... and I'm 24. I didn't assume much about age at all coming here, as being online it's really hard to tell...

kccc

We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same. – Carlos Castaneda

"Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still."
-Italian Proverb

Action is what separates belief from opinion. (Unknown)

kccc

50...which I have trouble believing most days. (I have a six-year-old who keeps me thinking I can't be THAT old.) So funny that you thought so many of the group were younger - I had the opposite impression. Some younger, but a good many around my age. However, I noted many years ago that I tended to...

kccc

Zoolina, you're exactly right. The idea of leveraging habits to overcome the constant battle with willpower is HUGE. That, and addressing 80% of the problem in a liveable way rather than 100% in a way you can't live with. The "strictness" podcast is my favorite. I've listened to it several times, an...

kccc

Reinhard, have you been following Mark Forester's "tweaks" to No-S? http://www.markforster.net/display/ShowJournal?moduleId=817806&categoryId=75905 I think a chapter on how people customize it to work for them would be useful. Because part of its success is that it's simple, but that it leaves room ...

kccc

Wosnes, I may have to check out that book. Thank you for your posts on this.

Trom the website, it seems very aligned with the whole "Everyday Systems" style of thinking.

kccc

Wosnes is very wise. ITA with her that it doesn't mess up your 21 days! And also I agree you need "modified rules" for your current circumstances. Err on the side of being too generous - this is a health issue for you and your little one. As long as you are building better habits, you are making pro...

kccc

I LOVE the idea of New Year's Aspirations... what a lovely thing to plan.

(I also like the idea of using New Year's to strategize on the monthly ones.)

kccc

If you're nursing, you might want to "adjust" the rules a little. Even WW gives 10 extra points for moms who have exclusively breast-fed babies (adjusted as child takes solids and slows nursing). That's roughly 500 calories, or one more "non-idiotic" meal. Though I'm generally a stickler for "the ru...

kccc

Great post - thank you.

I recognize my personal pitfalls on that list... helpful to be aware.

kccc

I'm usually an idiot. Or pretty close. :oops: Not always, and I do think that it's getting better over time. Right now, I'm just being gentle with myself over it. I see "babysteps" forward. I'm not an idiot on ALL S days, and my idiocy doesn't approach previous levels. When I am a complete idiot, I ...

kccc

My S days were full-out binges. So much good food that we only have this time of year... And I still tend to overeat on S days anyway (I'm not one who can say "S days are really a lot like N days"... yet.) However.... even though I ate until my tummy hurt, I didn't mentally beat myself up at the sam...

kccc

When my son went from daycare to public school, I was horrified at how pervasive junk food is. (And yes, I signed up for the committee for a Wellness Policy in our schools. It passed in a weakened form, and isn't always observed. Sigh.) Typical day (pre-policy, in fairness) - Walk son into class. Tw...

kccc

Soup doesn't work well on "one plate," does it? (I'm assuming that's the issue?)

Translate to "a reasonable serving" with no seconds, and enjoy. One of the real beauties of No-S is its flexibility and reasonableness.

kccc

That is funny! I sometimes write out silly dialogs in my mind between Emotional Self (ES) and Voice of Reason (VOR). (The third main character, Internal Critic, is officially banned but sneaks back sometimes.) ES is rather childlike (and sometimes childish), and VOR very very rational (think a sligh...

kccc

What a really inspiring post. I did the same "I can lose but not maintain" routine after hitting the mid-life metabolic slowdown at the same time that I had a new baby. (Thus having both pregnancy weight to lose AND no time to exercise!) Managed to get most of it off with WW, but would gradually gai...

kccc

Several things... First, I really liked the podcast that R did on strictness, and one of the points he made in particular: no punishment or make-up days (and he gives lots of good reasons). So, I have personally been resisting the urge to make S days into N days to "make up." And ESPECIALLY for a si...

kccc

Some I posted in my ramblings after your "season's warning" podcast: ... Not just yet / Maybe later/ Especially good for desserts, or the cake someone brought in. People often don't notice if later never comes, at least not that day. My personal favorite. ..."No thanks, I've had my quota for today."...

kccc

Too cool! I agree with no diets. (Freudian slip - I meant recipes, lol!) And while I can't give you a major weight loss testimonial (I've lost about 8, and don't expect to lose more than 12 before I'm done), I can give you one one why this is mentally peaceful. And I'd love to see a chapter on that....

kccc

Welcome!

This is a great group (or at least, as a relative newbie myself, I've found it so).

Wishing you success...

kccc

Mada, I like your style! And in fact, the weekends I've done best have when I baked something truly special (home-made pumpkin pie, when we had Halloween pumpkins to use up, for example). I also like the line about "the fine line between indulgence and total lack of control." Gettnbusy, thanks for t...

kccc

JillCo, you can do shovelglove if you want, but you can just do No S by itself too (as I am). The're very complementary systems, but you don't have to do both unless you want to.

Welcome and good luck!

Mir, welcome to you too. Sounds like you're doing GREAT!

kccc

Well.... a housekeeping site I go to has a rule about stuff you don't want to get rid of because someone gave it to you: You can toss the gift and still keep the love. The idea is that if you honestly don't want it, it's clutter. You might consider this a "cluttering gift." Or at least the chocolate...

kccc

Very timely and sensible. Thank you. And I am laughing a little, b/c I gave up New Year's Resolutions in favor of "Habits of the Month" about 3 years ago... and feel I have done much better that way. Great minds... My rule: No more than two monthly habits. preferably in different areas of my life, a...

kccc

Lovely post, Wosnes. Thanks for sharing. I particularly like your Emerson quote at the end. And yes, I see the same patterns in myself - gradual change over time. I listen to zencasts (podcasts from iTunes), and in one the speaker drew the analogy of almost-parallel lines. If you look a little way d...

kccc

Zoolina, interesting that you chose an "at-home N-day." I'm noticing that I'm not getting as much carry-over of habit on the weekends as I would like, and think it's b/c the weekend patterns are SO different. It IS harder at home. And I did consider making an N-day for at home for exactly the same r...

kccc

Welcome.

(I actually thought this was going to be a "getting back on track after Thanksgiving" thread, lol! There's a lot of leftover still around...)

But the "too many S-days" is a thing to think about during this season... I'm going to try to be a little strict about them.

kccc

Thank you! I wanted to share a link w/someone that I knew wouldn't do a podcast. Plus, I like being able to go back and read something that caught my attention - lets me think about it more.

(Nice organization too, btw.)

kccc

Thank you SO much. The three big points are all good... the first time through, the "no punishment" section really spoke to me - was about the time I was posting my "reflections on failure" thread. The second time I listened, the bit about "big picture good enough vs. little picture perfection" stru...

kccc

I really like this particular podcast. It's given me a lot to think about.

Do you have it posted as an essay, as some of your other podcasts are??

kccc

Wosnes, good answer. Hexagon, another take on it is "I love myself enough to do WHAT IS REALLY BEST FOR ME." I love myself enough to eat healthy food - because I feel better when I do. I love myself enough to exercise - same reason. I love myself enough to make sure I get enough rest, enough relaxat...

kccc

Everyone else has said most of the insightful things you need to hear... but I can't resist chiming in...:) First, FOUR days (after none) is a HUGE improvement. Celebrate that success, honey! It's easy to beat ourselves up for little slips, and ignore accomplishments. And think about those days. Wha...

kccc

Reinhard, I saw your first post on acknowledging failure "related to but not of" you (paraphrasing) late last night, and ended up journaling about it this morning. (I write 3 pages of stream-of-consciousness stuff every morning, as a brain-dump. My Western form of meditation.) Obviously something to...

kccc

I think it's a mix. First, there's more "normal" daily activity. When dh and I have gone on vacations in Italy or France, we've eaten a lot... but also walked a lot, just getting around. That takes care of it. Second, they eat what I think of as "real food." Minimally processed stuff. Yes, they use ...

kccc

Congrats on your score! :) On the starting over... well, that's up to you. How do you feel about your choice? Did you decide to have an S day, or mess up? If the former, then carry on (maybe swap out for a weekend day). If the latter, start over. My guess is that, since you have to ask... but only y...

kccc

I may skip ONE S-day, or do what I call "limited-S" days. That means I get a snack OR a sweet OR seconds (as opposed to "and"). But I'm more likely to do that the weekend after than before. Just because I want my upcoming S days, and probably won't feel a need for them after T-day. But hadn't really...

kccc

Thanks for the comments. Hexagon and pangelsue, I consider myself a "recovering perfectionist" (which is kind of like being a recovering anything - you have to watch for lapses your whole life) and have very similar responses to the word failure. It's SO binary, which for me leads to "in for a penny...

kccc

I've been doing No-S about a month, and feeling quite smug about it. You see, coming from a high-maintenance system, I found it pretty easy. The glamour of "something new" carried me through the first hard part (getting used to no snacks) and after that, I did pretty well. So, as I said, was feeling...

kccc

pangelsue, it sounds like you've come to some very important realizations. There's a wonderfully cheesy old movie called "Labyrinth" in which the heroine says to the Goblin King (near the end) "You have no power over me." in a tone of surprise and wonderment. The minute she recognizes it, her words ...

kccc

That seems to be a normal initial stage. :) It will pass. You'll naturally get better at estimating how much you want to eat over time. Some ideas that may help... - Try leaving a little food on your plate on purpose, to get over the "clean plate habit." (Better it go to waste than to waist!) - Go a...

kccc

Just wanted to add encouragement... I lost on WW (reached goal), but kept "re-bounding" - gaining just a little back and having to go back on the diet. I hated it. I hated paying SO much attention to food that I couldn't enjoy it. And while WW works, it takes a LOT of attention. No-S is SO much simp...

kccc

When I first started No-S, the thought of not snacking was almost terrifying. I was used to a morning snack AND an afternoon snack. The first week, I let myself "cheat" as follows: I could have a piece of fruit at either of those snack times if I really needed it. Only a fruit or veggie. And I had t...

kccc

I think you're right, milczar. It has worked for me thus far largely b/c my meals tend to be MUCH healthier than my snacks - even when I make them a little larger than normal. But poor meal choices (over time) would undercut the diet pretty drastically. I expect I could get away with a few each week...

kccc

I'm a stress-eater too. The No S rules really help me there - My brain just goes "no snacks!" so I have to find something else. For me, that list includes... -Journaling (have you ever worked through "The Artist's Way," by Julia Cameron? Can't recommend it enough.) -Listening to things that soothe m...

kccc

It is reasonable, isn't it. I've been sort of wondering what "maintenance" looks like. Maybe it's the same! Or maybe Wednesday becomes an honorary S day. Or maybe... I'll have learned how to manage without thinking through S-day practice... Yeah, right. (Well... maybe.) Will decide what to do about ...

kccc

Thanks, both of you - that helped. :) Mschalock, good point about slow weight loss being way better than gaining. You are SO right! Maslowjenkins, it helped to hear that the weight disappears toward the end of the week. And that is what happened. Today I'm .5 lb under what I finished at last week. A...

kccc

Exercise is always a good idea - SO many benefits.

I would also suggest seeing another doctor. Any doctor who just says "get used to pills" needs a little second-guessing, IMO. Someone else may offer different medications, a "weaning" plan, or other options.

Good luck to her!!!

kccc

Okay, the No-S system is a good one... but... I'm wondering if there's a point at which it becomes less effective. Especially for women. My experience has been that (most) women burn off fat with more difficulty than men, because (most) men tend to have more muscle, which increases metabolism. (This...

kccc

I started the No-S just reading the "14-word" description, and totally missed the one-plate rule to start. So, I would take what I thought was a reasonable portion for a meal (maybe a little on the high side, at first, to allay my panic over "this is it") and just not take seconds. I lost weight doi...

kccc

I don't think you should worry. It's normal at first, like Toro says. Later, your weekly habits will carry into the weekend. Also, think of it like this - an analogy is "the training wheels are off." So, you fell down once. You have another chance coming up in a week. (And, if you felt icky at the e...

kccc

We have started giving out glow necklaces for Halloween - the kids LOVE them, and there's no temptation for us. (And they help keep kids safer walking in the dark, which I feel good about.) We buy them in bulk, so they aren't too pricey. However, our son came home with a bagful of candy. We let him ...

kccc

Welcome! I'm new too, but (alas) I have more experience with weight loss. The No-S diet doesn't dictate what you eat... but as Reinhard says on the page, you can technically follow it and break the spirit. Making good choices will hasten your weight loss, and make you feel better. With that said... ...

kccc

Posted on the general discussion, but thought I'd "weigh in" here too (so to speak). I found the No-S diet through Mark Forester's review, scanned the page, thought "makes sense" - and have been doing it for about 3 weeks pretty successfully. I have been doing Weight Watchers for a few years, since ...

kccc

Getting up on time starts with going to bed on time. Figure out what that needs to be, and work on that for a week. Also, figure out what you can do the night before to expedite the morning. Set up coffee. Decide what's for breakfast. Look at your calendar and decide what to wear. Fix your lunch and...

kccc

I found the No-S diet through Mark Forester's review, scanned the page, thought "makes sense" - and have been doing it for about 3 weeks pretty successfully. I have been doing Weight Watchers for a few years, since metabolic slowdown coincided with a baby, followed by a new (stressful) job. WW works...

Everyday Systems

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Re: some questions for no s

Reflecting on "failure"

Question for the ladies....

New to No-S... like it.

OMG, like-minded people! (New here)