Everyday Systems

r.jean

Yes I do think that Vanilla No S is the way to go Tessywinkle. I am almost 4 years into No S, and I have not yet reached goal weight loss. However, I have lost pounds gradually and have not gained them back. I no longer obsess about food. I enjoy eating. And most of all, I have learned moderation. I...

r.jean

I had the same reaction when I first started. I doubted that anything so simple could be effective, but there was obviously no harm in trying! I was soon amazed by how effective this plan is and how much more I enjoy food now rather than just inhale it!

r.jean

Welcome! Hope you find success.

r.jean

Wild S days and initial gains are common for many people, but there is another S to keep in mind....sometimes. It is okay to treat yourself on S days but going hog wild every weekend will obviously affect your weight. Personally, I would not put any rules on weekends other than to evaluate each indu...

r.jean

Hi Tessy! Thanks for stopping by my thread. I do believe completely in Vanilla No S as a way to have a sane relationship with food. It is the only sustainable eating plan that has worked for me. There is a big HOWEVER coming up. If losing weight is a goal (as it seems to be with the majority if peop...

r.jean

I am retired and often travel. I always try to keep the no snacking rule and also try to keep to one plate per meal, no seconds. The plate can be a full size dinner plate, and I have to use virtual plating at times. However I allow myself one sweet a day. I do not always eat a sweet, but it is permi...

r.jean

From Thanksgiving to New Year's is a challenge! Six weeks of neverending treats. It is hard not to give in occasionally!

r.jean

I like your logic! It took me 7 years to get where I am today with my running. I started running again 7 years ago after 20 years of poor exercise habits and poor eating habits. I am nowhere near your level of running, but I can run 5 miles easily without stopping, and I have done a couple half mara...

r.jean

Hang in there! I am also back to Vanilla No S. I have quit using the fitness app. It served it's purpose, but in the end it is not something I ever intended to use forever. I am hoping that the increased nutritional knowledge from doing the app for 6 months will help me to continue to make good food...

r.jean

Interesting .... Thanks!

r.jean

So True Lori! My habits are much better than 4 years ago, but the journey continues.... I decided to drop the fitness app after 6 months of use. It was an excellent tool to get me back on track and to take a closer look at my food choices. It was very useful to remind me to get enough of some foods,...

r.jean

Good to hear you are doing well!

r.jean

Before No S and before losing any weight, I started to focus on getting more exercise about 10 years ago. Leslie Sansone was part of that beginning. I knew several of her DVDs by heart. Her workouts were great, and I used her DVDs for years. I also starting walking 5K races before I gradually increa...

r.jean

Wow! This is great!

I love soups, but I have been stuck with a handful of recipes that I make every time. Some of these recipes are exactly what I need to venture out and try new things.

r.jean

Thanks KCCC and eschano. I had a bit of a slip last week and reverted back to poor eating habits for 2-3 days. This happened surrounding my Thursday weigh in day so I did not weigh in. (This avoidance of the scale when I am not doing well is also a problem behavior from the past.) I decided to weigh...

r.jean

Welcome back.

r.jean

Reading the recent posts, it is clear that clutter is a constant battle (but one we will conquer)!

The week after vacation, we managed to clear out two antiquated pieces of exercise equipment and an old chest. Yeah! I have also been working on some boxes of memorabilia and pictures.

r.jean

Eschano
Even a simple wedding requires a lot of thought and planning, and here is hoping that all goes well for you! I congratulate you on focusing on the important aspects and not all the frill.
Jean

r.jean

I lost 45 of my 70 lbs that I needed to lose in the first year and then just maintained for two years. Then I started gaining for awhile. In a desperate attempt to stop the gain, I started using a fitness and nutrition app in May. It really showed me where I was getting the extra calories and excess...

r.jean

Good to see you back again. I also have been in and out on posting over the past 4 years, but I found the need to get back in the habit early this year when I started straying in my habits and starting gaining back some weight. Being back helped me get back on track. I hope this will be the case for...

r.jean

It is good to see you still doing well. I started at the end of 2010 and remember reading your posts early on. They were very helpful!

r.jean

I have a tendency to go wild on S days when I am too stringent on N days. It becomes an all or nothing proposition. This happened a lot when I first started but gradually levelled out. I still guard against letting myself get too hungry. A little hunger is good, but a lot of hunger is not (for me). ...

r.jean

Good luck to both of you! We had five weddings in the family this year, and it is amazing to me how elaborate weddings have become! There is so much attention to detail now and special little touches. It can be fun but also a lot of work!

r.jean

There are sugar free mints and other hard candies available if you want to be strict with the rules; however, a few mints are worth it if they help you to stop smoking. I also would skip the chocolate cereal. I admit to having protein bars occasionally that have small amounts of dark chocolate in th...

r.jean

Good to see you back! Your journey sounds similar to mine. Exercise, including weights and running, has been a key component. A half marathon was my goal, and I have done two now. I was always a failure at calorie counting or tracking points and never lasted more than a couple months when I tried to...

r.jean

I let my weight creep up to 70 lbs overweight by the time I reached my 50's and I realized how much more the extra weight is an issue as you get older. Almost 4 years later I am getting close to an average BMI. Eight pounds to go. My advice is to never quit and restart. Just stay with it through all...

r.jean

Thanks osoniye! Enjoy your vacation!

r.jean

Patience with the system is hard at first. The slow or non-existant weight loss is hard too. Hang in there and you will develop better habits for life!

r.jean

We came back from vacation late Sunday night after 9 days of sun and fun and constantly available good food. I had three days to tone down the eating and get back to my regular exercise routine before the weekly Thursday weigh in (2 weeks this time of course). I lost 0.8 lbs. The week before I left,...

r.jean

Today's weigh in was dissappointing but expected. I am up 1.2 lbs. I have been eating a lot of the wrong foods this week. The total intake was not so bad, but I ate a lot of junk, especially salty stuff. I ate out a lot this week which always increases the salt intake. I also bought a bag of Kettle ...

r.jean

I agree with Mitchelll! I also hate it when a planned treat is dissappointing.

However, isn't it great that we are so much pickier about what we eat these days? Gone are the days of mindless eating. We actually want to enjoy our food now, not just inhale it.

r.jean

I am with you Amy. My main goal since starting No S has been maintenance. Once you lose it, keep it off and you are ahead of the game. I lost 45 lbs my first year and then had a somewhat self induced plateau for two years. At the end of year one, I was very content with where I was even though I was...

r.jean

Thanks everyone! The true test of my ability to maintain is starting. I am going on a 11 day trip starting Friday. It includes a 7 day (all you can eat of course) cruise. I am not going to log my food. I am going to stick to my normal Vacation routine that I developed since I have been on No S and s...

r.jean

Congratulations! My worst morning sickness was with my first so maybe it will be better for you this time too! If you even maintain during early pregnancy or only have slight gains, it will be a success!

r.jean

I am 58, 4 years on No S. I always have to be aware of set backs. Several days in a row of indulgent eating (such as the holidays) can set me off. I guard against this. I can handle S days just fine. It is the celebration eating that often involves family events and goes over a period of 2-4 days th...

r.jean

Thursday weigh in. I am again amazed that the weight just continues to come off. I keep expecting a plateau as I near my goal. I lost 1.4 lbs. this week. I am 8.2 lbs from goal.

r.jean

Good for you! I think there is a happy medium. I was always Vanilla No S and lost a lot of weight on vanilla....but not all of it. I have been using a fitness app the last 5 months, and it has been helpful. I am the consumate "anti-tracker" so I cannot believe I have stuck with it. It gives me concr...

r.jean

Sounds like he is rather socially inept. He sounds like some people I know. They are crass and do not seem to realize how they come across. In some ways I feel more empathy toward him now because he may really not know how innappropriate he sounds. However, I would agree that he should not be in the...

r.jean

Good luck. It is hard but sooooo worth it in the end.

r.jean

I was a permasnacker in the evenings before No S. I would eat all evening. I am lucky that some sort of new diet willpower got me through at first, and I gutted it out the first couple weeks before the habit amazingly just went away and never came back. I do eat my dinner later now than I used to, a...

r.jean

You could consider asking for a different physical therapist. This would give him and the clinic he works for a message! On the other hand, if you have gained the knowledge to do it on your own, go for it!

r.jean

Best of luck with the pregnancy! I am willing to bet that you will stick with better eating habits even if you modify to meet the circumstances. It just becomes ingrained.

r.jean

Thanks Iron Chef! Coming to this site regularly for reinforcement is a key to keeping me going. I have continued to enjoy numerous special events this fall, and last weekend was a total blowout! Thank goodness I can do that and enjoy it and not feel guilty! I cannot believe how much my attitude abou...

r.jean

If health care providers knew how many overweight people avoid going to the doctor because of insensitive comments, they might tone down their "advice." There is nothing wrong with discussing weight as a factor in certain conditions, but it can be done without coming off as self-righteous and judgme...

r.jean

Congratulations!

r.jean

It is weigh in Thursday again, and I am down 1.2 lbs. Wow! It seems like the scale is a week behind. I did really well the week before last and only lost 0.2 last week. I did barely okay this week and lost 1.2. This is developing as a common pattern for me.

I am 9.6 lbs. from goal.

r.jean

When I first started No S I definitely relished those weekends and followed a pattern similar to what you describe. I am not sure how, but i gradually changed my pattern. I started being less concerned about an occasional S event on N days and stopped planning my treats for weekends. I now start eve...

r.jean

Progress!

r.jean

Good to see you back again!

Just take a rest from losing and concentrate on maintenance.

Sometimes you just need a break from losing, both physically and psychologically!

r.jean

Most of us have struggled with full compliance at some time or another. I started off very well at first but as time went on I had my ups and downs. I still have times (after almost 4 years) when I struggle with compliance. If you can look at your daily habits and see some sort of improvement, then ...

r.jean

Have a beverage instead of a snack. I use a cup of milk or tomato juice when I really need something because I am hungry. I use black coffee when I just want something but am not really hungry.

r.jean

"Building a fence around the rules" is a good idea, especially early on. It was when I started trying to justify slight trangressions that I started gaining back some weight. And then the "cheats" got larger....

Luckily I got back on track.

r.jean

T shirt quilts are wonderful solutions for excess T shirts. I started making them back when my kids had so many T shirts from sports, vacations, etc. I have also made sweatshirt quilts, but they are pretty heavy.

r.jean

Altering is an option eschano, and I have actually altered a couple of the easier items myself. However, I would need a professional for the items I have left and I have let them sit due to my indecision. I am retired now as well and do not need as many clothes. SOOO.....I finally have a plan. I was...

r.jean

Hang in there! No S sounds easy, but it is not. It is easy to learn the rules but not so easy to follow them. Hopefully you will settle into the pattern soon and will find the sanity that No S has brought to many of us!

r.jean

As long as these S events do not totally derail you, I can see no harm in your plan. Good luck!

PS Beware of the foods that you cannot eat just one! I would be fine if I took a bagel, but certain sweet or salty treats are hard for me to quit eating once I start!

r.jean

aspencer, we have a similar place here, and I did take some dressier items to them a couple months ago. It was just the really expensive stuff that I have hung onto. I was then able to give a few of the things to friends/relatives. I thought maybe I could let go of the final items easier if I even g...

r.jean

Sick days may be NWS days. Sometimes you just need to let the rules go when you are sick and eat what helps you to feel better. The binging probably had to do with your body feeling it needed more than it was getting to fight the illness. I know if I try to restrict myself when I am sick I eventuall...

r.jean

Thanks Tessy and eschano! It is weigh in Thursday today, and I lost 0.2 lbs. I am very happy with this after the larger than expected drop last week. I have 10.8 lbs. left to goal (a normal BMI). I expect the last 10 lbs. to go slower so staying the same or small losses are great. I am still using a...

r.jean

Ditto on the feelings about super picky eaters. When one's eating habits inhibit not only the enjoyment of life but also impact others, there is a problem!

r.jean

I remember feeling great when my children were proud to have me there when they were younger and also the times when their friends became more important. No worry! Although there are times of the kids pulling away as they mature, they come back as adults. Once they leave home, they realize how impor...

r.jean

It looks like everyone is doing great! It may take a long time but maybe we will all conquer the clutter issue eventually! I still have a long way to go. On October 1 started tracking a few items daily on my computer notepad. Most of it is exercise, but I added decluttering and personal spending. I ...

r.jean

Great progress! As you noted the weight loss will slow down, but the sanity of following No S habits is worth it regardless of the losses.

r.jean

You are doing well! Hang in there!

r.jean

Congratulations!

r.jean

Good for you!

r.jean

Once again the scale shocked me today at my weekly weigh in. I had two pretty indulgent S days of eating and five green days. I lost 1.8 lbs. I am not sure what I am doing right, but I think it is a combination of a gradual increase in exercise, including weights, along with an increased focus on nu...

r.jean

This is a good article. I can relate to a lot of the feelings she describes. Also, In the past, I always avoided the scale when I knew it would show a gain. I now weigh in regularly each week at the same time and record it, no matter what! I do see the scale more as a gauge now or as a data point as...

r.jean

Vanilla No S is not for everyone, but for me, it brought sanity to my life of permasnacking. My snacking included a lot of sweets. I found that my weekday habits eventually moved to moderation on weekends and special days as well. Now I only have occasional seconds, sweets or snacks on S days. Moder...

r.jean

Thanks eschano and tessy! I am just finishing up yet another busy weekend with plenty of eating opportunities so I will see how the scale goes this Thursday. I keep thinking it is all going to catch up with me. :mrgreen: I did run a 5K today before the eating of the day began and was pretty happy th...

r.jean

Perhaps you are just getting to the point where you know you can have small indulgences without going overboard. If you have conquered binging behaviors, you have done a lot. This is how people of normal weight eat! There is also nothing wrong with just maintaining your current weight and taking a r...

r.jean

I also hate taxes Klutzy!

I have managed to simplify my life and my taxes now that we are retired and have no children at home, but taxes were a nightmare for me for years.

A lot of this stress is due to a need to organize and put one's life in order. Good luck!

PS...a beer is not a failure

r.jean

Linda If it is any consolation to you, it took me nearly 2 1/2 years to decide that I wanted to lose the rest of my weight to get down to a normal BMI. I lost 45 lbs in year one of No S which left me overweight but not obese. I sort of settled for maintaining at that point because I wanted to hang o...

r.jean

I sometimes wake up hungry at 3-4 am, but I am not sure why. It seems like it happens when I eat my dinner really late. I usually eat at 6:30 or 7 but occasionally it is as late as 8:30-9. Maybe it is because of not eating enough throughout the day. I will have to notice next time. I like your added...

r.jean

Eschano I do believe you must be right about the daily routine being key to the additional weight loss. This past week was so busy running around with friends and family and attending events that I scarcely had time to sit. I also had people over several times and spent more time cooking and cleanin...

r.jean

Good job everyone. I did not do a lot on the backlog this week because I have been very busy with various events with family and friends. I have kept my house clean and uncluttered though because various people in town for the events have been in and out of my house all week. It felt good not to hav...

r.jean

Thursday weigh in. I lost 1.6 lbs. after losing 1.8 lbs. last week. Amazing! I have eaten more due to special stuff going on. I have kept my usual exercise routine. I have been busy and more active in other ways, but nothing that significant. Oh well, just glad the crazy scale is working my way. 13....

r.jean

A friend told me something interesting a couple weeks ago which actually fits in with No S thinking of moderation with days off. She is training hard for a marathon and has focused both on training and eating well. She was surprised to see she was gaining weight even after accounting for the extra m...

r.jean

Aspencer you are doing something and that is all that matters, For me, keeping up on the daily clutter (like the dining room table) is key to establishing new habits. You are doing that. Just like No S, sometimes simple changes are best. I have been doing deep cleaning the past few days in preparati...

r.jean

Ahh. I see it now. I think I have deleted posts that no one has replied to, but I think once there is a reply it might be locked in to only being able to edit.

r.jean

Thanks for the encouragement! I was getting a little bored with the weight loss effort and in danger of slacking off, but staying on this forum helps!

r.jean

"I am also going to declutter some stuff today. On my plan (yes, I plan my decluttering more than I actually DO the decluttering...) " Too funny! We are all guilty of this at times! I got on a roll yesterday with decluttering. I got a notice in the mail about an old largely dormant account and could...

r.jean

Sounds like a great plan clarinetgal!

r.jean

I had a good week, but I did not expect the 1.8 lb. loss I saw on my scale this morning. The last couple weeks have shown slightly lower than average losses so I guess this is just a fluctuation. With this loss my average remains right about one pound lost a week since the first of July. I am 14.8 l...

r.jean

I changed my user name a long time ago, but the old posts do stay with the old name. I have never tried to delete old posts as a group but I know you can individually go back and delete the content by using edit. Eschano...where did you find the delete posts option? I looked for it at the bottom of ...

r.jean

Weighing is a personal decision and for me it changes over time. Weekly or monthly weigh ins seem very reasonable. I cannot totally give up the scale because I have a longstanding tendency to avoid the scale when I am gaining. I make myself weigh at least once a week for accountability.

r.jean

Caring for an aging parent and making decisions is so difficult. My heart is with both of you as well. I do not think anyone realizes how hard it is until you go through it. Try to take care of yourself too.

r.jean

I am still trying to do a little organizing each day, but I seem to benefit most from a concentrated effort of an hour or more once or twice a week. The daily effort keeps more clutter from accumulating. The weekly effort attacks the backlog. I managed to find 6 articles of clothing to donate to the...

r.jean

Congrats!

r.jean

Good luck on your No S journey! Hope you continue to enjoy a sane way of eating.

r.jean

Thanks Tessy! I have multiple special events in the next 2 weeks. I hope to just maintain through it all!

r.jean

Thanks Imogen and Eschano! I got over the worst of my cold in 2-3 days even though the residual cough lingers on. It is hard not to go for comfort in food when I am not feeling well but easier than it used to be. Weigh in day again. I lost 0.4 this week after a pretty healthy and No S compliant week...

r.jean

I rarely gain more than a pound or two on vacation even when we take all you can eat cruises. One key for me is to walk every where and seek out physical activities whenever possible. Another is to stick to 3 meals a day but allow one special sweet each day, usually dessert after dinner. Of course I...

r.jean

You continue to amaze me with your healthy eating. You also give me some decent ideas on menu items. I am working on healthier eating this year in the hope of losing the final pounds I sort of ignored after losing a good amount of it my first year. Of course I am also concerned about feeling healthi...

r.jean

Great job! Wishing you continued success!

r.jean

I seem to be on an every other day schedule with decluttering. Tuesday I spent a couple hours on old paperwork and getting rid of sewing and craft scraps. I tend to keep it all thinking I will use it. Unfortunately, I also brought more stuff into the house Wednesday. Wednesday I bought two new dress...

r.jean

Thursday weigh in day. I lost 0.8 lbs. WooHoo! I wondered if I would lose or gain because I had one blow out day on Saturday and have been sick since Monday making exercise impossible. I did tough through it Monday, but that was it. Still coughing today but better. So....17 lbs left to hit the goal ...

r.jean

I will have to assess my clothes to figure out how many items I have. I am sure it is more than 33 per season. I have gotten rid of a lot, but I have a big closet. ...and then there are all those t-shirts I have in dresser. A while back, I read of another challenge which I found intriguing. I read a...

r.jean

Great post!
I like how you highlight the other changes in your life using the "No S Approach." I think many of us have done the same.

r.jean

Osiniye, I believe there is progress when we feel uncomfortable with overindulgence!! Yet 4 years ago I over indulged most days. I came down with a virus that has been going around and spent part of Monday and all of today on the couch. I managed to exercise yesterday morning but no go today. Green ...

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