Everyday Systems

ironchef

Thanks Linda :) A hard end to the week - small eating slips every day. Did plenty of walking though, and fitted in my strength stuff. Ironbaby is ill, really ill, with temperature of 40 C (104 F) and a rash. The doctor has reassured us that it isn't measles, chickenpox, rubella, pavo, meningitis (i....

ironchef

Oh Linda, I'm so happy to read this update. Well done!

ironchef

Although I don't live alone, I do a lot of preparing meals for just me, as I can't always eat at the same time as my husband or kids and I don't always want to eat what my toddler is having. Everyone has great advice, but one thing I wanted to add that helps me when I can't be bothered is to give my...

ironchef

Thanks ladies. Vanilla No S, as always, a pretty painless way to eat.

No S Green Monday & Tuesday.

Huge walk on Monday to and from my daughter's doctor appointment, then did yoga today with my son while she slept. He is hilarious doing yoga with me.

ironchef

How do I explain to others who have known about my quest for weight loss that I am no longer chasing a magic number but just want to make healthy changes? And that I am OK if these changes do or don't bring weight loss? Totally agree with wosnes. No one, not even my immediate family, knows that how...

ironchef

My weight was up .4 lb this week but I'm not surprised considering its that time of the month & my week was less than perfect. Still I have a feeling these last 18 lbs are going to put up a fight. So impressed that you are taking this all in your stride and keeping your thinking positive and your e...

ironchef

Congratulations on another successful year. It's been a delight sharing this journey with you over the past 3 years. Here's to many more!

ironchef

Thanks eschano. I donated to a charity in his name, but couldn't get to the funeral this morning. I dithered back and forth on going, but it was early morning at the beach, and with a 7 week old and a 3 year old it just wasn't going to work (it is midwinter here). A mish mash week with some red, som...

ironchef

Thanks ladies, I appreciate it. It's just such a horrible thing, and any gesture by me just seems completely inadequate.

Green so far this week, doing a lot of walking. Not much heart to write about anything else.

ironchef

Devastating end to the week. A friend of ours has been under terrible strain all week, as her 24 year old son went missing last Thurs. Yesterday, police found his body in the water at a beach near here. I look at my tiny little kids and I can't even process raising a child for 24 years and then losi...

ironchef

Ironbaby is pretty patient about baby stuff, but doesn't really take much interest to be honest.

Thurs ended up red - ate one pumpkin and spice mini muffin from a batch I made for a friend who cancelled at the last minute.walked 2 miles though.

ironchef

Welcome! I hope No S gives you the sense of calm, normal eating that I've enjoyed the past 3 years. Make that your main goal and you can't go wrong. Coming from a dieting background (as I do myself), I'd encourage you to try to let go of worrying about what is on your plate for a while, as you get t...

ironchef

Green Mon, Tues, Wed. Going well with a program designed to put my core back together - written by a physio who is also a yoga instructor. Ironbaby recent quotes (there are a few). Ironbaby runs into a puddle: "Dear me, I'm filthy!" Ironbaby smashing snails against the fence: Ironbaby: That snail ha...

ironchef

Go Linda! Knowledge is power. Now you know where the money goes you are in charge! I know it can be depressing seeing all your income going straight back out the door. One thing that helped us a lot was to question every bill. Not just the discretionary stuff like family outings or groceries, but th...

ironchef

HappyHiker, that's funny that we both recommended The Rosie Project. Clearly you have good taste in books

ironchef

Some non-fiction I've enjoyed: Wild Swans - personal stories of 3 generations of Chinese women, intertwined with Chinese history. A Thread Across the Ocean - incredible story of the first cable across the Atlantic Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History - this is more one you dip in and out ...

ironchef

Grapefruit marmalade? Marmalade is generally less sugar than jam I think?

A big weekend at my mum's (mr. chef was out at a friend's birthday), so plenty of cake for all. Looking forward to N day tomorrow.

ironchef

Yes, I love passionfruit. I made passionfruit curd last year (what we call passionfruit butter), based on a lemon curd recipe, but I was not diligent enough about getting ALL the seeds out and it was too crunchy. Thursday - S day (sick) Friday - green No S. I'm back to walking at least a mile every ...

ironchef

I'm so sorry for your loss.

It's good that you've decided to take care of yourself rather than punishing yourself with food. Welcome back and best of luck.

ironchef

Tues - red No s (took the squiggle in to my office and had a passionfruit macaron)
Hobbitwalk - 1 mile
Strength - red, busy day missed my chance

Wed
No S - green
Hobbit walk - 1.5 miles
Strength - yellow

Starting to get sick, so may take some s days. We'll see.

ironchef

Don't have much time, but wanted to say how nice it was to read such a positive post - look forward to reading your progress :) Also, French toast (at least the way I make it) is basically just eggy bread, so if you don't use sugar, cinnamon sugar or syrup in my book it is no different than an egg o...

ironchef

Yep, a tiny mango tree that sprouted from the seed of a mango from my cousin's biodynamic fruit plantation up in Canarvon. So hopefully in just 10 short years we'll get our own mangoes

Monday 6th
No S - green
Hobbit walk - 1 mile
Strength - yellow

ironchef

getting hungry is the whole point-- because that's when weight loss happens. is this true? I'm not sure we need to feel hungry to lose weight? It's true for me. When following No s and getting my plates about right I'm usually arriving at each meal hungry. Not starving for hours, but an hour before...

ironchef

Try to keep in mind that there is no perfect plan. There are just a bunch of different ways to reduce the amount you eat. Whatever you choose won't be "wrong" and if after several months it doesn't suit you, then it's not a disaster, it just gives you some information about what suits you and your b...

ironchef

Sounds gorgeous, really nice that you and your husband can enjoy a break together. Enjoy!

ironchef

Thanks Linda. Honestly, I feel like I really must focus the bright side lately, otherwise I'd be easily overwhelmed. It also feels like life has reached an incredible pace, where I flit from activity to activity constantly, so not much time to dwell on anything! Friday Green No S Hobbit walk - 1 mil...

ironchef

Great that you are back on track.

I have permasnacking S days and red days every so often (3 years in) and it is a good reminder to me of why I don't like that way of eating. I try to keep that feeling in mind next time I'm tempted to snack.

ironchef

Wow, truly inspirational. Thanks for posting.

ironchef

Sounds lovely. One of my favourite things about No S is how enjoyable S events are - I've never been on any other diet that made eating treats fun and guilt free.

ironchef

Sounds like a great day, and I'm sure they had a wonderful visit. Just hang in there one more day!

ironchef

Thanks eschano. To be honest, the days are so totally jam packed at the moment, that it is kind of a relief only having to worry about making (and cleaning up from) 3 eating events each day. Thurs No S - green Hobbit walking - 1.5 miles strength - green (I actually did this with Ironbaby, he quite e...

ironchef

From doing a bit of reading it seems the key is changing positions regularly - being sedentary is the problem. I've seen the recommendation of standing for 2 minutes every 20 minutes, but that seems like it would be disruptive to workflow. Not a problem for me these days - baby plus toddler keeps me...

ironchef

That's a cool idea eschano. I particularly like the standing to watch tv. It would possibly also naturally limit the length of time a person could watch tv for, which I'm sure would also help. When I eventually go back to a desk job I'll definitely consider some version of Standing Ranger

ironchef

Wed
No s green
Walk red
Strength yellow

ironchef

As a master of procrastination, I'd vote for the other way around - do your financial stuff the first week then reward yourself with a week off. Then you don't spend your week "off" with this hanging over your head, and you don't risk putting it off a few extra days and then skipping it entirely. I ...

ironchef

Thanks ladies! I'm much better today, got almost 6 hrs last night in 3 stretches, so feeling human. Yes, dairy free is tricky. Gluten free and lactose free are much more common here. Tues Green No S Walked 0.5 miles 10 min stretch and strength Have restarted this morning with our mindfulness meditat...

ironchef

Mon 29th - green vanilla No S

Sun and Mon 0.5 miles each day. Barely slept Sun night so very tired and headachey.

ironchef

I would not recommend skipping meals as a short cut. The idea of No S is to develop moderate habits that will last a lifetime - moderate, humane and sustainable. Some posters only have two meals a day because that's all they are hungry for, but I get the feeling you would be skipping a meal even tho...

ironchef

Well, let's say there was some bribery involved... :) Mostly with a newborn it's just timing, if you manage it while they're sleeping you're fine. Had a really good Saturday - walked another mile, so my Hobbits have finally made it to Weathertop. I've decided to go dairy free again for a few weeks t...

ironchef

Nice work oolala! With selling stuff, my rule for myself is I only get a limited time. So, if I say I'm keeping something to sell on ebay or gumtree, I'll set a date about 1 month ahead, and if I haven't sold it by that date, I have to donate it. Otherwise I end up with my garage full of stuff I've ...

ironchef

-30! Woohoo!!
Well done Linda

Just keep chipping away at the money stuff and you'll get there.

ironchef

Hang in there! No S is a very moderate, humane way of eating, but because of it's very moderation will not usually give quick results. I'd encourage you to give it a couple of months, rather than 2 weeks. I lost at a rate of about 0,5 - 1 pound a week, wgixkhank is easy to miss on the scale when you...

ironchef

Just to clarify, No S allows additional S days for special daysÂ /Â holidays. It doesn't specifically say "2 per month", but if you average more than about 2 extra S days per month you might not lose and may need to tighten up your definition of Special. For example in April I have my birthday, my a...

ironchef

Thanks Linda - although I'm not sure walking my dog and a few squats will get me far

Friday 26th
Green for No S
1 mile walk with dog and both kids (what a mission!)

Squiggle is 4 weeks already!

ironchef

As tough as it is, it is great that you're talking and dealing with the money stuff head on. In hindsight, one of the best things for our finances as a couple was Mr chef losing his job in the 2008 GFC. It sucked massively at the time, but it forced us to work hard together on money stuff, and prove...

ironchef

Thanks eschano, my plates are pretty heavy, but the no snacks habit seems to be coming back well. Thurs 25th: green No S I've been walking pretty much every day, I'm going to restart recording mileage for my walk to Rivendell next week. Sometime after my 6 week check I'm going to start some body wei...

ironchef

Nice work oolala! And hey, combining exercise with stuff that needs doing anyway - that's extra efficiency

ironchef

Thank you SO much ginger! You really inspired me to get off my duff and deal with this head on. I remembered that I made a budget way back when and with a few tweaks I can make it work for our current needs. It just takes a little bit of awareness & effort to stay on track but so worth it. I have a...

ironchef

Thank you for understanding! I did feel a bit ungrateful posting about people's generosity. It is a good reminder to me to be selective about what I donate or offer to others. In our efforts not to be wasteful we can end up making our clutter someone else's problem.

ironchef

While it is lovely that people are being so generous because of our new baby, I'm a bit overwhelmied lately with hand-me-downs. A friend brought me 3 huge boxes of toys which I've had to sort, discard the broken, work out what to keep, store, donate, etc. I'm finally done, now on to the baby clothes...

ironchef

Wed overnight no snacks = Green day snacks only when hungry - Green. (in fact, no snacks) no sweets = green Went to a "Toddler Jam" session with Ironbaby and Squiggle, and this time turned down the sweet biscuit - win! Today would be a vanilla no S green day, so I don't think going vanilla next week...

ironchef

Tues
No overnight snacks - green
No snacks unless hungry - green (no snacks at all)
No sweets - green

Not snacking is getting easier and ny meals have been one plate out of habit r, I think I'll restart vanilla No S next week

ironchef

I'm not vegetarian or vegan, but I to cook a fair bit without meat, partly because I have a child who doesn't like meat or poultry and eggs make him vomit, and party due to cost. I find that my vegan cooking works best when I make things that are normally vegan - e.g. a lot of Indian cooking, things...

ironchef

Welcome back and hope I was not too harsh - always hard to convey tone on a forum.
I'm a big fan of oolala's advice: be strict before a fail; be compassionate after. Habits actually build faster that way, so not only is it much nicer than being hard on yourself, it is more effective too.

ironchef

Thank you both - I certainly don't feel a huge motivation at the moment, but I'm going with "take the actions and the feelings will follow"

Monday
No overnight snacks - green
No snacks unless hungry - green (in fact, no snacks at all)
No sweets - green

ironchef

Your cooking sounds delicious! Really pleased to read things are going so well. Rode that wave of motivation and use it to cement some new habits and intelligent dietary defaults!
Sorry for crappy spelling, am typing in my phone!

ironchef

Thanks CG! I'm hoping to get back to vanilla in a few more weeks.

Good weekend, lots of lovely baked treats brought by visitors. Weighed myself at my MIL's house. I'm 67.5kg (149 lb). Just recording here for reference.

ironchef

Hang in there Linda! This has been a hard week with few extra S's, but you've got 18 weeks done averaging better than a pound a week - that is amazing! And even better was reading your post about feeling happy and comfortable in your cute new swim suit. Getting through the tough days builds strong h...

ironchef

Yes, we've been calling her Squiggle, because she does a lot of squiggling

Friday 19th:
No sweets - green
No snacks unless hungry - green
No overnight snacking - green

Sat and Sun are S days, but I'm going to try to keep up with the no overnight snacking, as I really prefer it.

ironchef

Thurs:
No night snacks - green
No sweets - green
No snacks unless hungry - green

ironchef

I've dealt with a lot of sleep deprivation over the years, both related to having small children and because I've been offshore coordinator for a bunch of 24-hr day oil and gas jobs. I've tried the "carbs, sugar and caffeine" approach. It seems like it works at the time, when you just need to get th...

ironchef

Wed: overnight no snacks = Green day snacks only when hungry - Green no sweets = Fail. Went to a "Toddler Jam" session with Ironbaby and Squiggle, and was offered a decaf coffee. Said yes, and it came with a sweet biscuit, which I ate. I could have left it, but I was hungry and caved. Still a big im...

ironchef

Thanks for the congrats ladies :) My daughter will be 3 weeks this Friday, and I'm ready to bring a bit of structure back. For one thing, I have developed a cold sore, and I know these are related to being run down and eating too much sugar. Also, I just feel my digestion is better when I follow mos...

ironchef

Eh, between beef jerky and nuts you probably ate a bit more salt than usual is all. Well done for noticing what it did to your mindset - becoming aware is the biggest battle for me.

I'm sure it will be gone without a trace shortly

ironchef

Cool stuff. I'm really looking forward to the little Squiggle getting a bit bigger ans going in the Bjorn (probably within a week or so). Makes a walk with dog and toddler less drama too!

ironchef

Welcome! I can't remember who it was who had the signature "respecting the fourth S - Sometimes". I know I don't always manage it, nut I try to remember that Reinhard intended S days for occasional treats, not weekly free for alls. Also the idea is that eventually the weekday habits spill over onto ...

ironchef

Go eschano, you're on fire! The hard part for me is decluttering (like gardening, or house cleaning) is an endless task, it's never just "done" forever. It's that endlessness that wears me down sometimes. But then I don't complain about cleaning my teeth, even though they just get dirty again the ne...

ironchef

First, I totally relate to this, and I offer up my favourite blog on the subject (language warning): This is why I'll never be an Adult Secondly, a strategy I use to get big, stressful tasks done. Take the overall task that makes me anxious (e.g. "get driveway sorted" or "complete tax return") off m...

ironchef

Our daughter born 29th May, 11:09am, 3.1kg and 48cm. A beautiful girl born easily and naturally in less than 2 hrs after we arrived at the hospital. Another fantastic experience for us. Home the next day with Ironbaby :) I am not following No S or anything else for a few weeks until I am recovered a...

ironchef

Wow Linda! What a great result on vacation! And well done you on getting close to -30, that's huge. Not really any time for posting at the moment, but had to pop in to say YAY!

ironchef

Well, looks like we're probably going to meet our daughter today. I might not post for a while

When I come back I'll come up with a new moniker for Bub #2.
Good luck to all in the mean time - I look forward to reading your successes when I'm back!

ironchef

Go Linda! You sound so positive, what a lovely visit

Travel safe and enjoy SD!

ironchef

Linda, I'm sorry that you didn't get the reaction from your friends you were hoping for. A little bit of long winded advice here, feel free to ignore if it doesn't make sense for you. As I've lost weight (both on No S and previous with calorie counting), people's reactions have included plenty of pe...

ironchef

Congratulations - 16 years is an amazing milestone

Wow, an M&M with peanut butter. Those would be like kryptonite for me, I'm kind of glad you don't get them here!

ironchef

My son loves porridge, so we all just have that for simplicity. I usually add something to mine, e.g. fruit and some nuts or seeds, peanut butter, some sour cream or thick yoghurt.

ironchef

Thanks Linda! Yes, I feel like the year from 2 to 3 was really the transition from baby to child. We had a fabulous afternoon and Ironbaby loved it. However, he thinks "Happy Birthday" is a greeting for birthday parties, a bit like "Good Morning", so as each person said "Happy Birthday Ironbaby" he ...

ironchef

Best wishes for the party and the weigh in! Will be thinking of you.

ironchef

Replaying and re-analysing interactions after the fact is one of my worst habits. I get worried I've said or done the wrong thing and I can't seem to stop my mind looping back to it over and over again. I actually have a name for this state of mind "stewing", and I will say to my husband "help me ou...

ironchef

Doh! Hang in there - Thursday can be the start of your green streak. Can I ask what are Reese's pieces? You've mentioned them a few times - are they snacks like crisps? or sweets? Either way, I'd suggest getting them out of the house while you're getting restarted - out of sight, out of mind and all...

ironchef

Hi auto

Lovely to "see" you around and posting, I've always enjoyed reading your thoughts on this process.

After about 3 months "off the wagon about 18 months ago, I was surprised how quickly it all came back. Habit memories are strong!

ironchef

Sinnie, I'm glad some of my ramble helped - definitely take a look at low blood pressure, it can mimic a surprising number of things that people typically associate with low blood sugar. Imogen - It's hard because there is so much information out there about food, nutrition and our bodies, it's so e...

ironchef

Good to hear from you and sorry to hear you're in a tough place. Getting at least some movement in each day will be a huge plus for your health and mood, and it's a very common prescription for anyone suffering with depression or anxiety disorders. Unfortunately, you can't outrun your fork. It's imp...

ironchef

Hang in there Linda - you know you're on the right track, and that lazy ass scale will catch up soon.

ironchef

Aww, Sinnie, that is a huge compliment. I don't know if calm is always true, but it is true that I have much less emotional turmoil around food than I did 2 years ago, and even on my more crazy S days there isn't really that horrible sense of chaos / guilt. I still have the odd mocha between meals (...

ironchef

Ugh, Sinnie that sounds tough. I just read a list of hypoglycemia symptoms (blurry vision, sweating, headaches) and it sounds just awful. I like Sonya's idea of 5 meals (of different sizes), whether that becomes 3 over time or not, but I would also add that it's worth running these things past your ...

ironchef

Well done. I know it doesn't feel like it at the time, but I really think tough days are the best days for training your habit muscle. Enjoy your S days!

ironchef

Wow Linda! Half way already! And a cute new size 14 bathing suit. I'm so thrilled for you

ironchef

eschano - great to see you back. Yes, it was a huge relief to get a diagnosis and proper treatment for my skin. Apart from the discomfort, it's not much fun when your appearance is inclined to scare the public :) oolala - morning tea normally would be some kind of light snacky meal, like a coffee wi...

ironchef

Way to go Linda! I'm so impressed you didn't gain over the weekend, I never managed that :) I hope you've got yourself a 20lb reward, even if it is something little / inexpensive. I think your policy of a positive, non-food reward after each 5lb is really a great idea. I love to read your notes on s...

ironchef

Welcome back, so glad to read you had a beautiful wedding and honeymoon! And what a lovely, supportive husband you have chosen

You two are clearly a great match.

ironchef

Aww Linda, what sweet kids! They obviously take after their mom. I think I was 16 or 17 before I started to realise everything my mother did for us and treated her the way she deserved. And in fact, since I've had my own child I've appreciated her on another level again. Mothering and being mothered...

ironchef

Morning tea and afternoon tea are definitely just euphemisms - I'm pretty sure no one had an actual cup of tea :) Morning tea really means we discovered another meal between brunch and lunch! It was really sweet of my workmates actually, to hold me a little going away party. They all brought things ...

ironchef

Monday 11th May: Green walking, green mindfulness, red No S.

There was morning tea at my work, because this is my final week. I tried my "just have a coffee" trick to no avail.

ironchef

Really nice to see you back here oolala, I always appreciate your words of wisdom.

I'm a planner myself, so I can relate to the discomfort in not knowing. The biggest thing for me is trust - trusting myself that whatever arises, I will work with it.

ironchef

Thanks oolala, Linda :) Yes, mothers day is on here as well (I think the UK does it on a different day). I weighed myself this morning at my MIL's house after our brunch there (I don't own scales anymore). I'm 72.7kg (about 160 pounds), which means I've gained around 12kg / 25 pounds during this pre...

ironchef

A good weekend so far - had a sticky bun yesterday after yoga, plus a PB and honey sandwich - yum! Today we've got breakfast with my husband's family for Mothers' Day, then this afternoon I'm going to make lime slice. It's nice to enjoy the weekend properly after a green week, instead of feeling gui...

ironchef

Well done, you're off to a great start

My husband is naturally slim too (he still has some of a box of chocolates my sister gave him for his birthday in January!). Sometimes it feels unfair. Interestingly, No S has actually brought me closer to the way my husband eats!

ironchef

Woohoo - go Linda! This is what I love about No S. If someone came to you today and said "you'll have to eat like this for the rest of your life" it wouldn't be a drama at all. Mostly moderate meals, but with a few small treats at weekends and a special meal or piece of cake for birthdays or other s...

ironchef

Thanks Linda :) Yep, itching all fixed. Return appointment with dermatologist today and he's happy. Friday 8th May: Green walking and mindfulness. No S - normal day with evening S event, early Mother's Day with my mother. We had cocktails (or in my case, a mocktail) with tapas, which meant lots of p...

ironchef

Thanks tobiasmom, yeah I'm feeling pretty good at the moment for someone 36 weeks pregnant. I'm lucky that I don't get the back pain or water retention that some people suffer.

Thurs 7th May: Green No S, green walking, green mindfulness. Just one more day for a totally green week - woot!

Everyday Systems

Search found 1630 matches

Re: Saying hello and need advice