Everyday Systems

oolala53

Although weight loss is not supposed to be our goal, I'm a little miffed at myself that I've been doing this 4 months and have been at a weight loss stand still for 2.5 of them. I'm allowing myself the goal of wearing a certain dress to my students' graduation on June 4. I can actually zip the dress...

oolala53

Meant to add that I've been noticing how much my ability to go the distance between meals depends on having the right things to eat, or so it seems. I've seen this week that if I forget my piece of fruit or the fat at lunch, I get so hungry that I end up eating an hour earlier for dinner. I've somet...

oolala53

You have good motivation. You know you've got to find a way to live, not to diet. Welcome to sanity. I've found that for N days, it doesn't even matter to me what my reasons were for eating outside of mealtime. I just don't do it. I know that for S days, those other reasons are still coming into pla...

oolala53

Wed. 4/28 success

oolala53

Forgot to say that Reinhard says the plan allows for two declared S days a month. This may slow the weight loss but may increase the chance for long-term compliance.

oolala53

4/27 Tuesday failure I thought I had made it, but actually even when I ate dinner, it didn't seem like enough. I think I'm getting too caught up in eating small portions of dense foods. About an hour and a half after dinner, I felt emtpy. Not sure why I ddin't try milk first, but I didn't I had a sm...

oolala53

I made a decision to declare an S day sort of last minute a couple of times, but I doubt I would do it again until I've been at this a few more months. Even then, most people plan ahead for non-weekend S days, knowing a birthday or other special occasion is coming up. In that situation, if I was ver...

oolala53

I'm not sure that I think your idea of wanting to eat vegetables, milk, and whole grains is so weird or faddish. It's just that it's a little early to be worrying about it. No one can predict if your natural hunger is going to match the amount you need to eat in order to lose weight. As I'm sure you...

oolala53

You did scare me. Bravo about your new thought regime. The culture doesn't make it easy, but it's certainly the saner attitude. I made an affirmation for myself years ago (which didn't work, by the way, at the time, but it was a good idea): May I be free of the tyranny of thinness. I think I've post...

oolala53

I hear ya. If you are willing to look at the other side, even the health claims are controversial. However, as I've gotten older, and my waistline has increased out of proportion, I've thought I might not want to push it. I fought even the vanity reason for a long time, too, indignant that I should ...

oolala53

It must be a great feeling. This helps my resovle. Thanks for posting!

oolala53

Not sure why you're considering trying to cut calories. You certainly can't eliminate all concentrated forms of calories. However, if you realize you're eating "heavier" than you want to, cut where you will. I'd say cut other fats first before walnuts, since we get so few omega-3's in our diets, but...

oolala53

Welcome, Royce! I admire your reasonable goals. Hope you have as much fun on this journey as a lot of us are.

oolala53

I forgot that what some might call a "modification" that I do on No S has contributed to a ball park of calories for each meal that I know has led to weight loss for me. This I already did even before No S. My servings of meat and starch add up in volume to half of my meal. The rest of it is in less...

oolala53

made it through Friday, 4/23. It was a bit worriesome because I'd been toying with the idea of making Friday and Sat. S days. I might in the future if I ever have someone consistently to socialize with on Fridays. I knew it would turn into me permasnacking on the couch. The tug of desire was there, ...

oolala53

I guess I was confused because since we eat only 3 meals a day, we won't be eating carbs or anything else within two hours of a meal. If you have to eat 4x a day, I see how you could get affected.

oolala53

mistake removed

oolala53

I'm so impressed. Baking on an N day! Not a tightrope I'm willing to walk yet. Someday! I can't believe I can't even get 14 minutes of ANY activity in yet. I actually do have the time, as I spend more than that watching TV or even posting. Inertia! I like to think I'm gearing up. Keep up the good wo...

oolala53

Yes, we are fairly close. There was another woman I communicated with because I thought she lived here, but it turned out she was referring to being here on business only. I was thinking of starting a meetup for No S. I'm sure it would be too far for you, but maybe it would bring some locals out of ...

oolala53

4/22 Funny stuff. I was invited to an open house. When I reviewed the invitation and saw that it was a wine and cheese affair, I ate a very light dinner including some vegetables, thinking I'd have some cheese and crackers, too, as the place was very close by. Turned out there were only a couple of ...

oolala53

It is a convenience that our weekend days in the U.S. start with S. The real idea behind S days is that they are the days that are naturally more relaxed and likely to have reasons to have snack (hanging out with friends, for example) or have dessert (out for dinner on Sat. night-another example.) T...

oolala53

If you go back to the Everyday Systems Forum Index, you'll see that the daily check in section is just below this one. There individuals do just that, check in. Some are cryptic and others include quite a bit more detail on food, exercise, and more. You're welcome to browse, communicate with the par...

oolala53

Hey, give yourself credit! We were all that busy at one time, but still didn't come up with the term when we quit eating so much. A lot of people before Newton had things drop on their heads, but they didn't come up with the idea of gravity. For now, I've replaced my eating with reading weight loss ...

oolala53

I'm not sure we can ever know exactly why we eat when we shouldn't. Even if we did, I don't think we can always fix the problem we are trying to eat away. We do know that the urge and thoughts that drive it come from a chemical stimulus, though that's not Reinhard's focus. For the most part, the onl...

oolala53

I had a long post, but then realized it was mostly about me, me, me. I feel for ya re: red days. I am still a little scared because since I started having them, I feel a bit shakier. But there's no way to go but forward through the Fire Swamp. Everyone here is on your side through thick and thin, pa...

oolala53

starch: 1 c. oatmeal (non-instant) or 1 c. Fiber One or artisan whole wheat bread fruit: apple or equivalent in volume fat: a couple of tablespoons of walnuts or a T. peanut/almond butter protein: cottage cheese, egg whites or whole, protein powder If I leave out any of the components, I notice it. ...

oolala53

brilliant. Why didn't I think of that? I've certainly done it enough.

oolala53

I've had a good week. Successes every day since last Thurs.

oolala53

Oh, it didn't get there without some tweaking. I found I had to add more fat to meals for one thing. I didn't have much more room for food, but I felt I needed more calories. Fat takes up little room, but adds to satiety. I also include a lean protein component in almost all meals, even breakfast--e...

oolala53

I actually tend not to feel hungry soon after a workout. Maybe later, but I usually have meal within an hour or two anyway. Don't know why. Just my experience. For another perspective on exercise and not eating just before or afterwards, look up Brad Pilon, esp. on youtube. He's been building muscle...

oolala53

You may have to limit some things now, but you will be able to bake without sampling at some point. Do your best to make it easy on yourself until the habit becomes more natural.

oolala53

It's too bad it happened, but that seems like a relatively innocent mistake. At least you didn't try to talk yourself out it and then give in anyway. Sounds like it will be easy to stick to it next time, which might not be true if there had been more drama. When I fell off, I thought in terms of how...

oolala53

Nobody said calorie deficits don't cause weight loss. Nor did anyone say counting calories causes anorexia. I stand by my statement that a satisfying lifestyle is the real goal. I'm glad you've found your way to a body and life you're happy with.

oolala53

For your sake, I hope it works, but for mine, I hope it doesn't! Just not sure what I'd do without stevia. I've been using it most days since I started No s this time. N days, no problem. Maybe it's different when there's no other food? Or maybe it's the taste of sweet? or maybe it's just a coincide...

oolala53

I don't know whether to put Outwit Your Weight in this thread or the one No S is so much smarter than.... It attacks the problem from the side of changing a person's worst habits and gives many more suggestions for how to think about the problem at the times of urgency, but it just seems so complica...

oolala53

Barbara Rolls of Volumetrics reported that her research showed that people tend eat the same weight in food most days, so if people replace some of the denser foods they eat with less dense ones--fruits and veggies--they would take in fewer calories and lose weight. Paradoxically, the author of the ...

oolala53

I thought I had written about Anne Barone a long time ago. She lived in France as a young woman and lost 55 lbs. by adopting more French attitudes toward eating. Unlike some of the other more well-known similar authors, she also directs attention to attitudes about dressing, make up, home decor, and...

oolala53

I'd be likely to call sweetened cereals an S. Just the fact that you recognize that it's going to be a problem to do without them is significant. Tastes change over time. I guarantee that after a few months of eating non-sweet breakfasts, you won't believe you ever questioned that sweet cereals are ...

oolala53

I definitely meant for this to be a thread for complaining and getting help. I'm so glad to hear from people on the crazy S day issue. All the ideas are percolating. It might not be this weekend or next weekend but at some point, I'm going to get saner about this and it will come from all different ...

oolala53

Have you had your bodyfat determined? Although it is expensive, I highly recommend that you find a place that uses a machine you lie down on and let read your body for about 20 minutes. It is the new gold standard, but hard to find. Would you be willing to trade a weight number for a bodyfat %? it's...

oolala53

I'm almost 4 months in and feeling a bit discouraged over my S days. REading your post makes me realize I need to feel good over my N days. I'm impressed with your courage to stick to this so that now it's second nature. Keep up with us!

oolala53

Your post of your history and success brought tears to my eyes. Compulsive eating has been my only ED, but the thoughts of shame and obsession ruled my life for decades. In some ways, I wonder if all this reading and posting is part of it, but I've decided I need to be formal about pursuing No S for...

oolala53

Wowie! Very impressive! I am 5'6," 175 lbs. now. I'm amazed that you were able to lose 10 more pounds from your starting weight. I have been having such a hard time the last 5 years (have gone through menopause) that I was thinking it isn't likely I could get much below my highest normal weight, whi...

oolala53

I'm getting inspired reading these. don't want to stop the flow, but just hearing you makes me see my situation more objectively. I need to give it more time and incorporate exercise.

oolala53

cescadarling, you have hit gold here. Just BELIEVE in this, embrace it, surrender to it, and you will miss out on years and years of heartache, self-doubt, self-flagellation and possible weight gain while achieving the body you are most likely supposed to have. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, I pr...

oolala53

specific topic: overeating on S days Thought perhaps we should have a general complaint thread, although everyone will be welcome to start their own thread. It just seems our problems are often similar and they get lost in the past pages of the board, so maybe we could keep them together and people ...

oolala53

If it's not too late: I almost always have had a meal before a movie or will be having one afterwards, so years ago, I stopped having anything at the movies unless I was legitimately hungry. I never miss food then as the experience is usually so compelling anyway. And it makes me a cheap date.

oolala53

Did you mean no carbs at all within 2 hours of sleeping?

this sounds interesting. I will check it out, though I don't have the health issue.

oolala53

I adored Geneen Roth for the longest time. Actually, I was also very envious because I was convinced I should have thought of and done all that she did. I don't know about your journey, but I do believe you don't have to get to the bottom of it all to get food in its place. For one thing, that well ...

oolala53

'Course , this is only one study, but it comes from a link at the National Weight Control Registry. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9665679?dopt=Abstract Who has the time to lose and gain, lose and gain? I did, apparently, for 40 years. Not out of the woods yet, but Slim Fast will not be with me ...

oolala53

There is nothing that says that we HAVE to stuff ourselves on S days or even do anything different than on N days. Reinhard said the slogan is supposed to include "and SOMETIMES on S days." It probably wouldn't be prudent to restrain your eating because you feel guilty. That sets it up that you can ...

oolala53

As others have said, all we are saying is give peace a chance. Peace being a metaphor for No S. I'm talking 6 months to a year, esp. if your S day S's are more than sometimes. Sounds like that will take too long? Think about it; what are the odds that you will find something that will have you weigh...

oolala53

re: stevia ban in Europe "The European Commission banned stevia when a study showed that steviol, a breakdown product from stevioside and rebaudiaside, may cause mutations in the presence of a liver extract of pre-treated rats. Unfortunately the researchers in the study appear to have mishandled dat...

oolala53

i saw on a previous thread that someone unthinkingly answered when offered a sweet, "No thanks, it's Tuesday."

oolala53

I have no doubt that housework done consistently would trump formal exercise done sporadically. Maybe instead of having a Habitcal for shovelglove, you could set the timer for 14 minutes and sweep, scrub, straighten briskly instead. Do it for a 21-day streak and see what happens. My biggest issue is...

oolala53

cowfishpro, welcome back. I fell off recently after a 13-week streak. I'm determined not to let it get too out of hand, as it did after my first 21 days back in the fall of 2008. I'm trying to remind myself that I don't have enough time left in my life to keep failing for another 40 years. Reading y...

oolala53

Wow, time flies. How's it going?
I've been re-reading a few of your posts. Now I want some Irish Mist. And I rarely drink!

oolala53

Have been struggling. Trying to think back now. Can't remember Monday, but I think it was a failure. Tues. 4/13 failure Wed. 4/14 failure Thurs. 4/15 success I've gone back to eating between lunch and dinner, darn it. That is my danger time. I'm committed today to making it. It got so bad, I was eve...

oolala53

Nichole, your MIL says that when SHE cooks? Actually, when I'm with close friends, I do, too, usually because I cook the meat, veggies, and grain very plainly and then add a commercial sauce that I feel makes the flavor, so I don't see myself as being able to take credit for it. However, friends are...

oolala53

I agree that I would not take it well if someone told me how he/she thought I should or shouldn't eat. Someone has to be ready to hear the message, and frankly, I believe it's irrelevant whether or not they have a weight problem. Now, if they whine about their weight, then it's different. Just like ...

oolala53

A hydrated crowd.

oolala53

Many people have had or are having your experience. You are not some strange, impossible case. Take it from a binge eater. There is a chemical basis for what you are feeling, but the cure is the same. No S. I'm not saying this to be cute. Going for 5-6 hours without food between meals and then eatin...

oolala53

Okay, if people/Reinhard think this is too nasty to use, I will understand but it has really helped me. I often remind myself that I am a big girl, all grown up and

if I can wait to pee, I can wait to eat.

oolala53

I agree with NoelFigart. There is no food that you will always be powerless over. You just haven't experienced exerting yourself over it enough times yet. N.'s suggestion is very good and doable. I say so because I've done it with bread and, miracle of miracles for most Mexican-food-eaters, chips an...

oolala53

Okay, I don't mean to be a downer, but let me give you my experience. I have been No S-ing since Jan. 1, and was sailing along with almost no problems. It was easy! I just wasn't getting the urges to eat or pig out that I used to. It was like magic. Just in the last 3 weeks, the urges to overeat hav...

oolala53

I think the problem with plans that recommend eating the fiber first is that it's too soon to make that the priority. I think the wisdom of No S is that some people need to start by having whatever they want on their plate. I've said on other threads that my big issue was/is bingeing. I already ate ...

oolala53

I love having stevia to use, too. I first used it 20 years ago through a health food company that said it helps to regulate blood sugar, but who knows. I find that if I use it with about a half teaspoon of real sugar in coffee and such, it tastes really good. I use it most often without sugar, thoug...

oolala53

I am usually so hungry for lunch even after I've had breakfast that I can't imagine its being easy to go from dinner to dinner. Which came first for you, No S or ESE?

oolala53

Trader Joe's also has a plain high fiber cereal. I mix it with Fiber One, which I do like because it stays crunchy in milk and don't because they use a fake sweetener to make it. It's a lot of fiber in one shot. I find it's hard to eat a lot of fiber if I'm trying to cut down on dense starches. I've...

oolala53

You don't have to be sick to be wobbling. I took a couple of declared S days and it seems hard to keep clean N days when I don't have 5 of them in a row. However, I've only got an hour and a half until dinner, so i think I'll make it today. I just hope I go back soon to not have to put up with these...

oolala53

There's no "S" better than Vanilla No S.

oolala53

I can't believe how appropo this is for me right now. I just finished the second of five days of administering one-on-one oral exams on literature, and the tension from the kids plus my own fear of making them look bad when I want to help them do well had me thinking when I was out on an errand that...

oolala53

Woo, today was a little tough. I had a stressful situation at work and was off-campus, relatively close to a Caesar's pizza shop. I so wanted to buy a pizza for lunch and stuff myself. Even thought about buying sweet junk after work and gobbling it. Haven't felt that way in awhile. Ran errands and n...

oolala53

I remember once reading of Thich Nhat Hahn saying, "Do you eat like a dog or a person?" Boy, that one has slowed me down on many an occasion. I returned last Sunday from a 5-day Zen intensive. I'm not supposed to be noticing, but there were a fair number of people who wolfed their food. I especially...

oolala53

Maybe you could mix Coke and soda water to wean yourself off the sugar. Also, just to give you perspective, I used to drink sodas a lot, every day for decades. However, now I have only a few a year, even before No S. It's amazing what changes can happen as time goes by. Six weeks on No S is just get...

oolala53

I read this guy's book. Made me want to get a treadmill at work, but I don't think my students could get passed it. But if all the teachers did it... It's easy to take potshots at this, but I think it is wonderful for anyone who can incorporate it. On the other hand, if the average loss was 9 lbs., ...

oolala53

Took an S day. Had funny stuff during the day and decided I would have dessert with dinner. I really want to make Friday an S day. I can't figure out if it is just giving in to bad habits of wanting to splurge at the end of a work week, or a legitimate modification. But I am not going to call it a f...

oolala53

I became attached years ago to chewing my meal food until it is very liquid-y, not just small enough to swallow. (Except when I binged.) The habit has served me well with my meals on No S. For one thing, carbohydrates begin to be digested in the saliva in the mouth. Also, just savoring the food make...

oolala53

For reasons I won't go into, I thought I was going to be having some light lunch at 1 and ate a small portion cottage cheese and fruit at 12:30, thinking I could virtual plate. Lunch didn't happen, and now I'm pretty darn hungry at 3:35 p.m. Not sure what to do. Got a client coming at 6, when I usua...

oolala53

Sounds like a plan. Do you snack or eat sweets or seconds, or all three on S days? Maybe just allow one of those? Reinhard says he meant to have the word "sometimes" included before "except on days that begin with S," but it just didn't flow as well. Didn't mean that S days should be a free for all....

oolala53

4/1/10 Success. Not even April's fools. This marks 13 weeks on plan. Have taken only two S days.

Weight loss is about at a stand still. Not sure what to do about that, but I'm enjoying my meals immensely.

oolala53

Sorry, folks. I'm going to disagree with the theory that if it's available, people don't stress about it and don't eat too much. My family always had dessert every night, ice cream later in the evening, and cookies and such around, but as my brother and I got older, my mom had to start hiding the co...

oolala53

Gia, the info I mentioned earlier was just that: the effects of overeating and restricting "highly palatable" food on the brain. I thought "Ya just can't get around that. It ain't just opinion. It's your BRAIN we're talking about, and good luck getting around it." It appeared to me that gaps between...

oolala53

I was wrong a few posts ago about my progress. Anyway, on March 25, I completed 12 weeks, or 4 rounds, of 21 days.

also, congrats, mrsj!

oolala53

That line really cracked me up, because I just watched THIS last night. Oops, I tried cutting and pasting this from TunaFishKid on Mar. 2, in a post about paleo being the new vegan. That clip is hilarious! altho I'm not sure my vegetarian friends would think so. Also, though it has been scoffed at h...

oolala53

I did a search for Mastering Leptin on this board and found that it was poo poohed by the gang here back in 2005 because the authors of it market supplements and because you had to buy the book when this No S site was free. However, for those who fear the grandmotherly wisdom of No S, the author Ric...

oolala53

I, too, read Fast 5 while weighing the plans for calorie reduction without specific meals or calorie counting. I think authors of those books underestimate what binge eaters can do on a free-eating day or in a free eating period. In fact, in my bingeing days, I did most of my eating between 3 and 8 ...

oolala53

I think I've posted about this before but i don't know how to find it so that I could cut and paste. I've noticed similar habits among slim friends- didn't like sweets much, ate meals, could go without eating without it turning them into a freak. Not ones to order meal salads or diet coke or eat a l...

oolala53

Quite a run, Elspeth. Remember, we're just getting going. I actually took a look at your thread because I searched Mastering Leptin, and your thread came up, but I didn't find it. People talked about it back in 2005, but mostly poopoohed it because it cost money to buy the book and he recommends sup...

oolala53

I'll probably say something about this book on other threads, too, but I've been reading Matering Leptin. It's amazing how much the scientific study of this hormone supports the concepts of No S. Richards has five rules, but one of them is to eat three meals a day, with 5-6 hours between them. He re...

oolala53

I've found that I sometimes like getting REALLY hungry, usually for dinner. I will actually occasionally delay dinner even though I feel hungry and it is relatively close to the time to eat. I find that even that hunger fluctuates. It will practically fade away and then come back. I'm single and oft...

oolala53

More power to ya! Of course there are exceptions. Future fine eaters of America!

oolala53

I agree they might have more apple juice or grape juice at a time, but I wonder about orange juice. I fraternize with a lot of health food nuts and vegetarians, yet truthfully, I rarely see them drink a whole glass of juice, unless it's the liquid for a smoothie. But the average American may be very...

oolala53

There are 20-25 grams of sugar in most pieces of fruit. I think it depends on what is in the rest of the meal and in the volume of the food item. Do most people drink 8 oz. of orange juice at a time, anyway? We always had a little juice glass when I was growing up. But, I'd rather chew anyway, so I ...

oolala53

This dovetails some info that inspired me to stick to No S. It became clear that never eating rich food wasn't an option. The alternative was moderation or bingeing. The mix of vegetables with some "highly palatable" food on a plate has proved to both satisfy and ameliorate the addictive affect of t...

oolala53

I think it was because we got used to eating snacks and were often not hungry for meals. Then people began pushing the idea that we should just eat when we were hungry and skip meals if need be. Why should a person eat a meal just because it was lunchtime, if she was not hungry? At first, this appea...

oolala53

It's worth every ounce of effort to stick to No S, no matter what your food choices for meals have to be. It's got to be easier than many plans, even when your life is in turmoil. The no-gluten thing is more problematic, but you know what you have to do.

oolala53

Gotta tell you, I've had a lot of days of around 1400 calories without really trying. I got used to eating only about 100 calories, maybe 200, of starch with my meals years ago. I have a few ounces of protein and a lot of veggies, plus a nice sauce, maybe Indian. I just like it that way. I think you...

oolala53

What kid would definitely prefer a 70% dark chocolate bunny?

I have cocoa powder in my coffee several days a week. Thanks God it's "healthy." I just enjoy it.

Declared an S day and ate a bunny yesterday. It was yum and I'm happy to wait until the weekend for more.

oolala53

Sat. and Sun., 3/20 and 3/21 S days
Mon. 3/22-Fri. 3/26 success
Sat. and Sun, 3/27 and 3/28, S days.
Mon. 3/30 declared S day.

Everyday Systems

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