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10 months in testimonial

Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 2:27 pm
by Bluebell
I am 10 months into my NoS journey and felt it was time to post a testimonial. A little about me, I am 42, I have been married for 19 years with two boys aged 8 and 13. I was first put on a diet aged 12 by my well meaning mother, which started a cycle of yoyo dieting and self loathing which I have never been able to break (until now). I have tried every diet under the sun, some for a few weeks or months, some for a few days, I have lost and gained many pounds, but I have never managed to find a way of eating that I felt I could truly follow for life.
A few weeks into NoS I cautiously posted that this had the potential to be life changing. 10 months in and I can confirm that this is true. In fact I didn't for a moment anticipate quite how much of a difference NoS would make to not just my physical wellbeing, but also and more importantly my state of mind.
I was thinking about how to summarise what NoS has given me and I think it can all be linked to freedom. Freedom from all of these things:
- Counting. Calories, grams of fat, syns, points etc. etc.
- Weighing out portions of food.
- Cutting out food groups.
- Studying packets of food, spending ages trying to work out if I am allowed it, and if so how much.
- Agonising over each mouthful, mentally assessing if I should or should not eat a certain food.
- Berating myself for not being strong enough to stick to a given plan for long enough to lose the desired amount of weight and reach my 'target'
- Despairing over what to try next, and searching desperately for the next magic cure.
- The endless cycle of diet/binge.
- Self loathing. For being weak, for overeating, for gaining weight.

NoS has brought me peace of mind, and an acceptance that it is OK to be me. In fact this is the first time ever that I have felt at peace with myself and my body. I am nowhere near perfect but that's OK. I am me. I don't have to strive for perfection because its impossible, and its not who I am. NoS has shown me that I can be strong, I do have willpower around food, I can cope without eating for a few hours between meals.
As I continue on my NoS journey I know I have more to work on. In particular I am really struggling to find the motivation to exercise. I know I should, I know it will make a difference to my health and my blobby bits, but still I struggle to overcome the mental block and just do it. Also, I am still on S days sometimes overtaken by the desire to eat without thinking, just for the sake of it. I have decided to allow myself this release, at mealtimes and on S days only, as I fear otherwise I will want to rebel on N days. I am learning that I don't have to achieve it all at once, changes can and will happen over time.
I have found so much support on this forum, everyone has been so helpful and understanding. It has been an eye opener to find so many folk who have the same struggles as me, who completely understand where I am coming from. Thank you to each and every one of you who has taken the time to post on my check in and offer their support.
And of course the biggest thanks goes to Reinhard, as you can see NoS has made such a huge difference to me. Thank you so much.
Oh - I have reached the end of this and realised I haven't even talked about weight loss! I have lost 27 pounds in 10 months. The fact that I've only just thought to mention it speaks volumes!

Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2017 1:09 am
by r.jean
Good for you!

I agree that the weight loss becomes a side benefit. The changes in our relationship with food is the primary benefit.

I enjoy food (in moderation) more than I ever enjoyed food before!

Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2017 7:58 am
by splandrea
So wonderfully encouraging :)

Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2017 9:30 am
by Bluebell
Thank you both for your kind comments :)

I agree r.jean - when you eat this way you enjoy and appreciate every mouthful.

Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 3:00 am
by ironchef
Wow, Bluebell, that's amazing! Well done you! I look forward to following your future successes!

I struggle with the exercise part as well. Somehow it is much easier to remove something from my routine (snacking) than add something (exercise).

Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 9:44 pm
by Bluebell
Thanks
Maybe you've hit the nail on the head, so to speak, regarding exercise. I actually have to do something! I am fine if it is naturally built in to the day, today for example I had a lovely hour's walk along the shore with my two sons. But this is because we are on holiday and it was a fun activity for us all to do. Normally when I am back at work, exercise means doing something extra, which I think I see as an unpleasant chore.
Ah well, onwards and upwards as they say! Thanks for your comments :)

Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 1:24 pm
by AnnaBell
What an amazing testimonial, thank you so much for sharing, so much of what you wrote I can relate to. I am early in my No S journey, but so much appreciate reading about other's more long term success to know it is possible to stick with it long term with so many benefits aside from the weight loss.

Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 2:31 pm
by noni
Congratulations on your weight loss and sanity! A great testament to the No S diet!

Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2017 7:23 am
by Bluebell
Thank you for your kind words😊
AnnaBell good luck as you begin your NoS journey, I am pleased that you have found encouragement from my story, it is most definitely a long term way of eating.

Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2017 1:31 am
by reinhard
Bluebell, congratulations and I'm so sorry I didn't see this till now!

I'm delighted, of course, at your quantitative success, but even more so at the new "freedoms" you've enumerated.

No-s doesn't just lose you weight, but also, and more importantly, the "phantom weight" in your head. That's been my experience, and it's so great to hear it's yours as well.

Thank you for letting us know and best of luck going forward!

Reinhard

Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2017 2:43 pm
by Bluebell
Thank you for your comments Reinhard and absolutely no need for any apology! I like the idea of losing 'phantom weight', that seems to sum it up very nicely. :)

Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2017 9:00 pm
by healthyskillz
This is SO inspiring! Thanks for sharing, please keep us updated!

Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2017 12:18 pm
by freeandeasy
Congratulations! This is very inspiring, thank you for posting it.

Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2017 6:08 am
by Bluebell
One year since I joined this forum! What a difference a year makes. I am in a good place with my eating. Thank you NoS and all the wonderful posters here. :) :) :)

Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2017 8:44 pm
by vmsurbat
Wonderful! It is such a delightful feeling to "be in a good place with eating."

Here's to many more years of NoS-ing!

Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2017 8:57 pm
by Bluebell
vmsurbat wow 7 years of NoS, that is a wonderful achievement. I certainly hope to come back and post yearly on here, here's hoping I will have as much success as you have! Thank you for commenting on my testimonial :)