Everyday Systems

I found the No-S diet book at a Barnes and Noble on my 27th birthday - March 30. It was a Sunday and it became my first S-day.
I am 5'1" ; female, medium build. I’ve dealt with variations of an eating disorder my whole life, and at its worst in 2000, I weighed 125lbs and wore a size 6. Looking back, I was small and when I see other women’s posts with heights around my own I can’t believe how much more I weigh than the average 5’1†woman! Having a big build and a small height means that I’m not a fan of BMI. At my heaviest 160lbs on (03/30/08 I had a BMI of 30.2 which is just over the ‘Obesity’ threshold!

What I look at to see the success of No-S is the following story:

I was a chubby over-eater my whole childhood. My parents tried to tell me no, but at age 12 I can remember eating 1/2 a gallon ice cream in one sitting. I became a swimmer in high school and although I was exercising 2hrs a day, I kept up a lifestyle of overeating and maintained a constant weight. I never lost a single pound in all my years of swimming so I concluded that I needed assistance in the weight loss department and I began taking diet pills at 17, in Jan.1999 when Ephedra was still on the market. This marked the beginning of a 10yr battle with an evolving eating disorder.
I shortly moved onto Anorexia, and progressed to Bulimia within months. In College it got worse with all the excess drinking, which gave me an excuse to purge every time I drank without as much suspicion from friends (Hangovers were good for that too) Through sharing this with a friend who was in the same position, prayer and the desire to be ‘normal’ again, I managed to stop purging by 2002.
Should I have seen a professional? Yes. Is it a miracle that I recovered without therapy? Probably and I’m sure there is therapy in somewhere in my future. If you’re reading this and you’re someone who is considering purging as ‘the easy way out’ or know someone who is … I can tell you that 2 root canals and countless cavities later, it’s not worth it! On a dentist visit 2 years ago they found 10 new cavities, and every time I go back there is another issue. If I cough too hard or get the stomach flu, I’ll spit blood right away. Gross, I know – but there are real physical consequences to purging and if you've ever felt like it's an option, just think about how much you enjoy having teeth and an esophogaus.

I stopped purging but I kept trying new diet pills month after month. My lowest weight was 125lbs and since 2002 I steadily gained several pounds a year reaching 150lb around 2004. I never ‘dieted’ before 2004 because I was afraid to trigger my eating disorder. What I didn’t know was that the way I was eating was still a disorder, it was spastic, dis-organized and completely ignored my hungry/full response. When I reached the 155lbs range and wore a size 12, I knew I had to try something. So I calorie counted and logged EVERYTHING. That’s when I started making bizarre calorie trade-offs like telling myself 'I can eat Snickers all day as long as I only have 1200 calories and nothing else'
so even with Calorie counting, I gained weight.

Since the turning point of my life when I started No-S:
- I have not taken any type of diet pill for the first time in almost 10 YEARS
-Lost 10 pounds to date
-No longer spend mental energy making daily trade offs and rationalizations
-I love quality food and no longer crave junk and chocolate (most days)
-I feel like a normal eater
-I have not been tempted to purge or starve once
-I eat real food instead of diet food (yay for my taste buds!!)
-I stopped having that dream when you wake up and you’re suddenly 400lbs; I know this IS manageable!
-I have a positive habit of eating only three times a day, and within those three meals the decisions are much easier.

I kept my disorder a secret and only since No-s have I been able to talk about it openly without feeling shame and like I failed.

This ‘diet’ has been nothing short of life changing for me. If you look at my habitical for the year it shows the ups and downs that happen. When December was full of red/yellow days, I did gain a few pounds back. Instead of looking for a new diet, I just looked at my calendar and knew if I got back to green I’d lose it again – and I did!

In the last 3 months, adding more workouts and the ‘don’t be an idiot’ on S-days mantra really made a difference in my weight. I went from 3 workouts a week to almost every day, and it’s wasn’t that hard, I just worked on making it a habit in the morning. I stopped letting Sat. and Sun. be all-snacks-all-the-time, and switched to picking out 1 or 2 really special snacks that I looked forward to.

I attribute a huge part of my initial success to the No-S book and this message board, I was reading and posting daily in the first few months. Knowing that I can come here and read what others like me are dealing with and their advice and stories is always inspiring!

Thank-you Reinhard, for writing it all in a book that I could impulsively buy. Thanks everyone for all your wisdom and insight. Even when you don’t get a response, people out there are reading and learning how to have a better life from these posts.

I've learned so much about patience, with myself and with the process of losing weight through this experience and its exciting to apply it to other areas of my life.

thanks again for all your support!

Amy

Wow! What an amazing affirming story, Amyliz,

You may have had the awesome help of Reinhard and the book and the boards, but this was YOUR doing. You had the strength to see it through and make tough decisions. What a great gift you have given yourself--a future which can be something you can count on.

And you've found the joy of living and appreciating quality delicious foods. Thank you for sharing your story-it's bound to be a great inspiration to many people who will read it. It's a powerful testament to the validity of No S and your ability to dig down deep and let those habits replace your old ones.

And don't be a stranger! Take care,

Amy,

What a beautiful story. I remember once asking Blueskighs what she thought was the difference between those who succeeded and those who failed on this diet, and her reply was, "Desperation!"

Yours is a story of desparation. It's wonderful to read about your recovery. For myself, after two bizzarre diets in the 9 months prior to finding No S, I realized immediately that this diet was a cure for disordered eating. That allowed me to hang on when I lost less than a pound in two months.

I really don't think there's much psychological to eating disorders. It's more of a response to restrictive eating. How wonderful that you got yourself out of that trap!

Kathleen

Congratulations Amy on your major positive changes and your 10 pounds loss! You have certainly been through a lot, and it's great to hear that you now are treating yourself kindly and with love and respect!
I'm sure you will agree that slow but healthy weight loss and a good relationship with yourself and food is the best way to go.
I was really moved by what you wrote and that took a lot of courage!
So give yourself a giant hug and pat on the back!!
Debs

Congratulations, Amy. That is a really inspiring story.

Very moving. I've never suffered from an eating disorder (just simple gluttony), but I also appreciate the freedom found with *Normal* eating.

Here's to continuing success!

Your story is inspiring. I've only recently discovered the No S Diet (since March 25th), and it started out pretty good for the first 3 days, but the last few days haven't been so good. However, I keep coming back on a daily basis to read the discussions, and I think that's what helps us not to give up totally. I've tried so many other diets, and I hate counting and measuring -- so it hasn't worked. With the No S Diet, I think it's something I could do for the rest of my life, because I know that there will always be S days, so it makes it easier to get through the other days. All that said, I'm still having a hard time (I'm an emotional eater -- so any excuse is good: I'm tired, I'm stressed, etc.) -- but I'm going to keep trying.

Way to go! I have never struggled with an "eating disorder," although I can be a very emotional eater. I'm working as a counselor on a university campus, and I have seen some clients (students) who have eating disorders. I've sometimes wondered if the No-S diet would be appropriate for them, since it does put structure back into their lives. I'm sure that everyone is different, but after hearing your story I might consider recommending it if it seems appropriate for the client. Thanks for this testimonial - it is really great what this eating plan can do for people. It doesn't only help your physical health, but it helps your mental health too! And no one should discount that.

Amazing, and congratulations.

Thank-you for all the supportive replies! It took me a while to post my 1 year testimonial. I wrote it as a draft in february and kept coming back and editing it, I was nervous to put it out there.
I considered taking out my history from my early twenties, but I wanted to tell it because I think if you're an emotional eater and deal with food addiction - No-S is the answer because it provides structure and a framework that makes sense.

Marleah - thanks for sharing and I think No-s would be useful for a lot of ED patients; I'm not an expert but it's useful b/c while it limits food for over eaters, for undereaters it also addresses their issues. They have to eat three meals a day - instead of starving all day and binging that evening or the next day.

its a long process, it was for me - but this is the most sane i've EVER felt, and following No-s gave me this clarity and sanity.

good luck to everyone just getting started!! read the posts, write a lot - you can do it!

Amyliz,

This is wonderful -- thank you for taking the time and energy to share this with us.

Your story got me thinking that the way most people eat nowadays is literally dis-ordered -- there is no order to it. And how strange, and recent, and obviously problematic a phenomenon this is.

Some dis-ordered eating is too frequent or too much. Other dis-ordered eating is too little. I suspect most swings between the two. Either way, a structure like No-s seems like a good candidate for addressing it ("no more or LESS than N number of plates")-- and I'm delighted to hear that in your case it has.

Thank you, congratulations, and best of luck going forward!

Reinhard

AmyLiz,

Thank you for sharing your inspirational story - parts of it really resonated with me, and I am sure it will help many people who read it.

I do think No-S allows people to "make peace with food" and even ENJOY it because we're eating reasonable amounts and can let the guilt go. For many of us, it's an incredibly freeing transition - the loss of "food anxiety" is even more wonderful than the loss of pounds.

Very best wishes for your continued success.

KCCC

thank-you so much for your encouraging replies!

Saturday at my once a week weigh in I reached 149lbs! i haven't seen anything below 150lbs since 2006. It felt amazing! I had to shop that day for a dress for a friends wedding, and having a size medium fit with no issue DEFINITELY felt better than almost anything I've ever eaten!

(this references my favorite saying 'nothing tastes as good as skinny feels')

Sadly, back when i was very skinny, I never appreciated it. Now, thanks to my new attitude and freedom - I appreciate my body and I'm truly grateful it lets me do the things I want to every day. It's a real blessing to be healthy and fit.

Go Amyliz!!!
Debs x

photo update... coming soon

I went directly to the URL, but the photo's permissions are not set to be able to be viewed publicly.

Hi Amyliz,

I'm very eager to see the new photo!

But alas, I had the same experience as Noel....

Reinhard

Congratulations, Amy! What an incredible story! You have really done an amazing job of pulling yourself together, and your story is very inspiring to me.

Thank you also for sharing the price of purging, as painful as that must have been to disclose. I always wondered what the downsides were- now I know.

Best wishes for continued success,
Sherry

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 a year before I think I can afford to be less diligent about paying attention to the process.

Anyway, I am always so happy to hear that a young woman gets the message and can act on it before she tortures herself the way I did for so long. I, too, am convinced that No S is the best eating program for supporting recovering from disordered eating. I will keep repeating that I think Reinhard should somehow officially team up with ED people who help sufferers work on the emotional issues while they put No S into practice. I believe they would get well a lot faster and REinhard would get credit for bringing this sane approach to food to the fore. He might have to tweak some his take on letting guilt dictate how full the plates are over time, but his approach is so loving and non-judgemental in the overview that I think that would be a cinch.

Yay for Amy!

Hi No-S friends! I've been absent from the board for a while, but no news is good news in my case! I haven't been able to lose more weight and get to my ultimate goal of 140, but I still enjoy relatively normal eating thanks to No-S.

I had to have another Root canal a few weeks ago, and it was a very depressing ordeal just knowing that the damage i did years ago still causes problems.

but thanks for all your encouraging words, i really hope more women in the future will talk opening about over eating and under eating without shame. It's an issue that effects SO many women, its everywhere.

hope everyone is well, and I will definitely post some photos when I figure out how!

Great to see you here again amyliz -- and to hear that No-s is still going strong for you. "Relatively normal eating" is a beautiful thing, isn't it?

I'm happy to help with the photos. If you'd like, email them to me and I'd be happy to post them here myself.

reinhard.engels@gmail.com

Reinhard