THE NO S JOURNEY

(New!) Read (or post) about people who have stuck with No-S for 10 or more months, lost 10 or more pounds, or 10 or more percent for their starting weight. Periodic updates strongly encouraged -- you can think of it as "Yearly Check In."

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r.jean
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THE NO S JOURNEY

Post by r.jean » Sun Apr 24, 2011 1:37 pm

THE NO S JOURNEY: FIRST 10% GOAL: 4 MONTHS

The first 4 months of the No S Diet has been a journey. I have lost 10% of my weight, and my outlook has changed incredibly. I am more fit and less tired. I am optimistic. I am taking care of myself more now.

It is a good thing that this site is anonymous or I would not be posting my numbers. :mrgreen:

THE NUMBERS
AGE: MID 50’S FEMALE
HGT: 5 FT 6 IN
STARTED 12/20/10
STARTING WGT/BMI: 224 LBS/36.2 BMI
CURRENT WGT/BMI: 200.6/32.4 BMI
PRELIMINARY GOAL: 185/29.9 BMI
FINAL GOAL WGT/BMI: 154 LBS/24.9

MONTH 1: -7.8 LBS
MONTH 2: -7.4 LBS
MONTH 3: -0 LBS (BUT NO GAIN!)
MONTH 4: -8.2 LBS
TOTAL 4 MONTH LOSS = 23.4 LBS

I weigh myself once a month.

HABIT CAL AND POSTS

Habit Cal calendars are key for me. I hate to track what I eat which has always been a problem with conventional dieting. The calendars are an easy regimen, and they really tell you everything you need to know.

I have three calendars: No S Diet compliance; Exercise; No alcohol. My Exercise goal is 30 minutes a day of any type, and it can be broken up into short spurts of exercise if I am having a hard time fitting in 30 minutes straight. I give myself one floating exempt day a week for exercise, but I do not always use it. The no alcohol calendar goal is to restrict alcoholic beverages to 2 days a week (any 2 days).

I post on my daily check in one or more times a week but not every day. I tried daily check ins for awhile, and it was too much. I do visit the site daily, do my calendars, and read a few posts from others.,

NO SWEETS

This has been one of the amazing successes. Once I quit eating sweets, I stopped craving them. I do not even eat sweets that much on weekends. When I do have sweets, it is usually sherbet or something fruity. Chocolate used to be a daily binge. I rarely eat chocolate now.

SECONDS

This is my downfall. I sometimes unconsciously go back for more and have already eaten seconds before I realize it. However, there is tremendous improvement in this area compared to pre-No S.

NO SNACKS

This is easier than I thought it would be although I have to watch myself here as well. Friday nights are the hardest. The week is over, and I want to celebrate.

S DAYS

My S days were sometimes wild at first but are pretty mundane at this point. I continue to eat like I do during the week, but I give in to temptations at times. I sometimes eat four times a day. I sometimes have a dessert or a snack. I read someone’s post saying that they start their S weekend at 5 pm Friday and end it at 5 pm on Sunday. This would be dangerous for me. I am pretty sure I would seriously overeat every Friday evening.

EXERCISE

This is probably my greatest success. I had gotten pretty sedentary before No S. I am building back up slowly, but I am starting to run again which is exciting. I usually exercise at least 45 minutes, but I leave the goal at a minimum at 30 minutes with an optional day off each week.

ALCOHOL

After starting No S, I found myself having a drink more often instead of having a snack which was kind of self defeating. This is the reason for the no alcohol calendar with 2 special exempt days each week. I have also taken a liking to no alcohol beer and found one I like that is only 58 calories. It is a good substitute.

BODY IMAGE

My clothes fit better, and I feel better. I have already started to get rid of some of my biggest clothes. However, I avoid the mirror without clothes on. My rolls have become saggy rolls. I have hope that this will get better. My husband lost quite a bit of weight several years ago, and his skin eventually firmed up.

MONTHLY OBSERVATIONS:

In the general discussion posts, there is a sticky by KCCC called, “The phases of No S…As I see them.†This is a great post. I can identify with the phases described. I am in phase III as defined by KCCC.

MONTHS 1 AND 2 (12/20/10-2/20/11):
Months 1 and 2 were pretty smooth. Using Vanilla No S, I lost weight easily even though I felt like I was eating quite a bit. I had a few reds and a few wild S days, but overall I did well enough to lose 15.2 lbs in 2 months. I gradually started making healthier food choices without even trying.

Exercise: When I started, the only thing I was doing was walking the dog for about 10 minutes twice a day. I started right away adding Leslie Sansone’s Walking Away the Pounds DVDs a few days a week. By Jan 1, I set my goal at 30 minutes of daily exercise (not counting dog walking), and I gave myself one exempt day a week. At first, I had some reds on my calendar and did the minimum to get by.

MONTH 3 (2/20/11-3/20/11):
This was the problem month. I started the month recovering from bronchitis. The residual cough went on for a couple of weeks. I was hungry all the time. Somehow I got it into my head that I should not eat more even though my body was obviously telling me that I needed a little more nutrition to fight this sickness off. I tried to restrict my plates to very moderate amounts with very healthy food choices. Of course, I was feeling totally deprived, and my weekends became more wild. Also, there were weekdays that I was compliant but crammed as much as I could onto my 3 plates. I started a cycle similar to my past cycles of trying to lose weight. I would deprive myself, then overeat, deprive myself, then overeat again. At the end of the month when I weighed in, I was exactly the same. This made me stop and think about what I was doing.

During month 3, I just forgot to stay with Vanilla no S. I thought that I was still doing it because I was not counting calories or carbs or anything else. However, I was slipping back into the old diet mentality. I was trying to make my meals too perfect and not listening to real hunger. This would make me fall off the wagon and overeat. I started going back and forth between perfection and overeating.

MONTH 4

My self awareness improved greatly during month 4.

Food: Although I will continue to tweak my habits as time goes on, I reached the point this month where I can continue what I am doing for the rest of my life. I am sticking to plain vanilla No S, and I am more relaxed about not being perfect in what I eat.

Exercise: I will always keep my exercise goal the same (30 minutes), but I am exceeding it most days. I still allow one exempt day a week, but I only used one exempt day last month and two so far this month. My exercise is slowly getting to be more intense as well. I am starting to run again even though it is only short intervals during my walks. The dog walking is more brisk and walks are longer now that the weather is better. I now count the dog walking as part of my exercise.

Alcohol: I gave up alcohol for Lent. There were a few slips, but the lower consumption probably contributed to the good loss this month.

My weight loss at the end of Month 4 was more than I expected and is the highest monthly loss to date. I attribute the Month 4 weight loss to pretty good Vanilla No S compliance, low alcohol consumption, and putting more time and intensity into exercise.

I hope I can come back in four months and report my second 10% loss.
Last edited by r.jean on Fri Aug 19, 2011 9:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
The journey is the reward.
Maintenance is progress.

Who Me?
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Post by Who Me? » Sun Apr 24, 2011 2:13 pm

Thank you for checking in, and for your honesty.

Too solid flesh
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Post by Too solid flesh » Sun Apr 24, 2011 4:00 pm

Congratulations, r.jean. Those are really impressive results.
Be kind, for everybody you meet is fighting a hard battle.

vmsurbat
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Post by vmsurbat » Mon Apr 25, 2011 4:36 am

Well done! :D

It's always good to hear the wonderful results of sane living: NoS + moderate exercise = better health in mind and body!
Vicki in MNE
7! Yrs. with Vanilla NoS, down 55+lb, happily maintaining and still loving it!

Hoeka
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Post by Hoeka » Mon Apr 25, 2011 5:30 am

This is so inspirational - thanks for posting!

You should feel really proud that you bounced back after no loss in your third month.
Our bodies are our gardens to which our wills are gardeners - Shakespeare

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reinhard
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Post by reinhard » Fri Apr 29, 2011 6:42 pm

Congratulations! Very impressive! And very detailed -- thank you for the breakdown. Your "problem month" is almost the most interesting. Clearly you learned a lot from it, and I think now others will as well.

Best of luck and looking forward to future updates,

Reinhard

Clarica
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yay!

Post by Clarica » Fri Apr 29, 2011 9:59 pm

how lovely!

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NoSRocks
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Post by NoSRocks » Sat Apr 30, 2011 3:08 am

FABULOUS, FABULOUS, FABULOUS!!! Thanks so much for posting, r.jean! I really enjoyed reading your No S journey and I am glad to hear it is being so successful for you! You are an inspiration - many congratulations and i look forward to hearing the rest of your journey!!
No S-er since December 2009
Streamlined S Days: 6/25/12
SW: 170 /CW: 127
Weight loss to date: 43 lbs

Mrandy1
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Location: New York City

this was a great post and really helpful!

Post by Mrandy1 » Sat Apr 30, 2011 10:13 am

congratulations to you!!

you've just helped me big time and re-affirmed my committment to vanilla No S.

i wish you great success as you continue this journey!
Mrandy1

Starting weight 3/20/2011: 176
Weight as of 4/23/2011. 169.8
Weight as of 5/5/2011. 169.5
goal BMI 24.9 = 164 lbs

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Sat Apr 30, 2011 4:15 pm

Wow, great job!!! :)
Very inspiring!!!
Congratulations and continued good luck :)
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

r.jean
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Post by r.jean » Fri Aug 19, 2011 10:02 pm

This is my 8 month post. If you scroll up you will see the 4 month post. I lost 23.4 lbs in the first 4 months which was about 10 per cent of my starting weight. I am now 38.2 lbs down for a loss of 14.8 lbs during this 4 months. I am almost at the point of only overweight and not OBESE?! I need .8 more lbs to get to that point. I have made a lot of progress on exercise, and I am very happy to just settle in for the long haul. I will post on this strain again at the one year point.
The journey is the reward.
Maintenance is progress.

Who Me?
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Post by Who Me? » Fri Aug 19, 2011 11:01 pm

Nicely done!!!

Clarica
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Post by Clarica » Sat Aug 20, 2011 4:57 pm

way to go! I'd post that .8 pound change too, but I do love a party. :)

Sweetness
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Post by Sweetness » Mon Sep 26, 2011 6:23 pm

Thanks and KUDOS to you!! Go ahead and post as often as you like, we will follow it!! This is so helpful to me! :lol: 8)
Patty

Anxiety in a person's heart weighs him down, but an encouraging word brings him joy. (Proverbs 12:25 NET)
I'm a glutton for encouragement.

memaw
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Post by memaw » Mon Sep 26, 2011 8:08 pm

what is vanilla no s?
i bought the book last year but i thought what a great idea it was but i just now got serious about it so im on my 2nd week,im very excited about my journey.

Sweetness
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Post by Sweetness » Mon Sep 26, 2011 8:19 pm

memaw wrote:what is vanilla no s?
As I understand it, "vanilla no s" is just the regular no s rules, with no modifications. After you have been on that for a while, if you feel you have to modify it, like some restrictions on s days, because your s days are too wild, that would be "no s with mods".

Welcome to no s!!
:P
Patty

Anxiety in a person's heart weighs him down, but an encouraging word brings him joy. (Proverbs 12:25 NET)
I'm a glutton for encouragement.

r.jean
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Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 7:47 pm
Location: Midwest

Post by r.jean » Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:10 pm

Thanks for the comments! It always feels good to receive encouragement. Sweetness is right. I follow the basic diet with no extra restrictions but also with no bending of the rules. I was lucky to find a plan so well suited to me.

I do not keep a food log. I know how to eat healthy and try to incorporate healthy foods, but I also eat what I like. I will not eat things I do not care for just because they are healthy.

I do keep a habit cal and do track red, yellow and green days.

I also log my exercise as a way of pushing myself to do better and because it helps me to look back and see the progress over time.

Oh and I did make it to only overweight and no longer obese! Best of luck to you sweetness and me maw!
The journey is the reward.
Maintenance is progress.

Sweetness
Posts: 1152
Joined: Thu Aug 25, 2011 2:54 pm
Location: Fall and winters in Cuernavaca, Morelos Mexico and summers in St Paul, Minnesota

Post by Sweetness » Tue Sep 27, 2011 2:05 am

r.jean wrote:Thanks for the comments! It always feels good to receive encouragement. Sweetness is right. I follow the basic diet with no extra restrictions but also with no bending of the rules. I was lucky to find a plan so well suited to me.
Oh and I did make it to only overweight and no longer obese! Best of luck to you sweetness and me maw!
Thanks and congratulations! BTW you and I are kinda close to the same height weight and age. I'm 5'7" age 56, and weigh 188 last I checked (down 3 lbs from starting.) I know you are below that now, but I just started. I'm going to keep following your progress. I have a goal of 165? but I know I could go as low as 155. I have a very large frame. I got down to 149 once on weight watchers, but I felt too thin then. Any advice you want to give me is WELCOME! :wink:
Patty

Anxiety in a person's heart weighs him down, but an encouraging word brings him joy. (Proverbs 12:25 NET)
I'm a glutton for encouragement.

r.jean
Posts: 1653
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 7:47 pm
Location: Midwest

Post by r.jean » Tue Sep 27, 2011 12:43 pm

Hello Sweetness
Yes our stats are similar. At 5'6" I have always been more comfortable at the top end of my weight range. I am going for 154 which will put me slightly into the average BMI range. Years ago I went to WW to lose the weight I gained from my first two pregnancies. I quickly lost 25 lbs and got down to 145 lbs. However, at that time WW charts said the top weight for my height was 143. Therefore, I could not go through their maintenance program unless I got a doctor's statement that my weight was appropriate. Are you kidding me?!

My best advice to you is exercise, exercise, exercise! When I am done I will have lost 70 lbs and at our age that means serious sag. The slow loss helps, but the exercise is crucial. You have less to lose so you may not have this issue.

Good luck!
The journey is the reward.
Maintenance is progress.

Who Me?
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Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2011 2:18 pm

Post by Who Me? » Tue Sep 27, 2011 1:38 pm

My best advice to you is exercise, exercise, exercise!
A less scary way of saying this is that staying active is very important for long-term health. Walk the dog, take the stairs, go for a stroll after dinner, or on the weekend. It's a great way to meet the neighbors!

Sweetness
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Location: Fall and winters in Cuernavaca, Morelos Mexico and summers in St Paul, Minnesota

Post by Sweetness » Tue Sep 27, 2011 5:24 pm

r.jean wrote:Hello Sweetness
Yes our stats are similar. At 5'6" I have always been more comfortable at the top end of my weight range. I am going for 154 which will put me slightly into the average BMI range. Years ago I went to WW to lose the weight I gained from my first two pregnancies. I quickly lost 25 lbs and got down to 145 lbs. However, at that time WW charts said the top weight for my height was 143. Therefore, I could not go through their maintenance program unless I got a doctor's statement that my weight was appropriate. Are you kidding me?!

My best advice to you is exercise, exercise, exercise! When I am done I will have lost 70 lbs and at our age that means serious sag. The slow loss helps, but the exercise is crucial. You have less to lose so you may not have this issue.

Good luck!
Who me wrote:
A less scary way of saying this is that staying active is very important for long-term health. Walk the dog, take the stairs, go for a stroll after dinner, or on the weekend. It's a great way to meet the neighbors!


Thankyou, We have a beautiful lake here and I walk there every day, today I walked all the way around, 3.5 miles. We move down to Mexico for fall and winter, and I have to stay in the walking habit even though there's not a nice lake to walk around. I'll have to make myself go earlier to avoid the hot sun too. I have walking on my habit cal. I should probably do something more than that. In Mexico, I do a lot more walking to get places. We hardly use our car. I walk to the market, to friends houses. I walk to Wallmart and take the bus or a cab back with my packages, and I do get to meet lots of people that way, cause others walk a lot too.

On the weight, I know, they should make more allowances for large framed people. My shoulders are broader than lots of men! On weight watchers, I did get down to the top of WW range, 149, but could not stay there, and didn't even feel good at that weight. Of course I got discouraged, cause I couldn't do their maintenance. Later I did get a doctor's note to put me at 155, but never got back down to it. That was about 20 years ago! Last time I lost weight, about 4 years ago, I got down to 169. I felt good at that weight, but we'll see where I end up with no S. I don't know if swimming would help with the sag... At my age I'm sure to have some, I have some even with the fat in it!! :oops:

I wish you the best, thanks again! Thanks to Who Me, too. 8) :) :D
Patty

Anxiety in a person's heart weighs him down, but an encouraging word brings him joy. (Proverbs 12:25 NET)
I'm a glutton for encouragement.

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