Everyday Systems

I just realized my old thread was outdated! Time to start a new one.

Old thread at http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic ... 64&start=0

It would be lovely to start a new thread on an upbeat note, but alas, I've gained a bit and don't like it. Part of that was another major life change (I seem to lose my balance a bit when that happens and have to re-calibrate), part of that was holidays. I've been pretty much back on track since January, but the pounds I've gained don't seem to want to budge.

Current stats:
I'm 5'7", 55 years old. Current weight: 152. "Normal for me" - 144-146.

I retired and went back to work half-time this fall, which means I'm "around the house" more. I'm also undeniably in menopause, which I think is affecting how much I *need* to eat in order to maintain. (Alas.) The combo (plus holidays) added the extra pounds. Stabilizing is good, but I would really like to get back to my old weight. My clothes fit better, and I feel better there.

But I want to do it without making myself crazy. That's what I like most about No-S - it's so sane.

My N-day habits are mostly good. Mostly. I can see a few places where I've gotten sloppy and need to tighten up. So that's Step 1.

Step 2: Exercise has been spotty because of my schedule and recent health issues (not major, but annoying). This needs REAL attention.

Step 3 is looking at S-days, and focus on making them "good ones." The ones I enjoy most are much like N-days, but with some special treats. Eating all day is not only not good for me, it's not pleasant. BUT... I need to be careful not to make myself crazy on that one by making S-days feel too limited.

I'll give myself a month on these items, then re-assess. There are other options I can consider. A friend has gone back to Weight Watchers, and says the program is much improved, and I admit I'm curious. Oddly, I couldn't face WW "one more time" in the past (I'm a lifetime member), but I think that layered on top of No-S, it would be okay, and not make me crazy the way it has before.

But I won't go there unless I feel that I need some additional structure and support. No-S has worked for me for YEARS now, through other body-and-life-changes, and it still feels like a solid and trusted foundation. If shoring up the foundation is all I really need, why waste the $$ and time!

(ETA update: I never did go to WW - no need)

KCCC wrote: But I won't go there unless I feel that I need some additional structure and support. No-S has worked for me for YEARS now, through other body-and-life-changes, and it still feels like a solid and trusted foundation. If shoring up the foundation is all I really need, why waste the $$ and time!

Good to hear from you, KCCC! Keep reading and rereading this last paragraph that you wrote! And all your old threads! And remember that maintaining is better than gaining.... Honestly, you've said all this stuff so well before that I'm not joking about rereading your own posts! Great insights galore....

And, just for a little encouragement, I can go months following NoS pretty well without losing anything, and then, boom, I lose another couple of pounds in a just month or two (and I am in *that* time of life, too). As far as I can tell, it isn't especially coordinated with extra exercise or extra carefulness wrt meals, but more of a just keeping on, keeping on approach . Thankfully, with NoS, keeping on is a delight!

Oops, this was meant to be the start of my new daily thread for 2012 not a testimonial. (I wondered where my post had gone when I went to the Daily Threads!).

But I'll leave it as a testimonial. There are bumps in any road that you take for a lifetime, and I'm at one with regard to long-term weight maintenance. I seem to hit them whenever I go through a major life change (last one was new-job-stress). No-S provides me a way to get back on track without going insane... it IS my "track" with regard to how I like to eat.

For newer people reading, don't be dismayed that I'm reporting a gain. I'm a long-term member who has had success with No-S for years now - even with a few ups and downs. Former testimonials at http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=4123 Note that the slight weight gain still leaves me in healthy BMI range... and I assure you that without No-S, it would have been much worse! (Also note my "plan of action" follows the "Phases of No-S" sticky post on the main discussion board - I'm addressing the changes I need to make in order....)

Thanks for the welcome, vsurmbat!

KCCC,

I think your posting here was a fortunate accident!

Testimonials don't have to be unqualified "rah, rah!" to be valuable.

Your deep, big picture very successful experience, thoughtfully expressed here is helpful and inspiring -- the "caveats" and "lessons learned" included (perhaps especially so). And don't forget that the alternate name for this forum is "yearly check in."

Congratulations for sticking with it despite ups and downs, and for keeping us in the loop here and elsewhere on the board.

Best wishes for 2012,

Reinhard

My next official weigh-in is about the time of your one-month experiment. I'll be curious to see how it's gone for you. You'd certainly have a saner WW experience than most, if you decide to go that route. It probably wouldn't take long to see where the cuts need to be, but that might happen this month anyway.

Well, it's been a while since I've posted. Interesting to look back to where I was, what I was thinking, and what I did.

I wasn't on the No-S board for a while because the foot issues (along with other life changes) were rather consuming. I was pretty much on habit... weight went up until I found other exercise options (that's when I posted last - and I did find other options). I still had to monitor "what was on my plate" more closely for a while because even though I was exercising, it wasn't the same level of activity. (I confess to counting for a while, just to get a sense of where I could find "painless changes.")

Once I got back on track with exercise, my weight went back down, and stabilized only a little higher than it had been. I hung out at 148 for a while, and was good with that as long as the habits were stable. And... well, I had found another internet-group of nice people based around a hobby, and was using my online hang-out time there, so I wasn't around much. (Sorry, guys. Just wanted to focus on something other than eating.)

And that all really worked fine... until last month. I think I spent about 21 days UN-learning my good habits, and re-building the snack/sweet habit!!

First, two back-to-back conferences that provided meals... not things I would choose, mind you, so I kept grazing hoping to find something satisfying... and had POUNDS of candy lying around All.The.Time. Followed by Halloween, and then my son's birthday party.

The scale shot up after all that excess, and on the next Monday...I did NOT automatically go back to my solid No-S habits. Oops! THAT was a warning - I need my habits to be SOLID with the holidays coming up! Time to take corrective action. Get support. Learn from this experience. So, I came back to the No-S boards, where I knew I would find support. (And I have gotten a lovely warm welcome, I must say.)

The good news is that habit is easier to RE-build than it is to initially build.

Two days on the boards, and I'm feeling much better. The scale has already dropped a bit, since some of the gain was salt/water. And I'm pretty sure I'll be back to my usual comfort zone soon. (And it's nice to know I'm back on track before I hit the top of my BMI range!)

Good job! Can't change the past so we learn and move forward. Cheering for you!

Dear KCCC,

I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to respond to your update here -- it's been a rough 2 weeks on the home front with conjunctivitis, an ear infection, and nasty colds knocking pretty much all of us out at one point or another.

A couple of comments:

I had found another internet-group of nice people based around a hobby, and was using my online hang-out time there, so I wasn't around much. (Sorry, guys. Just wanted to focus on something other than eating.)

You are forgiven.

The good news is that habit is easier to RE-build than it is to initially build.

That is good news indeed!

It's great to see that good habits can carve deep grooves as well as bad ones -- and that at this point, the good ones are your deepest ones.

Many thanks for the update, congratulations on catching yourself so quickly, and best of luck continuing to re-build and reenforce those habits!

Reinhard

If you're willing to tell, what was the hobby? I keep thinking I'm going to find another focus as compelling. So far, housework isn't it. TV and movies are the alternate right now, and a hobby of forgiving myself for watching TV and writing on eating issue boards all day.

oolala53 wrote:If you're willing to tell, what was the hobby? I keep thinking I'm going to find another focus as compelling. So far, housework isn't it. TV and movies are the alternate right now, and a hobby of forgiving myself for watching TV and writing on eating issue boards all day.

Hahaha! I hope you need no forgiveness to make other people laugh and smile, which is what you do a lot here.

Oolala, sorry it took me so long to get back to you! Didn't see the post until I came back for another check-in. In answer to your question, I knit, and hang out on a Ravelry forum. Same user name there, if you look for me.

My foot is much better, and I'm back to walking again. Yay! Experimenting with FitStar (semi-customized online exercise program app-thingy... I'm using the free version). Generally in a good place as far as eating/exercise.

Still doing No-S, mostly on automatic pilot. I am so glad that it's now a good habit.

I did have to address out-of-control S-days at one point, and applied some of the strategies in this book. Not a diet book (ick!), but one that helps you parse out some of the details around the premise that "if hunger (for food) is not the problem, food is not the answer" by exploring some of the other things we hunger for. I didn't do all the exercises, but enough to be useful.

Back again in another 6 months or so.

Glad the info on emotional eating helped keep you on track with No S. See you around the holidays.

2014 check-in...

I'm back for the holidays! (This is starting to be a pattern, I'm noticing!)

Have been continuing to use FitStar and walking. Weight is stable at 148, which is fine in terms of BMI.

But the holidays are coming up, so once again I am returning for a "tune-up" - making sure my habits are strong enough to withstand the pressures of holiday temptations and general chaos. While No-S is just "how I eat" now, there are a few sloppy areas. They don't matter much when I'm on a regular routine, but could trip me up when I'm not.

I cannot say enough about how No-S has changed my overall relationship with food. How can it be a "diet" when I enjoy food so much more on it? Choosing thoughtfully, eating without "a side order of guilt", and noticing food as a legitimate source of pleasure (in moderation) ... these things lead to a much saner approach to eating. And it has changed other areas of life as well - I can do a lot with the mental energy that used to go into food issues.

Good to hear from you! Best wishes for an enjoyable holiday season!

I keep reminding myself how much great holiday food I still get to eat even if I stick to N days. Let's affirm our getting to New Year's feeling peaceful about how it's gone.

Congratulations on another successful year, KCCC, and thank you for checking in!

I particularly loved reading this:

How can it be a "diet" when I enjoy food so much more on it?

Hi KCCC, congratulations on a great year!

Be sure to let us know how the holidays are going/went. Happy New Year!

Congratulations KCCC! Lovely testimonial.

Been a while since I've checked in... thought I did it around my birthday last year, but evidently not...

Current stats:
Just turned 60 (which I have trouble believing)
5'7"
Current weight: 145 (144-146 is my "happy range")
Exercise: "10,000 steps" daily, Tai Chi class 2x/week, body weight class 2x/week.

I still do No-S, more or less automatically at this point. There have been occasions when I "layer" over it - most notably, a recent "detox" when I came back from a week of vacation that included multiple desserts each day. (Yeah, I know...) For me, sugar has a really addictive quality. When I just eat sweets on weekends, no big deal, but after a week, I needed to cut it out completely for a while in order to regain equilibrium. So, not just "no sweets," but no sugar of any kind for a few weeks.

But the difference is... prior to No-S, when I limited what I ate, I did so with an intense sense of deprivation. I treated my body like an enemy, that had to be monitored closely lest it betray me. Now, when I choose to limit something, it's with a sense of returning to health, of regaining balance. I feel that I'm doing something good for me, in partnership with my body. And I really do credit No-S with that change.

Quick wave to everyone - see you next year (or earlier, if I need a refresher).

Back atchya.

Thanks for checking in KCCC! It's good to hear how NoS has helped you maintain your weight and your food sanity. And I like the way you describe food limitations as a choice you make in order to regain balance, rather than a resented deprivation. I'm really struggling with that right now.

Back for the annual holiday tune-up! Which is also my yearly check-in, at this point.

Current stats:
Age 61 (How is that possible?)
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 147 (a little high - "happy range" is 144-46 - but not much. And hey, it's right after Halloween and my kid's birthday.)

Currently, exercise is 10,000 steps/day, plus variable other stuff, mostly in the "stretchy" category - Pilates, Tai Chi, Essentrics. Right now I'm also doing some PT to address back issues before they get too bad. I should add some strength-training in addition, but it's my most-disliked form of exercise, so...

No-S remains my fundamental eating plan, though I sometimes "layer" over it. (And sometimes am not as consistent in my habits as I'd like - which is why I'm back for a bit.)

You're slimmer than 84% of your peers. Not that it's a contest.

Thanks for sharing, you have made amazing progress over the years. Thanks for sharing your story with us here

Wow, it's been a minute since I've been here!

Current stats:
Age - 67
Weight - 145 (I consider 144-146 as my "happy place").
Height 5'6"

Just checked into the FB group (which, sorry, I don't like as well) because I noticed that, though weight was fine, I was getting habit-drift, which is not good this time of year. And someone mentioned the bulletin board was still up...for some reason, I thought it had been retired. So, thought I'd give an update.

I have really ramped up exercise since I fully retired, because I found an activity that I LOVE that requires fitness. So I do a strength-training class twice a week, cardio classes (Zumba or step) 3 times a week...and I go to an aerial studio 3x a week, once for slings, once for trapeze, and once for aerial yoga. This is not something I ever thought I'd take up in my 60's but it is So.Much.Fun!!!

Here's a pic. You can't see my smile from this angle, but it's there.

[https://photos.app.goo.gl/huMBCEdMmGM2wYXa6]

Congratulations on being in your happy place. Hope I can carry out moves like that at 67!

Jx

Great to hear from you and how No-S continues to support your health and well-being! And how simple it is to intervene when you notice habit drift sneaking in... And how cool that you have taken up aerial sports!

Wow! What an inspiration! I am 44 and used to be very heavily into yoga and a stretch/strengthen program called Essentrics (pretty much literally daily one or the other)- My motivation has, over the last few years, however, flown out of the window for various reasons. I have always wanted to try aerial yoga, but never made it to a class. You are quite an inspiration to get started again!