Andie's Check In: 35 pounds so far...

(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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Andie
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Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2010 5:55 am
Location: B.C., Canada

Andie's Check In: 35 pounds so far...

Post by Andie » Sat May 05, 2012 6:04 am

The Background:
I'm 29 years old (female), I'm 5'3", and when I became pregnant with my second child two years ago I weighed 215 lbs, which was my highest non-pregnant weight. I have been overweight to obese for most of my life, and have lost weight short term in the past by counting calories. I had found no s prior to that point, but wasn't really able to stick with it strictly enough to lose weight. I'm a RN, and I work 12 hour shifts (including nights) so I would always have failures on my night shifts and then fall off the wagon. I'm lucky that I didn't gain any additional weight with either of my pregnancies (having a baby on board was always good motivation for me to avoid junk and eat healthy). After I delivered in January 2011, my weight stabilized again at 215bs.

The Good:
I was finally ready to lose weight for good, and I knew that the No S diet makes more sense to me, and requires less conscious sustained effort than anything else I have ever tried or come across. I started the diet in January 2011, and also started a weight loss support group on Facebook consisting of some family members and close friends who also had some weight to lose. Thanks to No S and the extra support, over the course of my maternity leave (Jan 2011-December 2011) I managed to lose 35lbs, and since then I have maintained at about 180lbs. I have gone from a size 18/1XL to a size 14/L.

We also gave up our vehicle last fall, so I now walk or bike everywhere I have to go. My fitness level has increased dramatically, and my knees, feet and back don't hurt anymore during and after my shifts. I have so much more energy, and I feel like I'm eating like a normal person most of the time, instead of beating myself up all the time for compulsive eating.

One other significant benefit I didn't expect: No cavities on my last three dentist visits since I started No S! This is huge for me, as I have needed at least one cavity filled or re-done every six months for the past 9 years.

The Not So Good
My weight has plateaued since I've gone back to work. I've noticed that I've been "virtual plating" a little too much at meal times (really snacking on whatever ingredients I'm cooking with and or/shack foods like peanuts, pieces of cheese, even veggies while I'm preparing dinner) and I've had more red days due to lack of motivation with the increased stress related to the transition and shift work schedule (plus all the random sweets that show up at the nurses station from well meaning patients and their families). S days tend to be excessive at times, but they are actually improving.

"Aha" Moments
When my weight started to slow this fall and then eventually plateau after the holidays, I tried adding some dietary restrictions on top of the no S framework which ultimately backfired. I tried low carb at one point, and gluten and dairy free at another point. Both times I lost weight but then ended up feeling so restricted I fell off the wagon for a week or two (even off of the no S wagon as well) and ended up gaining any weight I’d lost. It’s easy to read the "diet" books and get excited to try something, and I told myself that these were just “modsâ€, but I'm finally realizing that this just doesn't work for me. If I can’t maintain it for the rest of my life, it’s not worth it. Also, it's not worth jeopardizing my progress in the No S habit building process. I’m also trying to start to see “health and healthy habits†as my goal, instead of weight loss. When I was losing quickly for the first 9 months or so weekly weigh-ins were motivating, now they seem to be psychological traps. If I’m up or stay the same I think “what the hell†and eat excessively on s days or even cheat. If I’m down I think “I’ve been good, I can afford an extra special treat (or treats) this weekendâ€. I’m slowly coming to the realization that it is how I treat my body that makes me healthy, not the number on the scale. Healthy habits I can sustain for life= healthy body. My weight and appearance will eventually reflect this, but it is not my goal, and it does me no good to get hung up on it. I realize that these ideas are not original, and Reinhard has previously discussed most or all of these in some form or another, but I didn’t really “get it†until I started learning from my own experiences.

Moving Forward:

To bring my journey to the next level, I’m re-committing to strict vanilla No S, with a couple of simple mods which I think will really help me continue to progress to eliminate the extra snacking that has been stalling my weight loss. I’m adding the “not eating anything standing up or that’s not on a plate mod†and eventually I’m going to progress to “no solitary snacking†as well. I’m going to weigh in once a month, and use my own paper Habitcal and check in thread on my Facebook group.

Anyway, I’m so thankful to Reinhard for putting this info out there, and for this site. I lurk here more than I post, but it’s so helpful to keep me on track.
Back after a long hiatus.

r.jean
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Post by r.jean » Sat May 05, 2012 11:40 am

WOW! Congratulations on your progress! You are so wise to be committing to No S at 29 rather than in your 50s like many of us.

It is good to see you recommitting to No S after the frustration of a plateau. I also lost well in my first year of No S. Then I stayed the same for the first 3 months of my second year. I could make many excuses, but it was basically laziness and complacency. I was technically compliant but lazy in my food choices...using too many convenience foods and take out. I finally lost 2 lbs in April and I hope I am back on track. I am telling you this to show that there is hope after a plateau!
Last edited by r.jean on Sat May 05, 2012 1:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
The journey is the reward.
Maintenance is progress.

Amy3010
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Post by Amy3010 » Sat May 05, 2012 11:52 am

Wow! Congratulations! I think what I find most encouraging about your story is how you have been able to let go of the diet mentality and focus on health as your goal. Especially where you say if it isn't something you can do for the rest of your life, that you're not even going to consider it anymore. Good for you and more power to you!

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reinhard
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Post by reinhard » Sun May 06, 2012 11:41 am

That's wonderful news -- congratulations and thank you for letting us know!

Your achievement would be impressive under any circumstances, but particularly so considering you'd just given birth and then had to sustain 12 hours shifts at work. Very inspirational!

Thanks also for sharing your difficulties and analysis of what worked, what didn't, and what you're planning to do next. A huge challenge is what to do when we hit the inevitable plateaus, how to fine tune effectively without risking our "base level" good habits. It sounds like you've got a very sensible plan for moving forward -- best of luck and please check in again after a while to let us know how it worked for you, if you had to make further modifications, etc.
One other significant benefit I didn't expect: No cavities on my last three dentist visits since I started No S! This is huge for me, as I have needed at least one cavity filled or re-done every six months for the past 9 years.
One thing I found interesting when researching for the No-S book is that it's not just sweets which are bad for your teeth, but snacking, too. So no-s is good for your teeth in not one but two important ways. I also think it's confirmation of what a weird, historically unprecedented behavior snacking is: even our teeth can't handle it.

Reinhard

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NoSRocks
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Post by NoSRocks » Sun May 06, 2012 1:37 pm

CONGRATULATIONS! ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!! :D :D
No S-er since December 2009
Streamlined S Days: 6/25/12
SW: 170 /CW: 127
Weight loss to date: 43 lbs

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~reneew
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Post by ~reneew » Wed Jun 06, 2012 5:45 pm

Way to go! I struggle with additional diet mentality so often and end up gaining back what I've lost. Stay strong and vanilla :wink:
I guess this doesn't work unless you actually do it.
Please pray for me

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