One Year Down…..
Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 9:43 pm
Background: I’m a 47 year old woman, 5’8â€, and maintained my weight between 150 and 155 for about 10 years. I’ve exercised consistently for over 15 years since I quit smoking (I didn’t want to gain weight, so I started exercising when I quit). I run 25 – 30 miles a week, and have run 10 marathons. The last few years I’ve been watching the number on the scale creep up, and it kept getting harder to lose it. I love food, and it was frustrating to not be able to eat whatever I wanted, increase exercise a little, and either maintain or lose. I bought the No S book in 2009, tried it a couple of times in 2010 with no success, and had pretty much resigned myself to the fact I was going to gain weight.
I had lots of excuses for gaining/snacking……I was getting older and my metabolism was slowing down, I exercised a lot so I NEEDED to snack, my snacks were healthy (usually popcorn), all the other “diets†said snacks were good, my weight/BMI was still in the normal range, etc. I usually did okay for breakfast and lunch, but I’d eat dinner and then snack until I went to bed. I’d also have a snack at work if it was available, or a couple of pieces of chocolate, or cookies, or chips, (you get the idea).
Then I went over 160 for the first time and pretty much freaked out. The clothes I’d been wearing for 10 years were getting snug, and I knew I had to do something or I’d just keep gaining.
On September 18, 2011 I restarted No S with a starting weight of 164. I did okay…Oct Fridays were red, one red day in November, then in December I pretty much fell off the wagon….only 10 green days. I managed to lose 5 pounds though, and on January 7 I weighed 159. Better, but my clothes still didn’t fit. I stuck with Vanilla No S, but my S days were out of control for the most part. I told myself I was building a habit and kept plodding along. I tried to only weigh myself once a month, and by September 10 I weighed 156.5. I decided I needed to modify my habits a little, smaller plates on N days with more awareness of what I was putting on the plate, and better control on S days, no mindless eating, snacks/sweets occasionally, not nonstop until Monday morning. It worked, by October 5th I was down to 150, and today I weighed in at 146.5. I’ve also lost a total of 8 inches.
The Stats: Starting weight 164, current weight 146.5. This year (2012) I had a total of 14 red days, and 8 NWS days. Eight of the red days were during vacations, I didn’t completely fall off the wagon, but I didn’t follow Vanilla No S either.
Lessons Learned: The “fence around the diet†was key for me. No mods at all. If I blew it I marked it and moved on. Sometimes my red day consisted of a piece of chocolate, a single french fry, or a couple of chips. Friends would tell me I was being too strict, the french fry/chips would’ve fit on my plate, but I knew if I made an exception I’d slide back down into old habits.
Intelligent defaults were also helpful. I eat the same breakfast every day and pretty much the same lunch too. I have a bowl of cereal, toast with peanut butter, and a banana for breakfast. Lunch is a sandwich, carrots sticks, cheese stick, and fruit. Dinner varies, but I’ve reduced my portions over the year.
Timing my meals helped. Breakfast between 7:00 and 7:30, lunch between 12:30 and 1:00, and dinner between 7:00 and 7:30. I started eating later in the evening to try to prevent wanting to snack after dinner, and it seems to be working. If I get hungry between meals I drink water or chew gum.
Being hungry isn’t a bad thing. I do get hungry, but now it’s usually a half hour or so before my next meal. I seem to get full faster, and I’ve learned to slow down and enjoy what I’m eating.
Summary: This way of eating/diet has changed my life. Sounds dramatic I know, but it’s true. I’ve learned to control my eating, something I’d never been able to do. When I was younger it didn’t matter so much, but getting closer to menopause meant I needed to do something or live with the inevitable weight gain. For those who are just starting, stick with it. I also wanted a quick fix, to see improvement after the first 21 days. As you can see, that didn’t happen! This was definitely more a lifestyle/habit change than a diet. I don't feel deprived, and I didn't have to give up any of the food I like, I just had to change how/when I ate it. I doubt if I'll lose any more weight, but more importantly, I'm fairly confident if I stick with this I won't gain any either.
I had lots of excuses for gaining/snacking……I was getting older and my metabolism was slowing down, I exercised a lot so I NEEDED to snack, my snacks were healthy (usually popcorn), all the other “diets†said snacks were good, my weight/BMI was still in the normal range, etc. I usually did okay for breakfast and lunch, but I’d eat dinner and then snack until I went to bed. I’d also have a snack at work if it was available, or a couple of pieces of chocolate, or cookies, or chips, (you get the idea).
Then I went over 160 for the first time and pretty much freaked out. The clothes I’d been wearing for 10 years were getting snug, and I knew I had to do something or I’d just keep gaining.
On September 18, 2011 I restarted No S with a starting weight of 164. I did okay…Oct Fridays were red, one red day in November, then in December I pretty much fell off the wagon….only 10 green days. I managed to lose 5 pounds though, and on January 7 I weighed 159. Better, but my clothes still didn’t fit. I stuck with Vanilla No S, but my S days were out of control for the most part. I told myself I was building a habit and kept plodding along. I tried to only weigh myself once a month, and by September 10 I weighed 156.5. I decided I needed to modify my habits a little, smaller plates on N days with more awareness of what I was putting on the plate, and better control on S days, no mindless eating, snacks/sweets occasionally, not nonstop until Monday morning. It worked, by October 5th I was down to 150, and today I weighed in at 146.5. I’ve also lost a total of 8 inches.
The Stats: Starting weight 164, current weight 146.5. This year (2012) I had a total of 14 red days, and 8 NWS days. Eight of the red days were during vacations, I didn’t completely fall off the wagon, but I didn’t follow Vanilla No S either.
Lessons Learned: The “fence around the diet†was key for me. No mods at all. If I blew it I marked it and moved on. Sometimes my red day consisted of a piece of chocolate, a single french fry, or a couple of chips. Friends would tell me I was being too strict, the french fry/chips would’ve fit on my plate, but I knew if I made an exception I’d slide back down into old habits.
Intelligent defaults were also helpful. I eat the same breakfast every day and pretty much the same lunch too. I have a bowl of cereal, toast with peanut butter, and a banana for breakfast. Lunch is a sandwich, carrots sticks, cheese stick, and fruit. Dinner varies, but I’ve reduced my portions over the year.
Timing my meals helped. Breakfast between 7:00 and 7:30, lunch between 12:30 and 1:00, and dinner between 7:00 and 7:30. I started eating later in the evening to try to prevent wanting to snack after dinner, and it seems to be working. If I get hungry between meals I drink water or chew gum.
Being hungry isn’t a bad thing. I do get hungry, but now it’s usually a half hour or so before my next meal. I seem to get full faster, and I’ve learned to slow down and enjoy what I’m eating.
Summary: This way of eating/diet has changed my life. Sounds dramatic I know, but it’s true. I’ve learned to control my eating, something I’d never been able to do. When I was younger it didn’t matter so much, but getting closer to menopause meant I needed to do something or live with the inevitable weight gain. For those who are just starting, stick with it. I also wanted a quick fix, to see improvement after the first 21 days. As you can see, that didn’t happen! This was definitely more a lifestyle/habit change than a diet. I don't feel deprived, and I didn't have to give up any of the food I like, I just had to change how/when I ate it. I doubt if I'll lose any more weight, but more importantly, I'm fairly confident if I stick with this I won't gain any either.
