one year!
Posted: Wed Dec 11, 2013 3:33 pm
I'm marking one year on No S -- I started sometime in mid December of 2012, after several on and off attempts previously.
Yay!
I am so glad I did this for many reasons, despite the fact that I think I weight about the same! I should note that I did not start this to lose weight. I am at a healthy BMI. I am a 46 year old female, five foot eight inches tall. I would ideally like to be back to my slimmer 135-40 range, but I can't complain. My real problem was that I was ALWAYS trying to "cut back" all the time, and my weight was still creeping up! It was the worst feeling. I felt helpless, as if I were both deprived AND gaining weight, and not enjoying food. That was a drag.
I might be down a couple of pounds, but with fluctuation it's hard to know. I weighed 151 last I checked, which is down two pounds from Dec. 2012. I should also note that I spiked up to 155 in the first couple months of vanilla, which I expected and which I didn't worry about.
Note: I gained five pounds per year the previous two years, so in a sense I have reversed a slow upward trend that could easily have become a problem. In five years I could have gained 25 pounds, all while feeling deprived!
Why am I glad I'm on No S when I lost maybe two pounds in a year? For these reasons:
1. I have the sanity of knowing I am not going to gain weight. I weigh more than my old, slimmer self, but that could change over time. Now that I know it won't creep up, that makes a big difference in my peace of mind.
2. I eat guilt and worry free every day of the year. Okay except those few times I got overly stuffed, but I didn't fear weight gain, I was just ashamed of my gluttony.
3. I eat three good meals a day, and whatever I want on weekends. That's pretty awesome.
4. Because three plates are so very visible and limited, I now eat fruits and veggies with nearly every meal, a humongous change that I've never been good with before.
I have learned lots of things, most notably that I used to eat when I was not hungry, that I didn't know what hungry even was, that I frequently lie to myself about why I eat, and that being hungry is really quite a good thing and makes me enjoy every meal more. I learned my body likes six hours between meals, that snacks literally spoil my appetite, and that I like my appetite. Probably most important of all, I have learned to pay attention to when I want food but am not hungry, because that is when I am in need of something ELSE that is always important, whether it be a friend, a nap, a walk, a hug, or whatever. Apparently I frequently fill all my desires with snacks, but no more.
One thing I did this year was to constantly prove to myself that I was not on a diet by deliberately making my meals good ones. I did this to truly test vanilla out, so that I could see it was NOT a diet. Also because I did not want ANY bounceback where you lose weight only to gain even more.
I succeeded! That means I can now, in year two, play around with portions and see where I may cut back a little, but quite honestly because I am not always hungry before a meal, even after six hours! Also, I DEFINITELY eat dinner many evenings when I have zero hunger. I know I can cut those meals back a bit. Only if I want to, and only if it doesn't throw me off of No S.
The main reason I plan to stay on No S for life is this: It's order in a disordered culture. I think we've been led down a very unsatisfying and unhealthy path, and I don't choose to stay on that path. I am now someone who eats three meals a day and doesn't waste any worry on whether to have birthday cake or Christmas candy, or fear that my clothes won't fit next season (unless they're too big).
Side note: I get almost no exercise, which is horrible for my future health and longevity and I'm working on it. I've tried a sort of "shovelglove" and I love it, I just don't do it much because I'm lazy.
I think in December of 2014 I will learn more about myself and I just bet I will shrink down a bit, now that I have reassured my inner glutton that I am not trying to starve it.
Yay!
I am so glad I did this for many reasons, despite the fact that I think I weight about the same! I should note that I did not start this to lose weight. I am at a healthy BMI. I am a 46 year old female, five foot eight inches tall. I would ideally like to be back to my slimmer 135-40 range, but I can't complain. My real problem was that I was ALWAYS trying to "cut back" all the time, and my weight was still creeping up! It was the worst feeling. I felt helpless, as if I were both deprived AND gaining weight, and not enjoying food. That was a drag.
I might be down a couple of pounds, but with fluctuation it's hard to know. I weighed 151 last I checked, which is down two pounds from Dec. 2012. I should also note that I spiked up to 155 in the first couple months of vanilla, which I expected and which I didn't worry about.
Note: I gained five pounds per year the previous two years, so in a sense I have reversed a slow upward trend that could easily have become a problem. In five years I could have gained 25 pounds, all while feeling deprived!
Why am I glad I'm on No S when I lost maybe two pounds in a year? For these reasons:
1. I have the sanity of knowing I am not going to gain weight. I weigh more than my old, slimmer self, but that could change over time. Now that I know it won't creep up, that makes a big difference in my peace of mind.
2. I eat guilt and worry free every day of the year. Okay except those few times I got overly stuffed, but I didn't fear weight gain, I was just ashamed of my gluttony.
3. I eat three good meals a day, and whatever I want on weekends. That's pretty awesome.
4. Because three plates are so very visible and limited, I now eat fruits and veggies with nearly every meal, a humongous change that I've never been good with before.
I have learned lots of things, most notably that I used to eat when I was not hungry, that I didn't know what hungry even was, that I frequently lie to myself about why I eat, and that being hungry is really quite a good thing and makes me enjoy every meal more. I learned my body likes six hours between meals, that snacks literally spoil my appetite, and that I like my appetite. Probably most important of all, I have learned to pay attention to when I want food but am not hungry, because that is when I am in need of something ELSE that is always important, whether it be a friend, a nap, a walk, a hug, or whatever. Apparently I frequently fill all my desires with snacks, but no more.
One thing I did this year was to constantly prove to myself that I was not on a diet by deliberately making my meals good ones. I did this to truly test vanilla out, so that I could see it was NOT a diet. Also because I did not want ANY bounceback where you lose weight only to gain even more.
I succeeded! That means I can now, in year two, play around with portions and see where I may cut back a little, but quite honestly because I am not always hungry before a meal, even after six hours! Also, I DEFINITELY eat dinner many evenings when I have zero hunger. I know I can cut those meals back a bit. Only if I want to, and only if it doesn't throw me off of No S.
The main reason I plan to stay on No S for life is this: It's order in a disordered culture. I think we've been led down a very unsatisfying and unhealthy path, and I don't choose to stay on that path. I am now someone who eats three meals a day and doesn't waste any worry on whether to have birthday cake or Christmas candy, or fear that my clothes won't fit next season (unless they're too big).
Side note: I get almost no exercise, which is horrible for my future health and longevity and I'm working on it. I've tried a sort of "shovelglove" and I love it, I just don't do it much because I'm lazy.
I think in December of 2014 I will learn more about myself and I just bet I will shrink down a bit, now that I have reassured my inner glutton that I am not trying to starve it.
