I'm a newbie!

Piper · Post by **Piper** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 9:18 pm

Does anyone have any suggestions or advice for a newbie with no willpower when it comes to eating right?

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Mon Oct 01, 2012 9:36 am

Welcome! My first suggestion would be to not worry about anything else but establishing the habits. Once you have the habits under control, you can make modifications (if desired or needed). Second, don't worry about wild S days initially. I think most of us have had wild S days at the beginning and for most of us, they moderate over time. Third, make your treats on S days worth it.

Piper · Post by **Piper** » Mon Oct 01, 2012 12:44 pm

Thanks, wosnes! I'm kind of nervous because I *really* need to lose weight, and I'm afraid I'll fail again. But your advice is very helpful.

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Mon Oct 01, 2012 5:25 pm

Welcome!

My advice would be to take it one day at a time. Each day is a new opportunity to have a green ('success') day, and each meal is a chance to stick to the NoS rules.

You seem to focus a bit on the negatives! E.g. 'I have no willpower', 'I NEED to lose weight' and 'I'm afraid I'll fail'. Find some positives about yourself and your behaviour to balance those out!

Good luck!

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Mon Oct 01, 2012 11:05 pm

Yes, you don't need to lose weight as much as you need to learn reasonable eating habits. You're not going to permanently lose and keep weight off without them. And if you have truly been overeating, it is likely you will lose weight.

Why do you think your willpower is so low? Are you upset with yourself because you can't stick to 500 calories a day or to ANY type of limit at all? There is a big difference. Are you constantly emphasizing how unpleasant it is to curtail your eating and at the same time, emphasizing the pleasure of overeating? That is usually what people are doing when they say they have no willpower. They magnify the difficulty and diminish ease of an action. Willpower can be developed by thinking about things differently. When you start believing that foregoing food is only irritating and unfortunately unpleasant, rather than a horrible imposition on your pleasures in life, you will gain willpower. You will also gain when you believe that you can do difficult things without harm. No S helps because it's so reasonable. You can eat just about any food you want three times a day. That is not starvation, not to mention that it's not torture or anything else your mind might tell you. All you have to do is get through a few hours of possible discomfort between meals on any one day, and eventually learn to eat enough to get hungry for your meals consistently. You must also be willing to be very honest. It might be easier to stick to than you imagine it will be, or at least not as hard. We can tell ourselves it's too hard when it isn't. Try to keep things in perspective.

However, not knowing what you weigh and what your expectations are for how thin you think you should be, it can be hard to guide you. No S is for people who know they have really been overeating and realize they want to live more moderately, even if just for moderation's sake. If that's you, you've come to the right place. I look forward to your life opening up!

Piper · Post by **Piper** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 8:16 pm

A bit of background info: I'm 5'1 and 158 lbs., so pretty overweight. My main problem is scheduling my eating. I'm in class at college from about 9:00/10:00 am to about 2:00/3:00 pm. I work part-time on some days, starting at about 5:00 or 6:00 pm, and I usually leave at about 12:00/1:00 am. I can eat breakfast before class and lunch between class, but as far as dinner goes, I'm not sure whether to eat before or after work.

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 9:53 pm

Don't you get a dinner break at work? If not, I'd try to eat a substantial dinner before work, even if it is early, just to keep to a routine relatively close to the cultural scheme. You can always have some hot milk when you come home, if you're hungry. Be sure not to confuse urges to eat in the evening with real hunger. Most evening eating is phantom hunger.

BTW, when would you say you've been doing most of your overeating?

Claira · Post by **Claira** » Thu Oct 04, 2012 11:41 am

Hello All,
I am newbie recently join this community!Hope i will stay here longer and get all my quires resolved here@

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Thu Oct 04, 2012 6:03 pm

Hi, Clara. WElcome! Browse the boards. There's a lot of great stuff here. The stickies are especially good, but the general discussion board gets repeat questions all the time. It might be worth it to look over the last few months of input, even if it's a little time-consuming. Not all the contributors keep up all the time answering new posts. Consider starting your own daily check-in on the other board and try following a few people there. If you make a few comments, you'll likely get a few people following you, too.