Hello NO S people.
I am sitting here at my computer at 1:40 in the morning. I am wondering how I got here? I stepped on my scale the other day....I weigh 164.6 pounds. What?! I remembered reading about this plan. I am hoping that it plus exercise will help me. I have had an extremely stressful year! I kind of let the stress get the better of me. I ate just about everything even knowing that I would feel like crap afterward. I've read that we should think back to a time when we felt we looked our best. When I was about 25 I weighed 135 pounds. I looked really good...not super skinny but healthy and fit. Do you think it is possible to get back to that? I am almost 40 and I have had babies. Maybe it's a dream, but it could still be a nice goal to aim for. Besides the weight, I am sort of tired of being a garbage disposal. Just eating junk because it is there or because someone offered it to me. I need help. I almost want to cry thinking about how I have let myself go.
I welcome any words of advice or encouragement.
How did I get here?
Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating
Re: How did I get here?
Hi MsJ, welcome, and sorry you're in such a tough spot. Stress is a killer for eating for me too.
No S plus exercise absolutely can help you feel healthier, and saner and more in charge around food. If you are overeating and not exercising, then learning to eat and exercise moderately will also mean you end up at a lower weight.
Will you end up at the weight you were 15 years ago pre-kids? No idea. If keeping that goal in mind motivates you, go for it. But focus on winning at the process (eating and exercising moderately), rather than the end result. I've used No S to get back to my mid-30's pre-baby weight, not my mid-20's weight. And even so, I don't look the same as I did 15 years ago - child bearing, breast feeding and gravity have all had some influence.
But I do feel happy in my skin, and I know am being kind to my body by treating myself to 3 moderate meals a day and the occasional S. You deserve that - you deserve to stop feeling like a dumping ground for junk.
Good luck!
No S plus exercise absolutely can help you feel healthier, and saner and more in charge around food. If you are overeating and not exercising, then learning to eat and exercise moderately will also mean you end up at a lower weight.
Will you end up at the weight you were 15 years ago pre-kids? No idea. If keeping that goal in mind motivates you, go for it. But focus on winning at the process (eating and exercising moderately), rather than the end result. I've used No S to get back to my mid-30's pre-baby weight, not my mid-20's weight. And even so, I don't look the same as I did 15 years ago - child bearing, breast feeding and gravity have all had some influence.
But I do feel happy in my skin, and I know am being kind to my body by treating myself to 3 moderate meals a day and the occasional S. You deserve that - you deserve to stop feeling like a dumping ground for junk.
Good luck!
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catservant
- Posts: 89
- Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2012 4:02 pm
I know that feeling OH SO WELL, and am right there with you. I can only think that any structure (3 meals a day) and moderation (1 plate per meal) will at the very least give you some peace. I also tend to be a stress eater, a boredom eater, a happiness eater...you name it, I can find an excuse for it to make me eat! I haven't been at this long, and certainly not without setbacks and faltering. When I am on track with it, though, I feel so much better both physically and mentally. My body appreciates not being crammed full with the huge volume of food, and my mind loves being at peace. I don't know what your final results will be, but my experience is that the peace of mind is more important than the number on the scale.
Thanks catservant, ironchef.
It is good to know that someone understands.
I am looking forward to peace of mind. I did not understand how much stress can affect our bodies until recently. Don't want to be in this place anymore.
I have been reading through the daily check ins. tt is interesting to see how people have made this plan work. I think I will begin my check in today.
It is good to know that someone understands.
I am looking forward to peace of mind. I did not understand how much stress can affect our bodies until recently. Don't want to be in this place anymore.
I have been reading through the daily check ins. tt is interesting to see how people have made this plan work. I think I will begin my check in today.
Just want to reiterate to try to focus on moderate behaviors and the good feelings that come from them whether there is weight loss or not. The focus on weighing a certain amount rather than on living a sustainable way has been, in my opinion, one of the major mistakes of modern times.
And PLEASE try to keep things in perspective. We are talking of only 20 or 30 lbs. I know it's all relative, but instilling oneself with any sense of panic is actually counterproductive. Calm, thoughtful determination and a spirit of curiosity go a lot longer.
Think also of being a great model of moderation and enjoyment of food for your children. Children growing up around an adult with an erratic attitude toward food can adopt a lot of problems. Slim cultures have slim habits that they pass on. We have to be purposeful about it in the U.S. but we can create our own little havens of food sanity. It's probably all most of us can do.
And PLEASE try to keep things in perspective. We are talking of only 20 or 30 lbs. I know it's all relative, but instilling oneself with any sense of panic is actually counterproductive. Calm, thoughtful determination and a spirit of curiosity go a lot longer.
Think also of being a great model of moderation and enjoyment of food for your children. Children growing up around an adult with an erratic attitude toward food can adopt a lot of problems. Slim cultures have slim habits that they pass on. We have to be purposeful about it in the U.S. but we can create our own little havens of food sanity. It's probably all most of us can do.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23
There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23
There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)
Thanks oolala for that reminder.
One would think that just allowing oneself to eat 3 decent meals each day would be very liberating. It should be quite easy to only focus on 3 meals instead of eating or nibbling all day long while feeling guilty. Strangely I have found that my mind is in overdrive now trying to decide what those 3 meals will be. "Do I really want this?" "Is that healthy?" "Hmm...if I eat that I won't be satisfied."
I am not sure how to turn it off.
One would think that just allowing oneself to eat 3 decent meals each day would be very liberating. It should be quite easy to only focus on 3 meals instead of eating or nibbling all day long while feeling guilty. Strangely I have found that my mind is in overdrive now trying to decide what those 3 meals will be. "Do I really want this?" "Is that healthy?" "Hmm...if I eat that I won't be satisfied."
I am not sure how to turn it off.
Unfortunately, there isn't an off switch, especially if (like me) you've spent a lot of years dabbling in various diets. Your brain is used to spending a fair bit of energy thinking about food, and will take a while to stop. But with time, it will fade away, especially if you make an effort to focus on all the rest of life, all the important stuff that happens between meals.
I slowly got used to No S after a life time of calorie counting, mini-meals and snacking. Sometimes I misjudged and ate a meal that left me very hungry hours before the next one. Sometimes I ate meals too early or late and got very hungry in between. I learned to "sit with" that type of hunger for a few hours (and it normally fades in and out, especially if I'm busy) and over time understand how to put meals together and run my day so that I'm just "nicely peckish" for an hour or so before each meal.
Eventually, I worked out a bunch of "intelligent dietary defaults" as Reinhard calls them. That is, default meals I eat often, that don't take any thought and that are relatively ok for you. For example, my breakfast is almost always rolled oat porridge made with full cream milk, with some fruit (e.g. blueberries and raisins) and a dollop of peanut butter. I don't have to think about it, and I know from experience that it will hold me until lunchtime.
I would suggest getting rid of the "Is this healthy?" question, at least for now and just focus on enjoying your plate of savoury food and racking up lots of green N days. The "healthy" question is so confusing anyway, every month there seems to be a new piece of research. If after a few months on habit you then want to focus on eating more veggies or more homecooking or whatever, cool.
I slowly got used to No S after a life time of calorie counting, mini-meals and snacking. Sometimes I misjudged and ate a meal that left me very hungry hours before the next one. Sometimes I ate meals too early or late and got very hungry in between. I learned to "sit with" that type of hunger for a few hours (and it normally fades in and out, especially if I'm busy) and over time understand how to put meals together and run my day so that I'm just "nicely peckish" for an hour or so before each meal.
Eventually, I worked out a bunch of "intelligent dietary defaults" as Reinhard calls them. That is, default meals I eat often, that don't take any thought and that are relatively ok for you. For example, my breakfast is almost always rolled oat porridge made with full cream milk, with some fruit (e.g. blueberries and raisins) and a dollop of peanut butter. I don't have to think about it, and I know from experience that it will hold me until lunchtime.
I would suggest getting rid of the "Is this healthy?" question, at least for now and just focus on enjoying your plate of savoury food and racking up lots of green N days. The "healthy" question is so confusing anyway, every month there seems to be a new piece of research. If after a few months on habit you then want to focus on eating more veggies or more homecooking or whatever, cool.
ironchef, thank you so much! Everything you said makes so much sense. I have dabbled with lots of diets. Every meal is a battle in my mind because I am worried I am breaking some rule that is going to make be get fatter. I am going to try your suggestion and get rid of the "Is this healthy?" question for now. I will just eat a meal that I know I enjoy and that won't leave me starving.
Thank you...really!
Thank you...really!