Happy New Year Everyone!
I can't decide whether or not to give No S a final last try for my New Year's Resolution OR to finally give up dieting for ever and tell myself I'm hot anyway.
I recently read an article by a women who said she didn't want to be 70 and still hating herself and her body every day. So she moved to New York (a long held dream of hers) and stopped beating herself up all the time. She hasn't lost any weight but looks great! What do you guys think?
2009 - I can't decide!
Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating
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gingercake
- Posts: 110
- Joined: Fri May 30, 2008 5:19 am
- Location: western U.S.
In my experience:
Letting go for awhile can be a really great thing. I find that I come back to some guidelines when I'm ready and have given my psyche a break from thinking about it all the time. No decision is necessarily permanent, so giving yourself some time off doesn't mean throwing all babies & bathwater out forever. Try it and see how it feels.
Letting go for awhile can be a really great thing. I find that I come back to some guidelines when I'm ready and have given my psyche a break from thinking about it all the time. No decision is necessarily permanent, so giving yourself some time off doesn't mean throwing all babies & bathwater out forever. Try it and see how it feels.
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Hungry Girl
- Posts: 69
- Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:28 pm
Also, the two are not mutually exclusive if you think of No-S as a bundle of good habits rather than a diet.
I have BOTH worked on No-S AND come to the realization that I need to accept myself as I am. (See my "five pounds less" light bulb moment, which I think is on my testimonial page).
But if you do have to choose right now, listen to Gingercakes' wisdom.
I have BOTH worked on No-S AND come to the realization that I need to accept myself as I am. (See my "five pounds less" light bulb moment, which I think is on my testimonial page).
But if you do have to choose right now, listen to Gingercakes' wisdom.
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Hungry Girl
- Posts: 69
- Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:28 pm
Testimonial
Hi KCCC! Thanks....I never even found the Testimonial page before and yours is a great one. I am sitting here at my computer because I am stuffed with mince pies! It's still Christmas OK Boxing day for me because I am English and that's what we do at Christmas!
Have you ever heard about anyone using a jumpstart for NO S - for about a week?
Christine
Have you ever heard about anyone using a jumpstart for NO S - for about a week?
Christine
Here we go again!
Reply to Satisfied Girl
This is my first post ever on a discussion board and I may mess it up. I just wanted to tell "Satisfied Girl" to not think of this plan as a diet. I know that is in the title, but as we all know a diet is something that you do go off of. I am not 70 yet, but I am over 60, and I am still learning. I have been on diets for over 40 years and for two years now I have been working on "normal" eating. And yes, I have gained weight. But not as much as the usual rebound after getting off of a diet plan. This No S Plan is the best I have found for learning to eat normally. Eventually we should be able to do the S days during the week, but if not, at least we are learning about hunger and fullness and to eat what we really want. Learning to wait until the next meal is so hard isn't it? So my advice would be to not get into the either/or way of thinking (believe me I have lived there). Try to let go of the guilt and think of this as a process that we can learn. Just think how many of us there are who are on the journey. I would not want to be part of a group where everyone was successful 100%! But that doesn't mean we have to have 100% or nothing.
Anyway, I hope to learn how to use this sight so that I can be accountable, too. And I need all of you to help me along the way.
Anyway, I hope to learn how to use this sight so that I can be accountable, too. And I need all of you to help me along the way.
I second KCCC's suggestion... you can work both on accepting your body and establishing or maintaining good eating habits.
Although I like to think of myself as a successful No-esser, my body is still quite fat and not in a "curvy" way either (think big tummy pouch, waist larger than hips, with cellulite, and a small chest to boot). My current eating and exercising habits have not yielded any progress on my body shape for the past six months. No-essing is still difficult sometimes (especially the day after a NWS day, like Friday 26 December
).
And yet... what on earth would I do if I quit NoS? going back to snacks, sweets and seconds on N days just isn't an option (gross!). Going back to agonizing daily about what I should or should not eat would be like willingly plunging into a nightmare - with a huge risk of gaining back the weight I lost. And I am NOT taking up any diet-diet and risking my health just to look better.
NoS, by itself, is not perfect, and it may not give a perfect body to everyone who follows it, but it does give a handle on life and a sense of security. But perhaps one needs to somewhat let go of the weight loss expectations to reach that stage?
Although I like to think of myself as a successful No-esser, my body is still quite fat and not in a "curvy" way either (think big tummy pouch, waist larger than hips, with cellulite, and a small chest to boot). My current eating and exercising habits have not yielded any progress on my body shape for the past six months. No-essing is still difficult sometimes (especially the day after a NWS day, like Friday 26 December
). And yet... what on earth would I do if I quit NoS? going back to snacks, sweets and seconds on N days just isn't an option (gross!). Going back to agonizing daily about what I should or should not eat would be like willingly plunging into a nightmare - with a huge risk of gaining back the weight I lost. And I am NOT taking up any diet-diet and risking my health just to look better.
NoS, by itself, is not perfect, and it may not give a perfect body to everyone who follows it, but it does give a handle on life and a sense of security. But perhaps one needs to somewhat let go of the weight loss expectations to reach that stage?
Started NoS Jan 07 at 74.5kg (164 lbs, BMI 26.7)
Stable since Jan 08 at 64kg (141 lbs, BMI 23)
My progress chart
Stable since Jan 08 at 64kg (141 lbs, BMI 23)
My progress chart
I say neither -- and both. And I'm not JUST being sophistically evasive.
I say "neither" because new year's resolutions almost invariable falter by late January. I have a friend who's been teaching a boxing class at a new york city gym for years and he says it's astonishing how short the burst of resolution fueled enthusiasm usually is -- about two weeks. Then it's the usual crowd again until spring, when there's a second short lived annual panic about being able to fit into bathing suits in time for summer. If you want to make resolutions, a month is a much better time frame.
I say "both" because, as others have pointed out here in this thread, no-s isn't a diet in the conventional sense. It's about eating moderately. That's a good thing to do no matter how much or little you weigh, and is perfectly compatible with accepting yourself "as you are." In fact, I think it's a big help. Instead of setting arbitrary, possibly unattainable, almost certainly unsustainable weight loss goals, you just eat moderately and see what happens. In a way, you discover "who you are."
It's possible that the no-s rules in their "orthodox" form might not be the way for you personally to get yourself to eat moderately. But I wouldn't ditch that larger goal.
Reinhard
I say "neither" because new year's resolutions almost invariable falter by late January. I have a friend who's been teaching a boxing class at a new york city gym for years and he says it's astonishing how short the burst of resolution fueled enthusiasm usually is -- about two weeks. Then it's the usual crowd again until spring, when there's a second short lived annual panic about being able to fit into bathing suits in time for summer. If you want to make resolutions, a month is a much better time frame.
I say "both" because, as others have pointed out here in this thread, no-s isn't a diet in the conventional sense. It's about eating moderately. That's a good thing to do no matter how much or little you weigh, and is perfectly compatible with accepting yourself "as you are." In fact, I think it's a big help. Instead of setting arbitrary, possibly unattainable, almost certainly unsustainable weight loss goals, you just eat moderately and see what happens. In a way, you discover "who you are."
It's possible that the no-s rules in their "orthodox" form might not be the way for you personally to get yourself to eat moderately. But I wouldn't ditch that larger goal.
Reinhard
In terms of being happy with my body, NoS has been a huge help. For years I struggled with my body image, and only after starting NoS realized that a lot of the body hate I had was due to conventional dieting. When I ate too much or didn't eat the right thing, I thought of myself as an ugly fat cow, and when I ate the right thing I thought I was thin and pretty... even though most of the time my weight only fluctuated by 10 lbs at the most, between 120 and 130, which isn't heavy at all. Now on NoS, though, I have developed eating habits that are healthy for my body AND my mind. It's not a diet in the same sense as other diets. It's a complete change in habit, that once you become accustomed to, seems completely normal. You will slowly lose weight while still enjoying reasonable amounts of the foods you might crave, all while finding satisfaction with your body image. It really is a win-win situation!
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Hungry Girl
- Posts: 69
- Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:28 pm
Giving Up
Hi Everyone!
Thanks for all your help and support. I am giving up dieting for my New Year's Resolution. Have started already actually and I swear I eat less when I just allow myself to forget dieting and weight issues. My brain is so messed up with dieting on and off for so many years. I know that No S isn't really a diet, but to me it still imposes things that don't quite work with my life. (On a simple level I'll skip a snack only to overeat later in the day)...that sort of thing.
I actually feel better already...Thanks again to everyone.
Signing off
Satisfied Girl
Thanks for all your help and support. I am giving up dieting for my New Year's Resolution. Have started already actually and I swear I eat less when I just allow myself to forget dieting and weight issues. My brain is so messed up with dieting on and off for so many years. I know that No S isn't really a diet, but to me it still imposes things that don't quite work with my life. (On a simple level I'll skip a snack only to overeat later in the day)...that sort of thing.
I actually feel better already...Thanks again to everyone.
Signing off
Satisfied Girl
Here we go again!
Satisfied Girl,
I did that. It's the recommended approach from Intuitive Eating. After six months, I was up 10 pounds. When you return to the forum, I can fill you in. I think the Intuitive Eating approach does work in the long run, but I would guess I'd be obese about 10 years before I actually lost weight. What convinced me to look for something else was tingling in my hands, a sign of diabetes.
This is from my journal of May 15th in which I started to recognize the importance of three meals per day:
"This morning, I woke up at about 4:30 AM because two of the fingers in my right hand were numb. Great. This is a sign of diabetes, and I have to have a physical in less than a month in order to be able to attend the family camp at Boy Scouts. What to do?
I got up to think and to have some coffee. I gave up coffee on May 1 but ended up with several days of coffee before deciding to have one pot only of coffee. Yesterday, I was so busy that I only had about ½ the pot.
I was running all day – orthodontic appointment, volunteer Mass and get-together afterwards, a trip to Creative Kidstuff for a birthday present for Katie today, a trip to Schmitt to pick up Tommy’s trombone, exercise, a trip to pick up Katie from school because she had Cheer Squad, a telephone meeting of the study group for IIBA, two soccer practices… All kids needed showers or baths, homework needed to be done… On top of that, we had an electrician here all day, and he sent me to get some parts.
I ate when I had the chance. I asked myself “Am I being immoderate?â€, and the answer was “Yes.†I didn’t take time to think about it but only took advantage of the time available to eat. There wasn’t time to finish my pot of coffee
This morning, I knew my weight would be up, and it was. I thought about “setpoint†and realized it was nothing more than “bad habit.†I am in the bad habit of eating a large amount of food, just like I am in the habit of drinking coffee. My attempt to give up coffee led to migraine headaches and a return to coffee, just like my attempts at weight loss have led to a return to my original weight or higher.
What to do? The “Novena Diet†– nine days of dieting followed by a month of maintenance – was my most successful approach to weight loss because I maintained a low weight for most of the time between college and my first pregnancy. I had a strict accounting of 1,000 calories per day, but in recent years I have not lasted even one day in trying to return to that.
It occurred to me that my goal has shifted somewhat over recent weeks. I recognize that my “hunger meter is brokenâ€, as was stated in the tapes by the authors of Intuitive Eating. I live in a world in which three meals is the norm. Maybe I can start with three meals per day – three platefuls per day – for nine days. Because that approach is so mild, I think I’ll give myself a break of nine days before going on another Novena Diet. Nine days on, nine days off, and nine days on brings me to about the time I have my physical, which I dread. I don’t want to be diagnosed as diabetic, but I also don’t want to be dieting until the physical and then just rebound after it. This is an approach that has some potential for a person whose experience of hunger is so limited that I only occasionally recognize any sign of hunger How sad that I have gotten to this point."
When I read about No S in September, I recognized in No S what I was starting to figure out on my own -- the need for breaks in dieting, and the importance of three meals per day.
Kathleen
I did that. It's the recommended approach from Intuitive Eating. After six months, I was up 10 pounds. When you return to the forum, I can fill you in. I think the Intuitive Eating approach does work in the long run, but I would guess I'd be obese about 10 years before I actually lost weight. What convinced me to look for something else was tingling in my hands, a sign of diabetes.
This is from my journal of May 15th in which I started to recognize the importance of three meals per day:
"This morning, I woke up at about 4:30 AM because two of the fingers in my right hand were numb. Great. This is a sign of diabetes, and I have to have a physical in less than a month in order to be able to attend the family camp at Boy Scouts. What to do?
I got up to think and to have some coffee. I gave up coffee on May 1 but ended up with several days of coffee before deciding to have one pot only of coffee. Yesterday, I was so busy that I only had about ½ the pot.
I was running all day – orthodontic appointment, volunteer Mass and get-together afterwards, a trip to Creative Kidstuff for a birthday present for Katie today, a trip to Schmitt to pick up Tommy’s trombone, exercise, a trip to pick up Katie from school because she had Cheer Squad, a telephone meeting of the study group for IIBA, two soccer practices… All kids needed showers or baths, homework needed to be done… On top of that, we had an electrician here all day, and he sent me to get some parts.
I ate when I had the chance. I asked myself “Am I being immoderate?â€, and the answer was “Yes.†I didn’t take time to think about it but only took advantage of the time available to eat. There wasn’t time to finish my pot of coffee
This morning, I knew my weight would be up, and it was. I thought about “setpoint†and realized it was nothing more than “bad habit.†I am in the bad habit of eating a large amount of food, just like I am in the habit of drinking coffee. My attempt to give up coffee led to migraine headaches and a return to coffee, just like my attempts at weight loss have led to a return to my original weight or higher.
What to do? The “Novena Diet†– nine days of dieting followed by a month of maintenance – was my most successful approach to weight loss because I maintained a low weight for most of the time between college and my first pregnancy. I had a strict accounting of 1,000 calories per day, but in recent years I have not lasted even one day in trying to return to that.
It occurred to me that my goal has shifted somewhat over recent weeks. I recognize that my “hunger meter is brokenâ€, as was stated in the tapes by the authors of Intuitive Eating. I live in a world in which three meals is the norm. Maybe I can start with three meals per day – three platefuls per day – for nine days. Because that approach is so mild, I think I’ll give myself a break of nine days before going on another Novena Diet. Nine days on, nine days off, and nine days on brings me to about the time I have my physical, which I dread. I don’t want to be diagnosed as diabetic, but I also don’t want to be dieting until the physical and then just rebound after it. This is an approach that has some potential for a person whose experience of hunger is so limited that I only occasionally recognize any sign of hunger How sad that I have gotten to this point."
When I read about No S in September, I recognized in No S what I was starting to figure out on my own -- the need for breaks in dieting, and the importance of three meals per day.
Kathleen