What's the toughest S for you?
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What's the toughest S for you?
I thought mine was sweets. Even though I definitely had a problem with snacking and portion size (aka "seconds"), I've always had a vicious sweet tooth, so I thought that would be the hardest part about No-S for me. However, I realized yesterday that one of the biggest challenges for me is not to "pick" (as my husband calls it) while standing and preparing food. I'm not exaggerating when I say that it's almost a compulsion. God knows how many calories I used to consume while standing and cooking my food. If I'm slicing some cheese, I'll bet for every two slices, I eat a slice. If I'm cutting a loaf of bread, I'll break off a hunk and eat it (sometimes, with butter). Of course, I realized that this was a issue, but I guess I never realized how much of an issue it was until No-S.
The sweets are controllable as long as they're not in the house. If they're in the house, then I'm constantly thinking about them. The eating-while-standing problem will be a tougher nut to crack.
So what S is your biggest challenge?
The sweets are controllable as long as they're not in the house. If they're in the house, then I'm constantly thinking about them. The eating-while-standing problem will be a tougher nut to crack.
So what S is your biggest challenge?
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- Posts: 461
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Well, get this Nicole.
My husband is recovering from serious vascular surgery - has lost weight - and has been ORDERED to have a malt or milkshake every night (mixed with EnsurePlus which is actually pretty good, they even have ButterPecan flavor).
So, here I am every night saying, What kind of milkshake do you want?
And not even licking the spoon...
My husband is recovering from serious vascular surgery - has lost weight - and has been ORDERED to have a malt or milkshake every night (mixed with EnsurePlus which is actually pretty good, they even have ButterPecan flavor).
So, here I am every night saying, What kind of milkshake do you want?
And not even licking the spoon...
- gratefuldeb67
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Ohhhh....ice cream, my serious downfall! Can't ever keep it in the house! We go out to Dairy Queen, Cold Stone, or a local establishment that makes excellent homemade ice cream and have a cone or sometimes a Blizzard or sundae - most always on Sunday afternoon. My hubby has been doing this for almost every Sunday that we've been married, and that's a long time (I was a child bride )
Sweets are my other downfall (but I guess ice cream is considered a sweet too, isn't it?). I used to eat sweets following my meals (except for breakfast) and sweets as snacks and sometimes sweets AS meals - candy bar for lunch, etc. Not good! But, glad to report that I am not doing any of that these days - except on S days, and then I try to eat the sweets with a meal - NOT as a snack or as a meal!
Mimi
Sweets are my other downfall (but I guess ice cream is considered a sweet too, isn't it?). I used to eat sweets following my meals (except for breakfast) and sweets as snacks and sometimes sweets AS meals - candy bar for lunch, etc. Not good! But, glad to report that I am not doing any of that these days - except on S days, and then I try to eat the sweets with a meal - NOT as a snack or as a meal!
Mimi
Discovered NoS: April 16, 2007
Restarted once again: July 14, 2011
Quitting is not an option...
If you start to slip, tie a knot and hang on!
Remember that good enough is... good enough.
Strive for progress, not perfection!
Restarted once again: July 14, 2011
Quitting is not an option...
If you start to slip, tie a knot and hang on!
Remember that good enough is... good enough.
Strive for progress, not perfection!
I'd have to say sweets, especially cookies (I can leave ice cream alone except for a serving or two during the summer).
The funny thing is I was doing some math re: how much sugar in each cookie and realized that most of the cookies I make have very little sugar per cookie -- less than many of us use in our tea or coffee.
The funny thing is I was doing some math re: how much sugar in each cookie and realized that most of the cookies I make have very little sugar per cookie -- less than many of us use in our tea or coffee.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
In my case, no question: snacks, snacks, snacks! I had no problem with the sweets at all, that just isn't my biggest weakness. As long as I can have some ice-cream or a cookie on the weekend if I want them, that's plenty for me. The seconds haven't been hard, as long as I make sure my meals are filling.
But it took weeks before I stopped craving something to eat after dinner! It didn't have to be "dessert,' but it was SO HARD not to have a piece of fruit or a bowl of cereal or popcorn or yogurt and honey or some nuts while relaxing at night. That was a really ingrained habit for me, and I sometimes ate ridiculous quantities of food after dinner. If we had anything sweet or snacky around, that's when I would eat it.
But it took weeks before I stopped craving something to eat after dinner! It didn't have to be "dessert,' but it was SO HARD not to have a piece of fruit or a bowl of cereal or popcorn or yogurt and honey or some nuts while relaxing at night. That was a really ingrained habit for me, and I sometimes ate ridiculous quantities of food after dinner. If we had anything sweet or snacky around, that's when I would eat it.
mimi wrote:Ohhhh....ice cream, my serious downfall! Can't ever keep it in the house! We go out to Dairy Queen, Cold Stone, or a local establishment that makes excellent homemade ice cream and have a cone or sometimes a Blizzard or sundae - most always on Sunday afternoon. My hubby has been doing this for almost every Sunday that we've been married, and that's a long time (I was a child bride )
Sweets are my other downfall (but I guess ice cream is considered a sweet too, isn't it?). I used to eat sweets following my meals (except for breakfast) and sweets as snacks and sometimes sweets AS meals - candy bar for lunch, etc. Not good! But, glad to report that I am not doing any of that these days - except on S days, and then I try to eat the sweets with a meal - NOT as a snack or as a meal!
Mimi
I used to go on Dairy Queen runs for my hubby and me all the time. I've told him straight up this season: I am not going to Dairy Queen runs, don't even try to convince me. I basically put my foot down. Not even on my high calorie days. If he wants one, he can get one himself. A blizzard has a ridiculous amount of calories. Ridiculous!!! I'd rather have a 200 calorie scoop of Edy's at home than an 800+ calorie Blizzard. I'd not keep ice cream in the house at all, except Justin loves it, so I don't have much choice :/ But that's all we buy as far as sweets. I don't keep cookies and cake on hand or other junky foods. He keeps Wheat Thins and Cheese Nips around to snack on but I'm not tempted by them too much- blaaah.
"Anyone can cook." ~ Chef Gusteau, Ratatouille
Another ice-cream lover here. I mean, what's not to like: It's got sweet and fat all in one! Also, I like to try all the "weird" flavors ("weird" to my husband who likes plain chocolate or strawberry). My current favorite is Ben & Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie Chunk. If you're an ice-cream fiend like me and haven't tried it, I'm not sure I'd recommend that you do: It's tough to resist.
But why oh why am I describing this on a Thursday!
But why oh why am I describing this on a Thursday!
- butterfly1000
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- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 1:37 pm
Sweets as snacks is my big problem (so it's actually 2 problems). At first, when I had a snack on a non S day, it ended up turning into a free for all day because the day was red anyways. Then I thought that if I let a healthy snack be yellow, I would be less tempted to eat sweets because it would turn the day red. It worked for a few days, but recently the snacks have turned into sweets and I've gone totally out of control again .
At this point, I'm with Vmelo - the biggest issue for me is what WW used to call BLT's - "bites, licks, and tastes." They can really add up if you're the family cook and table-clearer.
However, a little tasting IS necessary at times when you cook. So my rule of thumb is to question every taste. ("Is there really something here I need to know?" If I can't answer that with something like "yes, I'm checking to see if the spices are correct," then it's not a taste.) I also use a tiny spoon - like a 1/2 tsp measuring spoon.
Still, this is what gets me the most. That, and licking the spoon after I use it to put away leftovers, that kind of thing. Hard habits to change.
However, a little tasting IS necessary at times when you cook. So my rule of thumb is to question every taste. ("Is there really something here I need to know?" If I can't answer that with something like "yes, I'm checking to see if the spices are correct," then it's not a taste.) I also use a tiny spoon - like a 1/2 tsp measuring spoon.
Still, this is what gets me the most. That, and licking the spoon after I use it to put away leftovers, that kind of thing. Hard habits to change.
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If you aren't essentially eating another serving (which I have been known to do, alas - and others here have reported the same), it may not matter.StrawberryRoan wrote:So does having to know if crispy fried potatoes taste yummy count?
Or would I have to actually be checking to see if they were cooked?
I just had to set personal guidelines because this is an area where I can easily end up doing "seconds" without noticing.
I'm with ya on what I call "snitching" while I cook for everyone. That's the ultimate S for me! As I calculated on my daily check in back at the end of March, I had innocently been snitching and honestly thought I had a good day. I was going to call it a green day! I was upset that I wasn't seeing results, then I thought about it and realized I was snitching a bit... so I calculated... A 2015 calorie huge snitch I'd say!! Duh! I now take seriously absolutely every bite!
As for the icecream... my hubby has it most nights too. He does have it in the other room so I don't have to see it, but I still hear the spoon tinkling in the bowl.
As for the icecream... my hubby has it most nights too. He does have it in the other room so I don't have to see it, but I still hear the spoon tinkling in the bowl.
I guess this doesn't work unless you actually do it.
Please pray for me
Please pray for me
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- gratefuldeb67
- Posts: 6256
- Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
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No!!!! They don't!!!reinhard wrote:Social pressure is the only s that gets me these days.
But even that is rare (having a book out is a great excuse -- do they really want me to be a hypocrite?).
Reinhard
You are one of the only true "Gurus" I actually follow who really lives up to his own high (yet attainable) standards.
Debs
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness
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Couldn't agree more! I don't have an issue with sweets, and am doing fine on seconds now that I know how much to eat at each meal, but it's taken a long time to get accustomed to not having snacks. For the most part, I realize now, my snacks were mindless, pointless eating, so I'm glad to be rid of them, but it was a tough thing to overcome.Thalia wrote:In my case, no question: snacks, snacks, snacks!
When I was beginning, that was the hardest for me as well. Had to phase in that habit gradually - cutting all but the one REALLY hard one, limiting the snacks for that, then gradually cutting that one.winnie96 wrote:Couldn't agree more! I don't have an issue with sweets, and am doing fine on seconds now that I know how much to eat at each meal, but it's taken a long time to get accustomed to not having snacks. For the most part, I realize now, my snacks were mindless, pointless eating, so I'm glad to be rid of them, but it was a tough thing to overcome.Thalia wrote:In my case, no question: snacks, snacks, snacks!
But for me, it's also the one habit that has made the BIGGEST difference. Which is why I'm very much an advocate of vanilla No-S... if I put in mods to allow myself a bit extra here or there ("the apple I saved from lunch"), I KNOW from experience that I'm setting myself up to fail. (YMMV, of course.)
When I first started no S I remember thinking that snacks were the hard part, but as I look back, they kind of all blended together with my snitching... just a continual eat...eat. I can say that the 'snack' part has gotten way better with time. It's all mindless munching.
I guess this doesn't work unless you actually do it.
Please pray for me
Please pray for me
No Sweets is extremely simple for me on N days. I'd already built that habit.
I'd have to say no snacks. On work days, I already had the habit of small breakfast then reasonable lunch with nothing in between.
But I'm always ravenously hungry by the time I get home (usually stop at the gym on the way). And I basically chew on anything/drink copious water to tide me over until dinner.
I guess no seconds is a little hard, too. Not so much no seconds, but just keeping my serving size small enough to basically fit on a plate while also trying to eat enough so that I don't snack any more that night.
I'd have to say no snacks. On work days, I already had the habit of small breakfast then reasonable lunch with nothing in between.
But I'm always ravenously hungry by the time I get home (usually stop at the gym on the way). And I basically chew on anything/drink copious water to tide me over until dinner.
I guess no seconds is a little hard, too. Not so much no seconds, but just keeping my serving size small enough to basically fit on a plate while also trying to eat enough so that I don't snack any more that night.
Snacking. It gives me something to do when I'm bored, comfort when I'm lonely or anxious.
Sweets- I cannot keep cookies or ice cream in the house. I feel bad for my kids that they don't have any sweets for each day, but otheriwse I eat it too!
Sweets- I cannot keep cookies or ice cream in the house. I feel bad for my kids that they don't have any sweets for each day, but otheriwse I eat it too!
{FarmerHal} ...previously Shamrockmommy...
Vanilla NoS... Making good habits.
Restart 12/2015, size 22
3/2016 size 18
1/2018 size 18
Vanilla NoS... Making good habits.
Restart 12/2015, size 22
3/2016 size 18
1/2018 size 18
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- gratefuldeb67
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Yeah I totally agree with Marianna and Strawberry!!!
You are doing something good for all of you Tiffany.
You shouldn't feel bad.
My Son seems to gain weight when *I* slack off of NoS, and when I am good on it he follows my example.. Believe me, if you don't want your kids to be overweight somewhere down the line, you don't want them to have sweets everyday now.
Debs
You are doing something good for all of you Tiffany.
You shouldn't feel bad.
My Son seems to gain weight when *I* slack off of NoS, and when I am good on it he follows my example.. Believe me, if you don't want your kids to be overweight somewhere down the line, you don't want them to have sweets everyday now.
Debs
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness