A slippery slope

[ShannahR]

Hi everyone!
I'm going to my fiance's sister's wedding in at the end of Apri in Costa Rica! I'm excited of course, but I'm a little bit worried about it's effect on sticking to No S...but probably not for the reason you think. At the beginning of this year I decided to try to get my eating habbits under control and turned to No S to help me with that. I decided to stick to No S for 3 months and then evaluate whether it was a good system for me. At the end of January I had lost weight and I felt much better overall and about food so I decided to stick with it and when I stopped losing weight in a few months, I would start some "shovelglove-like" exercise.

However, now the wedding is approaching and the thought of wearing a bathingsuit has gotten me a little bit nervous. I'm starting to think that I should begin to add some more exercise (I already walk at least 30 min/day). Of course I'd like to look my best in the dresses/swimsuits/shorts etc that I'll wear in Costa Rica.

The only thing is I'm getting a weird feeling about it. It seems like it could start me down a slippery slope where I'm dieting and exercising for other people rather than for me. And if I start with this addition, will I then start adding more mods and restrictions which I will justify by saying that it's "for the wedding?" Additionally, what about after the wedding? If I start adding all these things on to look good for it, will I just stop everything afterwards possibly including No S which I really like?

I don't know if this rant made much sense but the bottom line of what I'm trying to say is do you think it's okay to add some modifications to get ready for an event, or do you think it's better to just stay the course and remind yourself that getting healthy is the most important thing, not what you look like in a swimsuit?

[gratefuldeb67]

I say, find something you will enjoy sticking with after the event too and use it to your advantage in both ways.. Just let the Wedding be the spark to light your fire to begin exercising, but mentally gear up to keep exercising for the rest of your life. If you are considering "extreme" exercise, then I'd have to say, don't bother..
It's amazing what 14 minutes of non stop moving can do for you. Try doing 14 mins straight of traditional floor exercises, like squats and situps.. You'll work up a sweat for sure.
Good for you for walking every day.
Mainly just do something you know you'll enjoy sticking with and let the Wedding be the little "push" in the right direction
I haven't exercised much at all.. Time to start taking my own advice!
Debs

[Starla]

I think you should trust your instincts. Add more exercise, if you like, but stick with No S. Do you really want to give up something that's working for you? In two months you will have lost even more weight and feel even better, and you can enjoy the wedding and the trip without making it all about what you're eating or not eating.

Congratulations! It sounds as if you're doing very well so far!

[wosnes]

I'm with Starla.

[gratefuldeb67]

I don't think she is considering giving up on NoS, but rather, adding more exercise *especially* for the wedding, and kind of calling that a "mod"...

[RJLupin]

Walking for 30 minutes a day is good, but it's not really enough to get a full workout. I would definitely add weights of some kind, and maybe bump up your time to an hour on the walking or do something more vigorous. This is stuff you should be doing anyway, but it doesn't hurt that it will also improve your appearance for the wedding.

[sophiasapientia]

I agree with what many of the others have said. Stay the course with No S and perhaps bump up the exercise a bit.

[donnao]

i get the feeling that you are asking if overexercising and restricting your food, even within the context of No S will be harmful...

as a recoverED bulimic i can share with you my experience in this area:

any time i start restricting my food and over exercising, it will inevitably
lead to period of uncontrolled binging and sloth..

when i say restricting- i mean tiny , frozen dinner size portions, cutting out food groups ( like wheat)

when i say overexercising, i mean exercise that exceeds 60 to 90 minutes daily.. with 90 minutes being 1 yoga session, not 90 minutes of running


excessive exercise, especially weight lifting, for me, triggers uncontrolled
appetite and weight gain. My body type is Pitta (mesomorph) and i bulk up quickly


this is what i have found to work for me: for toning i do yoga and pilates,
i aim for 3 times a week ( ie- 2 yoga and 1 pilates or vice versa )
yoga is especially good for people with food issues, maybe grateful deb can explain why- i think that she is a yogini


shovel glove is something that i will try someday- but honestly, that thing scares me to death

for cardio- i am finding that walking is just right.. i wear my MBT's
and aim for 60 to 90 minutes 4 times a week. I would love to do 60 minutes 7 days a week, but i just don't have the time

other more intense cardio ( biking, spinning, running) caused that out of control appetite thing where i later consumed more than i burned

as for food, i am in weight loss mode right now, so i am trying to limit my bread to no more that 2 servings a day... and that is the only restriction
that i am willing to make with my food beyond No S guidelines..
.. plus reasonable size platefuls

... also, my No S is 4 smaller meals per day... this is the number of meals that is right for me


as with everything else- take the best and leave the rest

trust your inner wisdom to tell you what to do

Donna O

[BrightAngel]

When i say restricting- i mean tiny, frozen dinner size portions.

This makes me laugh.

In order to maintain my weight
(which is in the middle of the normal range for my height),
my own normal dinner portion must either be just that amount,
or...if it is a higher-fat food... only one-half of that amount.

Because we, who are female, are all different heights, weights, ages,
our bodies don't all require the same amount of food intake.

What one thinks is the "correct" portion size for them,
may provide far too much energy (calories) for another's body.

[donnao]

good point bright angel

for the record i am 5'8' and i have a fairly active, demanding job

and i am a single parent

what is restricting for me might not be for someone else

the proof is in the weight loss

xo
Donna O

[clarinetgal]

I would say to find an exercise you like, and just stick with it. Exercise is SO good for you for so many reasons, and there are so many exercising options to choose from. If you find something you like, then you won't have to worry about doing it for anyone else, and you're more likely to stick with it.

[clarinetgal]

DonnaO, What are MBTs? Your exercise routine sounds somewhat similar to mine. Like you, I bulk fairly easily, so I do lighter weight workouts, yoga, and pilates for toning. I prefer to do outdoor walking or Leslie Sansone videos for cardio. I find that if I do more intense cardio (biking, higher-intensity aerobics, etc..), I get too hungry and end up overeating.
I'm a SAHM of an active 2 year old son, so I figure I get plenty of extra activity from chasing him around all day.

[ShannahR]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I guess I was mostly worried about the mental impact of this decision. In other words, can I add more exercise but stop at that--nothing more restrictive? And am I doing this for myself, not to look good infront of other people? The reason I'm worried about these things, or you might say what set off the "mental alarm," was that often in the past when I was doing some crazy fad diet or other I was often doing it to be thinner so other people wouldn't think bad things about me. Obviously,that never worked, so this year I vowed to approach food and weight loss differently in EVERY aspect than I had in the past including mentally. I guess the similarity between this situation and some of my past situations is creeping me out.
However, I like everyone's idea about adding the exercise and I think I'll do it as my March resolution so that it flows naturally from No S and the other habbits I'm trying to build. I must say though that I have had quite a bit of sucess with No S without any exercise so far (I've lost 5 lbs in one month). But I do understand that exercise is good for you and I should be doing more than my half an hour of walking.

Thanks again!!

[oolala53]

I have not been slim since I was 9 years old, but there is one thing I have always refused to give in to and that is hiding at the beach. My legs have always looked like a before ad for cellulite creams, but what can I say? I know I am more than my body and I deserve respect whether I fit some image or not. However, I don't MIND when I think I look good and I do look forward to being thinner, but it doesn't stop me along the way.

I don't know what the answer is for you, but no matter what, get out there in that bathing suit. Being overweight, a little or a lot, is not a crime! If a friend asked you if you thought she should stay covered up near the water, would you really tell her, "Yes"?

If acceptance from others is really the only reason you would start resistance exercise, maybe it isn't the best idea, but since you were going to do it anyway, and, we hope, were going to continue it, it seems it should be okay. Good luck figuring it out.