Rough Patch. Help?

tarantinofan · Post by **tarantinofan** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 8:13 am

Hey guys! I've been doing No S since June. I'm 5'5'' and went from 134-124. I switched things slightly by doing 2 S's per s day, and made 1 day Wednesday and 1 day Saturday. Things were working great...and then the past 2 weeks hit.

I've been turning to food a lot lately because my friends basically threw me out of the group. It's been REALLY hard on me. I'm in college and was wallowing without adding too much to my belly, but then midterms hit and I've been basically eating the world recently lol That, without working out, probably means I'm up to 130! (I'm too scared to check. Give me another day or so to see the damage done...)

Anyways, I'm ready to get back in. Done empowering bs and the past. I'm moving on and am ready to get to my goal weight of 115. I'm ready to pursue my dreams of becoming a film actress, but I want to be at my goal weight as I get out there! By this summer, I want to be at my goal weight. I know I can do it!! I'm going to check in until I get back in the swing of things (I'm on the daily check in too)

Plan of attack for food tomorrow
Breakfast: 1/2 bagel w/lox spread and banana
Lunch: apple and chicken salad and 1/2 bread
Dinner: chicken salad and 1/2 bread

I'd love any words of encouragement esp from those who have hit a rough patch in the past. How did you get through?

Thanks!!

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:44 am

Winston Churchill said, "When you're going through hell keep going." Or, to take the words from a movie made in 1936, "Pick yourself up,
Dust yourself off, Start all over again."

We all have rough patches now and again and the secret is to keep going. When you fall down, get up. One foot in front of the other until you get back on track.

I do have a question. Are you eating enough? I'm an older, smaller, and presumably less active woman. What you're going to be eating is a) barely enough for me, and b) there are no vegetables. If you're concerned about the calories, eat more vegetables. They're less calorie dense and more nutrient dense. I wouldn't subtract anything, but ADD vegetables. Some soup, a salad or just a variety of raw veggies added to both lunch and dinner.

marygrace · Post by **marygrace** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 1:47 pm

I'm sorry to hear you're going through a rough patch. The college workload is stressful enough as it is without adding anything else on top.

I've created situations for myself by modifying S days. For me, it didn't really work. In the beginning I managed to stay strict, but after a while I found myself really missing my Friday and Saturday S days (never did Sunday, always Friday instead) and would end up eating a ton more than I should've on those days. Why couldn't I stick to the plan? I'm not completely sure, but I think part of it was letting life's stresses get to me. I moved halfway across the country last fall and still haven't made many friends, so I sometimes feel lonely. I also let my job make my crazy. Maybe subconciously I was letting these things give me license to eat, though I shouldn't have.

Anyways, I'm also in the same boat as you because we have similar weight loss goals. I'm also 5'5", and have gone up to about 125 lbs (from my "happy weight" of 118). I'm trying to get back to around 118, and I think the fact that these pounds are vanity weight makes it extra hard. I second Wosnes' suggestion to eat more vegetables, as well as to make sure you're eating enough in general. Also, do you exercise? When it's a matter of trying to lose those last 5 or 10 lbs, I think exercise makes all the difference.

Hope this helps!

oliviamanda · Post by **oliviamanda** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 2:45 pm

College is so tough. And stress hits everyone differently. I remember dealing with my stress by not eating hardly anything. Although your meal plan sounds good and healthy, I think you're portions are too small and maybe that's why you are turning to eating between meals. Carry a water bottle with you and sip when you want to eat the world. : )

Isn't the biggest revenge to look good and take care of yourself? Good luck.

tarantinofan · Post by **tarantinofan** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 2:46 pm

marygrace wrote:I'm sorry to hear you're going through a rough patch. The college workload is stressful enough as it is without adding anything else on top.

I've created situations for myself by modifying S days. For me, it didn't really work. In the beginning I managed to stay strict, but after a while I found myself really missing my Friday and Saturday S days (never did Sunday, always Friday instead) and would end up eating a ton more than I should've on those days. Why couldn't I stick to the plan? I'm not completely sure, but I think part of it was letting life's stresses get to me. I moved halfway across the country last fall and still haven't made many friends, so I sometimes feel lonely. I also let my job make my crazy. Maybe subconciously I was letting these things give me license to eat, though I shouldn't have.

Anyways, I'm also in the same boat as you because we have similar weight loss goals. I'm also 5'5", and have gone up to about 125 lbs (from my "happy weight" of 118). I'm trying to get back to around 118, and I think the fact that these pounds are vanity weight makes it extra hard. I second Wosnes' suggestion to eat more vegetables, as well as to make sure you're eating enough in general. Also, do you exercise? When it's a matter of trying to lose those last 5 or 10 lbs, I think exercise makes all the difference.

Hope this helps!

Hey guys, thanks for the ideas! Ya, I eat vegetables. The chicken salad isn't like chicken plus mayo, it's a salad with chicken. tomatoes, mushrooms, artichokes, etc. I do exercise in general, but with midterms coming ive definitely neglected that part of it. however, my main culprit from the weight gain is definitely eating way too much. i just need to stop wallowing and get a move on. i hope having my rough patch out in the open will help me get a move on w my weight loss goals...

marygrace · Post by **marygrace** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 4:26 pm

One good thing about knowing you've just been eating too much: You're way ahead of the curve. In almost every instance, that's the reason people gain weight---yet it seems like so many people conveniently ignore that fact (I know in the past I have!). Instead, it's because they're eating bread or fat or sugar or who knows what else, when in reality it's just because they're eating too much. Once you get to the simple root of the problem without justifying or introducing unnecessary complexity (like most of Americans do when dealing with their weight) you're on the road to a simple solution.

RJLupin · Post by **RJLupin** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:59 pm

I think I have a similar problem; I eat when I get depressed. I haven't done it since I started No S, though. You just have to find a way to dissociate "food" from your problems.

I've got a guy I'm really into, but he's not into me (but he's still a good friend.) I am pretty upset about it, but where in the past I would have gorged on treats, this time around I say to myself "yeah, what happened sucks, but it's not about food and eating won't make things better.....it will only make things worse." So far, it's worked. You just have to remind yourself that your friends didn't cut you off because of food, and eating a lot or cheating on No S won't really solve any problems. It's only a distraction, and in the end if you gain weight you will only feel worse.

So, let yourself feel bad. Sometimes bad things happen. But, find ways to cope that don't involve food. Go for a walk, go see a movie, take a nice bath...anything that doesn't involve eating.

Post by **reinhard** » Thu Mar 11, 2010 4:19 pm

Winston Churchill said, "Winston Churchill said, "When you're going through hell keep going."."

I love that, wosnes. It's amazing how many brilliant quotes that man came up with. Amazing he had time, between dropping all these bons mots, to save the free world, etc.

tarantinofan: Two weeks isn't much compared to the months of success you've achieved already, and it's nothing compared to the lifetime you have ahead of you. Catch yourself now and big picture you'll be fine. Though your numbers have been great, I'd stop worrying about the number on the scale and just focus on the habits. Quantitative goals can be great short term motivators, but long term, they tend to be counterproductive and encourage you to look at the problem in the wrong way. I'm sure you've read this here already, so at the risk of being faintly irritating: a goal implies that when you get there, you're done. That might work for a race or a soccer game, but it's profoundly untrue for diet and other habits.

Best of luck and keep posting to let us know how it's going/ask for more help!

Reinhard

tarantinofan · Post by **tarantinofan** » Tue Mar 16, 2010 5:14 pm

I just wanted to update everyone. I think that exposing my rough patch has really helped me. I've been doing great this week! I'm back on track and have been really focused

My weight yesterday morning was 128.0, and even though this isn't just a numbers game (thanks for keeping that on my mind, Reinhard) it's nice to know my damage hasn't been too egregious. I KNOW I can reach my goals of weighing 115 and get back down to 124. I'm even more determined than I was before my rough patch. I'll probably update again next week. I think I've also decided to lower my number of S's per week to 2, but we'll see...

I love experimenting and that this is all MY journey. Basically, I just love No S! I'm so glad I stuck with it even though I was having trouble for a few weeks because it has completely changed my relationship with food. I no longer obsess nor am I overwhelmed by the thought of eating.

scgal · Post by **scgal** » Tue Mar 16, 2010 5:48 pm

Dear TF:

Just a thought from someone older. Be yourself. Don't let what your friends did keep you down. They are not your friends in truth.

What's most important is to be 100% yourself with people. You will find new, true friends that way.

A long time ago I realized that if people didn't like me for myself that it was their loss.

Congratulations on your good sense regarding food and keep up the good work!