I've read many posts on this board with great interest over the last three months, read the book, listened to all the podcasts, and wanted to share my experience with No-S thus far. I'm hoping this post will be a springboard to further discussion about underlying reasons for overeating.
A quick bit of background: I'm in my late 40s with a rather unfortunate genetic makeup as it relates to bodyfat. I have "fought" this all my life by pursuing fitness, in the form of weightlifting and cardio, and doing my best to eat healthfully. Despite my fitness pursuits and generally healthful eating, I have always carried an extra 15-25 pounds. In the past, counting calories at around 1500/day has resulted in about a 1-pound weight loss per week, which of course always returns when the counting stops. I had hoped that No-S would give me the same result, without the counting. On any given day that I'm not eating within a structure, I have no easily identifiable sources of excess calories, such as soda, gooey coffee drinks, lots of restaurant meals, etc.; of course, that still leaves room for just enough extra sneaky calories -- I'm guessing in the form of slightly too-large portions and even healthy snacks -- that my "usual" eating does not result in any weight loss.
I have followed No-S faithfully for two months total, with a 2-week break during vacation, in which I did not gain. Though I certainly did not expect No-S to be any kind of quick fix -- especially since I'm not majorly overconsuming in the first place -- I was surprised that I haven't lost anything. Yes, maintaining is great -- but I maintained before I started No-S with, I dare say, just a bit more fun (read: sweets) in my weekly diet. I didn't start No-S to maintain; I started it to lose, albeit slowly.
The observation I want to make is that, for those of us who are not prone to consuming a serious excess of calories before starting No-S, it might be an unreasonable expectation to lose on this plan. At least for me, my appetite seems to be directly tied to my current weight; hence, my long-term maintenance of my weight. Yes, my current weight is more than is optimally healthy for my frame -- but my appetite seems to be set at a point that supports maintaining this exact weight. When I put food on one plate for a meal, I'm take portions that I know will leave me comfortably satisfied until my next meal...and those portions are not so large as to cause weight gain, but apparently they're not small enough to cause weight loss. This seems like a losing battle, because in order to *want* less, it would seem I need to *weigh* less in the first place.
Though the first four days of the plan were an exercise in discipline for this perpetual snacker, after that I had no trouble at all with 3 one-plate meals a day with no snacks and no sweets on N days. S days, on the other hand, have not been N days with a few treats...they look very different. Not garbage-mouth type days, but obviously the S-day indulgences, calorie-wise, have equaled any N-day "savings". Bringing me right back to my theory that you can try to tame an appetite any way you want, but in the end it's very tied to maintaining a current weight...and possibly underlying issues about why one eats even slightly too much to cause the constant carrying around of an extra 15-30 pounds.
As so many of us hope when we encounter a new eating system/strategy/plan, I had hoped that No-S would be my answer to a common-sensical slow weight-loss (and eventual maintenance) strategy. Looking at Rinehart's experience and success, my guess is that he had just plain been taking in too many calories for a number of years before he devised this eating system, and that his overeating wasn't necessarily driven by any underlying psychological issues (Rinehart, please correct me if I'm wrong or over-simplifying)...he just plain ate too much. Then he stopped. As for myself, I can remember way back at age 6, using food as a feel-good buddy...it's always available, always legal, and more dependable than any other thing or other people in providing a full/good/satisfied feeling. I know I share this with many others. And for that reason, I don't think No-S or any other structure is going to be a permanent weight-loss answer for me and many others until we deal with -- whatever that means -- the issues that caused us to overeat (however slightly) in the first place.
Thanks for reading -- comments welcome and encouraged
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)