encouragement for beginners

[batty]

I just wanted to tell anyone struggling to get onboard with this, that I finally bit the bullet and made it through 2 straight weeks of No-S-ing. The results are amazing: I don't weigh myself anymore, stopped when I got up to 30 pounds overweight from all the dieting efforts, but I went down one size in jeans after two full weeks of No S.

This is really progress, for me. I've hung onto those jeans (and lots of smaller ones) for a couple of years now, thinking I'll lose the weight sooner or later. Counting points made me feel my diet was excessively limited and a struggle to deal with, plus I was constantly starving and very unhappy. The final results of point-counting for me was even more weight and just down on myself for failing.

Counting calories was a little bit easier, but I like to cook and the math was too much to deal with in a busy kitchen. Plus, again, I was hungry all the time and had math sheets, calculator, measuring implements, etc. all over the place and felt deprived. Didn't last long with it, and once again, the end result was losing it, more weight gain, giving up, being down on myself.

I had several starts with No S and couldn't get going with it because of having a busy, irregular schedule. But finally I got through a whole week, Monday through Friday. Last weekend I was looking forward to really enjoying those S days, but I remembered Reinhardt's words: "Don't be an idiot." And I really think he was talking to me. So from the start I decided 3 S events per S day would be enough for me. One bowl of ice cream = S event. One Butterfinger candy bar = S event. Second helpings of the great ravioli = S event, and there's a very happy weekend. So I'm looking forward to tomorrow and Sunday.

I'm so encouraged and surprised by going down a jeans size in only two weeks. I'm 57 years old, 5'3", so I'm supposedly in a slower weight-loss group of individuals.

This has been so easy to do, once I got going with it. The first two or three days I had a hard time being busy and hungry and not being able to grab a snack. I'm already used to just waiting for my meal now.

I thought I was a tracker by nature, but found that being completely care free about this, no tracking, no thinking about it, just eating three plates of food a day, sensible-looking portions (I stand back and look at the plate and try to make sure I don't load it up, just nicely placed portions of rich, home cooking), and as far as sweets, I follow Reinhardt's guide: "If you have to wonder about it, it's probably okay." This means sometimes I have had a piece of coffee cake for breakfast, just a piece that fits artistically, not loaded up, on a small plate. Or I've had that slice of zucchini bread that fits neatly on a plate of fried chicken and green beans, made with sugar, but not serving a role of a "sweet," just a part of a neatly placed meal on an ordinary serving plate.

Completely care free, this is truly a wonderful DUH way to lose weight!

Again, I'm not much of a poster on here, but just to say to beginners, where calorie-counting, point-counting, and earlier carbs, fat, etc., counting all ended in more weight gain and feelings of being a failure at getting control of myself, after two weeks of getting this going, I feel free, in control, in a size smaller jeans, in a word, THIS WORKS!

Thank you, Reinhardt! And the rest of you, keep going. I'm finding that getting hungry between meals is actually helping me think up some great, creative cooking ideas to try when the meal times finally get here. Keep going, it works!

[dayone]

Batty, thank you so much for this post! Your story is definitely encouraging. Congratulations on your two week mark.

All the best,

[DaveMc]

Welcome, and it's wonderful to hear that things are going so well!

[Dorsey]

Hi and thanks for the encouragement.

This is day 10 for me. I have 1 failure marked in red on my habitcal. I'm trying not to focus on the one failed day/moment and to note the green days as successful habit building.

I have a lot of weight to lose (75-110 lbs depending on who you ask or what chart your looking at). So.....I think this is something I can do for a long time and would love to see it truly become habit. Honestly, I can't imagine counting points and calories for as long as would be necessary to lose this much weight. I have done both, and other measures to lose weight as well, and always feel failure even with weight loss. True story: I once lost 3.5 lbs in a week counting points but felt no victory because I went over my point allowance. I know, that doesn't even make sense.

Well.....best of luck to all of us.

Dorsey

[Tiggycat]

Batty, thank you for your encouraging post.

I'm just starting No S today (Sunday - I figured it would be easier to start with an S day!) and your experience pre-No S sounds a lot like mine.

I've tried all sorts of diets and found them all too complicated, time-consuming (weighing, measuring, looking up calories or points, counting) and too hard to follow in real life (when you have to compromise with others about where or what you eat).

I'm 54, 165 (5'0") and the more I 'diet' the more I weigh! I lose a few pounds once in a while and gain them back with interest as soon as the diet gets too tedious.

I hope No S will work for me as well as it is working for you.