I'm new and I would like to say hello
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I'm new and I would like to say hello
Hi I'm JD. I really like the book. This forum is very encouraging. I just wanted to introduce myself and say hello. Thank you.
Your story is inspiring because you have successfully created new habits and have continued them for a long time. It is really great.
I am 5 feet tall and weigh 155 lbs. I hope to develop daily exercise and no s diet habits and see where my weight ends up. I am a little apprehensive about this. From what I understand the human body will adjust to the new amount of calories and will plateu eventually. And the only way to break the plateau will be to exercise more or eat less or both. But I don't care. I want to face my fears and do this anyway.
I really hate exercising but I know that will make a big difference because I generally do not snack or eat seconds. My sweet tooth has become more controlled lately because I have become severely lactose-intolerant. It appears I can only consume very few kinds of sweets. These things are in my favor. However, I know that it will be a huge challenge to cut back the amount of what I eat at each sitting and it will also be hard to keep myself from bingeing on the weekend.
Any advice or suggestions?
I am 5 feet tall and weigh 155 lbs. I hope to develop daily exercise and no s diet habits and see where my weight ends up. I am a little apprehensive about this. From what I understand the human body will adjust to the new amount of calories and will plateu eventually. And the only way to break the plateau will be to exercise more or eat less or both. But I don't care. I want to face my fears and do this anyway.
I really hate exercising but I know that will make a big difference because I generally do not snack or eat seconds. My sweet tooth has become more controlled lately because I have become severely lactose-intolerant. It appears I can only consume very few kinds of sweets. These things are in my favor. However, I know that it will be a huge challenge to cut back the amount of what I eat at each sitting and it will also be hard to keep myself from bingeing on the weekend.
Any advice or suggestions?
Welcome! Here's my advice: Don't get ahead of yourself.jd4070 wrote:
I am 5 feet tall and weigh 155 lbs. I hope to develop daily exercise and no s diet habits and see where my weight ends up. I am a little apprehensive about this. From what I understand the human body will adjust to the new amount of calories and will plateu eventually. And the only way to break the plateau will be to exercise more or eat less or both. But I don't care. I want to face my fears and do this anyway.
I really hate exercising but I know that will make a big difference because I generally do not snack or eat seconds. My sweet tooth has become more controlled lately because I have become severely lactose-intolerant. It appears I can only consume very few kinds of sweets. These things are in my favor. However, I know that it will be a huge challenge to cut back the amount of what I eat at each sitting and it will also be hard to keep myself from bingeing on the weekend.
Any advice or suggestions?
Years ago I saw or read a story about a newborn with some great disability. The parents started worrying about what they would do when it came time for this child to go to school or college or what would happen when they died. Some wise person pointed out that what they were worrying about was years in the future and they should take things day by day. It was possible that there would be huge changes by then and some of the things they were worrying about would never present themselves. Also, by taking things day by day they would gain the knowledge and build the skills to tackle the problems that might present themselves in the future. They didn't need to worry in advance.
You don't need to worry in advance, either. You don't need to worry about hitting a plateau and increasing exercise right now. You need to get started. As for exercise, is there something you like to do?
My favorite exercise is walking and I walk my dog several times daily. I also like to dance. Don't talk to me about going to a gym to do this, that or the next thing, because it's not going to happen.
"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."
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Nicest of the Damned
- Posts: 719
- Joined: Wed Aug 11, 2010 4:26 pm
Here's another image for this, from the movie Apollo 13:wosnes wrote:Welcome! Here's my advice: Don't get ahead of yourself.
Years ago I saw or read a story about a newborn with some great disability. The parents started worrying about what they would do when it came time for this child to go to school or college or what would happen when they died. Some wise person pointed out that what they were worrying about was years in the future and they should take things day by day. It was possible that there would be huge changes by then and some of the things they were worrying about would never present themselves. Also, by taking things day by day they would gain the knowledge and build the skills to tackle the problems that might present themselves in the future. They didn't need to worry in advance.
You don't need to worry in advance, either. You don't need to worry about hitting a plateau and increasing exercise right now. You need to get started.
Focus on getting number eight right now. Worry about number six hundred and ninety two when you get to it.Jim Lovell wrote:All right, there's a thousand things that have to happen in order. We are on number eight. You're talking about number six hundred and ninety-two.
I went to a showing of Apollo 13 at the University of Maryland, where Jim Lovell spoke before they showed the movie (which I guess was a bit of a spoiler). They managed to do all those one thousand things right, or at least enough of them to get back safely.
You build willpower on this diet. When you get to number six hundred and ninety two, it might not be as hard as it looks right now. When I started No S in June, I read about the half plate rule (half of your plate should be vegetables). I thought, "good thing this isn't required, no way in a million years could I do that".
Now, on days when I have separate meat, starch, and vegetable courses, I'm mostly doing what I now call the Half Plate Mod. To paraphrase Officer Shrift from The Phantom Tollbooth, "Is it a million years already? My, how time flies."
Don't try to get everything perfect all at once. Being human, you've got a limited supply of willpower. If you spread it too thin, trying to make too many changes at once, you'll probably end up sticking to none of them. That doesn't do you any good, and might make you feel bad about yourself. I think this is one reason why a lot of diets and New Year's resolutions fail: you try to get everything perfect from the get-go, spread your willpower too thin, and accomplish nothing.
Just try to get down the basics of No S right now. I wouldn't even worry about exercise right now. Certainly don't worry about binging on weekends yet. Get your N-day habits down first. Once you've made habits of those (which will take at least a month, according to research on human behavior and habits), you can add other modifications, but only a few at a time. I'd say no more than three at a time, and don't add new modifications more frequently than about once a month. This is a marathon, not a sprint. If you're looking for a quick weight loss diet, you're in the wrong place.
If you're still having problems with binging on S days when you've gotten the N days down, you can add some restrictions to your S days. But bear in mind that, to paraphrase Lao-tsu, restricting S days is like cooking a small fish. It takes a very light touch, to keep yourself from feeling deprived. Don't think feeling deprived isn't or shouldn't be a big deal, either. If you feel deprived all the time, the feeling of deprivation builds and builds, until finally it will overwhelm your willpower. This is one reason why the vast majority of diets are not effective in the long term. S days are a safety valve to keep that feeling of deprivation from building without limit.
About plateaus....
I was thinking about this yesterday. I've heard it said that the only reason one hits a plateau is that they've stopped being diligent about diet and exercise. This came from Bob or Jillian on The Biggest Loser.
I've read that plateaus are nature's way of letting the body catch up to changes that have occurred.
The second idea makes sense to me. Most of us don't consistently gain 1-2 or more pounds weekly (with some exceptions). Actually, if we did, weight gain would be much more obvious and we might do something about it more quickly! One of the times that happens is when we women are pregnant -- and we're very aware of it. But it's usually a pound or two here, another pound or two there. It's very gradual. We become aware of it, but it's so gradual that we don't think about doing something about it until the weight gain has become more significant.
One thing about No-S -- weight loss tends to be slow and gradual. Some people start out losing larger amounts of weight, but I suspect they are the ones who have really been consuming more snacks, sweets, and seconds. When they're cut out of the daily eating, it makes a large difference in the amount of calories they're consuming.
So it took some time for most of us to gain the weight, but we want to lose it at a rate of 1-2 pounds a week or more. But slower weight loss, 1/2 - 1 pound a week or less tends to be more long lasting.
When I was talking with my doctor at the beginning of this, he said 10 pounds a year would be a good rate of weight loss. That's about the rate at which I've lost. It's slow and steady. Though I'm supposed to for health reasons, I don't weigh regularly. I'm sure there are times when I don't lose, but then I'll step on the scale a there's a bunch gone! Just recently I realized that I could wear a pair of jeans I'd been unable to wear for a few years.
It took me quite a few years to gain the extra weight. It's taking me a few years to lose the extra weight. It's a couple of pounds here, a couple of pounds there. But the good news is that once it's gone, it's gone.
I was thinking about this yesterday. I've heard it said that the only reason one hits a plateau is that they've stopped being diligent about diet and exercise. This came from Bob or Jillian on The Biggest Loser.
I've read that plateaus are nature's way of letting the body catch up to changes that have occurred.
The second idea makes sense to me. Most of us don't consistently gain 1-2 or more pounds weekly (with some exceptions). Actually, if we did, weight gain would be much more obvious and we might do something about it more quickly! One of the times that happens is when we women are pregnant -- and we're very aware of it. But it's usually a pound or two here, another pound or two there. It's very gradual. We become aware of it, but it's so gradual that we don't think about doing something about it until the weight gain has become more significant.
One thing about No-S -- weight loss tends to be slow and gradual. Some people start out losing larger amounts of weight, but I suspect they are the ones who have really been consuming more snacks, sweets, and seconds. When they're cut out of the daily eating, it makes a large difference in the amount of calories they're consuming.
So it took some time for most of us to gain the weight, but we want to lose it at a rate of 1-2 pounds a week or more. But slower weight loss, 1/2 - 1 pound a week or less tends to be more long lasting.
When I was talking with my doctor at the beginning of this, he said 10 pounds a year would be a good rate of weight loss. That's about the rate at which I've lost. It's slow and steady. Though I'm supposed to for health reasons, I don't weigh regularly. I'm sure there are times when I don't lose, but then I'll step on the scale a there's a bunch gone! Just recently I realized that I could wear a pair of jeans I'd been unable to wear for a few years.
It took me quite a few years to gain the extra weight. It's taking me a few years to lose the extra weight. It's a couple of pounds here, a couple of pounds there. But the good news is that once it's gone, it's gone.
"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."
-
Nicest of the Damned
- Posts: 719
- Joined: Wed Aug 11, 2010 4:26 pm
Basic No S fills your quota of three new behaviors for your first month- no snacks, no sweets, and no seconds. Don't go trying to add anything else on until at least one month in. It might be tempting. You might think you're not losing weight fast enough or eating healthy enough. Or you might be seeing yourself succeed at a diet for the first time in a long time (or ever), and be inspired to add something else. Resist that temptation, until at least that first month is up and you're only getting a few failed N days a month.
What you do when (not if) you fail is important. It's important to get back up on the horse again right away. Don't wait until tomorrow or Monday or New Year's Day to start again. Know that failing doesn't make you bad, or a failure, just a human being who occasionally tries and fails to do something. Don't think, "I've totally blown my diet, might as well eat whatever I want." If you get a dent in your car, you don't say, "might as well drive it into a brick wall now", do you? Mark your failure, and move on as soon as possible.
No S isn't about reward or punishment. You're not supposed to trade weekend S days for weekday slip-ups. The problem with doing this is that it opens a line of credit to make weekday slip-ups acceptable. Your weekend S days are not a reward for doing well during the week, and don't get taken away as a punishment. I'd avoid using food as a reward or punishment, just as a general principle.
There are no tradeoffs in No S. You don't get an excuse to have a snack because you haven't had seconds all week, or because you went to the gym. One reason why such tradeoffs are a bad idea is because people tend to underestimate the calories in food and overestimate those burned by exercise. You're not doing yourself any good if, as a reward for burning 700 calories at the gym, you let yourself eat a 900-calorie pint of ice cream that night, now are you?
Some people may not agree, but I think it's best to decide in advance when your S days will be. Say, at the beginning of each month, you could mark all the S days for that month on your HabitCal, or on a paper calendar. Or you could do this for each week, at the beginning of the week. I'm terrible at planning ahead. When I'm working, it is a real struggle for me to plan well enough to brown-bag a couple of lunches a week. I manage to mark off S days for the month at the beginning of the month. There's a bit of the same psychology as behind "no seconds" here. If you're taking too many S days, and you mark them at the beginning of the month, you'll have to see that excess before you take it.
If you do end up adding mods or new rules, they should be rules that are easy to see if you've followed them or not. You can eat more than 500 calories in a meal without knowing it, pretty easily. It's a lot harder to not know whether you ate more than two slices of pizza, or whether you ate sitting down. It's hard to even be willfully ignorant of whether you're breaking a rule like that. Keep the rules simple, so you don't have to think about whether you're breaking them or not. If the rules are too complex, you might start looking for loopholes in them, and if you want to find loopholes, you probably will. People are good at finding justifications for doing something they want to do.
What you do when (not if) you fail is important. It's important to get back up on the horse again right away. Don't wait until tomorrow or Monday or New Year's Day to start again. Know that failing doesn't make you bad, or a failure, just a human being who occasionally tries and fails to do something. Don't think, "I've totally blown my diet, might as well eat whatever I want." If you get a dent in your car, you don't say, "might as well drive it into a brick wall now", do you? Mark your failure, and move on as soon as possible.
No S isn't about reward or punishment. You're not supposed to trade weekend S days for weekday slip-ups. The problem with doing this is that it opens a line of credit to make weekday slip-ups acceptable. Your weekend S days are not a reward for doing well during the week, and don't get taken away as a punishment. I'd avoid using food as a reward or punishment, just as a general principle.
There are no tradeoffs in No S. You don't get an excuse to have a snack because you haven't had seconds all week, or because you went to the gym. One reason why such tradeoffs are a bad idea is because people tend to underestimate the calories in food and overestimate those burned by exercise. You're not doing yourself any good if, as a reward for burning 700 calories at the gym, you let yourself eat a 900-calorie pint of ice cream that night, now are you?
Some people may not agree, but I think it's best to decide in advance when your S days will be. Say, at the beginning of each month, you could mark all the S days for that month on your HabitCal, or on a paper calendar. Or you could do this for each week, at the beginning of the week. I'm terrible at planning ahead. When I'm working, it is a real struggle for me to plan well enough to brown-bag a couple of lunches a week. I manage to mark off S days for the month at the beginning of the month. There's a bit of the same psychology as behind "no seconds" here. If you're taking too many S days, and you mark them at the beginning of the month, you'll have to see that excess before you take it.
If you do end up adding mods or new rules, they should be rules that are easy to see if you've followed them or not. You can eat more than 500 calories in a meal without knowing it, pretty easily. It's a lot harder to not know whether you ate more than two slices of pizza, or whether you ate sitting down. It's hard to even be willfully ignorant of whether you're breaking a rule like that. Keep the rules simple, so you don't have to think about whether you're breaking them or not. If the rules are too complex, you might start looking for loopholes in them, and if you want to find loopholes, you probably will. People are good at finding justifications for doing something they want to do.
Welcome, JD!
(Love the Apollo 13 quote, JD)
http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewforum.php?f=13
Best of luck and looking forward to hearing more,
Reinhard
(Love the Apollo 13 quote, JD)
Have you seen the testimonials forum?Great information! Thanks! I would love to read your stories/testimonies. Please share.
http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewforum.php?f=13
Best of luck and looking forward to hearing more,
Reinhard