Everyday Systems

About six weeks ago my local PBS station was fund raising. I happened to see Dr. Deepak Chopra's "What Are You Hungry For?" Most of the ideas he presented didn't interest or apply to me, but I've found a couple useful. I don't consider these modifications because they in no way interfere with the basics of No-S.

One thing he suggested was to have two lighter meals and one more substantial meal daily. Breakfast, if I eat it, and my evening meal are my lighter meals. What makes a meal substantial is what it's composed of, not the volume.

The second suggestion was that you cup your hands together with fingertips touching. Twice that volume is the amount of food that should be consumed at each meal. I'll admit to being a little skeptical about that. My hands are small and the volume when they're cupped is just about a cup. When I tried it I found I was satisfied without feeling stuffed.

Oh, a third suggestion was that we eat until we're 2/3 full - so, satisfied but not full and certainly not stuffed.

Thinking about these suggestions I realized that we're one of the only cultures that recommends three substantial meals daily. In recent years we've become completely out of touch with how much food we need. Many of us think that eating until stuffed is the norm.

I don't know if I've lost any weight since starting to follow these habits, but I do feel better and I haven't been hungry.

I've noticed, too, that the 3-meal slim cultures have only one "real" meal, as we might characterize it, a day, as you say. I'm still wrapping my mind around just how small those other two meals can be. I've used my palm and fist to determine approximate servings of protein and starch for years, but allowed for them in multiples. Now if I'm honest, I have to admit that one of each, or even less, is actually enough, supplemented with freggies, in my case. But this hasn't happened automatically or just by eyeballing the amount. I had to combine that with being aware of the effect of the amounts in my body after the meal. I wish I could say I don't have to think about it, but it wouldn't be true.

Portion size is interesting. We all know they have gone up over the years and the research is clear....the more we put in front of us, the more we eat.

Yet as a new no s-er I struggle at the moment to find the right amount to see me through to the next meal, but not fill me to bloating point. The ....you can always have some more later if you are hungry.....solution doesn't work for us. We have to get it right first time.

At the moment I still have large portions, particularly at supper, but I am working on it.

Bennedicta wrote:Yet as a new no s-er I struggle at the moment to find the right amount to see me through to the next meal, but not fill me to bloating point. The ....you can always have some more later if you are hungry.....solution doesn't work for us. We have to get it right first time.

Agreed! This is why I get anxiety when filling my plate for lunch - I worry that it won't be enough to keep me until dinner, and I'm scared to feel hungry! I'm sure this will get better with time since I'm only on my 2nd week of NoS.

Two weeks in is barely getting going. It's not possible to have it all figured out fast! You've got to live it week after week, month after month. Expect it to change but try not to be watching it under a microscope.

oolala53 wrote:Two weeks in is barely getting going. It's not possible to have it all figured out fast! You've got to live it week after week, month after month. Expect it to change but try not to be watching it under a microscope.

Exactly! Which is why I'm not attaching any guilt to my loaded plates. Or trying to regulate S days. I'm just living plate by plate.

sweetaj wrote:

oolala53 wrote:Two weeks in is barely getting going. It's not possible to have it all figured out fast! You've got to live it week after week, month after month. Expect it to change but try not to be watching it under a microscope.

Exactly! Which is why I'm not attaching any guilt to my loaded plates. Or trying to regulate S days. I'm just living plate by plate.

After nearly 8 years I'm still learning and making adjustments. Aging and
needing to eat less is a large part of this.

I have noticed a pattern in which I am not overly hungry for a couple weeks. During that time I usually skip breakfast without planning on it. On those days my creamy coffee is plenty. Then I come out of it and I'm ravenous for a few days. During those times I eat breakfast and then my regular lunch and dinner. I think it's fine, it's like my body is self-regulating. On the other hand, I wonder if there's some perfect-sized meals that I could always keep the same. But, nah, there's beauty in the human body's ability to be flexible and adapt hunger as needed to match energy expenditure--all in order to keep weight relatively stable.

Come to think of it, if I tried to "ignore" my hungry days, I'd probably lose weight faster, but then start rebelling against the deprivation. By increasing my meals when I'm hungrier, I am losing weight very slowly (and quite happy with it, I might add).

Fascinating stuff, our bodies, our habits, and the individual journey to "know thyself".