Time to De-Lurk

No Snacks, no sweets, no seconds. Except on Days that start with S. Too simple for you? Simple is why it works. Look here for questions, introductions, support, success stories.

Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating

Post Reply
elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Time to De-Lurk

Post by elegantportions » Mon May 19, 2014 7:43 pm

Hi from a not-so-Newbie!

I first read about NoS on Mark Forster's website around the first of the year and checked out the NoS website. I was hooked. How could I have missed it for so long??? I can never thank Reinhard enough for such a sane, no-nonsense approach to food.

I must admit to slacking exercise recently as I have pored over the forum, beginning from the early-days posts. Reinhard, Navin, Kevin, Jammin'Jan, and especially Debs have become old friends as they have encouraged me to just keep on keepin' on. Thank you for showing me that this is a plan FOR LIFE. I need to be diligent, but relax and encourage other people all along the way.

Other favorite tidbits I have gleaned:
Vmsurbat - Mark it and move on.
JWL - Hunger pangs mean my body is burning fat!
Oolala - A healthful plate is 1/2 Freggies + 1/4 Protein + 1/4 Complex Carbs
Bright Angel & KCCC - Always be open to new ideas and Keep, Chuck, Change, or Create whatever fits my life and works FOR ME.

Shovelglove and Urban Ranger are priceless for exercise. However, I must admit that for SG I only do the real thing. Living in Montana, between snow in the driveway and soil in the garden, there is always SOMEthing ready to be moved! :lol:

HabitCal works wonders for day-to-day tracking. And negative logging of failures in a personal notebook is enough accountability to keep me honest as well as highlighting problem areas or trends. Reinhard's podcasts are definitely motivating.

I began with Vanilla NoS and was somewhat successful. But I began to realize that at this point in my life, I have more willpower than patience. I wanted to change something to see faster results.

I read Hexagon's 03-13-2007 post Stubborn Peasant Body, and began thinking. Then I saw Bright Angel's 04-19-2014 Diet Hobby post about her Delicate Dainty Meals and BINGO! I realized that really the only thing that did not "click" with NoS for me was the idea that one plate of food would automatically reduce my portions to reasonable levels. I know from a lifetime of experience that moderation can lead me to a frumpy peasant body. But if I want a slim, elegant body, then shame from excess will never get me there. I need to re-calibrate my broken eyeballs from what currently appears to be a pitifully tiny amount of food to joyfully accepting that much as the amount my body truly needs, hence my username.

I do NOT need to eat more Freggies. I need to eat LESS of everything else! :roll:

Thank you, HerbsGirl, for the ideas to count bites and to eat s-l-o-w-l-y. I am currently eating 70 bites per NoS day, no counting on S days. One minute per bite is a little too slow for me, but 30 seconds per bite is working marvellously.

Sorry for such a long post, but I'm glad to be home. Thanks to everyone.
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Post by automatedeating » Mon May 19, 2014 8:38 pm

Welcome! I love your username. :)
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Mon May 19, 2014 8:43 pm

Yes, No S does demand a fair amount of honesty regarding how much of the plate needs to covered with dense foods to satisfy hunger enough to allow for hunger for the next meal. At this point, my lunches are about the equivalent of half a sandwich, maybe a little more, of dense food. The freggie amount varies.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Mon May 19, 2014 10:10 pm

P.S.
I bought the book weeks ago, want to support Reinhard as much as possible.
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

User avatar
BrightAngel
Posts: 2093
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:22 pm
Location: Central California
Contact:

Post by BrightAngel » Tue May 20, 2014 2:20 pm

elegentportions, Image It looks like you are on the right track.
BrightAngel - (Dr. Collins)
See: DietHobby. com

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Wed Jul 02, 2014 4:40 pm

WooHoo!!!

I've been following NoS for five months now and am down 16 lbs., which is 10% of my starting weight. I have lost 2.5 inches from my waist, and dropped from BMI 27 to 24.

After 2-3 months of Vanilla NoS, I got impatient with its slowness, and decided to get a grip on portion sizes. Thanks to HerbsGirl's experiences with counting bites, I experimented for about a month (two weeks of faithful counting), then relaxed back into Vanilla NoS.

I still have to be very diligent to monitor portions closely, and occasionally I do a calorie estimate for common meals just to keep myself in line. I eat SLOWLY, trying to space bites about 30 seconds apart (more or less). I am ALWAYS hungry before the next mealtime, but as I said earlier, for now I have more willpower than patience.

I've been exercising all along, but last week began paying more attention to the exercise side of the equation, and look forward to seeing just where my weight will settle comfortably. About a decade ago, I maintained for about a year around 10 lbs. less than I am now, so I'm hoping for that and an elegant physique, but I will be content just being not overweight and at peace with food!

Thanks to all for support and encouragement and food SANITY.
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

vmsurbat
Posts: 499
Joined: Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:12 am
Location: Montenegro

Post by vmsurbat » Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:47 am

Congratulations on your success!

I am just where you are, age-wise, and having to recalibrate my thinking on what is *now* a reasonable portion size; this after 5 years of NoSing--the body DOES change with age, so my eating must too.

I love your user name, btw: "elegant portions" sounds so much more inviting than "small, skimpy portions." :D

Again, congratulations on your great progress, mentally, physically, and emotionally!
Vicki in MNE
7! Yrs. with Vanilla NoS, down 55+lb, happily maintaining and still loving it!

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Sun Jul 06, 2014 11:18 pm

Wunnerful!

Hoo, boy, you got to 145 from 161 pretty fast! Took me a lot longer, but I had already taken off my first 20+ pounds. And I wasn't in a hurry.

In case you want to compare, you are now lighter than 78% of your same age/height peers, or alternately, in the top 22% for slimness.

Keep enjoying yourself!
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Mon Jul 07, 2014 4:45 pm

Thanks for the encouragement, especially appreciated from long-term NoS veterans!

oolala, could you please post a link to the info about how we "measure up" to our peers? age/BMI percentiles?
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Tue Jul 08, 2014 4:45 am

http://www.halls.md/body-mass-index/bmi.htm

There are other pages to this site, one of which gives "ideal" weights according to one's peers' opinions. I highly recommend AGAINST looking at that page. It reflects the punishing expectations we have been brainwashed to desire. Taken to the hilt, women will often not be happy until they weigh in the 2-6%ile, way at the low end of the "normal" BMI range. THAT is how many women in our culture actually weigh what the media ideals- what commentator Naomi Wolf calls "professional beauties"- weigh, and our brains have absorbed the message. It doesn't have much to do with health.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

ironchef
Posts: 1630
Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2012 10:12 am
Location: Australia

Post by ironchef » Tue Jul 08, 2014 5:08 am

Welcome! Sounds like you've hit on a great combination.
I'm with you, I prefer to Shovelglove "for real" around my house and garden.
oolala53 wrote:http://www.halls.md/body-mass-index/bmi.htm

There are other pages to this site, one of which gives "ideal" weights according to one's peers' opinions. I highly recommend AGAINST looking at that page. It reflects the punishing expectations we have been brainwashed to desire. Taken to the hilt, women will often not be happy until they weigh in the 2-6%ile, way at the low end of the "normal" BMI range. THAT is how many women in our culture actually weigh what the media ideals- what commentator Naomi Wolf calls "professional beauties"- weigh, and our brains have absorbed the message. It doesn't have much to do with health.
Wow, oolala, that's an eye opener! I'm in the 15th percentile, happy with my No-S habits and smack in the "low risk" BMI zone, but if I go to that "Ideal Weight" page, the "people's choice" is STILL suggesting I lose another 2kg (about 4 pounds)! It just shows you how distorted our perceptions have become.

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Tue Jul 08, 2014 3:50 pm

Oh, Eve, didn't I tell you not to eat of that tree in the garden? You went straight there, didn't you! :wink:

I don't know if you kept going, but if you put in the weight it said should be your ideal, it will likely give you a new, lower number.

For example, women at my weight, height and age think they should weigh ten pounds less than I do.

The women at my weight, height and age who weigh ten pounds less than I do think they should weigh four pounds less than that.


Same peer group who weigh the four pounds less think they should weigh two pounds under that. That's where the number rests. The women who weigh that two pounds less than the previous group are satisfied with their weight. So women in my peer group are not happy until they weigh 16 lbs. less than I do. That puts them in the 6th %ile. There are very few women who are meant to be that slim, I'd wager. Thus the perpetual issue of maintenance.

So, women have been brainwashed into thinking they should not be happy until they weigh much less than 95% their peers. And there is a 95% failure rate at dieting.... Hmm. Coincidence? I think not. (I'm going to use that in my stage act.)

I REFUSE to give in to that, and I fight it whenever I feel I can get away with it. I've had a few people get huffy over it here. Oh, well. As a character in the movie Mulholland Falls states blithely, "Some people die before their time so that others can live. It's a cornerstone of civilization." Some people suffer for decades so that others can feel pretty and still others can make money? It is each person's right, I guess, to let vanity be the impetus, but it doesn't mean I won't express my opinion sometimes. That's where I'm willing to ruffle SOME feathers- I don't do it all the time- so that others may enjoy their life at a perfectly fine weight.

But it still also makes perfect sense to me to want to live a life eating and moving moderately, not being "caught" by food, because it just feels good! Others have to test that for themselves.

I sometimes hesitate to post the info from Halls because no matter how slim a population is, someone is going to be the heaviest, and in our culture, that is not a good thing. And I really believe it is a practically useless stat because it is of so little significance in the grand scheme of things, when you really think about it. People take it as meaning so much more than it does. It's just a stat! It is a sign of our skewed thinking that it has come to be equated with goodness, pride, morality, admiration, acceptance, worth, etc.


Hoo, boy. You been hijacked.

I've always admired Reinhard for making little of it. Eat well, move well: that's your perfect weight. Now enjoy the other hours of your day without thinking there's something else you should be doing to lose weight!
Last edited by oolala53 on Wed Jul 09, 2014 3:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

User avatar
BrightAngel
Posts: 2093
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:22 pm
Location: Central California
Contact:

Post by BrightAngel » Tue Jul 08, 2014 6:48 pm

oolala, good post. :P
BrightAngel - (Dr. Collins)
See: DietHobby. com

User avatar
MerryKat
Posts: 786
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2005 11:35 am
Location: Sunny South Africa

Post by MerryKat » Wed Jul 09, 2014 10:15 am

oolala53 wrote:I've always admired Reinhard for making little of it. Eat well, move well: that's your perfect weight. Now enjoy the other hours of your day without thinking there's something else you should be doing to lose weight!
Thanks Oolala for another AWESOME post!

This truly is the best part of No S - your life is yours to lead with out food being the central and controlling figure.
Hugs from Sunny South Africa
Vanilla No S with no Sugar due to Health issues - 11 yrs No S - September 2016 (some good, some bad (my own doing) but always the right thing for me!)

User avatar
Dandelion
Posts: 696
Joined: Tue Sep 15, 2009 2:42 am

Post by Dandelion » Wed Jul 23, 2014 4:02 pm

oolala53 wrote: Eat well, move well: that's your perfect weight. Now enjoy the other hours of your day without thinking there's something else you should be doing to lose weight!
Love this so much.
'I do think the way to a full and healthy life is to adopt the sensible system of small helpings, no seconds, no snacking, and a little bit of everything. Above all, have a good time.' Julia Child

User avatar
reinhard
Site Admin
Posts: 5918
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2005 7:38 pm
Location: Cambridge, MA
Contact:

Post by reinhard » Thu Jul 24, 2014 6:34 pm

Belated congratulations, elegantportions!

-10% is testimonial worthy!

Thanks for the interesting notes on your bite counting experiment. Clearly it's worked very well for herbsgirl, but as you've experienced, it does come at a cost in attention. Plates are about the only thing I can be bothered to count (and glasses!).

Reinhard

Post Reply