Everyday Systems

So I've done No S for a week and a half now. Not perfectly, but getting there. What surprises me most is that I actually LIKE the feeling of being a little bit hungry.

I'm hypoglycemic and prone to "crashing," especially if I work out after eating badly, so for most of my adult life I've been on the mini-meal plan, just to avoid that terrible feeling. I had convinced myself that I NEEDED to snack between meals. But what I've found is that I don't, or don't always, need to, and this is a revelation!

The first few days ofNo S, hunger really freaked me out. Not "crashing" but real live normal hunger because I hadn't felt it in so long. Now I actually kind of like it. There have only been a few times when I got so hungry that it was difficult.

Pretty cool, No S!

Awesome! That's great.

I've actually recently realised that my meals have become slightly too heavy and I'm NOT getting hungry between meals. I'm going to cut back very marginally, for exactly this reason - I like being hungry now and again, and getting to the table keen as mustard

Same here. I wish more people realized how hunger makes everything you eat 10x yummier. I've recommitted to vanilla No S a couple of weeks ago, and learned that without real hunger you never know real satisfaction.

...without real hunger you never know real satisfaction

AMEN!!! I really like the way you phrased that.

Imogen Morley wrote: without real hunger you never know real satisfaction.

Brilliantly said Imogen!

So I've done No S for a week and a half now. Not perfectly, but getting there.

And well-done, Lyra!

If I had a quarter (not a nickel, like my mother used to say. Inflation) for every time I've heard members say this.

Before No S, I found Judith Beck's first book. As part of the plan, even before you started any diet (and she is a calorie-count-and-weigh diet fan- that's where I draw the line), you had to practice waiting to get hungry to eat, just to see that hunger is not an emergency. She said to redefine what it is to be "full," too. And you had to savor every single bite. Those are all the "diet" recommendations I took from her, but all the psychological stuff she offered was crucial in my adhering to No S.

I know there are some people who really have a lot of trouble over real hunger and satiety cues, but for most people, hunger will be key! NOTHING tastes as good as those first few bites!

That's really interesting, Oolala. What did she say about redefining what it means to be full? I find myself eating until I'm very full to make sure I can make it to my next meal. I'm hoping/assuming that this will lessen as I get more comfortable with No S...

Just that. Overweight people often associate the sensations that slimmer people would call stuffed with being full. Over time, I think eating only three meals leads to feeling fuller on less food, as some part of us get assured we'll get enough. Reinhard never talks about it because he probably doesn't know or care, apparently, but gaps of 5 or more hours tends to regulate appetite hormones.

Interesting!

Lyra wrote:That's really interesting, Oolala. What did she say about redefining what it means to be full? I find myself eating until I'm very full to make sure I can make it to my next meal. I'm hoping/assuming that this will lessen as I get more comfortable with No S...

Since you are just beginning your NoS journey, you are doing just fine eating until "very full." That provides the emotional and physical security to embrace the habits of NoS, particularly No Seconds and No Snacking.

I think you will find as I (and many others) have found if you continue with NoS sanity, is that what now seems comfortably full will one day be "too full". And then you will naturally want to eat less because you miss that good feeling. How fantastic when eating less is the REWARD, not a punishment.

I've found this process repeating itself over the years: eating til comfortable, discovering one day that I'm not usually hungry for the next meal, spending a few months figuring out how to eat less to get back to that "just right feeling" without feeling deprived, going on for a number of months happily chugging along, and suddenly (so it seems) back to feeling too full and missing that delectable "Mmmm. I'm hungry, what's for dinner?" sensation.

I try not to over analyze the whys and wherefore of the above cycle, and instead, focus on getting to the point of being back at the place of enjoying three delicious meals each day.

HTH,

Thanks, vmsurbat. I can feel that you're right. And the funny thing is that I'm not eating a whole lot more at mealtimes...

I really wonder where NoS will take me. I can feel that this is something that will at least to keep me from gaining weight-- but I haven't been able to lose a significant amount of weight, even on a diet, since I turned 40. I would be totally thrilled if I could lose even 10 pounds in the next few years.

Lyra wrote:So I've done No S for a week and a half now. Not perfectly, but getting there. What surprises me most is that I actually LIKE the feeling of being a little bit hungry.

I'm hypoglycemic and prone to "crashing," especially if I work out after eating badly, so for most of my adult life I've been on the mini-meal plan, just to avoid that terrible feeling. I had convinced myself that I NEEDED to snack between meals. But what I've found is that I don't, or don't always, need to, and this is a revelation!

The first few days ofNo S, hunger really freaked me out. Not "crashing" but real live normal hunger because I hadn't felt it in so long. Now I actually kind of like it. There have only been a few times when I got so hungry that it was difficult.

Pretty cool, No S!

It's not really a surprise that hunger makes everything taste better. The French have known this for a while now which is why they have the saying "Appetite is the best sauce."

BTW we have been conditioned that any uncomfortable feeling between meals is "crashing" and going to make us blow up into obese people.

Oh, a hypoglycemic "crash " is quite a bit different than just being uncomfortable. Once I almost fainted while riding my bike... A literal crash! No fun.

But I totally agree with you, Leafy Greens. Appetite IS the best sauce!

Lyra, try not to wonder where No S will take you in terms of weight loss. That is a vestige of diet head, most likely. We imagine how wonderful it is to be thin, but it can't be wonderful to be thin if the lifestyle to be that way doesn't work. I can tell you that every time that started to loom in my mind, either from convincing myself of the possibility or because I had lost and I started thinking more and more would come off, I started having more food thoughts. The more I can get myself involved in OTHER interests/pursuits/concerns, the less trouble I have with food. I'm not saying that is easy; I have other issues that complicate that for me. But it is effective. Weight loss is very unlikely to replace the pleasure and role of food. If it did, then no one would start refeeding and gain the weight back. Only pleasure in the new lifestyle and other behaviors, and thinking is a behavior, can replace the quick and easy fix of food. Don't feel bad about being caught. Sixty-six percnt of the population has been, too!

Do your best to get excited about the other hours of your life. I hope this isn't crossing the line, but I'll be Auntie and say it. And it's the last piece in my puzzle so it must be everyone else's!

oolala53 wrote: Weight loss is very unlikely to replace the pleasure and role of food.
If it did, then no one would start refeeding and gain the weight back.
Only pleasure in the new lifestyle and other behaviors,
. . . . and "thinking" is a behavior, . . . .
can replace the quick and easy fix of food.

So Very True!

Very sage advice, Oolala. I'm looking forward to the time when I can enjoy "ideal behavior" rather than aim for "ideal weight". I can already see that it could be very relaxing to just live well and forget the belly fat...

Many people have paradoxically lost weight when they relaxed about it while also having the goal to feel more energetic from their eating. It's hard to feel energetic when you're consistently overeating or eating too great a ratio of manufactured foods. It isn't that there's no sacrifice involved, but that it's productive sacrifice.