New... and some questions

[shelly_k]

I read about this NoS thing a couple of years ago but I never tried it. Now i'm reading again and I'm ready to try. I am 40, 3 kids -- youngest is 2. I would feel more comfortable about 15-20 pounds lighter which is where I was when I got married 15 years ago. I currently weigh 172 and 5'8". I work out 2-3 times a week with weights and interval training which I love. But my weight is not budging so I know my diet/nutrition is the main culprit.

This system intrigues me. It seems so simple, I just can't think that I will be that hungry while following this plan? Maybe I will? I do love sweets and I think I am more in the category of eating too much at a meal so the one plate rule will definitely help me.

My questions:
What to do at restaurants? Obviously at restaurants we are served one plate, but the portions are typically huge. Common sense says this would be well over the serving I would give myself on a plate at home. So eat half?

Mexican restaurants: We love Mexican? What to do about the basket of chips and salsa served before the meal? Eat a few and count that as part of the "plate"?

Do most typically lose weight very slowly on this diet?

Thanks for answering my questions!

[mastermesh]

I think it's up to you, but usually I suspect most consider eating out to be a special thing to be reserved for S days.

[kccc]

I look at the menu and try to pick a reasonable dish to start with. Sometimes a couple of appetizer dishes are enough for a meal, or something from the "healthy choices" options.

But if there's nothing that I like in those headings, and my order turns out to be a huge portion - more a platter than a plate! - then I ask for a box at the beginning of the meal and box up the excess right away. And enjoy the remaining plateful equivalent.

ETA: on Mexican restaurants...I actually avoid going to them because of the plates of chips. If you can virtual-plate a few, more power to you. I can't. If I'm with other people trying to eat decently, I ask that they don't bring chips to the table. Otherwise, I try to ignore them and wait on my meal.

[r.jean]

I eat out a lot. It is my way of keeping in touch with friends. I usually gauge my meal and eat what seems to be in line with a dinner plate and take the rest home.

If I want to stay green, I skip the chips at Mexican restaurants and just eat the main plate. Or I order no meal, just one side item (such as one enchilada or taco) and eat the chips.

My weight loss was pretty good at first and then I leveled off. HOWEVER, I am 62 lbs. down after almost 4 years. Early this year was the only time that I started gaining back some weight, but I got a grip and got back in control.

PS I also exercise quite a bit. No S helped me gradually increase my exercise as well.

[ironchef]

It seems so simple, I just can't think that I will be that hungry while following this plan? Maybe I will?

If you aren't hungry, that's great. Most people find they are pretty hungry if they've been used to having snacks between meals - the body is used to it. If, after a while, you find you are never hungry (not even right before a meal), then you can cut down how much is on your plates.

What to do at restaurants? Obviously at restaurants we are served one plate, but the portions are typically huge. Common sense says this would be well over the serving I would give myself on a plate at home. So eat half?

My answer depends on how much you eat out. If you don't eat out that often on N days, then I wouldn't worry too much about it. Concentrate on avoiding snacks and sweets and sticking to one plate. You can fine tune plate size and contents later. If you are eating out a lot during the week, then you can use some tactics to keep the serving closer to what you would eat at home. Keep in mind that restaurant food will be higher in fat, salt, sugar, etc than what you would prepare at home, so eating out lots during N days may make it harder to lose.

Mexican restaurants: We love Mexican? What to do about the basket of chips and salsa served before the meal? Eat a few and count that as part of the "plate"?

Again, if this is a frequent thing, sure, have a few chips and leave an exaggerated white space on your plate to "virtually" plate it. Or, skip the chips unless it is an S day. I usually skip bread baskets, chips, etc when eating out, unless it is an S day and a really special restaurant with amazing bread or chips. I mean, I've had bread before, right?

Do most typically lose weight very slowly on this diet?

Because No S is all about moderation, weight loss speed is usually moderate as well. However, if you are a big snacker or eater of sweets, you might see a bit of a jump at the start. I lost the first 6kg really fast in the first month (I was a big snacker), then settled in to lose about 1kg a month or less for a looong time. Keep in mind that slow and steady should mean you are losing mostly body fat without losing too much muscle along with it (especially since you are exercising), so that's actually a good thing! Also, be aware that a small fat loss can be hidden in the normal fluctuation of your body weight due to water, salt, etc, so I wouldn't get too hung up on individual scale readings - concentrate on the trend (and how you feel / fit of clothes).

Good luck, and have fun!

[shelly_k]

Thank you for all your good advice!

We don't eat out much during the week (N) days so i will just go with it on the occasional time that we do. We do eat out a lot on weekends so I will have to watch it some as to not go crazy!

I am a big snacker in the afternoon and I am one to love to have something sweet with pretty much every meal. So my plan (only first N day here) is to have some fruit with each meal that fits on my plate to combat some of the need for a sweet.

Looking forward to getting started with this! Thanks!

[oolala53]

Hope it's okay that I jump in.

I don't eat the chips-or typically anything else- until my meal comes. This is because I don't want to spoil my appetite! I wait until the food I want the most is in front of me because those first few bites are so heavenly. This means I sometimes have first course food sitting there. It's worth it to wait! But it's okay to make it easy on yourself as needed.

I humbly suggest that you just worry for now about sticking to three meals on N days no matter what they are. If they are restaurant meals, it's perfectly okay to eat or not to eat everything on your plate at first. Find out what happens after a few months of compliance.

And don't think that going crazy on S days means failure. If it happens, it happens. Have faith, and keep "rowing to shore."

Weight loss speed varies, but it probably cants toward slow- and non-linear. The appetite changes and the body adjusts as it will. Steady weight loss is the fairy tale of diet head. Okay, it does happen sometimes, but that's not typical. Try not to depend on luck! Depend on habit and honesty. And filling up on life in between meals.

[kccc]

Try not to depend on luck! Depend on habit and honesty. And filling up on life in between meals.

Love that!

[shelly_k]

Thanks for your words of wisdom, oolala53!

I just posted in the daily checkin that I finished my first week and it was GREEN! So excited. Some parts were hard and some were not so hard.

I focused on the habit of 3 meals. I tried to make those meals as satisfying and filling as possible. So even when I wanted a sweet, I could truly say that I wasn't even hungry. I typically could go 4 hours after a meal before feeling hunger which meant I was comfortably hungry for the next meal. Which was good!

[oolala53]

That is fantastic for a first week or hundredth week!