NoS in Maintenance?

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
Leana088
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2015 7:38 pm
Location: South Africa

NoS in Maintenance?

Post by Leana088 » Mon Mar 16, 2015 9:25 am

I'm wondering if any of you do NoS while maintaining weight?

What are the differences between your weight loss and maintenance diet then?
Be better than you were yesterday...

osoniye
Posts: 1257
Joined: Sat May 22, 2010 2:19 pm
Location: Horn of Africa

Post by osoniye » Mon Mar 16, 2015 10:22 am

Hi Leana088,
Welcome! Yes, I do very well on NoS for maintaining weight when I follow it. My problem is that I travel a lot for work (overseas) and take longish vacations, and all too often throw caution to the winds when I'm out of my normal environment. That is totally my own fault, not that of NoS, as it would be perfectly reasonable to stay on it while traveling.
In my first year of NoS, I gained 3#, but that was coming off a pretty low carb diet on which I had lost 25#, so that seemed pretty good. In the following year, I lost a further 15#, by really watching plate size and I didn't take wild S days, usually just had a small desert with coffee or 1 plate of seconds on any given S day.
In the past 2 3/4 years, I have had stretches of gaining weight while traveling (not doing NoS) and alternately losing or maintaining on NoS. It works if you do it!
I'm compliant again, and am slowly losing the weight I had built back up over several times of being on and off. The main difference between losing and maintaining for me, is watching that I don't pile the plate too high, and counting every bit of fruit and veg as part of that plate. When maintaining, I might have a side plate of salad and not think too much about it, and my plate might be sort of stacked and I don't worry so much.
Hope that helps to give some idea, at least from my experience.
-Sonya
No Sweets, No Snacks and No Seconds, Except (Sometimes) on days that start with "S".

Dale
Posts: 144
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2012 7:27 am

Post by Dale » Mon Mar 16, 2015 10:49 am

I've used it in both maintenance and losing, and the main difference is portion control - I have to be careful to lose, but not so much in maintaining. Because it's slow loss on No S, there isn't a dramatic difference in intake between losing and maintaining.

Leana088
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2015 7:38 pm
Location: South Africa

Post by Leana088 » Mon Mar 16, 2015 12:47 pm

I think perhaps I will just change from low fat/fat free everything to regular full fat during maintenance. And change my plate size. My current plate is 18cm, I will change to a 20cm one in maintenance. It doesn't sound like much difference but it is. Perhaps add a fruit in after every meal as "dessert". Then see how it goes. :D
Be better than you were yesterday...

User avatar
NoelFigart
Posts: 1639
Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2006 1:23 pm
Location: Lebanon, NH
Contact:

Post by NoelFigart » Mon Mar 16, 2015 3:11 pm

*head scratch*

I uh... pretty much intend to eat this way forever. I thought that was the point.
------
My blog https://noelfigart.com/wordpress/ I talk about being a freelance writer, working out and cooking mostly. The language is not always drawing room fashion. Just sayin'.

Leana088
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2015 7:38 pm
Location: South Africa

Post by Leana088 » Mon Mar 16, 2015 4:35 pm

@Noel -- yes it is the point. I also intend to eat this way forever. But I can't lose weight forever. I only have 12lb to lose.

So even though I will do the NoS style of eating, at some point I have to eat larger meals or something so that I can maintain instead of lose. =)
Be better than you were yesterday...

bjalda
Posts: 123
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2011 10:17 pm

Post by bjalda » Mon Mar 16, 2015 7:36 pm

I just (re)started two months ago, so I am nowhere near the maintenance phase.
But as Noel said, I was also intending to eat this way forever.
And I mean exactly this way.

So I won't eat less until I reach my 'goalweight'.
I also wouldn't be afraid of losing too much on this diet. It's so moderate and sane that you couldn't keep losing weight on this forever (or on any diet, for that matter. Your metabolism changes, how much energy your skinnier body needs etc. So that would be impossible, right?). Your weight will probably just settle at a sustainable, moderate place and will simply stay there, while you continue to eat the No S way. That's why I thought on No S there wouldn't be a 'switching to maintenance' mode.

I would be careful with the: eating really small plates now just to increase them later-thing. Maybe that might lead to you regaining some of the weight. But of course you know yourself better, and it wouldn't surprise me to hear of someone who could actually pull that off. I just know that I couldn't... always got a bit too happy and cocky when I reached my goal weight in the past :wink:
Good luck anyways! And let's hope that we all make it to maintenance some day soon!
Expectation exists when there is fear.
- Swami

Leana088
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2015 7:38 pm
Location: South Africa

Post by Leana088 » Mon Mar 16, 2015 10:58 pm

Yeah, for me personally I don't think the plate-thing would be a problem.

See, I didn't exactly gain weight because of my actual food portions...here's why I did:

I drank too much soda/fruit juice and too little water.
I snacked on a lot of candy.
I didn't exercise.
I drank 5 sugars and half a cup of milk in my coffee.
I ate 4 meals instead of 3.
I wasn't aware of how calorie dense some foods are, like nuts, cheese and peanutbutter, and I ate a lot more of them than I should have.

As far as my actual meal-sizes go, that was pretty in check. When I started counting calories I changed all of the above named habits and I was able to lose most of my weight (20kg) just by doing that. :)
Be better than you were yesterday...

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

Post by ironchef » Mon Mar 16, 2015 11:07 pm

Leana088 wrote:@Noel -- yes it is the point. I also intend to eat this way forever. But I can't lose weight forever. I only have 12lb to lose.

So even though I will do the NoS style of eating, at some point I have to eat larger meals or something so that I can maintain instead of lose. =)
I lost weight, then maintained that loss, without changing anything. As your body gets smaller, it needs less food to maintain its weight. Three square meals a day (not "diet meals", not "mini-meals") enough to satisfy your hunger and take you to the next meal, will be VERY unlikely to make anyone lose below a healthy weight. If you are an exception (a fast metabolism, someone who does heaps of exercise / sports or a physical job), then you may need to include some mods if your weight gets too low. I'd wait and see if that is a problem though before trying to pre-solve it.

Also, in maintenance, life still happens. Holidays happen, and vacations, so my weight still bobs up and down gently. In my case, I'm now in the last tri of my second pregnancy, so a whole bunch of stuff is going on. Vanilla No S is still my home base though, and it's what I always come back to.

User avatar
Blithe Morning
Posts: 1220
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2008 10:56 pm
Location: South Dakota

Post by Blithe Morning » Wed Mar 18, 2015 6:22 pm

There is no difference between how I ate when I wanted to lose weight and how I eat now that I'm maintaining. When I started No S I slowly dropped weight and have managed to keep it off despite short times of upticks due to non-compliance.

This is also despite turning 50 and entering menopause (sorry if TMI).

I have made changes in what I eat over the years-vegan/vegetarian before 6pm, meat only once or twice a week after 6 and a gradual dialing back of S days. Those were more or less natural next steps in my journey and not undertaken to maintain or lose. They are just the way I want to eat as I feel better.

What happens to your weight when you just follow No S w/o thinking about losing? Do you maintain? Lose? Gain?

I've often said No S is the only diet in the world that starts out in maintenance.

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

Post by oolala53 » Wed Mar 18, 2015 11:17 pm

Haven't read all the replies, so I may be repeating.

Reinhard did not start out with a weight loss goal in mind. His goal was moderation. That plus instituting a regular moderate exercise program took him to a weight he has maintained for more than a decade, I think, with no changes.

Eating less to get to a certain weight and then try to figure out how to eat a bit more to maintain has been basically a failing strategy for 95% of the attempters IN THE LONG run for over 150 years of dieting, even though it's promoted endlessly.

Eat in a way NOW that you could imagine sustaining indefinitely. That can definitely change over time, with less food becoming more satisfying, and go with it as it does.

My weight went down in fits and starts for two years, and I did go through some periods in which I ate quite a bit less because of a temporary drop in my appetite that resulted in a few more pounds lost. I've basically maintained for three years with only two S days mods. My appetite has decreased with age, but weight is pretty steady. This all without regular exercise and with no health concerns that might impact habits.
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)

noni
Posts: 613
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2009 2:01 pm

Post by noni » Sat Apr 11, 2015 10:42 pm

Oolala, may I ask what your two S-day mods are?

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

Post by oolala53 » Sun Apr 12, 2015 5:01 am

Sure. I eat sweets only in company, and no cookie dough! I know you'd think eating sweets in company would preclude cookie dough, but I once went to a party at which the hostess started making a batch of chocolate chip cookies and guests asked for spoonfuls of dough. I thought, oh my god, people do this in front of each other?

This is not to say I don't fail at this sometimes, but it is now a fail to do it.
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)

noni
Posts: 613
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2009 2:01 pm

Post by noni » Mon Apr 13, 2015 8:21 pm

I did try to only eats sweets on S-days in front of others, but it's my family who lives with me. I found myself saying, "Hey guys...want to watch me make this Milkyway disappear?"

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

Post by oolala53 » Mon Apr 13, 2015 11:46 pm

HA! But would you say, Want to watch me eat these 10 Milky Way bars? There's no problem with eating one bar. In my early wild days, I would eat a 20-ounce bar of milk chocolate over the course of a day. That's ten candy bars. That died down even before my mod, but I still had some over-the-top days.

Obviously, many heavy people are eating this much in front of each other all the time. They would need different mods, if Vanilla alone didn't take care of it over time.

Mods have to fit the individual! I live alone, so mine worked for me (for a few years- have had some wobbling lately). I wanted to maximize the pleasure element and make sweets more special. It's never quite as satisfying to have them alone, in the way that other foods are. That's just me! Others can be different. I can imagine some people never having sweets in company because they company they keep reinforces overdoing it.
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)

noni
Posts: 613
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2009 2:01 pm

Post by noni » Tue Apr 14, 2015 10:57 am

Oolala, if you have a particular weakness for a certain snack food or sweet, do you keep it around the house and control yourself until an S-day?

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

Post by oolala53 » Tue Apr 14, 2015 1:31 pm

Because I don't eat sweets alone, I don't keep anything small around anymore. I'm not going to have them on an S day anyway. I rarely entertain, but if I did, I think I'd wait until close to the event to get dessert. I'm pretty sure that's similar to how the French plan, or used to be.

I'm not saying I don't slip sometimes. But it is a slip now. In the past, if I had a sweet alone on an S day, it just would have been an S day. Now, in my mind, it's a failure. (I waited 2 years before that mod.) However, I am also working with unconditional acceptance of failures, so it's no trauma.
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)

Post Reply