Do any of you remember posting this?

Mustloseweight · Post by **Mustloseweight** » Thu Mar 19, 2015 7:27 pm

Somewhere in the depths of my foggy brain I recall a discussion on here where somebody was concerned that they would not lose weight with the size of their plates even though they were complying with the rules. Someone else said not to worry but if weight loss was really slow keep the big plates and up the exercise. Does anyone else remember this or am I imagining it? I ask because I am having the same mental conversation with myself at the moment because I hate structured exercise sessions!

gingerpie · Post by **gingerpie** » Fri Mar 20, 2015 10:55 am

I don't remember the thread but it certainly seems plausible that it existence

Do I understand correctly that you are debating portion control vs exercise because you aren't losing weight? Assuming that is what you mean, the first question is always the same: Are your N-days consistently Successful? If yes, then portion control in the form of smaller plates is a logical next step. Or, possibly changing what is actually on the plate - switch out part of the calorie dense food for vegetables, for example. However, If the answere is no, . . Well, I'm sure you know what I'm going to say . . . But I'll say it anyway. Be sure to have your compliance well under control before you try to make changes. Habit comes first, then mods.

As for exercise, I totally believe in it as a proven method to do all sorts of good things for your body and mind and strongly encourage you to start to build an exercise habit that you like. Stretching/yoga/pilates types do wonders to work out the kinks in the body and are very relaxing for the mind. Strength building exercises do just that and also create a marvelous feeling of self control and power. Cardio somehow frees the mind and does wonders to keep the worry monster at bay. All of them have proven benefits that far exceed the number of minutes spent actually doing them. However, none of them will burn off as many calories as you imagine.

However Any of them do so much "more than the sume of their total." I encourage you to give it a go. Start with a ridiculously easy level of whatever you like to do And do it for a ridiculously short period of time 5 days a week. Once again, just like no-s you are working on building a habit. Once the habit is in place you can work on increasing intensity.

Good luck

nbh76 · Post by **nbh76** » Fri Mar 20, 2015 12:48 pm

I second that...I have always exercised...it is one thing I have done really my entire life. I am over weight, middle aged housewife btw and LOL. Try even just walking. Seriously look up what walking does for your body, your cells, your wellbeing. Also maybe try saying things to yourself like " I am really excited to start walking/ exercise of your choice"...I think there is power in changing your mindset so that you will enjoy what you are doing. Ughhh I feel a bit preachy...sorry !

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 6:06 pm

I don't practice what I preach, but I do suggest trying to get over the hump of not doing some kind of exercise, such as walking. I hope it's okay to say that I think you probably have a voice of rebellion regarding this that says just about anything other than walking to the car and back is structured exercise. Unfortunately, that is a liability. Push may have to come to shove for change here. It may not even make a difference in weight, but it is associated with better health even more than simple-meaning without exercise- thinness, and with better mood. It probably sounds really disingenous for me to say this, but I am not actively trying to lose weight. I lost without exercise. I don't know if that is lucky or not.

But my servings of dense foods have gotten rather small; they were never large. I had gotten over that years before, but was a daily binger.

Obviously, you can't keep the plates filled with dense foods and no exercise if you are not losing weight and want to. You will most likely have to adjust your meals so that you are hungrier when you get to them and less full of dense foods when you leave them, if you aren't losing. Still better than a formal diet, no?

Though this is not No S, I highly recommend spending some mental energy on what you do between meals. Could you increase your pleasure and/or productivity or your sense of satisfaction with life in general outside of your weight? Is food the last piece in the puzzle, or only one of them? Some bodies shed weight with worry and dissatisfaction; some keep it on. If you really believe your intake is reasonable, it's worth pondering.

Lastly, are you savoring every bite? Though it may have a small effect, it's been shown that eating more slowly slightly speeds the metabolism, while eating quickly does the opposite. Slim cultures usually take their time with at least two meals a day. Enjoying the food and each other is as important as the food itself. The third meal is often so small it hardly makes a difference, though I think they don't wolf any food they eat.

lin47 · Post by **lin47** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 10:09 pm

If you hate structured exercise, try something unstructured. I have been the most consistent with exercise in my adult life during the past 3-4 years (can't remember when I started) because I had my husband make a homemade "desk" for my treadmill (Google "tread desk" and you'll see the official one sold & versions that people have made). I do quite a bit of work on the computer, so this was perfect for me. The thing is, I knew I needed something that I could incorporate with something else. I'm an efficient person, so the idea of getting some work done AND exercising is very appealing to me. I actually wanted a tread-desk not so much for weight loss but because I was spending hours sitting hunched over a computer, and I just knew that, longterm, that wouldn't be good for my health. Now, I walk 24 miles a week on my tread desk. I also go to a CrossFit class 3-4 times a week, but I LOVE the group in the class, so it's really fun rather than burdensome.

The point of all this is that exercise really can be fun (or at least not something to dread) if you find the RIGHT exercise for you. That might mean learning how to play tennis and joining a club in your area. It might mean parking farther away from all the destinations you go to during the day (this is always recommended, and I used to roll my eyes at it, but it does help). My sister used to get exercise by going Contra-dancing once or twice a week. She would dance for hours at a time, and the time would fly by because she was having such fun. I'm convinced that if people could just find the right exercise for them, they would do it consistently sans the dread.

xara · Post by **xara** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 5:20 pm

I'm here to agree about contra dancing. It costs me more time and money than I can afford to do frequently, but I sure love it. It's done to great (live, in most cases) music, and is so much fun that you don't even notice how much exercise you're getting! Unfortunately I drive 140 miles round trip to do an evening of contra dancing, and probably pay a total of $40 for a night out including the cost of attending the dance, dinner out, and gasoline. So although I did it nearly weekly for about about 18 years, I now do it much less often. (I actually didn't find it "too expensive" all those years, but a pinched nerve in my neck has made dancing more difficult, and having done it for 20+ years it's a wee tad bit less enjoyable than it was at first. But still it's lots of fun!) My husband and I calculated that I've spent around $20K on the activity. Although I only did it once a week, I found it a motivator for continuing the other exercise I did throughout the week: staying fit enough to keep dancing! Do give it a try if you have it available in your area! [And for anyone who thinks they 'can't dance', it's easy, really just organized walking! Google it, watch some youtube videos, or - best of all - attend one dance, and you'll see what I mean!]

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Sat Sep 12, 2015 5:21 am

Xara, 140 miles? You must have really wanted to dance!

xara · Post by **xara** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 12:52 am

Yes, I think that I even *needed* to dance!

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 4:32 am

I never went that far, but I did go through a few years in which I felt so stressed and unhappy, and dance was such a surefire way to have fun that it felt like it "saved" me. I guess I could say I '"needed" it, too.

leafy_greens · Post by **leafy_greens** » Mon Nov 09, 2015 4:46 pm

mustloseweight wrote:Somewhere in the depths of my foggy brain I recall a discussion on here where somebody was concerned that they would not lose weight with the size of their plates even though they were complying with the rules. Someone else said not to worry but if weight loss was really slow keep the big plates and up the exercise. Does anyone else remember this or am I imagining it? I ask because I am having the same mental conversation with myself at the moment because I hate structured exercise sessions!

I seem to have read this many different times, especially when someone new is concerned that 3 plates isn't going to work for their weight loss goals because they've been told to eat 6 small meals.

tacodiscos · Post by **tacodiscos** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 6:03 pm

Re: on working out... I just give myself NO CHOICE and over the years now I love it. I will be wishing you well!!

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 7:51 pm

Love your oolala quotation leafy! Really gets to the heart of it huh? I'd also add it doesn't make you a crazy neurotic obsessive person like traditional dieting does in fact, for me it did quite the opposite. NoS is my sanity!

As far as exercise goes, I exercised very intensely in the beginning of my weight loss stretch but it dropped off quite a bit. The weight loss continued though. I really think exercise should be separated from weight loss. It should be enjoyable and will feel like punishment if it's used for weight loss. Okay I need to practice what I preach. Haven't been exercising except a mellowish 20-25 min walk/most days. I like gingers idea of starting ridiculously easy & go from there...

NoelFigart · Post by **NoelFigart** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 9:34 pm

As far as exercise goes, it's going to depend on your metabolism.

I will point out that Reinhard's discussion of Urban Ranger gets him moving for over an hour a day, and he's a young(ish) man.

Older/shorter women don't lose as easily or as well.

I exercise a LOT. But that's mostly because I've gotten into a hobby that requires it. (distance swimming). With that and not especially small plates (that swimmer appetite thing is not a myth), I can pretty much count on losing a pound a week. Before I got bit by the marathon swimming bug and I was walking a half hour a day or so, I was losing half a pound a week. Which, honestly, given the ease of No-S is amazing.

Everyday Systems

Do any of you remember posting this?

Do any of you remember posting this?

Re: Do any of you remember posting this?