Everyday Systems

Hi friends!

I thought it would be fun to post this, to see if there are certain foods which you have been able to enjoy while being on NoS, which previously, you might have "dreaded" as very unhealthy and bad for your diet, or "taboo"...

I have plenty of NoS moments when I'm enjoying these, where, in my mind I'm thinking "Ha ha, those poor fools who are missing out on this because it's supposed to be 'bad' for them, or too many calories"...
I remember about a year ago, when some dufus saw me eating my lunch at work (the gym I used to work at) which was a whole wheat fresh roll with a few slices of cheddar cheese and tomato melted onto it, and some fruit or something, and said something like "Do you know how many calories cheese and bread is?" (Like it was his bloody business anyway!!! ) and the old me would have thought "He has a point" but at that moment I thought "He doesn't know anything!!!! I am losing weight on NoS and I can eat this without a moments hesitation or worry"
How empowered I felt.

Incidentally, he also was someone who opted to get liposuction, and wasn't even thirty years old. I thought that was a shame..

So for me, I love knowing that I can have whatever.
Deprogramming the old bad messages is wonderful, not that I was really ever into the restrictive diets, but the messages are everywhere, and subliminally it's easy to start wondering whether you're doing alright..
NoS is so against the media grain...

This week, I'm happy I can eat cheeses and creamy salad dressings...
I had such a terrific chef salad yesterday!

What are some of the foods you are enjoying even more these days, now that they aren't "Taboo"?
I'm guessing pizza is gonna be a big one here

Peace and Love,
Deb

I agree Deb, being an individual and doing the reasonable thing is always counter-culture. I'm glad to know that you're able to decode their conditioning for what it is. It's a really terrible state of mind.

dear deb- you are so kind and such an inspiration to all- i am sorry that the sick puppy at the gym hurt your feelings...
he is still a slave to food and weight, and you are being released form that bondage more and more every day that you follw No S

here are some foods that i now enjoy totally without quilt :

1. chips and french onion dip ( i LOVE junk food !! )
2. chili cheese fries from Sonic
3. good, dark chocolate
4. salads with real dressing
5. steamed vegetables with real butter
6. fruit with real whipped cream
7. beer
8. peanut butter ( food of the gods)
9. red meat
10.cheese, sour cream and bacon bits on my baked potatoe

Yum !!!

have a great weekend

Donna O

Great post!

I think the first thing that comes to mind for me is vegetables...WITH FAT!!
I used to think such a food of the calorie counting gods shouldn't be wrecked by making it a "fattening food." Now I adore using olive oil and butter (in good amounts) to saute spinach with garlic, or drench cauliflower in a cheese sauce. And I believe its healthy because I've read that certain vitamins are absorbed better with some fat.

And I eat less of it, but the catch is I'm actually eating the vegetables, whereas before I wouldn't dare waste the calories on buttery vegetables, rather bring out the junk for those calories -- not anymore!!

This is SO much better. I can't say how happy I am (especially since I have a passion for cooking).

Hi Donna and Cynthia

Donna, don't worry about the "sick puppy"..
Actually, he really thought he was being helpful! But my feelings weren't hurt by him anyway.. I knew he was just wrong and I was mentioning it because in the past I might buy into that kind of nonsensical worry...

The thing is, the more we obsess and worry about our food choices, the more we actually "swallow" that worry along with our food..
It's much nicer to focus on how yummy something is..
Cynthia, I totally agree with your mentality about eating healthy foods in balance with all the other junk food we eat, or even, instead...

You will never catch me eating spinach and garlic sauteed in nonfat Pam...
Yuck!
Enjoy your Brocolli and cheese sauce!!!!

Peace and Love,
Deb

mmmm...the heavenly combo of carbs and protein! I tried to be on a low / no-carb diet for a couple of years. You know, lose 10 pounds, gain back 15 with a handful of popcorn. I'm 3 weeks on No S and down 10 pounds! PASS THE BREAD AT DINNER!

Well yesterday (which was an S day anyway) I had some icecream (greek yogurt and honey flavour) it was devine - in the past I wouldn't have had it because it was "fattening" - yesterday I ate it guilt free and throughly enjoyed it. Oh the freedom No S brings.

What a great post! Hallelujah, let's pay homage to all the delicious food out there and how lucky we are to enjoy it.... in MODERATION, of course!

For me:
Ceasar salad with the bacon bits, anchovies, cream, etc.
Green & Black's organic dark chocolate (the best!)
Haagen Daz Vanilla Ice cream (I'm very traditional)
Pasta Alfredo
BBQ: Steak, chicken, burger, hot dog
Smoked salmon
Black olives
Nachos with guacamole and salsa
Mashed potatoes
Chinese food (ANY Chinese food!)
Eggs Benedict

I'll stop for now, but yum, I feel I've just started the list!
All this choice with No S, and I'm down 16 lbs in 4 weeks!!!
I love eating this way, for me the No Snacking rule, even on weekends, is what keeps me losing the weight and loving my life. I'm also keen on No Seconds on weekends, unless it's an extra serving of salad. And of course, I enjoy 2 desserts every weekend.

I just had to post again. I went out to dinner last night- chimichangas and margaritas! ay carumba!

I love cheese! Buttery calorific cheese! I am such a dairy product fan! Whole milk, yogurt, ice cream, hard cheese, soft cheese, medium cheese, goat cheese, sheep cheese, cow cheese. (Whale cheese? I would buy it. Dog cheese? I would buy it.)

I thought it would be fun to post this, to see if there are certain foods which you have been able to enjoy while being on NoS, which previously, you might have "dreaded" as very unhealthy and bad for your diet, or "taboo"...

I have never had individual foods that I considered off-limits for diet reasons. So this is not exactly a "Food", but still relevant:

Chinese buffets!

Before No-S, buffets for me tended to be a gluttonous food fest, where my attitude matched a quote from a co-worker - "Better keep eating or else I'll get full!" My idea of getting my money's worth was eating as much as I could without throwing up.

No-S has been a great moderator for that. On weekdays it's one plate, and usually those plates are kinda small. On weekends I still eat far less - one plate of real food and then some dessert and maybe an extra crab rangoon, but a far cry from the 3+ plates I pounded down before.

I hear ya Nathan!!!
The buffet around here has gotten so expensive, it's pretty much a rip off so I don't go that much anymore... But if I did, I certainly wouldn't be very proud of myself if my goal was to "not puke".. LOL..
Even on "bad" weeks, things are sooooo much better than before eh?

Hope you had a nice week friend
Peace and Love,
Deb

Bacon and eggs!

I LOVE No-S! I have a very hard time restricting my food, but delaying gratification as opposed to denying it has made all the difference. Apparently, knowing that I COULD have the pancakes, waffles, dim sum, Indian buffet, Doritos, Ben & Jerry's paradoxically makes me want them less. Back in the day, once I opened a bag of Doritos, I wouldn't stop until I saw the bottom of the bag. Now, on an S day I usually stop, just because...I'm done. I must confess, I was flirting with a sort of pseudo-low-carb thing on the N days when I started, but it made me feel bad, so I stopped. There really is no substitute for listening to your body and doing what's right for you.
Stay tuned...

KRS- This is so true! Maybe just knowing we can have those things we like so much without any associated guilt makes them become just ordinary food. Then the temptation to overindulge is reduced because it's neither forbidden nor the last time you'll ever get it. Funny how when you have control and choices you want to rebel less.

High-end dark chocolate.
Fried chicken.
Artisanal bread (the chewy, heavy, four-slices-of-bread-in-one kind).
Cheese cheese cheese cheese.
French food!
My favourite (Italian) restaurant!

Here here about all the posts and agree with everything. I still have to distinguish between n days and s days, so on n days I get really excited about pizza, chineese food (all kinds, don't have to wait for birthday to have mongolian beef) enough butter on my bagel not just enough to make me mad, no dry spots on my toast. I always ate real peanut butter because I don't have the patience for the fat free crap... reduced fat actually... but I would always feel I had to justify it, if not to myself, to everyone else. Hey, it's only one point difference whatever. Now I'm just like, it's ok, it's not bad to like the real deal. I was half asleep yesterday and the kids were watching nickalodian and they're doing this big push for healthy living which I support, but the thing they were doing was a spot on moderation. And the guy says "Did you know that a piece of chicken should only be about the size of a deck of playing cards?" Then at the end of it had the nerve to say that he hoped this would help you know what you *can* eat and I'm thinking gee whiz how obsessive. On n days I also enjoy french fries sometimes. But I try really hard to stay away from quarterpounders. On S days I enjoy soft drinks ice cream chocolate, regular or dark, a snack or two. I'm finding that it truly has been an education process. If I had known that my body would eventually follow me i wouldn't have worried so much in the beginning first two weeks, wanting to completely cut the S days. I was terrified that I'd always be eating too much on S days, but my body is really learning to go Ok, you're done or whatever.
Do the basics, don't try anything cute like completely cutting your S days or restricting your N days further than what they already are, just do what feels right and eventually your body will start wanting less and less food. At least that's been my experience. Funny how that works isn't it? Oh yeah, potato chips are something I enjoy on N days. I really try not to do that, because I'm worried that my brain might get confused and start wanting to snack on them, but sometimes I have them. I still don't eat enough vegetables and I know it, but I'm not really ready to work on that yet. I eat enough fruit to make up for the vegetables.
Funny story. I was talking to my step-dad before I started doing no s and I told him I was so frustrated because I just couldn't lose weight. Of course, he gave me pretty much the same advice except he added eating meals a certain way, breakfast is biggest lunch is smaller and dinner is smallest. I basically laughed at him and said, there's no way that would work Then I saw this formula and said Gee, there's no way this can work but gee it makes sense. Then the more I was on the plan, the more I started thinking gee, this is pretty much my philosophy except all the pieces were kind of jumbled up in my head and it wasn't really anyone else's philosophy and it's only now that the picture of what I want to do is really clear. I'm still not at the ten pound mark yetbut I've only been back on program since july sixth, taking that week from the 28th to the sixth for the funeral and grieving. But I noticed that since I've been really consistent about doing this, my body doesn't demand food the way it used to.
Anyway that's enough for now I guess.
Shell

hi mommashell. i loved reading your post. it really enforces this way of eating and that things to make sense. i wish you success on this. i just restarted again today. i did read that some people didnt get it right away, well i was one of them, all i know is that i was losing wt then i stalled and thought that i should have been cutting portions more after being on this for over a month, thats when i started failing, the deprivation was there and obsessing over what i should be eating to jump start my wt loss agian. well then i let someone talk me into going back on ww pts. big mistake. i gained back 4 lbs of the 17 i lost on no s. so i am hoping i learned my lesson and can stay here for good this time. i think i might have quit 2 or 3 times during my wt stall. so that is part of my story, but i really did enjoy reading about yours. well, it was worth me staying up late, i was ready to go to bed when i came across this. have a great night. maybe we will talk again.

Sour patch kids... but only on the weekends, they're an S in a big way.

Other than that
Turkey bacon. Every morning. Mmmmmm

Yeeeeesss. Not feeling guilty about 'normal' food is major for me.

I'm not even missing sugar on no S days. I have a decent plate of food for each meal, and don't feel as though I 'deserve' to splurge on sweets, because of starving myself, as I used to.