Back again, trying to not be so miserable

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.

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FarmerHal
Posts: 1013
Joined: Fri Dec 15, 2006 11:54 pm

Back again, trying to not be so miserable

Post by FarmerHal » Wed Dec 09, 2015 2:23 pm

So I'm back. I noS'd successfully starting Dec. 2006 from 235 down to 206 but then fell off in favor of other "diets" (low carb/paleo) and wound up back at the same place plus 4 pounds. :(

I fight with food daily. Any emotional upset, or stress, or bordom or loneliness, and I eat. Yesterday had such a terrible time, we are low on groceries, and I ate the most random weird things and could not shut it off the whole day. What an uncomfortable situation.

And I'm so uncomfortable in my body right now. Just.. ugh. I've been out of control pretty much since June.

ANyway, I"m back. Going to post as often as I need to when I feel weak, I hope you don't mind.

Breakfast was leftover spaghetti, (brown rice pasta) and a coffee (with a little bit of coconut oil).
thanks guys.

I want my food fight to be over. Food is pretty much all I can think of anymore :(
{FarmerHal} ...previously Shamrockmommy...
Vanilla NoS... Making good habits.
Restart 12/2015, size 22
3/2016 size 18
1/2018 size 18

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NoelFigart
Posts: 1639
Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2006 1:23 pm
Location: Lebanon, NH
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Post by NoelFigart » Wed Dec 09, 2015 4:00 pm

Hey, welcome back.

I don't know how you feel about it, but I think for myself. I find that it is most useful not to think of it as the No-S Diet so much as it is, "I have good food habits."

That makes it sound a lot less like the temporary thing that causes the yo-yoing and more that this is something... well, you just DO. Like brushing your teeth every day or something.

FWIW, I think it is okay to plan for and look forward to tasty meals. It's headed on to lunchtime and I have a leftover curry I'm looking forward to enjoying. I really liked the smoothie I had for breakfast, too (I prefer to eat my calories, but I was badly time-crunched today) and will likely consider that again as a meal option.

But yeah, stress-snacking is a total killer. Does displacement activity help at all? I knit and listen to audiobooks a LOT when I am emotionally off-kilter. Can't snack with a handful of sticks and yarn, and it's better than video games because I get socks or a sweater out of it. (It used to be origami, but my husband complained about wading through my paper models to get to the kitchen when I'd had a bad day :) )

If the day is REALLY bad, I play point and click video games, but I consider that the moral equivalent of snacking with my TIME.
------
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'.

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FarmerHal
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Joined: Fri Dec 15, 2006 11:54 pm

Post by FarmerHal » Wed Dec 09, 2015 10:38 pm

Thanks Noel! I actually want to learn to knit or crochet but I'm a little chicken to try like I won't know how to do it. I always admire those who can!

Definitely need to come up with a new distraction. Today had a little stress and ended up chewing a piece of gum. Still that is an eating action but at least no calories.
{FarmerHal} ...previously Shamrockmommy...
Vanilla NoS... Making good habits.
Restart 12/2015, size 22
3/2016 size 18
1/2018 size 18

clarinetgal
Posts: 1709
Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2009 4:16 am
Location: Western Washington State

Post by clarinetgal » Thu Dec 10, 2015 2:07 am

I can certainly relate! I've had some stress going on in my life for quite awhile now, and I've been using food to cope -- mainly at night, after my kids go to bed. Well, based on some health-related reasons, it's finally time to get serious about establishing the No S habits. I need to find some displacement activities of my own. Practicing my clarinet helps tremendously, but I need to find other activities to do at night, in addition to that.

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Merry
Posts: 1658
Joined: Mon Sep 22, 2008 2:14 am

Post by Merry » Thu Dec 10, 2015 5:42 am

Good for you for coming back! My last "stint" here was in 2008. I never figured out how to not alter my life away or go to dessert parties without eating and just gave up. I'm up about 20-30 lbs. since then, and think I'm finally ready to commit to some new, lifelong habits!
NoelFigart wrote:
"I have good food habits."

That makes it sound a lot less like the temporary thing that causes the yo-yoing and more that this is something... well, you just DO. Like brushing your teeth every day or something.
Yes!
NoelFigart wrote: FWIW, I think it is okay to plan for and look forward to tasty meals. It's headed on to lunchtime and I have a leftover curry I'm looking forward to enjoying. I really liked the smoothie I had for breakfast, too (I prefer to eat my calories, but I was badly time-crunched today) and will likely consider that again as a meal option.
Mmmm, curry...
NoelFigart wrote: If the day is REALLY bad, I play point and click video games, but I consider that the moral equivalent of snacking with my TIME.
You crack me up!
Homeschool Mom and No S returnee as of 11-30-15.
2 years and counting on No-S.
29 lbs. down, 34 to go. Slow and steady wins the race.
Respect Moderation

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

Post by Blithe Morning » Fri Dec 11, 2015 1:50 am

Welcome back!

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

Post by ironchef » Fri Dec 11, 2015 2:11 am

Welcome back. Food sanity is here waiting for you!
FarmerHal wrote:Thanks Noel! I actually want to learn to knit or crochet but I'm a little chicken to try like I won't know how to do it.
Anyone who has a skill like that started out not knowing how to do it and spent lots of time learning, practising and making mistakes. Why not go for it? Who will judge you (apart from yourself)?
Definitely need to come up with a new distraction. Today had a little stress and ended up chewing a piece of gum. Still that is an eating action but at least no calories.
Trashy TV and my favourite comedy blogs are both distractions of mine. Also, consider that maybe you don't need to distract yourself. Sometimes I can manage to sit with my feelings of boredom, loneliness or self pity for a while, maybe even have a cry, and then decide eating won't be what I'm going to do. It's ok to have negative emotions, they don't have to be squashed as soon as they arise.

Giada
Posts: 66
Joined: Sat Jun 01, 2013 9:47 am
Location: South Africa

Post by Giada » Fri Dec 11, 2015 5:35 am

Displacement activities - absolutely. As Clarinetgal said, everybody had to learn a new skill. Our craft supplies shop has a stitch and bitch session once a week, and everybody is free to pop in - either for help, or to just work on their current project. There might be a similar initiative where you live - ask around.

I'm a really bad knitter, but I bought the cheapest wool I could find, knitting needles and knitted plain (very plain!) scarves. The idea was to give them to a community development organisation to hand out to people in need. Friends who saw me knitting joined in, and there soon was a huge bag of scarves and beanies that I could hand over. So what that mine were not as pretty as what the others knitted - it meant that a child somewhere had something warm during winter.

Have you considered adult colouring-in books? You could also search the internet for free pages. And then display them - you probably did that for your children, so why not for yourself?

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

Post by oolala53 » Sat Dec 12, 2015 10:10 pm

Everyone is used to me saying "don't want to discourage you, but.." I came to No S because of FINALLY being scared that I would never get over overeating/grazing/bingeing and that it would keep escalating.

I think two things that were crucial for me were that I was going to do this whether I lost weight or not, and that it was very unlikely I had any other REAL choices, i.e., Reinhard's two:

"1. Pseudoscientific forbidden foods diets that pretend that you can go on being a glutton as long as you confine your gluttony to a particular class of foods while completely excluding others (no agreement on what these particular kinds of foods are, of course).

2. Diets that require you to be a full time calorie accountant."

I'm saying this because it is very likely you will have some tough days. The urges don't go away just because we overeat, feel disgusted, and vow not to overdo it again. They come back! That's when I would just remember (among other things), it's either this or the dreaded two. And the other two were not really an option because I knew of their abysmal success rate.

Hang tough!
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)

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