Starting fresh

Elizabeth50 · Post by **Elizabeth50** » Tue Feb 09, 2016 3:51 pm

I have been a member here in the past, but with my old diet head, kept flip flopping between counting calories and intuitive eating.

This way of eating makes sense to me. I just need to give it a real go and quit with the diet mentality.

So, I am starting fresh as of yesterday, in fact. I am going to do my level best to do this throughout 2016 and see where this takes me.

Queenie · Post by **Queenie** » Tue Feb 09, 2016 4:43 pm

I'm giving this a go for 2016 as well.

Welcome aboard. : )

Sarah-lara · Post by **Sarah-lara** » Tue Feb 09, 2016 5:32 pm

I think that's a wonderful goal. Maybe I should declare it too!

I'm eight days in, so I don't have any big advice, but welcome!

Elizabeth50 · Post by **Elizabeth50** » Tue Feb 09, 2016 7:22 pm

Queenie and Sarah-lara, Thank you both for the welcome! Here is to the three of us making 2016 our No S year!

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Tue Feb 09, 2016 11:01 pm

I think if a person is not willing to work with an eating coach for IE for a couple of years, honestly, her odds aren't very good. How can I tell? If you look at the rest of the WORLD, people in countries that never dieted, that now have access to more food and especially processed food, are getting heavier. This means that bingeing and overeating is not solved by allowing all foods ad libitum, though there is some value in decriminalizing foods for MOST people. I'm pretty sure in Peru there is little pressure to be really thin, but there is a lot of overweight/obesity, AND when I was there, there were ads for weight loss clinics. In a land where there is a 22% poverty rate on an average income of about $6,000 , but where the potato is king, and a mid-range restaurant serves a MOUNTAIN of French fries at a meal.

Slim cultures do NOT have a lot of people who eat only when they're hungry or right when they're hungry. They eat relatively routine amounts of macronutrients at relatively routine times and with others as often as possible and they believe in moderation.

You are in the right place! And there's always room for fine tuning. I'm still fine tuning 6 years later. I think people in thin cultures do that, too.

Merry · Post by **Merry** » Wed Feb 10, 2016 5:53 am

Good for you! I recently "returned" as well, having done several "tours" of other diets as well. Here's to hopes for success in 2016!

wahine · Post by **wahine** » Wed Feb 10, 2016 8:11 am

The whole of 2016 is a fantastic goal. Initially I only committed to mid-May but I am coming around to the whole year no matter what idea.

Elizabeth50 · Post by **Elizabeth50** » Wed Feb 10, 2016 2:26 pm

Thank you all for the welcome!

Oolala, Eating at certain times and not snacking between meals is exactly the way it was growing up, too. Snacks were a real treat, as they usually came around on weekends and not so much through the week. So, this way of eating is pretty much going back to the way I ate as a child.

Merry and Wahine, I love that we're all thinking of doing this for 2016. It'll be interesting to see and share our results.

Queenie · Post by **Queenie** » Thu Feb 11, 2016 12:10 am

~ Oolala, did you perhaps mean to post your comment in the "Eat at the same times every day" thread? ~

jessielee · Post by **jessielee** » Fri Feb 12, 2016 2:30 pm

I've finally decided to let go of counting and give no s a proper effort, too.

Elizabeth50 · Post by **Elizabeth50** » Fri Feb 12, 2016 5:23 pm

I think we're doing the right thing Jessie. I enjoy counting calories in the beginning, then it starts gnawing on me and I'm ready to switch things up.

So far, this way is working great! But I've gotta admit, yesterday I had a banana that was almost to the point of going to the compost, so I decided to make banana bread. It smelled so good right out of the oven that I decided to make yesterday an S day and I'm going to consider tomorrow an N day. I think I'm going to readjust S and N days as needed, never having more than two S days in a calendar week, unless there is a "Special" day involved. (Then, as the book says, no more than two special days per month.)

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Sat Feb 13, 2016 3:41 am

I humbly suggest to be careful about moving S days around prematurely. It starts using mental energy and bargaining- trading this day for that- that the program is meant to avoid. Might be good to establish a pattern first, then modify.

I didn't even notice the other thread until after I wrote my previous comment here. Just reinforcing the concept of letting go of diet head

Lucky thing Valentine's Day is an S day this year, no?

Elizabeth50 · Post by **Elizabeth50** » Sat Feb 13, 2016 12:53 pm

Thank you Oolala, You're absolutely right! I think I'm going to follow this diet "vanilla" for a while and possibly tweak it later if I feel I need to. Thank you for the advice.

Oh, and Valentine's Day..my hubby and I haven't celebrated that in years...but I still celebrate chocolate.

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Sat Feb 13, 2016 5:44 pm

RE: chocolate. Gotta keep things in perspective.

Elizabeth50 · Post by **Elizabeth50** » Sat Feb 13, 2016 6:59 pm

hehe Absolutely!

MaggieMae · Post by **MaggieMae** » Thu Feb 18, 2016 11:33 pm

Welcome, Elizabeth! I started back in November, and I've gone back and forth to calorie counting and intermittent fasting. After a few days, I realize that I'm not learning how to have a good relationship with food and I can't log calories every day for the rest of my life. I'm sure I'll have a few more of those episodes because I also have a diet mentality. My mom put me on my first diet when I was in elementary school. I'm39 now, and I can still remember begging my mom for a little Debbie cake. I wasn't allowed to eat sweets for two weeks and I lost seven pounds. Why do I still remember that??! It's so ingrained in me. I can't expect to change it overnight. Good luck! You're in a great place. The folks here on this site are so encouraging.

Elizabeth50 · Post by **Elizabeth50** » Fri Feb 19, 2016 1:30 pm

Hi MaggieMae, and thank you very much for the welcome!

I totally understand about having dieted since a young age. Funny thing, I never had a weight problem until (as a teen) I wanted to lose a couple pounds..lost them, then gained back those pounds plus and continued to yo-yo diet ever the years. I'm now in my 50's and in the 200's (have been on and off over my adult years, mostly on).

Side note about yesterday: I had another "fail", and I've already had a fail this morning. I think I'm going to take a break from any plan for a while and just live my life. I'm so tired of fighting my weight, which I've done through my whole adult life and here I am at my highest weight ever.

In the past year I have been through some major life changes and I don't know if this is why I have lost my willpower or not, but in the past year I've gained 45 pounds. I'm so frustrated with myself right now.

I thank you again for the warm welcome, all of you. I wish all of you the best in this way of eating, because it is a very sensible plan. I hope to get back to it one day.

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Sat Feb 20, 2016 8:18 pm

I have such a similar history! Though it took me longer to get to the low obese range, but I was there for a few years, and didn't have my turnaround until I was in my mid-50's.

I went through a period before committing to No S in which I didn't try to change anything. I pretty much realized I wasn't willing to. This did not lead to having eating naturally taper off, as some people claim, though perhaps I wasn't really eating completely guilt-free, but I did not torture myself over it. There were times when I was eating and thinking, "WHAT is going to stop me?" and feeling miserable, but not miserable enough. That time definitely had value, as I looked back often during these six years and thought I just did not want to go back to it, even if I never lost weight. But i DID want to learn moderation.

Eventually, things came together enough that I was willing to "bear the essential pain," as Laurel Mellin puts it. I won't go through it all; most epiphanies are similar and different.

I believe you will either have one OR things will change gradually. Go take your time and if your healing brings you back, wonderful!

And if you want to be in touch privately, be my guest.

Elizabeth50 · Post by **Elizabeth50** » Sun Feb 21, 2016 11:27 pm

Oolala, Thank you very much for the sweet offer and also for sharing your background.

I've thought it over and told my husband I'm going to seriously stop worrying over my weight and simply enjoy this life I live. I will practice moderation in eating, but I won't overthink it anymore. I will exercise for heart health, but I'm no longer worrying over a number on a scale.

Being a woman it's my prerogative to change my mind, and I might later. lol So I may return one of these days, who knows?

But for now, I am going to take a very long hiatus from any kind of plan. I still think this is an awesome way of eating that is sensible, though! Wishing all of you great success!