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If you came to No S as a binge/compulsive/disordered eater..

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2016 2:04 pm
by Skelton
and you feel that No S has helped you, would you tell me about your progress on No S?

I realise this is a difficult topic for many of us, challenging subject matter to talk about, but I'd really like to hear about other's experiences with this.

I struggle to stay with No S because by my "diet head" thoughts still bother me quite often. I'm looking for ways to build my motivation to stay with No S and avoid going away to try a new diet.
I'm just back (again) to No S, after trying a 'new' diet from a very well known commercial programme . I was led there by a well known celebrity who is endorsing the plan - and has financial interest in the company!

I know that No S is a sane plan, but in less rational moments, I do keep finding myself tempted to try the latest diet!

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2016 3:01 pm
by dropadresssize
Hi there, yes I came to No S in January as a binge eater. For me this is the only diet that has been working well and I can keep sticking to. I did Slimming World for years, but always struggled, I think because they say you can eat as much, fruit and veg, or pasta/potatoes, depending on what plan you are doing red/green etc. so I just used to keep eating because of my binge nature. With the No S I seem to manage to keep to the three meals a day and resist the urge to snack (that was my biggest downfall) and seconds (my second biggest downfall!) Knowing that I can have a pudding or two at the weekend and not kill my diet is helping massively. I would say this is a great plan! I really hope you give it a go and it is good for you. Started my diet on 5th Jan 2016 at 11st 8lb (162lb), now at 10st 9lb (149), so at you can imagine I am delighted with the progress. With Slimming World I could never get below 11st, so this is the plan for me. One tip I will give - do drinks lots of water, or herb tea, as it really helps you feel fuller and on the odd occasion when I have felt weak or like bingeing, I have put the dog on the lead and walked for 15 minutes or so, just to get it out of my head. I am also finding that it is getting easier and easier to do as the weeks go by and I just don't feel like I am on a diet, it just feels "normal", which is fab! Very good luck if you decide to try No S. :0)

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2016 3:49 pm
by Kittson
Hi! I came to No S with a disordered eating past. No S has given me a peace of mind that I didn't expect. I came to No S a year ago looking for a way to stop the diet madness. I didn't think I would have found peace so soon.

I went back to my check-in thread to copy and paste my reaction to my first 21 days. It's in quotes below. The one thing I wanted to add is that in the last year I did have a few struggles. I get stressed around the holidays and went back to calorie counting for about 40 days. What a disaster that was. I am still recovering from that, I did have an increase in body weight after calorie counting because psychologically I CAN NOT tolerate the restriction of calorie counting anymore. I know better now and though I am human and may do it again, I do know that I will return to No S because it's the only way I can happily live my life.

In the past year I have taken the focus off food and started to live my life. I feel more present in my body, I have become a volunteer in several different organizations. Heck, I even adopted a highway. I got back into my art and have actually been selling it. Life is good when food isn't in control.

Here's my takeaway after my first 21 days:

"21 Days, I did it! I am surprised and happy that I was able to meet the challenge, and I feel like this is starting to feel pretty normal for me. This last week my hunger has been very manageable and I believe my body is adjusting.

Some things have happened or that I've noticed/learned
1. The debate over food is gone. "Should I/Shouldn't I eat this" and "BUT I WANT IT" don't happen anymore. That makes me feel so much peace.
2. Hunger isn't going to hurt me. It's normal to be hungry for meal time.
3. Food is being enjoyed again. I don't dread what food does for me, I enjoy how it makes me feel, because on N days I'm never over full.
4. I quit drinking diet pop the first week. Big deal for me! I was having 2/day.
5. Negative self-talk has been extremely quiet the past 3 weeks. She visits me on S days. S days have not been way out of control though, so it's not bad.
6. I've left food on my plate 3 times since I started!
7. I had some really funny meals the first week. 4-5 different little servings of different foods, because I couldn't decide what I wanted. Food choices are getting much simpler now. And my luncheon plate isn't spilling over as often as the first 2 weeks.
8. I take pictures of all my meals that I eat alone or at home. It's been fun to look back at how things are changing.
9. The scale needs to stay in storage.

My original post said that I'll weigh/measure on April 21, a full month from my start date. It seems more natural to weigh at the end of my first 21 Day streak, so I'm doing that.

March 21 - April 11
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 141.2 lbs - 139.4 (-1.8 )
Waist: 26.75" - 26 3/8 (- almost 1/4 inch)
Hips: 37.25" - Same
Body fat: 27% - not sure

So I think that's pretty good!! The weight loss is nice but the psychological benefits are worth so much more than that. Yes, I am wishing that I could have seen more weight loss, but I have to put things in perspective. I have really suffered with the diet-mentality for several years now, and the relief I feel mentally is amazing. 21 days is also a very short period of time. Even on an extreme diet, I typically would only lose 1 lb, but usually less than that, per week. A slow loser am I!

The bottom line is that my psychological relief from dieting has made me a happier person. I am also at a healthy BMI for my height. I am going to focus on the habits and go from there!"

https://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopi ... 61&start=0

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2016 7:17 pm
by anra
hi skelton and welcome!

i have always been an emotional eater. i overeat/overate at times when i do not have full control over decisions or actions in my life. and i tend to get addicted to sugar.

so having this very easy plan of three meals PLUS consciously staying away from sugar is working greatly for me.

the thing is ... no miracles are gonna happen overnight. so you need to stick with it and try as best as you can to keep the thoughts about other diets out. give yourself about three dedicated months and document and see what is happening.

about personal progress:
i'm in this (again) for two weeks now and the belly is getting flatter, cheeks are less puffy, digestion has improved and i just slowly feel sane again.

i encourage you to give it a try! and if temptations (esp. sweet or snacks) are just too hard to resist only by willpower, message me. there are some great books to recommend.

good luck!

Serial Dieting brought me here...

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2016 7:41 pm
by Red
I'll be honest, it was a search for a new diet methodology. After 20 years of a wide variety of diets that were supposed to take off the 120 lbs I've been toting around, I still was looking for the right one for me.

ALL I have tried have left me in various states of disrepair, including despair that I would never lose anything. Everything that was said in the NO S book rang true. I would only last about 4 months, after that my stainless steel grip on my food choices would shatter like glass at the smallest push. The last diet that took any substantial pounds off me was HMR...but adherence to that plan bordered on a compulsive disorder. Yes they had great statistics, BUT ONLY if you continued to purchase their foods even after achieving your goal. If you dared to step out into real world eating - you would get chastised and told to get back "in the box"... as the meeting leaders chanted. At month 5 I hit a plateau, which lasted to month 8, and then I slowly started putting weight on. I could not control the intense cravings and hunger I was feeling. I've managed to keep 40lbs off of the 90 I gained, but it's a losing battle so far.

The current diet is Nutrisystem, a little less draconian - but inclusive of a lot of things that normally would cause me to run screaming from the room - candy bars for lunch (high in protein of course)... as an example. A lot of money - and no progress at all. <sigh>

The No S book was the FIRST book that suggested what I always wished for, a real world methodology that made psychological sense. Something beyond turning off the food spigot and telling you that hungry misery is something you'll have to just live with.

I'm on Day 3 (GREEN!!! YAHOO) - and giddy like a schoolgirl. Tomorrow is my first S day, and I'm looking forward to a lovely breakfast out with hubby - where I don't have to specify only egg whites, no butter, no cheese, no bread, no cream, no jelly, no sausage, splenda and fat free creamer, and no joy. Just bring a plate please, I'll cry into it for the salt. <sigh>.

And to think, all I wanted was a way to eat that made common sense, didn't force me to count micro-ingredients, and occasionally enjoy foods I love - without gaining pounds and pounds at the mere mention of the word donut.

I won't ask for luck, for the first time, I don't think it factors in here. I think this is home for me. Even if I never lost the weight - I can say I eat a lot of healthy green foods, good quality meats, and finally now... a weekly cookie or two that doesn't taste like fat-free, high protein drywall. I'm very happy for the first time in a long time.

Thank you for this.

Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2016 2:45 pm
by oolala53
Caveat: My goal has never been to lose weight, but to aim for eating in an "ordered" was that supported pleasure and vitality.

Here is a link to a post I made about this topic. https://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=8296

I'm still at it. It's not always rainbows. I've had blips along the way in the following 4 years when I fell back into old ways- once by actively trying to lose more-, but what kept me going was knowing that the odds were against anything else working any better IN THE LONG (2-YEAR) RUN. No S has been the foundation.

I continue to refine my meals, and to work on life in between my meals. It's not often the way I would like it, but I'm very unlikely to eat over it now. And I even continue to lose sometimes.

You can write to me separately, if you like. My check-n thread is pretty wordy!

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2016 5:04 pm
by candiceena
This thread could not have come at a more perfect time.

I too am coming back to No S after getting started but then falling off the wagon. I am so sick of beating myself up and over thinking and researching and thinking to myself that "once I get on a good diet" then my life will magically fall into place.

Please keep the responses coming as they are probably helpful to more folks than just myself & the OP. :)

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2016 5:46 pm
by anra
welcome back candice! :D

...bumps...

Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 4:55 pm
by Red
HI - Oolala53 - I'm curious, have you had to deal with emotional eating?

Saturday was my first S day, and found myself trolling the kitchen despite not being hungry.

It took me a while to calm down, and not be frantic about it. Still puzzling on the source of that.

If I understand the book at this point - it will settle down over time, and I'll find a balance.

I would like to know your experience if so.
Thanks!

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2016 12:31 am
by oolala53
My problem experience is just about ALL about emotional eating! I don't feel I have a problem with being legitimately hungry. I like it! You may have to scroll through my check in thread to get the details you'd like. It's been a six-year journey. The first two on S days were rough. Yada yada. Too many details to say in one post. You may not like that it took a long time, but as far as I know there is no controllable way a person can speed it up. And the alternatives have even worse failure rates.

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 6:42 pm
by oolala53
I'm taking the liberty of posting the address of my most recent testimonial. I would say that emotional eating has really taken a back seat to other concerns and No S helped me get to this point. It just goes to show that motivation can trump just about anything, when it's clear and real. I cannot have anyone else's motivation and they can't have mine. But we like sharing anyway.

https://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=8296

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 5:18 pm
by Skelton
Just checking in to let you all know that I am still reading !
I'm not sure if I need a label for myself, not sure how much of my eating is 'emotional' or whether it's more like food addiction.
That said I'm not even convinced that food addiction exists!
It sure does feel that way though, and for me I have notable food triggers eg bread in particular seems to drive me to crave more food. And sugar too.
I tried to cut bread out but then I feel restricted and want it even more. :?

Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2016 6:29 pm
by oolala53
Sent you a message privately, Skelton, but in general, do your best to keep at the habits, no matter what's on your plate. I found that some foods were worth the later cravings, until they either didn't have such an effect, or WEREN'T worth it often anymore. But it took experience to find out.