Everyday Systems

I experienced a moment of clear and honest perspective last night, and for what it's worth, I figured I'd share it here, in the event that it might ring true for others. This is part opinion piece, part long-overdue positive self affirmation... your mileage may vary.

The "No-S diet" is a straightforward and reasonable way to establish healthy eating habits, that can be summed up as follows: "No snacks, no sweets, and no seconds, except (sometimes, sensibly) on days that start with 'S'... Saturday, Sunday, and special occasions." This means that, Monday through Friday, I eat three healthy, nourishing meals, consisting of one plate each; on 'S' days (weekends, birthdays, holidays, special events), I can have a snack, a sweet, and/or a second helping of something... just don't be an idiot about it.

Pretty simple, right? Yet, I have struggled, off and on, to adhere to this way of eating since first reading about it, several years ago. It's mostly the "no snacks" part that does me in (particularly at night), followed closely by "no sweets." In a flash of lucidity, the ridiculousness of this being a "challenge" really struck me.

Seriously? It's hard to "only" eat three nourishing meals a day? Throughout human history--and, indeed, even today--the great challenge across most of the globe has been for people to acquire enough food to keep from starving! It is a psychosocial anomaly of modern industrialized culture that people feel somehow deprived at even the slightest twinge of hunger or (healthy!) drop in blood sugar, and an aberration of nature that food and food-like approximations are so easily and instantly attainable at all times.

On paper, it looks like I'm the last guy you'd expect to struggle with achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. I'm a public health nurse and former personal trainer, with a Bachelor's degree in Health Promotion and Wellness. I don't know everything, but I do know more than a person really needs to, in order to be physically fit and healthy. And yet, here I am, repeatedly waging the same battle as so many others. At 5-feet, 11-inches, currently weighing a muscled-but-fat-padded 240-ish pounds, I am in no way deprived of food. Quite the opposite, in fact: an excess of food is ravaging my health, and leading me slowly and certainly to an early and unpleasant death.

It stops, now. I am veering off of this heavily-trodden path, and trading the fork in my hand for the fork in the road, which I have passed by so many times on my thus-far circuitous journey. How fortunate I am, to be living in a place and time in which access to three healthy, varied, delicious, nourishing meals every day is virtually guaranteed! I have neither need nor want for more.

I am aware of what I take into my body, which becomes my body. I am giving myself permission to internalize and realize a new self image. Having spent most of my life eating and training on a quest to "get big," I am allowing myself to become physically smaller, but more powerful--in every way--than ever before. I have a healthy, conscientious relationship with the food I eat, the water I drink, the exercises I perform, the information I consume, the thoughts I think, the people with whom I interact, the feelings I feel, the time I have, and the life I live. All of these are connected, all parts of the same whole. I am thankful for my good fortune, and I am maximizing it to enrich and beautify my life and the lives of those around me.

Hear, hear.

No one starves on three meals a day. Especially when a person (meaning I) still has quite a store of snacks, sweets, and seconds from time past right inside! This after using 45 lbs. of my inner convenience store.

S/he might get hungry, though. But it won't be starvation.

Just keep up with us!

:applause:

P. S. Sometimes, after 6+ years, it's even fewer than three a day. Still not starving.

Very well said. Thank you.

beautiful!!

RIGHT ON!!

I loved this statement:

Seriously? It's hard to "only" eat three nourishing meals a day?

I'm back onto NoS after a lengthy absence, but I distinctly remember feeling 'peckish' in times past, counting down the minutes to my next meal, and then thinking, "Stop being a wuss Dave! There are kids starving in Africa! Get a grip!".

Perspective. NoS puts things into perspective.

DaveA

Welcome home, Tonsha.

oolala53 wrote: my inner convenience store.

LOL! I have one of those!

What a fantastic post! Really puts things in perspective. I am going to print it out for easy reference; this will most certainly keep me on track.

Thanks

Absolutely well said! It's kind of sad, that in our culture "only 3 meals a day" is actually a struggle for me to comprehend. And now it's becoming something that I have to practice to get to.

Except for when I'm asleep, I'm never more than 5-6 hours away from my next meal. In the grand scheme of things, that's such a tiny sliver of time and when I'm hungry, I usually just tell myself, "Stop being a wuss and wait until it's time to eat." For some reason, telling myself to stop being a wuss has been pretty effective. With all the suffering in the world, I can't make it another few hours before my next meal? It's a self-talk technique that seems to be working.

Good luck and best wishes!

Tonsha wrote:"Stop being a wuss Dave! There are kids starving in Africa! Get a grip!".

Perspective. NoS puts things into perspective.

DaveA

I hadn't read this until after I posted to the OP. This is exactly what I've been doing that has really helped.

Thanks for the encouragement and feedback, everyone. It's good to hear that this resonated with others. Best wishes to all of you!

"It stops, now. I am veering off of this heavily-trodden path, and trading the fork in my hand for the fork in the road, which I have passed by so many times on my thus-far circuitous journey. How fortunate I am, to be living in a place and time in which access to three healthy, varied, delicious, nourishing meals every day is virtually guaranteed! I have neither need nor want for more."

This is amazing! I just might print this out and put it on my refrigerator. You are so right.... why does three meals seem like such a challenge?? Yes, it stops now. Thank you for putting this so beautifully!

Shuggernaut wrote:I experienced a moment of clear and honest perspective last night, and for what it's worth, I figured I'd share it here, in the event that it might ring true for others. This is part opinion piece, part long-overdue positive self affirmation... your mileage may vary.

The "No-S diet" is a straightforward and reasonable way to establish healthy eating habits, that can be summed up as follows: "No snacks, no sweets, and no seconds, except (sometimes, sensibly) on days that start with 'S'... Saturday, Sunday, and special occasions." This means that, Monday through Friday, I eat three healthy, nourishing meals, consisting of one plate each; on 'S' days (weekends, birthdays, holidays, special events), I can have a snack, a sweet, and/or a second helping of something... just don't be an idiot about it.

Pretty simple, right? Yet, I have struggled, off and on, to adhere to this way of eating since first reading about it, several years ago. It's mostly the "no snacks" part that does me in (particularly at night), followed closely by "no sweets." In a flash of lucidity, the ridiculousness of this being a "challenge" really struck me.

Seriously? It's hard to "only" eat three nourishing meals a day? Throughout human history--and, indeed, even today--the great challenge across most of the globe has been for people to acquire enough food to keep from starving! It is a psychosocial anomaly of modern industrialized culture that people feel somehow deprived at even the slightest twinge of hunger or (healthy!) drop in blood sugar, and an aberration of nature that food and food-like approximations are so easily and instantly attainable at all times.

On paper, it looks like I'm the last guy you'd expect to struggle with achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. I'm a public health nurse and former personal trainer, with a Bachelor's degree in Health Promotion and Wellness. I don't know everything, but I do know more than a person really needs to, in order to be physically fit and healthy. And yet, here I am, repeatedly waging the same battle as so many others. At 5-feet, 11-inches, currently weighing a muscled-but-fat-padded 240-ish pounds, I am in no way deprived of food. Quite the opposite, in fact: an excess of food is ravaging my health, and leading me slowly and certainly to an early and unpleasant death.

It stops, now. I am veering off of this heavily-trodden path, and trading the fork in my hand for the fork in the road, which I have passed by so many times on my thus-far circuitous journey. How fortunate I am, to be living in a place and time in which access to three healthy, varied, delicious, nourishing meals every day is virtually guaranteed! I have neither need nor want for more.

I am aware of what I take into my body, which becomes my body. I am giving myself permission to internalize and realize a new self image. Having spent most of my life eating and training on a quest to "get big," I am allowing myself to become physically smaller, but more powerful--in every way--than ever before. I have a healthy, conscientious relationship with the food I eat, the water I drink, the exercises I perform, the information I consume, the thoughts I think, the people with whom I interact, the feelings I feel, the time I have, and the life I live. All of these are connected, all parts of the same whole. I am thankful for my good fortune, and I am maximizing it to enrich and beautify my life and the lives of those around me.

I just saw this. Well written!

Exactly! Well said!

I am 61 yrs old and spent most of my life fretting about feeling hungry after more than 2-3hrs without a 'healthy snack'! Jeez! Now, after a year on No S, I am quite comfortable with feeling a little hungry - it's a novel sensation for someone who never allowed herself to get hungry. My gosh, I'd get a headache, get faint, grouchy, weak, without my snack!

The size of portions has been another one I've learned this past year. I no longer need the size of portions I was previously consuming. Eating three times a day is plenty enough - sometimes I almost don't fit three in. Like OOLALA I can see a time when I might only have two meals, some days at least.

Excellent!!

Excellent! I wish I had read your post BEFORE I overate ice cream today! I love this post and will re-read it often.

back on track too after a period of over eating. And that's the point - I overeat. Not junk, not rubbish but too much good food. I use my mouth as a dustbin sometimes and eat up leftovers without thinking, tiny morsels from the fridge as something tells me I deserve it and need to treat myself. So for me, it's get my head around the idea, that I can be perfectly nourished with less food. Learning to do without and not feeling deprived is in the mind.

And the student becomes the teacher.

To those struggling with No S if you keep at this long enough it will become yours.

Thank you for this post! How's it going?

What a great shift in perspective - love this post!

this is excellent! A reminder to go alongside my vegan thinking about the environment and animals and health.


Besides, the three meals a day thing is quite modern. Historically people have eaten a morning meal and an evening meal, and gotten along just fine.

Hi all.
I find this thread great, thought I pump it up...

hh

I am having success with eating in an 8 hour window (intermittent fasting). The window changes depending on my schedule and activity. The window can be 11AM-7PM, 8AM-4PM, 12Noon-8PM, etc. In this feeding window, I usually have just two meals, but sometimes have 3. I still adhere to NO S principles, of not eating sweets, and not having seconds. I drink a lot of water, and this helps tremendously. So, to wrap up, it's 8 hours of an eating window, and 16 hours fasting. It takes a while to get used to this routine, but after a while it becomes second nature, and 8 hours of the fasting time is done while you are sleeping. This process takes my mind off thinking about when my next meal will be, and not eating until I am actually hungry.

Hi friscobob,
actually, I do something similar, I do a combination of No S and 16:8 fasting. I find that, at least in my case, they complement each other perfectly.
Monday through Sunday my eating window is around 12 noon to 8 pm. Even after years of No S I had, off and on, problems with cravings for sweets during the week and weekend crazies, but the intermittent fasting improved that a lot. And when I do "mess up" I am satisfied with smaller amounts!
Also, on weekends I am more naturally in control with my eating; no more wild S-days (or let me say, seldom)
During the week I am strict in N-day mode, on weekends in S-day mode and more relaxed, but trying to keep up with the 3 meals (2 normal-sized meals and 1 mini-meal in the afternoon, if hungry). I am trying to listen to my body. If I am real hungry or weak-ish late morning, I eat (happens seldom).
Actually, this may sound difficult to some, but the only thing different from Vanilla No S is I eat my breakfast later in the day; it becomes natural after a couple of weeks.

I need to add that I also, in the morning and often later in the day, speak out positive affirmations over my body and my eating; this helps much.
And, aah the exercise: I go hiking in the Swiss mountains (middle range), usually 3x per week and do mini trampoline exercises in the morning (rebounding is great fun!)

IF is not for everybody, and someone who is new to fasting, needs to progress SLOWLY! I wouldn't recommend IF to No S newcomers. They need to get Vanilla No S habits down first, IMHO.

It is very encouraging to find others in this forum who also combine No S with eating windows. Thanks for sharing!

hh

http://www.worldofdiets.com/hara-hachi-bu/

This idea actually goes along with the No S principle of only one full plate per meal and no seconds.

friscobob wrote:http://www.worldofdiets.com/hara-hachi-bu/

This idea actually goes along with the No S principle of only one full plate per meal and no seconds.

Interesting

Thanks

Jx

Thanx frisco,
yes, all these ways - No S style eating, having breakfast some later (whatever works for someone) and eating less - seem natural and basic for a healthy weight IMHO.
Without saying, the individual circumstances and health come into play.

hh

Heather, I was noticing the first words of the signature sentence you have and was thinking, this sounds like good stuff. Then read to the end and saw it was attributed to me! I guess I am still not applying this to other areas of my life besides eating if it sounded so new. Thanks for reminding me to remind myself.