Everyday Systems

What non scale victory can you celebrate today?

I went to a family dinner the other day to celebrate my birthday and I came home with leftovers of all my favourite foods and cake. I finished the last of it yesterday so it will be a victory for me to get back to an n day today.

I now love and appreciate every meal I eat.

I'm having dinner with friends tonight, and I'm not on some special diet that will hinder that. I'm helping a friend move tomorrow, and I know that afterwords I can enjoy a big sugary drink with no guilt!

My mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother-in-law visited two days ago, and my wife served a delicious, raspberry-almond-cream cheese "Croatian wine bread" so they could have a little early celebration of her birthday (which is actually today) while they were here. As I was closing in on nearly three weeks of successful No-S with only one Red day (which occurred at the end of the 1st week), I was surprised to find that I wasn't even tempted to have some. For the first time in my life, I am simply focusing on the formation of healthy, reasonable habits (rather than obsessing about eventual results), and this has made all the difference .

Yay us!

A colleague offered me some cherries yesterday when we sat down to brainstorm a project. I was going to take some and munch while we talked but I said "no". Looking back, I would've normally just said 'eh, they're cherries, not Doritos' and took them. I didn't even consider having some with lunch, which I could've.

But the fact that I said no made me feel like a rockstar.

Ive gone through various mini angst periods and have pulled myself through them, and three months on I'm still doing vanilla NoS so I must be doing something good. I've not lost any weight that you could speak of NOR have I gained anything!!😀😀
I notice I'm turning a corner with my eating - cutting out all the nuts I used to sprinkle on my breakfast oats and changing the fruit oats yoghurt balance to more fruit and yoghurt and less oats. Thinking more about what I'm eating

I'm reading lots of stuff on here - stickies etc and getting inspired and thinking and learning too.
So - it's getting good getter better 😀😀

I just want to say that I am so glad to read that people went to other measures that not only don't have to do with the scale, but don't have to do with size or appearance, either. Those can end up just being different versions of the same thing. I think No S's value goes WAY beyond that!

i just came back from a 6 weeks holiday roadtrip... and even though the second part of it was technically all red, noS idea of 3 plates a day was my anchor... i didnt stray far from it... i felt sane eating/drinking-wise all the time...
and im back...
forgetting somehow about noS was my big fear... but i havent... and i see that as my victory today...

although red days dont feel like failures to me, as long as im with my heart and mind in noS sanity - but green days do feel like mini victories always because im still pretty fresh in noS...
so, to the new victories!

Kaalii wrote:

"but green days do feel like mini victories always because im still pretty fresh in noS.."

They feel like mini victories even when one is a No S veteran!

kaalii wrote:i just came back from a 6 weeks holiday roadtrip... and even though the second part of it was technically all red, noS idea of 3 plates a day was my anchor... i didnt stray far from it... i felt sane eating/drinking-wise all the time...
and im back...
forgetting somehow about noS was my big fear... but i havent... and i see that as my victory today...

although red days dont feel like failures to me, as long as im with my heart and mind in noS sanity - but green days do feel like mini victories always because im still pretty fresh in noS...
so, to the new victories!

Welcome back! Hope you enjoyed your vacation. Here's to mini-victories!

Well, I only just started (again) today, but did have a teeny tiny little victory, in that I didn't have my usual mug of chocolate and vanilla ice cream after supper and before bedtime. (I've been having that most of the summer!)

Though I must confess that the fact that tomorrow's my birthday and therefore an "S" day helped me bypass it. "You can have extra tomorrow!" my brain promised my stomach.

stoogeswoman wrote:Well, I only just started (again) today, but did have a teeny tiny little victory, in that I didn't have my usual mug of chocolate and vanilla ice cream after supper and before bedtime. (I've been having that most of the summer!)

Though I must confess that the fact that tomorrow's my birthday and therefore an "S" day helped me bypass it. "You can have extra tomorrow!" my brain promised my stomach.

Good for you! Victories are worth celebrating! And S-day treats are worth looking forward to. I do the same--"Not today, but you'll enjoy a treat on the next S-day."

FIRST and greatest non scale benefit: me, not my appetite, being in control. I still get the occasional grumble, but if it isn't mealtime, I ignore it and

SECOND: I am not afraid of my stomach anymore. hahahaha. That is to say, I no longer think I have to superload my plate in order to stave off the pangs between meals.

THIRD: it has happened a few times, where I have left food on my plate! My eyes were too big for my stomach, can you believe it.


All of these are related to the fact that my relationship with food is changing. Sanity has entered the mix, and I like it.

bunsofaluminum wrote:FIRST and greatest non scale benefit: me, not my appetite, being in control. I still get the occasional grumble, but if it isn't mealtime, I ignore it and

SECOND: I am not afraid of my stomach anymore. hahahaha. That is to say, I no longer think I have to superload my plate in order to stave off the pangs between meals.

THIRD: it has happened a few times, where I have left food on my plate! My eyes were too big for my stomach, can you believe it.


All of these are related to the fact that my relationship with food is changing. Sanity has entered the mix, and I like it.

Awesome! I'm starting to notice that, too

Maybe it's kinda scale related, but I was able to hike on Sunday for nearly 14 miles, according to my iPhone tracker. I still don't exercise regularly, but I"m pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to do this if I hadn't cut my overeating substantially these past years. (I will be writing about this on my thread, too.)

And it was the day before my 63rd birthday anniversary.

Wow...14 miles--good job!

And happy birthday!

noni wrote:Wow...14 miles--good job!

And happy birthday!

Repost from the shovelglove group because it's my favorite non-scale victory in a long time, and hey, no-s played a role here too:

From:

https://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=11090

My 9 year old daughter and 4 year old son walked in on me doing shovelglove this morning. "You look like a superhero! You've got muscles!" my daughter exclaimed, a bit shocked. "I've seen him doing that before, " my son added nonchalantly.

Nothing like praise from the mouths of babes and sucklings -- Lord knows they have no inhibitions about delivering the opposite!

oolala53 wrote:Maybe it's kinda scale related, but I was able to hike on Sunday for nearly 14 miles, according to my iPhone tracker. I still don't exercise regularly, but I"m pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to do this if I hadn't cut my overeating substantially these past years. (I will be writing about this on my thread, too.)

And it was the day before my 63rd birthday anniversary.

Great Job, That's over a half-marathon. You should get one of those 13.1 stickers for your car window, except make it a 14.0 so people stop and ask how you got that. Seriously, 14 miles is no joke.

TX, whoseonfirst. Though I wouldn't want anyone asking me what my time was, since it took me hours longer than it takes the winners of full marathons, even without counting the time to drive to the different trails.

But I didn't train for it hours a week for months and years of my life, either.

Last night, as well as most of today, I was depressed because I had had several files rejected at a site where I do online transcription. This brought my rejection rate up to the point where I am now blocked from doing proofreading and reviews, which paid the most money. So I was depressed about that.

Then I decided to go out and shop at a local thrift shop to cheer myself up. Only when I got there, they were having a giant 50% off sale. Which sounds great, except I couldn't find any parking and it was terribly crowded.

So I decided to go to the gym, get in the pool, and then relax in the hot tub. Only when I got there, the hot tub was broken!

And finally, I have SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), and it was cloudy most of the day.

Sigh. HOWEVER, the non-scale victory is that against all these odds, I stuck to my No S Day and did not "reward" myself with junk food, as I would have done in the past.

And now I'm home, and found I got accepted at another transcription site. So I feel better now. And proud of myself for not giving in to the urge to binge!

WHAT a day! good going.

Well done, Stoogeswoman. It is SO easy to turn to emotional eating after a day like that, and you DIDN'T! Hope this will renew your strength for keeping going!

stoogeswoman - I agree totally with oolala and ModBod--what a day, and great job staying strong! You had what I call a "hollow gut day"--the kind of day where you feel hollow inside due to circumstances and the emotions arising because of them. Fantastic decision to not try to fill the "hollow gut" feeling with food!

stoogeswoman, wow, what a day!
truly a victory to go through it the way you did!

stoogeswoman wrote:
And now I'm home, and found I got accepted at another transcription site. So I feel better now. And proud of myself for not giving in to the urge to binge!

Great job and I hope the new site gives you good business.

Yes, it's two days after that; I'm back on the original transcription site (but being a lot more careful so as not to get rejections again!) plus found a couple of other places to work.

And even though today is another cloudy day, I'm feeling a lot less "SAD"!

My non scale victory- ive been following No S since November and here is what ive noticed:

- I look forward to mealtimes. Not something I ever experienced as I was a snacker so was grazzing constantly.

- feeling less guilt about what I do choose to eat. Was at nandos yesterday and I actually wanted chicken salad. I could have had fries etc but really didn't want to. I'm becoming more intuitive with what my body craves.

- a smart black coat I've had since 2010 is the loosest it's ever been on me. It's tight fitting and I rarely wore it as it felt uncomfortable to wear. Yesterday it was comfortable and looked good. A U.k designer 12.
- my partner has made comments that he hardly sees me eating junk anymore and I seem calmer around food.

- I take almost double the time to eat a smaller meal now.

No S has literally been a life changer. I've had binge eating disorder and bulimia on and off since I was 13. I've never felt this calm around food/dietary habits.
I've seen many psychologists over the years, read a few self- help books and this structure has been the ONLY thing which has made this impact. For anyone out there struggling there with binge eating/ bulimia there is hope.

Thankyou Reinhard.

*double post

I have saved money this week. I have been content to eat what's already in the house. Plus I didn't buy any "ideal diet" sort of food that just would have turned bad, or collected dust only to be tossed.

Also want to add my thanks to Reinhard.

I haven't stopped at Starbucks or Dunkin before work since starting No-S (So much money saved)

My coat doesn't feel tight anymore.

High five.

Bit of a random one, but had a realisation this morning.
Usually when I am on a diet, I am desperate to not only lose weight as quickly as possible, but also for people to notice that I have lost weight. Then I can tell them all about how many pounds I've lost, what diet I am following, blah blah. What a diet bore I must have been.
I have just realised today that since starting NoS in October, I have had none of these thoughts. I genuinely don't care what other people think! I am doing this for me, not for what other people's perceptions are of me.
I think I may be starting to like myself a bit more Aged 42

Wonderful news, Bluebell!

Bluebell wrote: I think I may be starting to like myself a bit more

YES! Good for you!

Thanks noni and Merry
Like lots of you I was first put on a diet at a young age (12). Looking back that was the start of hating my body and believing that a diet could sort out all my problems. Funnily enough, even when I lost almost 5 stone at one point, I still believed I was fat.
This is the first time in my life I have started to accept myself for the way I am. I haven't lost much weight but I am losing a lifetime of disliking the way I look. Even hypnotherapy couldn't do that for me! (Oh yes I've tried it all!) That for me is the true magic of NoS.

Puttering around in the kitchen, making lunch, I came across what is left of the (really yummy peanut butter) cookies from our family Xmas get together. They tasted good on the night an S day for sure, and they tasted good when I had some on a regular S day (about a week ago)..h.and there they were, in my way. I had to clear a spot on the counter, and there are four of them left

(This is kind of pathetic, because how old ARE they by now?)

well, I was strongly tempted to just nibble one of the broken ones...but I put them in a plastic bag, tossed the crumbs, and put the container in the recycle without having any. Not even a taste

THAT is my non scale victory today. I followed my motto: Just Don't Eat It.
And lunch is cooking. It'll be ready by mealtime and I am READY for it. Gonna taste SO good!

Buns - Awesome! Fantastic willpower.
Funny how these things play on your mind. I am Ok at ignoring all the stuff I shouldn't have in the week, but on weekends I still have a little voice in my head telling me the treats are in the cupboard and I must eat them!

That IS a victory, buns.

Mine is that I went to a clothing swap event where most of the participants were much younger women. I could fit into lots of the clothes and brought home 7 items, including two pairs of jeans, one of them Calvin Klein. (The swap happens every month and next time I'll take another pair of jeans I wasn't willing to give up until I had a replacement.)

I love these stories...Calvin Klein jeans! how good that must feel! And bluebell, being at ease with your own body is gold. Beyond value.

I am loving this thread immensely! Congratulations to all of you on your non-scale victories!

I haven't had any non-scale victories yet. But, I do have the victory of getting rid of my scale finally and permanently. I've put it in our yard sale pile, which we are having a week from Saturday, weather permitting. If it doesn't sell, it's going straight to Goodwill. It's been maybe 1-1/2 weeks since I put it away. I've felt such a sense of relief, which has taken me by surprise, because I've been pretty obsessive about weighing over the years. But by doing so, I'm not met with disappointment first thing in the morning, and I can fully concentrate on following my plan.

Linda Spangle wrote a whole book on making friends with the scale, which is moot for you now. But she emphasizes that a person needs to learn to regard the number with detachment. The only useful reaction to the result is to just keep up with whatever eating plan you've deemed supportive and livable. In other words, stick. to. the. plan until the plan IS the habit.

Thank you for sharing that Oolala. I still have the scales here and as tempting as it is, I am trying to forget they're there until we get rid of them. lol I understand what you're saying about the detachment. I used to say the number on the scale doesn't bother me, but it does. It made me rush back to counting calories too many times. That's why, as tempted as I am, I won't touch them.

"just keep up with whatever eating plan you've deemed supportive and livable. In other words, stick. to. the. plan until the plan IS the habit."

That's my plan, no number involved, but three.

For my restart for 30 days I am not weighing and I didn't weigh before I started. My successes are not related to the number. I am establishing habits again. So I have not binged since starting and I have only had one slip up eating seconds (or thirds) of homemade bread!

After 30 days I will weigh and see what it says. I have never had a problem with the scales though. As a matter of fact it has always been what has kept me honest. I gain weight when I don't weigh. I can wear the same clothes for at least 25 lbs! This last weight gain was a surprise because my excess shifted to my middle above my waist. It had always been hips and thighs before.

So for me, the scales are more important at maintenance to keep me out of denial.

A big victory for me yesterday! I was able to do a religious fast yesterday, and while I was extra hungry today, I didn't binge or overeat! No S has given enough good structure, that I feel comfortable shaking it up once in a while because I know I can go right back to no s afterward. Hooray!

TexArk, I agree with your comment about the scales helping keep you honest. I've decided to do the same.

JJJPK, That's wonderful! I hope to get where you are soon! You're doing great!

TexArk said,
"I gain weight when I don't weigh. I can wear the same clothes for at least 25 lbs! So for me, the scales are more important at maintenance to keep me out of denial."

Same here. A lot of my clothes are passed down from a sister or friend who are larger than me, or bought by my MIL, which are loose or rubber wasted. I can wear them no matter my weight, and they'll so comfortable.

A friend told me when your clothes look like that, your weight can creep up on you unawares.

But, if you weigh yourself regularly without emotion, weight gain can be nipped in the bud.

noni wrote:But, if you weigh yourself regularly without emotion, weight gain can be nipped in the bud.

Exactly! And it's a very important component of my continued success with modified NoS.