Everyday Systems

Hey everyone - I've been away for a while (since 2013, according to the list of my posts!) and am going to give the No S Diet another try.

I think it's a great idea, but here's where I kept falling by the wayside last time: I am a voracious reader - all year round, but especially in the autumn/winter (which is approaching faster than you might think, looking outside right now!).

And of course, as anyone else who loves to read knows all too well - it's really easy to get addicted to having that bowl of popcorn or other type of snacks right next to you, to munch on distractedly while you immerse yourself in your reading!

Now - it occurred to me that I might be able to transition from the *food* snacks to a *beverage* snack - like a big mug of coffee or maybe some flavored tea.

Is that considered OK on the "No S" plan? And has anyone else on this forum ever dealt with this issue?

Thanks for any constructive suggestions/commiseration!

(however, just FYI: I don't plan to stop reading!)

Christine

Welcome back!

I'm more of a computer and TV snacker than a reading snacker (I like to read--I just never got in the habit of snacking while reading! Usually I read in bed, and I don't want snacks there.)

Anyway, I do just what you suggested--I either have a big cup of water or a cup of coffee/tea instead of a snack now. (In fact, I was surprised to realize just how often I snacked while I'm on the computer. I work from home, and any time a more involved question came up, that apparently was my trigger to go get a snack to think about it! That happens multiple times per day! So now I do get up to walk/think about it, but I get water or tea/coffee instead.)

On the plus side, I'm drinking more water these days!

Thanks!

I think the reason it needs to be coffee or tea, instead of water, for me (hey, that rhymes!) is that it needs to be some kind of "treat" - something I can consume slowly while reading.

It just feels *weird* to me to read a book and not have something to sip/munch on - ya know?

That's what breaking a habit feels like: weird. It often doesn't feel good to limit food! Remember why you've decided to moderate your eating with meals. Are you getting anything in exchange for the sacrifice? Can you get what you want down the line if you keep the reading/eating habit? (Reasoning always has to precede strategies for me.)

That being said, the beverage is a decent compromise. I believe in a few weeks, it will feel a little weird to read and eat. You'll see that you just can't give the food its due.

I may not be the most sympathetic listener. Years before No S, I broke the pairing that is incredibly entrenched in American society: movies in a theater and food. I can't believe what a kneejerk connection that is. It helped that I am cheap. And that I often went right after a meal. Doesn't mean I didn't for years justify eating a lot more crap hunkered down at home alone.

But, may I gently suggest: couldn't reading become its own treat?

My favorite pairing has always been family TV watching and snacks! Now, it's only on the weekend and only 'sometimes'. And like oolala, I also looked forward to theater popcorn and a movie. Sometimes the popcorn more! Now my criteria for seeing a movie in a theater is....do I want to see it even if I can't eat popcorn? I'm going out to the movies a lot less often now.

When I was a kid, my dad was addicted to a trio...coffee, donuts, and cigarettes. He basically had to give up all three in order to stop smoking. I had a wicked coffee and dessert thing going for years. I gave up the combo before NoS but sometimes it still comes back to haunt me!

Welcome back to NoS...!

Of course reading is a treat in itself - no denying that.

But there's also no denying that on a cold winter's day, it is absolutely heavenly to snuggle down under a warm comforter with a good book and a hot mug of cocoa bursting with marshmallows - is there?

Of course, that's probably what the "S" days are for!

If hot chocolate with marshmallows is all the reading and snacking done, it's probably not a problem.

I often relax in the evenings or on weekend mornings after breakfast with a book and a cup of tea. I drink tea without any sugar or milk or anything like that added to it, but I do have several varieties of flavored tea and I don't see anything wrong with that, or with a small cup of hot chocolate or coffee if that's what you desire. Even if you added some sweetener to the coffee on an N-day, that should be perfectly fine.

I used to have cookies or chocolate bars with my weekday evening reading and tea sessions, but after some time had passed I didn't even miss the food and still have the drink. So I say if it helps keep you on habit with everything else, go ahead and have flavored tea or coffee with your book!

tea, herbal infusions, coffee... are all allowed in noS...
substitute sweets/snacks with them...
i did it with my nightime/internet/movies/series rituals...
it was hard, but soooo worth it...
now it is easy...

Thanks for all your suggestions! I'm going shopping today so maybe I'll indulge myself and get some kind of flavored coffee that I haven't tried before, and start the No S train on the tracks today!

Er, although ... tomorrow is my birthday - definitely an "S" day - followed by, um, Saturday and Sunday ... and Labor Day ... good grief, four "S" days in a row?

Ya know, I'm okay with Labor Day not being all that "S"!!

I enjoy reading and also watching some tv. I used to always have a snack when doing these activities. It was difficult at first to give up the snacks, but now, and for years, I only have hot tea, summer or winter. I come to enjoy settling down with it when I read or watch, just as much as the snacks - maybe more because I don't have that heavy-feeling in my stomach or the regret.

noni wrote:I enjoy reading and also watching some tv. I used to always have a snack when doing these activities. It was difficult at first to give up the snacks, but now, and for years, I only have hot tea, summer or winter. I come to enjoy settling down with it when I read or watch, just as much as the snacks - maybe more because I don't have that heavy-feeling in my stomach or the regret.

Yes, I think hot (or iced) tea is a really good idea and a nice alternative to constant snacking. It fills the need to have "a little somethin' somethin' " without filling the stomach. Thanks!

It is perfectly possible to enjoy the foods of Labor Day with no S's. You'll probably really like it after the last three days. A relief! And only five days until S's again.

I use hot beverages as a snack replacement, and find it very effective! Mostly tea or coffee (decaffienated in the evenings), with a little bit of milk, sometimes herbal teas. It's a little bit of a treat, and also takes quite a while to consume (and often helps to stave off hunger). It's NOT as fun as chewing, I will admit that, but definitely better than nothing.

This may sound very old-fashioned, but... why keep any snacks at all at home ? Just don't buy them !

MamieTamar wrote:This may sound very old-fashioned, but... why keep any snacks at all at home ? Just don't buy them !

Sorry I didn't see this earlier to respond to it.

I have two answers for you: first, not everyone in your home may be on board with your "No S" plan, so they are bound to want to keep their snacks around.

Second, and I can speak from experience: ANYTHING is a potential snack, when you're tempted to snack! For example, I have hard cheddar cheese in the fridge. It's for salads and casseroles. It also makes a very tempting snack!

MamieTamar wrote:This may sound very old-fashioned, but... why keep any snacks at all at home ? Just don't buy them !

Love your rational thinking. I'm a fruit lover, would rather just keep fruits available in case a snack is "needed". Better than a humongous bag of chips/popcorn or a whole pack of Oreo cookies(guilty as charged). As a boy, one time my dad tracked me down to go somewhere when I was on my bike. I asked how he did that, and he said "Easy, I just followed the Hershey bar wrappers". That was kind of a wake-up call. I think we all have to be honest with ourselves when things aren't going as planned with NoS or any other diet. We tend to reward ourselves with food or marginalize our excessive snacking to others and more importantly to ourselves. This isn't directed at anyone but the man in the mirror, hey I should write a song...jk.

It's a serious issue and simply an associative habit - we all have them - I tend to pull my hair when I read. But simple does not mean easy!

I trained myself early to not snack during tv, reading, work etc. This is mindless snacking and a scientifically guaranteed way of eating way too many calories. See Brian Wansink's brilliant and very entertaining book - Mindless eating for exactly how much extra you eat when distracted. he did experiments in movie theatres with different sized buckets of stale popcorn - distracted people ate and ate - and they ate more if the box was bigger, period.

If you must snack - my advice would be to choose very small containers and to keep the rest of the snacks out of arm's reach and line of vision.

I do however substitute snacks with beverages, teas, coffees, lots and lots of water. When I was first learning to avoid snacking while busy I used gum, which is a classic smoking cessation strategy for the same association issue.

Mindful eating is a great habit - something that No S forces me to do. I really look forward to my meals and I would not want to waste any morsel by being distracted.