Everyday Systems

I would love some input on mods! So I've been back to No S for a little over 2 weeks. The first week was 4/5 green and the next week was 2/5 green. My only "fails" were a small sweet with/right after dinner. I also (mostly) follow the 3 meal a day structure during the weekend.

My mod(s) would be: 3 meals a day everyday with treat (if I feel like it) at dinner. It's usually a bit of dark chocolate.

I'm getting discouraged because I"m marking reds almost everyday for a small infraction. I'm so black and white about these things that I really wanted to stay Vanilla, but maybe I need to start out with a little help.

So- have you been more successful with or without mods? I want this plan to have longevity for me.

I'd say if knowing that you can have that little bit of dark chocolate with dinner keeps you on plan the rest of the day, why not? You could always cut it out once the other habits are firmly in place. When I first started No S, I was a major soda junky. My mod was to have only two servings a day of soda, which for me was cutting down! It helped me keep all the other "rules", but I wasn't losing weight. I'm just now cutting those out and attempting true vanilla No S. It's hard, but I'm doing it! You can always re-evaluate and change if the mod isn't working for you. Good luck!

I am firmly on Team Mod!

My approach to NoS is to simply keep to three meals a day, seven days a week--no "S" days. No restrictions on types of food, but I do try to include a protein source with every meal.

This approach has worked for me beautifully, where Vanilla NoS did not work before. I am now approaching a 15-16% level of body fat, starting from a low-to-mid-20s percentage level. I am also at the lowest weight in my adult life, and feel fantastic. I owe it all to the easy-to-incorporate structure of NoS!

Feel free to read through some of my back posts, or ask any questions if you'd like some more specifics!

We are all experiments of one.

What works for you might not for someone else. What you need to do is to consider the purpose of this mod, try it, and honestly evaluate if it meets your goal over time.

When I started No-S, I had to phase in the "no snacks". Mornings were easy, but the 4:00 one was the last to go. Setting an intention to "phase out" and strongly limiting what I could have at 4:00 to a "short list" of pre-approved choices helped tremendously.

That worked for me, but on any day where I allowed myself a sweet... I was done. So, no sweets for me. But it sounds as if a small one could work for you.

Just be scrupulously honest with yourself.

I have a mod similar to LifeisaBlessing. I start my day with a piece of fruit or two, then a late breakfast, lunch and dinner, 7 days a week. I allow treats each day if I want with a meal, and each meal is generally balanced and in reasonable quantities.

i also had a mod briefly because i was losing too much below my perfect weight on vanilla before the summer and panicked so i added a nuts/dried fruits snack during the N days...
i guess it was because with warm weather my activity levels usually rise and appetite drops at the same time... but straight after the summer i could ditch the mod and go back to vanilla... maintaining beautifully and loving it...

so, although i would love to say dont panick - i can only say i understand you might want to tweak the system... after giving it a proper try, ideally... but then again i also panicked after only being 2-3 months on it so im in no position to say what a proper try is...

although the thread about advice when to introduce the mods says much longer effort is needed and part of me agrees wholeheartedly - i'd estimate that at least one succesfull 21 day challenge would be what i'd aim for before introducing any mods under any circumstances...
unless the mod is a way to eventually arrive to vanilla and 21 day challenge in the first place... then whatever works would actually be acceptable to my mind, of course... and, if i understood your post correctly, you seem to be in exactly that situation...

but thats me... there are people practicing noS for years , having great results and not being able to make 21 day challenge at all... and it is perfectly fine by them because they are not discouraged by reds at all... they know they have the habit going... and i love that relaxed attitude so much... that attitude is my ultimate goal, actually...

Thank you for all the wonderful replies!!! I'm so inspired by the success of you have all had vanilla and with mods.

I think I am going to stay pretty close to the 3 meals a day structure everyday, but I am beginning to see where I need my limits. Like you, Blessing, I do included protein at every meal. I also was reflecting back on my first successful week and I usually included so kind of "bar" with my lunch (lara bar, protein bar). I had the bar even if I wasn't that hungry. My lunch is always a big salad with protein and nuts/dried fruit/fruit, so that's one bowl with a little plate of something on the side. The first week, while I was making dinner or after dinner, I would have a small glass of wine if I felt snacky, but this just ended up making me too tired later in the evening (it also didn't seem like a long term strategy for me)

Izzy i love this "just be scrupulously honest with yourself". I'm going to keep reflecting on this.

My biggest reason for doing this is for food sanity. I still have a lot of hang-ups about the types of food I will eat and maybe this is making No S harder.

I don't do mods because I wouldn't be able to stick to them (if I let a "treat" be allowed, I think it would be a slippery slope for me, LOL! So for me, it makes all my internal alarm bells go off! But I know it seems to work for some. I would say that if you do introduce a mod, give yourself a follow-up date to evaluate it, and then evaluate periodically to see if you're sticking with it and if it helps you reach your goals for doing No-S.

I'm a little late to this party but caution you to think not that you are modifying but that you are weaning yourself off S's as you go. It's way too early to be modifying. But it's the right time to be phasing the structure in. And if things go well for six months or a year without any other changes, mazel tov. THEN, they can be mods. Subtle, but different, kind of like the difference between forcing yourself to plunge to a low calorie limit and floating down to a lower one with this and that.

Thanks Merry and oolala! I do think allowing sweets in some way as a mod will not work. This time of year is hard without habits firmly established.

Hoping to get back on the train after donuts with dad yesterday and the gingerbread houses today!

I love the no s community and plan to keep on with check ins even in the midst of failure!

Good idea. It can bolster you in odd moments.

For mods, it's finding the right mod for you, at just the right time.
I couldn't do the kind of mod you're suggesting, but it might be right for you at some point... or not.
I have the mod of saving an S day from the weekend if I want to, for a more social week day. It's self limiting and I still have my 10 S days per month.
I wish you well as you navigate it all.

True. SOME people leave Las Vegas with more money than they arrived with, but Las Vegas wouldn't survive if that were typical. But many still find it entertaining to go and lose. Would that we could gamble with eating and have as much fun!