Everyday Systems

So this will be my first NoS Christmas, and I am expecting a few challenges along the way. So I thought it might be good to have somewhere we can post our successes, no matter how small!
Here's one to kick us off.
This is the first Christmas ever that I have sat in the staffroom at work, looked at all the Christmas chocolates and biscuits brought in by the children, and felt completely calm and in control. Not a single one has passed my lips and it hasn't even been difficult. Previously I have either stuffed my face unashamedly, or managed to be 'good' some days and been very aware of the extreme sacrifice I felt myself to be making probably to go home and stuff my face with something else to make up for it.
I still feel blown away by the ways in which NoS is helping me change my attitude towards food.

Great idea, blue bell! Yesterday, a coworker wanted to go get a cupcake at New cupcake store across the street. I didn't want one! I wasn't trying to be good, I just honestly didn't want it.

Great job Bluebell and Maggie!

Thursday
(1) - 1.5kg tin of Celebrations on the table at the staff meeting - I didn't go near them. I ate my lunch at 12.15 in the 'coffee break'
(2) - evening at friend's house - bowls of salted pretzels, iced cookies and mice pies on the table - I didn't touch them.


that should read 'mince pies!'

RAWCOOKIE wrote:..... and mice pies on the table - I didn't touch them.

Lol I don't blame you!!!!

Excellent! Well done to all of you.

Friday - I took a packed lunch with me to a Xmas buffet lunch party. I didn't touch any of the party food! (no-one seemed to notice)

Great forward planning RAWCOOKIE! Other people's reactions are often much better than I imagine they will be. Interesting that no-one noticed your packed lunch.
Today was not a good day for me, my staff Christmas lunch which I had carefully only ordered a main meal for, ended up being a flapjack and packet of crisps out of a vending machine at minor injuries! My son has a couple of minor breaks in his little finger and I had to leave the meal before it was served. Technically a fail as I didn't have a proper lunch and the flapjack was definitely sweet! Sometimes life just conspires against us.

Bluebell wrote: My son has a couple of minor breaks in his little finger and I had to leave the meal before it was served. Technically a fail as I didn't have a proper lunch and the flapjack was definitely sweet! Sometimes life just conspires against us.

Ouch! However, "splint" starts with S, and since you made the best of a tough situation, I wouldn't worry about it! Hope your son's finger heals up well.

Thanks Merry!

Sunday - I avoided Xmas chocolates at work by taking plenty of savoury snacks with me to enjoy.

Monday - at friend's house, I didn't eat any of the Stollen cake she laid out for us to share.

RAWCOOKIE you are certainly in the groove! I admire your ongoing planning ahead, I think that's the key to success in many situations which could otherwise catch you out.
I find it interesting when friends offer me food that is S, they are usually very accepting when I just explain that I try not to eat treats in the week. I always assumed that I would offend but I really don't think I have done so, so far anyway.
Today I had a friend and her boys for coffee, I offered chocolates and biscuits but had none myself, and no real desire for them. Believe me when I say this is a whole new way of thinking for me!
Tomorrow we have more friends over for Christmas nibbles, I plan to have one plateful and not go back for more. The only thing I risk is looking rather greedy with my full plate! If it gets awkward I may try and have two half plates. I'll see how it goes.

Just want to say that technically, in case there are any newbies, eating one plate of Christmas buffet (without sweets on an N day) or having some chocolates at work on Sunday would not have been fails, though of course everyone is free to determine what they find more satisfying.

This will sound dubious, but I'm regarding it as a victory that I did not eat more than two cookies' worth of dough last Thursday evening. 'Nuff said.

Oolala I shall be attempting one plate of buffet food this evening! I'll let you know if I succeed! As I am providing the food I may be less tempted - food prepared by others always seems nicer somehow
I would say that success is relative, if you managed to stop when previously you wouldn't have, that's success!

LifeisaBlessing wrote:

RAWCOOKIE wrote:..... and mice pies on the table - I didn't touch them.

Lol I don't blame you!!!!

The first time I read the comment by LifeisaBlessing I could not work out what the problem was with mince pies. I can see the problem with mice pies

I just thought, well, if the Scottish can eat haggis, the English can eat mice pies. Just kidding. I knew it was mince.

I assume that it would take a lot of mice to make a pie. There is not much to them

I don't know what is says about me but if I saw a mouse pie on a menu at a restaurant I would have to try it.

I do have a pic somewhere of the cooked guinea pig on my plate in Peru. It's standard fare in a lot of restaurants. You can guess what it tastes like...

OK I'm breaking the rules of my own thread and posting a fail. However I have followed it up with a success so it sort of counts (?)
The fail - the buffet I mentioned up thread turned into an S buffet. Two glasses of mulled wine weakened my resolve, plus I was hosting my two dearest friends who I always spend time eating drinking and being merry with, its what we do. The snacks, seconds and sweets were flowing
The success - went to bed, as always after a big fail, feeling overfull and uncomfortable (when will I learn?) Today had a normal NoS day and for lunch we had leftover buffet, which I managed to fit onto one plate and resisted seconds, plus resisted the sherry trifle I has made. Needless to say I feel much better this evening!
Thanks goodness for the forgiving nature of NoS, you just pick yourself up, brush yourself down and start all over again

oolala53 I can get Guinea Pigs for eating locally. The guy kills them but you have to dress them yourself, which is what has put me off. I can get locally grown rabbit which is oven ready and much easier. The Guinea Pigs are reasonably popular though.

Bluebell - I find buffets hard because loading your plate up at home is fine but it is different when you are eating with friends. I don't want to be the only one not eating a dainty lady plate ..... or 3

Bullisaba wrote:
Bluebell - I find buffets hard because loading your plate up at home is fine but it is different when you are eating with friends. I don't want to be the only one not eating a dainty lady plate ..... or 3

Ha ha I love the idea of a dainty lady plate, but you are quite right they don't exactly fit in with NoS! My leftover lunch plate, which was a success, was more of a shove it all on a normal plate, far less delicate!
PS for what its worth, I don't fancy guinea pig on any kinda plate!

Shortbread out on the table for guests, none passed my lips!

Zounds! Shortbread is one of my favorites.

Mine is a sucessful fail story (: I made our annual Christmas cookies which are pretty much impossible to have around. My entire family can't stop eating those darn things, so I don't make them very often (: I've been trying to have a strict no second policy with sweets & other empty calorie type treats that are easy to go overboard on & decided to keep it to 2 cookies, or 6 mini cookies. I had to taste the frosting to make sure it was just right which used up 3 of my minis and had 3 more minis with my dinner. So far I was doing really good, normally by this point I've had cookie dough & WAY too many cookies, but ended up eating 2 cookies just before bed. I really wanted them & wanted to sit with my cup of tea & enjoy them, guilt free so I did. It's a funny success but it didn't turn into a what the hell type of eat as many as I could sort of thing that has happened in the past so I was really happy about that!!

There are advantages to hard and fast rules, but sometimes we realize that there is another goal even more important. With more experience, you might have known to a lot yourself more cookies and to spread them out, but I think what you did also represents the spirit of moderation we're aiming for.

Bluebell wrote:Shortbread out on the table for guests, none passed my lips!

wow! Way to go!

Jen1974 wrote:Mine is a sucessful fail story (:

These are good to celebrate too--when we see growth in how we respond!

Christmas cookies baked...can't wait to try one tomorrow! More baking to do then...