Everyday Systems

Thank you MaggieMay and oolala for your kind words. I am all in and getting encouraged from reading the No S Diet book. Every word he says is worthy of highlighting. Applicable to this challenge from page 147, " This is a marathon, not a sprint. ....Don't sabotage your efforts with quick-fix expectations." I think diet hopping is looking for quick fix results. The advice to focus on behavior is the key. Have a great day everyone.

Begin, I run a No S team on Sparkpeople. (It's small and I never understand why people there don't just come here, but I think Spark needs it, so I do it. ) There's way to post a quick message to the team without it starting a new thread. For awhile, I was posting quotes from the book. I could find one from just about every page! I think there is a thread on that here. If No S doesn't come completely easily, I'm a big fan of rereading the book. It's a way to immerse yourself in the "culture" when you don't have support around you and feel very vulnerable to the pressures.

But I"m also in favor of finding other interests and pursuits, something I haven't been as good at. Life in between is where the rest of the goodies are.

Thank you for carrying on with Spark, Oolala. I'm pretty sure it's through your posts on Spark that I discovered No S.

To anyone who is doing the monthly No S Olympics, are you just recording that within your check-in thread or independent of the message board. I found the thread Reinhard had started, but it doesn't look like it was for recording purposes.

I think I'll make a note at the end of each monthly challenge whether it was a medal month for me or not, as well as marking my wall calendar. Just wondering what others were doing. Thanks.

Oolala, thank you. I'm going to let the book be the culture that influences me. I don't want to obsess about food and weight anymore. There is much more to life than that. You are so right.

My dad always gives us the coupons out of the newspaper. I was looking through them and what do I see? Coupons for nutrisystem, Adkins bars and shakes,and even a Light salad dressing ad about' new year, new you'. So glad we're not dealing with any of that nonsense!

Tortie wrote:Thank you for carrying on with Spark, Oolala. I'm pretty sure it's through your posts on Spark that I discovered No S.

To anyone who is doing the monthly No S Olympics, are you just recording that within your check-in thread or independent of the message board. I found the thread Reinhard had started, but it doesn't look like it was for recording purposes.

I think I'll make a note at the end of each monthly challenge whether it was a medal month for me or not, as well as marking my wall calendar. Just wondering what others were doing. Thanks.

I mainly use it as a mental pat on the back after a month, but I think I did tally up the year for my one-year check-in. That could be a fun idea though, to record it each month or to put it on the monthly check-in.

Thanks for adding my thread to the list! I know that my biggest challenge is not to disappear from the forum when the going gets tough, and I think this year long commitment is going to help me not do that. Have a good Sunday, everyone!

Merry wrote:
I mainly use it as a mental pat on the back after a month, but I think I did tally up the year for my one-year check-in. That could be a fun idea though, to record it each month or to put it on the monthly check-in.

Thanks, Merry.

Wow, it's so great to see so many people joining this challenge. Hello, everyone *waves*

Every form of media is flooded with ads for diet systems and expensive exercise equipment and gym memberships. As MaggieMae mentioned with the coupons from her dad. It's so nice to have No S and be able to ignore all that malarcky, now.

I'm still sticking to my little exercise routine, that I started last fall. Slow and simple, 5 days a week, before breakfast ...works for me.

My yo yo diet pendulum has swung to a 30lb high, and yet, I know from experience, if I lose it with a "diet" .... I will be saying to myself, oh my gosh, in order to keep this off I will have to live in this "prison". But, if it comes off as a result of the No S becoming a habit .....it should be natural to maintain. I hate being overweight. My eating habits scare me. I have to keep the right focus y'all. Thanks again for starting this challenge.

Five green days in a row! Now I'm enjoying a few snacks and a small sweet each day this weekend. I feel really good about this year-long commitment.

Tortie, I love the NO S Olympics. Sadly, it's been too long since I've even come close to getting a medal. I think I'll put it on each monthly challenge and probably on my daily check in thread, too.

Week 2 of January coming at us!

I am still here working on building a habit!
This is my third week! Green today +14 minutes of GOYBAD!!!
If you have not already, I would highly encourage everyone to start a Habitcal. THAT is something I did not do before and I find it is a critical piece of this process for me.
Here's to a a great week!!!
Hugs!
Cynthia

Almost two weeks in - how's everyone doing here?

Doing good!

Still trying to figure out the right amount of food and type of foods for dinner, without causing reflux or feeling too hungry. But the rest of the day is going well.


Exercise plan I started last fall is still going strong.

Thanks, Amy.

How's everyone else doing?

Eating great. Moving not so much...I know, 14 minutes..what is up with that. I am off the next three days, I hope to get a routine going on the exercise front.

Doing well, 5th green day.

I had two red days this week but they were pretty minor fails. Not gonna stress about it. So, instead of watching videos about diets, I started watching documentaries on YouTube. Once you watch one,they start showing other recommendations. I just watched a good one about typhoid Mary. https://youtu.be/8JPCZOb7z2w
The next one on my list is Jonestown. Haha. I've watched some weird and interesting stuff. I started with one about the Amish, and since then I've learned about insane asylums, coal mining, polygamy sects, prescription pain medicine addiction, and a town called Centralia Pennsylvania that has become vacant due to a coal mine fire that burned for years and years. There's more out there than diet documentaries....who knew?!

MaggieMae wrote:I had two red days this week but they were pretty minor fails. Not gonna stress about it. So, instead of watching videos about diets, I started watching documentaries on YouTube. Once you watch one,they start showing other recommendations. I just watched a good one about typhoid Mary. https://youtu.be/8JPCZOb7z2w
The next one on my list is Jonestown. Haha. I've watched some weird and interesting stuff. I started with one about the Amish, and since then I've learned about insane asylums, coal mining, polygamy sects, prescription pain medicine addiction, and a town called Centralia Pennsylvania that has become vacant due to a coal mine fire that burned for years and years. There's more out there than diet documentaries....who knew?!

LOL, love it!

Doing pretty well but haven't gotten back into exercising after being sick last week...need to get that umph going again!

Hello All! I had a bit of a late start...beginning on Monday Jan. 9. Happy to report a totally GREEN week! I have also decided to continue on with my old daily check in thread, which is here:
https://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopi ... &start=400

...rather than "starting over" with a new 2017 thread. I am finding myself wanting to go back and read things from previous years. It is easier for me not to go back searching for it on my old thread. I am a continuous work in progress. Rather than look at my past as failures I am opting to look at them as learning experiences. Ok. I am a very slow learner, but that is ok! I am who I am!

Could you change my check in link for me on the list Oolala? Thanks! I don't think I can do that.

My word for the year is RELAX! No more overthinking, No more back and forth, No more white knuckling it. Just simply eat three times a day with no sweets, no snacks and no seconds.

And, I too have been struggling a bit with what to do with my mind and time now that I am not constantly researching food and diets. I spoke of this on my check in thread and see that it is a topic here as well. I am not alone in this and that is helpful to know.

ONWARD

MaggieMae wrote:I had two red days this week but they were pretty minor fails. Not gonna stress about it. So, instead of watching videos about diets, I started watching documentaries on YouTube. Once you watch one,they start showing other recommendations. I just watched a good one about typhoid Mary. https://youtu.be/8JPCZOb7z2w
The next one on my list is Jonestown. Haha. I've watched some weird and interesting stuff. I started with one about the Amish, and since then I've learned about insane asylums, coal mining, polygamy sects, prescription pain medicine addiction, and a town called Centralia Pennsylvania that has become vacant due to a coal mine fire that burned for years and years. There's more out there than diet documentaries....who knew?!

I got a chuckle out of this. Good on ya, for taking in such a wide variety of knowledge! For me, it's been binge watching Wildlife Aid Foundation on youtube. All of their videos are short, but I got on a playlist and have been watching one after another. Just delightful and brings me to a very happy place in the midst of stressful times.

Omg Maggie I watched a movie on Netflix about Jonestown and I tell ya it was disturbing stuff! I recommend Going Clear too about Scientology. Creepy & crazy stuff goes on there!

This week was a green one, woohoo. But i had two difficult moments. First one was thursday night. I was craving something sweet. I had a tough time resisting the urge but i did it. And the second moment was friday afternoon. I visited friends and they served really nice cookies. But i stayed strong. What helped me on friday was that i had a good lunch and could look back on that. So i didn't feel deprived.

This_is_it, reading how a satisfying lunch helped you resist resonated with me. I've been noticing that by choosing something I want at mealtime, I am better able to stick with the nos habits. Good going! Resisting makes us stronger for next time.

update below on 1/20/17

lpearlmom wrote:Omg Maggie I watched a movie on Netflix about Jonestown and I tell ya it was disturbing stuff! I recommend Going Clear too about Scientology. Creepy & crazy stuff goes on there!

Ooh, I will definitely check that out! Thanks!

Oolala, I've never had a check in thread. Perhaps one day. I do the monthly challenge instead for now.

I can't seem to get back on track after that stomach bug I had. I was doing so great. On the upside, I'm actually reading. A book. I'm reading a book that has nothing to do with diet or nutrition. The obsession about diets is starting to vanish. My book is a non fiction about a woman who slept with several of her neighbors trying to find one who would kill her husband. Gotta get the eating back on track though. Not as tempted to eat sweets. My red days now are more because of getting sligjtly hungry and not fighting it hard enough.

Happy hump day everyone!!!
Keep going..we can do it together:)

As the days go by i am noticing that i'm not hungry anymore between meals. I think i have figured out what i need during meals. But the cravings in the evening are back. But it defenitly is not hunger. The weird thing is that i can't handle cravings as well as i can handle genuine hunger.

I hate to say anything about my progress...this is about the time I jump ship. I hit a bit of a bump last week ( thank you OOLALA for reminding me that exercise is a seperate issue, that helped me:) and I was fearful that I would not bounce back, but so far this week(fingers crossed) I am ALL green on my Habitcal. Sweets have taken their rightful place as a sweet once a week treat and eating 3 normal sized meals is becoming a habit.
I really thought I was doomed last week when DH came in spouting off about THe Wheat Diet, but I just ignored his rant and kept thinking, "simple is really best."

Have a great Friday everyone:)

I'm sticking with it guys!

WooHoo!!!

Threewhales, No S doesn't say you can't eliminate any foods, just that it's not habit friendly. Maybe wheat will play a smaller role as time goes on, IF your husband actually goes through with it, gets past "the honeymoon," and survives the first "fight" with being wheat free. But stay on your own foundation...

Glad you guys are hanging in there. I let my birthday week ( combined with some family drama) keep me from having any green on my calendar this week . I'm one of those people who think you should celebrate your birthday the entire week. Haha. Need to do some reading on this site to rejuvenate my motivation. Had a few moments of thinking about bolting. A coworker said her husband has lost a lot of weight counting calories with my fitness pal. But that just sounds so annoying.

Hi MaggieMae I just wanted to say that I have had a few wobbles and also felt like bolting at times! What I have made myself do instead, is post honestly on my daily check in and / or the monthly challenge. And then some kind soul comes along and gives me support and advice! And I give myself a little talking to and get straight back on it
For me that is one of the best bits of NoS, the fact that it is so forgiving. Mark it and move on! Good luck.

PS just editing to comment on the co worker's husband, I wonder if he will keep up logging every single morsel that passes his lips? I cannot imagine doing that long term, it would drive me potty!

Thanks, blue bell! I agree about NO S being forgiving. I'm looking forward to getting on with it tomorrow.

I'd love to join this challenge. I need some accountability! Do I just restart daily thread?

Moderate meals, some of us are doing the monthly challenges and/ or a daily check in thread. Whatever you want to use. I'm using my daily check in thread just to elaborate on things but mostly using the January challenge thread.

Thanks MaggieMae. I'm having a green day so far...but my hardest hours are starting now. Hoping I can stay green all day so Day 1 is a success!

moderatemeals--please check your PMs!

Hello all!
I seem to have gotten my colors switched this week
Today was my first day this week. Hoping for a better showing next week.
Bluebell is right, mark it honestly and move on!
WooHoo No S

The past week was green. But i had some difficult moments during the evening. And i experienced a hunger pang on thursday afternoon . Luckily i was looking forward to a nice diner so i could hang in.

Tomorrow i am planning a S event day because of my husbands birthday. We are going out to dinner. He wants to go to a buffet restaurant. This is a challenge for me because i tend to overeat in such restaurants. I hope it won't mess up the rest of the week because i also tend to compensate the overeating from the day before. And of course that does not work. I have to learn to allow myself this "red" day because well....that is life.

I'm like three whales.... I've gotten my colors mixed up lately! Haha. It's like I just don't care anymore. I know it's because of some stressful situations, but those are always going to be around aren't they?
Have fun at the buffet, this is it! Just enjoy and get back to green the next day.

First month of this No-S year is in the bag - how did everyone do?

I had my best month since June last year, only three red days! That sets the bar high for February...

Way to go, Amy!!! I finally had a green day yesterday. I had 11 red days! Hoping February will be better.

Amy3010 wrote:First month of this No-S year is in the bag - how did everyone do?

I had my best month since June last year, only three red days! That sets the bar high for February...

Awesome, congrats on your best month since June!

I've got two no-red months going...hoping to make it 3. We'll see.

See updated list on Feb. 20 below.

Thanks for doing the listing, Oolala!

I've been doing some soul searching as to what is truly keeping me from succeeding on this plan. I really think it's that time in the afternoon when you start getting hungry but you know it's going to be hours before dinner. I'm adding a mod.... A serving of almonds to get me through that time. I'll use it only when needed,and hopefully over time I can phase it out.

what about something liquid? a glas of milk or cocoa if tea, coffee or water are not enough?
habit-wise it is a smarter choice...

A few almonds may be the step down to the beverage. I usually opted for non-chewing events, but I've seen others have success phasing out a snack. It's a bit of a crapshoot. But you don't have to guess right the first time!

Maybe I'll give beverages a more earnest chance this week and then decide. Almonds are easier because I could carry them with me ,but if I'm at home there's no reason not to make tea or coffee or even have milk.

January done! Only 4 red days!!!
Let's GO February!!!!!!!!!!

It can get expensive, but it's often possible to get coffee or tea when out and about. A 99cent decaf coffee at McDonald's during the "witching hours" (between lunch and dinner) saved me many times in the first years.

I have saved many a green day during those difficult afternoon hours by having a V-8, something about the saltiness of it really helps me pull through til dinner.

Since the past week i'm experiencing more hunger signals between meals. I have not changed the quantity of my meals. I'm doing Nos since january 2nd. Could this mean that my fat reserves are now actually being adressed or is it something else? I know that when i started Nos in january, the hunger signals between meals were also quite strong. Then it settled down for a few weeks. And now it is returning.

This is mostly the time when i give up: 6 weeks (give or take) following the rules and then i cave. I was doing so well and now doubts are creeping in my head .

Oolala I'll have to take advantage of that 99¢ coffee! This is it....I hear you about starting to get doubts. I'm going to admit that I downloaded my fitness pal back onto my phone to see what my calories are because I'm on vacation and I'm afraid of my NWS days causing damage. Today has been a permasnacking marathon. We keep winning free candy. Haha. Looking forward to heading back home. I feel the effects of too much sugar.

This_is_it wrote:Since the past week i'm experiencing more hunger signals between meals. I have not changed the quantity of my meals. I'm doing Nos since january 2nd. Could this mean that my fat reserves are now actually being adressed or is it something else? I know that when i started Nos in january, the hunger signals between meals were also quite strong. Then it settled down for a few weeks. And now it is returning.

This is mostly the time when i give up: 6 weeks (give or take) following the rules and then i cave. I was doing so well and now doubts are creeping in my head .

If it's just a little hunger, enjoy that your meals taste great when you are hungry for them. Rest in knowing that you get three great meals a day and have plenty to eat. Have some tea between meals if you need something to tide you over.

Consider whether thirst is really the culprit (I'm often surprised when I'm hungry to find that a glass of water makes that feeling go away).

If it's a lot of hunger that doesn't tame down with a drink of some kind, you probably need to look at what you are eating (proteins and fats have a lot more "staying power" than carbs). If it's not quantity, then it's likely something about the composition. Or, maybe you are more active at certain times and hunger kicks in sooner. Either way, adjust at the next meal time as needed.

Hormonal cycles can play a role as well.

I wouldn't take this as a sign to give up--but consider whether something needs tweaking this week until things calm down again.

We can make only guesses as to why real hunger is happening, and how long such a reaction might happen. I posit that your body is still learning how to adjust to take advantage of its ability to pull reserves from their storage spots. Frequent eating can make these mechanisms "rusty." But who knows? Since it's unlikely that sticking to the plan is hazardous, believe the story that gives you strength!

If you fear giving up because of it, consider eating heftier meals or drinking something a little more substantial between meals. If it preserves habit, even if it slows weight loss, it's worth it. It's rare for anyone to NOT have phases of ease and difficulty, even if there are exceptions. It's always easier to decrease from a stable baseline.

Green day! Feeling so much better physically and mentally. Thankful to have this forum for support! You all rock!

I haven't been on the board in ages, but stopped by tonight, read this thread and felt right at home Lately I've been catching myself thinking how much simpler life was with NoS. Sounds like a very sensible challenge.

Thank you, Merry and Oolala53 for thinking with me. You both have a really good point. I do have some hormonal issues going on but i don't want that to be an excuse. Although i realise they sure can be a problem.

I also will look into my water intake.

Like you said Oolala53: NOS is the best plan. There is nothing to be scared about.

MaggieMae wrote:Green day! Feeling so much better physically and mentally. Thankful to have this forum for support! You all rock!

Woohoo, that is great .

I tried some mods last year just about this time and did some careening for nearly the rest of the year. This year I'm remembering more easily how crummy it felt to devolve into old habits. I admit I've also been allowing myself some obsession and brain washing about the benefits of the mods. The combo felt good this week but as Reinhard says, there's only before and during. (And honestly, I would NOT recommend these mods for anyone without at least a year or two of moderate habits.)

Tortie wrote:Thank you for carrying on with Spark, Oolala. I'm pretty sure it's through your posts on Spark that I discovered No S.

Ditto! Thanks xxx

Two for the show! Glad I could spread the word.

I've been trying to pay attention lately and figure out exactly when I start craving something That I shouldn't have during the week. And I notice that I'll be doing fine and then something will happen that gets me a little worked up mostly if my son starts having behaviors And I'm worried about getting him calm down to prevent a meltdown and I've noticed that in those moments is when I all the sudden feel like I have to have a Mountain Dew or I have to have a candy bar. I'm hoping that figuring out this information will help me find a way to get a grip on it. I have been trying to decrease my sugar lately and I feel sad without it. It's like someone has taken away my safety blanket. It almost makes me wonder if it's worth losing weight to give up the one thing that helps me relax and calm down. But I know that it is ridiculous for a grown woman to need a pop or a candy bar to relax or calm down. Am I the only one?

MaggieMae wrote:I've been trying to pay attention lately and figure out exactly when I start craving something That I shouldn't have during the week. And I notice that I'll be doing fine and then something will happen that gets me a little worked up mostly if my son starts having behaviors And I'm worried about getting him calm down to prevent a meltdown and I've noticed that in those moments is when I all the sudden feel like I have to have a Mountain Dew or I have to have a candy bar. I'm hoping that figuring out this information will help me find a way to get a grip on it. I have been trying to decrease my sugar lately and I feel sad without it. It's like someone has taken away my safety blanket. It almost makes me wonder if it's worth losing weight to give up the one thing that helps me relax and calm down. But I know that it is ridiculous for a grown woman to need a pop or a candy bar to relax or calm down. Am I the only one?

Definitely not alone in this. Today I really wanted potato chips. I think when we are used to using food to comfort us or for various emotional needs, it makes it that much harder to say no.

I try a multi-prong attack:

One, I also try to notice how I feel when I eat in that emotional situation--I often notice that I don't feel it solved anything or that I still have xyz to deal with.

Sometimes I try other things (going for a walk is one that helps me sometimes, especially because I tend to pray through things as I walk). Sometimes a cup of tea with some sugar or honey helps--I get something sweet but it doesn't derail my habit. I still drink a diet pop twice a week--haven't cut those out totally. Those tend to break up my N days for me, and having that little something mid-week to look forward to helps me. Sometimes I find that giving attention to chores around my house gives me a positive sense of accomplishment and gives me a better feeling than the sugar. It doesn't make me not want the sugar, but I like feeling like I did something productive--even if it doesn't change the situation I'm upset about.

Something else I've noticed is that I don't need that emotional fix as often as I thought I did--the initial weaning is hard, and sometimes the feeling creeps back in again, but I find I don't feel that need or desire as often as I used to.

I don't think there's any getting around that some days are hard though. For me it's worth it, but my primary goal is wanting to be healthier. I don't necessarily want to be "thin"--don't get me wrong, I'd love to "look great!" But my focus or goal is actually reducing pressure on my joints, reducing disease risk-factors from carrying so much weight, etc... I don't need to look a certain way in order to feel good about myself (as long as I like my hair--I bad hair cut does still get me sometimes!). It does help if my clothes fit right too though. Isn't it funny how sometimes a little thing makes a big difference to us?

Thank you for your reply, Merri! I am going to try to just white knuckle through it this week instead of giving in.

I gave it some thought, and I'd like to commit to the one year challenge. Though I'm not quite sure how it works.
I have a check-in thread here: https://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=11246

If it is needed... I wasn't sure. The community here seems really great. I'm thinking of starting a video blog too, for the year, but I need to make sure I really want to since I've never done it before.

MaggieMae, there are more reasons than just weight loss not to give in to that stuff when the urges come. I know it's hard to get motivated to do things now to make your old age better, but just trust me that your brain will thank you.

It's not your imagination that food does actually quell anxious feelings temporarily. But it's working on very different pathways in the brain than the true hunger/satiety ones. It is a path that is NEVER completely satisfied by the food. The more the pathway is used, the more the brain will want to use it again, and it can take more and more of the substance to get the same effect.

I'll just add to cling like the dickens to the refuge of moderate meals! My heart goes out to you dealing with your son. I am a high strung high school teacher who gets very stressed by student behaviors and it can make me do exactly the opposite of what's needed in certain situations. I still often want to EAT after the students leave even after all these years. But it just becomes a new misery, escalating quite quickly. You will not be sorry you wrestle this to the ground NOW. Just have faith that you will likely save yourself years of even more discomfort.

heliz wrote:I gave it some thought, and I'd like to commit to the one year challenge. Though I'm not quite sure how it works.
I have a check-in thread here: https://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=11246

If it is needed... I wasn't sure. The community here seems really great. I'm thinking of starting a video blog too, for the year, but I need to make sure I really want to since I've never done it before.

Go for it, Heliz! We're an informal challenge & just keep checking in with each other--it helps to keep us all on track. Would love to see a vlog about No-S!

see update below on Feb. 28, 2017.

Thank you for the words of wisdom oolala! I read a book over the weekend called Fat Chance by Dr Robert lustig. He's a pediatric endocrinologist. The book goes into detail about how different foods effect different areas of the brain and addiction/ habit . He is very outspoken against" big sugar" and believes that the increase in sugar in our diets ( sugary drinks, added sugar to 80% of foods, and eating desserts daily instead of as a treat) is the root of the rise of metabolic syndrome in the world. If anyone wants to learn more, just go to YouTube and type" sugar: the bitter truth Dr lustig" and it will pop up. He has many videos but that is the one that made him famous. He's not a quack trying to sell diet books, he's been helping children for 30 years. including working at st. Judes at one point. I don't agree with everything he says. He seems to take away all personal responsibility for obesity and blame the government and food industry for our plight.

Count me in as being committed to one year on NoS without wandering off to greener pastures. There is no answer for me except NoS.

Really sick of seeing Marie and I've lost 50 lbs. on Nutrisystem commercials! Seeing those ads helps firm up my commitment.

I know of Lustig's work. It's not about being a quack but of having a personal perspective that doesn't allow for other explanations. It's the nature of the temperament of most authors to want to develop a personal perspective and promote it; that's why we get so many books and many sound pretty good. You can find other authors who find other villains, though sugar is a rather obvious enemy. To some degree, I actually agree with Lustig that the forces in place make changes very hard. (Mihaly Cdikszentmihalyi, who writes on the concept of "flow" thinks that in an even greater way, much beyond eating.) I think freedom of capitalism and speech (commercials) have actually been subverted in an unfair way. They are allowed to take advantage of natural desires to promote items that are unfulfilling and detrimental and to bombard people with the message. I'm not very susceptible to commercialism, but I see many are, and we also see lots of problems from that. Even No S-ers can get that way, when there are people who probably need to modify it quite a bit for their individual desires down the line. But I see No S as a much saner starting point than most.

TexArk, I love that Nutrisystems millions spent on advertising is being used against them! Sticking it to "the man!"

TexArk wrote: Really sick of seeing Marie and I've lost 50 lbs. on Nutrisystem commercials! Seeing those ads helps firm up my commitment.

Lol! Me,too! I was standing in line at the pharmacy last night and they had boxes of nutri system on the shelf. Each colorful box had 7 days worth of breakfasts,lunches,and snacks and it said you could make your own dinner. I almost laughed out loud. How yummy this food must be to all to stored in a cardboard box! Yuck.
I marked yestetday green on my habitcal then last night I was Skypeing with my mom and we were watching the same rv show. For some reason I wanted a bowl of cereal. It's weird, I rarely give in after dinner. I guess it was just old habits.....watching tv with my mom and snacking. At least I kept it at a bowl of cereal and didn't use it as an excuse to go raid the fridge.

We all have countless pairings of food and situations. That's actually a kinda lovable slip. Unless you Skype watch TV every week....

No, we've never done that before! It was a season finale of a show we used to watch together.
Back to Dr. lustig.... The takeaways I got from his book are the following:
1. Do not drink sugar( water, milk,coffee, or tea only)
2. Eat fiber,especially with carbohydrates
3. Don't eat after dinner
4. Get some exercise. He actually recommends that parents require kids to earn their " screen time"... If you play outside for an hour, you can get an hour of tv or video games. He admits that that one is the hardest. It's hard for most adults I know!
His suggestions are really very sensible, and fit with no S. I know that drinking soda is horrible, but the more I try to stop ,the more I want it. I might need to see a hypnotist!

The fiber thing is the only food idea not covered by No S, or pretty close. Having sweet drinks on weekends can be a step down to having little to none. I'd say informally most who stick with it decide they'd rather chew their sweets.

I'm too late to start at the first of the year, but I'm restarting today and want to join all of you in the year challenge.

Like some of you have mentioned, I also have gone from No S to counting calories to intuitive eating and round and round I go. No S makes sense to me. It's clear cut. I want so badly to make this work. If I can do this for ten months, I can do this for a lifetime.

Also, as someone mentioned, I'm tired of losing and regaining the same few pounds over and over again.

I'm looking forward to this challenge with all of you!

Welcome home, Elizabeth! Like Dorothy you had to go "travel" to find out that there's no place like home. Knowing that the options are not real options anymore can really help.

Added Elizabeth50.

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Elizabeth50 wrote:I'm too late to start at the first of the year, but I'm restarting today and want to join all of you in the year challenge.

Like some of you have mentioned, I also have gone from No S to counting calories to intuitive eating and round and round I go. No S makes sense to me. It's clear cut. I want so badly to make this work. If I can do this for ten months, I can do this for a lifetime.

Also, as someone mentioned, I'm tired of losing and regaining the same few pounds over and over again.

I'm looking forward to this challenge with all of you!

Welcome!

Thank you both! I know that No S is truly the way to go. I'm happy to be back here and am determined to follow through completely with this challenge.

Welcome, Elizabeth50! Well, we're two months in. How is everyone doing? Thank you to those of you who have already been doing No S over a year who take the time to encourage the rest of us. If you have been wavering or just plain screwing up too much like myself, tomorrow is a new month!!!! Let's wake up March 1st with renewed dedication and get these habits down solid.
Since I'm not the only one with a "wandering eye" when it comes to diets, I thought I'd quote Reinhard. On page 15 of the No S book:
" Forbidden food diets like low carb or low fat fail miserably in this regard. At the outset, it might seem worth it to trade pasta for unlimited steaks ( or vice versa), but it gets old fast. Diet programs like Weight Watchers that require you to be a full time calorie ( or carb, fat, or point) accountant are time consuming and joyless."

Amen. Let's keep eating three delicious plates a day!

Hi MaggieMae, Thanks for the welcome. I've gotta tell you you're not the only one with a wondering eye. I'm right there with you. Mostly I've done calorie counting and intuitive eating, but I've also tried low carb quite a few times over the years, until I finally gave up on that one altogether, thankfully! With intuitive eating, I would get scared and go back to calorie counting, then back to intuitive eating...on and on it went between those two. I would have loved it had intuitive eating worked for me, but I spent more time wondering if I was "really" hungry than I care to admit. It nearly drove me crazy.

So, I'm glad to be here joining you all in this rest of the year challenge. I need something that will stop me from snacking so often and I love the structure of this program. I hesitate to even call it a program because it seems natural. We ate this way growing up, but all the "dieting" over the years has ruined our natural instinct, I think.

Anyway, I'm sorry if I'm all over the place. Just glad to be back here and plan to stay!

I'm looking forward to staying strong in March with all of you!

LOL, I just noticed all the ads at the bottom are books related to Einstein. We're pretty smart here!

Not really sure how to check in with this thread but I have finished 2 weeks since renewing for the year. I had my first fail yesterday after baking bread, but am feeling really good about this whole process and I know that it is going to take the year to get old habits replaced.

The successes have been huge. No binges for 14 days. Mild exercise for 10 of those days. No snacking even on S days. Calm S days.

Weight loss? Who knows? I didn't weigh before I started, but at the end of 30 days I will check in to see where I am.

TexArk, those are amazing successes! Keep it up! Merri, that's funny about the Einstein ads! We ARE smart here! Lol.

I am still here. Just quietly marking my Habitcal each day, good or bad. Mark it and move on. I am not losing weight, but I am not gaining either. So I am considering it a win for consistency. I did get a new stationary bike which I am really excited about! Cheers to March:)

TexArk, that's all you do. Post and you've checked in.

There are 38 people on the team. I haven't been looking at the monthly challenge. Maybe some of them are posting there.

Some might just be posting on their own thread or just on other people's. Or just not posting.

I wish we could do a phone tree kind of thing and have a plan to reach out periodically and systematically. But that's probably overkill.

But I'd love to hear of a few more updates, even if it's just to say it's been Red City! It happens.

I'm doing the same as Threewhales - marking my Habitcal every single day, good or bad, red or green. I had a great month in January, February was a lot redder , so my goal is that March is at least better than February.

Well done TexArk!

Help!!! One of my friends at work( who I only work with once or twice a month) came in today looking amazing. She said she's lost 15 pounds tracking calories on my fitness pal. Noooooo! That's always what lures me away from no S! I'm hyperventilating. Ok, not really. Haha. Just wanted to share on here that I am tempted because she looks great . I'm going to drink my water and look forward to lunch.

Don't do it MaggieMae! It's a road to destruction!!! I know you're semi-joking. I also know the temptation to go back...but noooooo!

Lol! Thanks, Elizabeth! There's also a delicious looking coffee cake in he break room. Everyone is out to get me today!

Maggie Mae, your friend may end up discovering that tracking every.atom.of.food she puts into her mouth is unsustainable. Congrats to her for losing the weight, but I have a couple of friends who keep cycling on and off Weight Watchers. Both have successfully lost weight with WW, but somehow they just cannot sustain it and they keep "falling off the wagon". I bet it's because they just can't face perpetually totting up points, calories, or whatever WW's system is these days. Calorie counting programs cement the idea that you're "on a diet", and diets are things you *go off of*.

Whereas No S is normal eating, something that can be kept up indefinitely because that's the way our parents ate and the way some of us of a certain age, like me, grew up eating.

MaggieMae - It's great that your friend found a way to successfully lose weight that works for her! I will say that calorie counting and/or caloric awareness and being on NoS are not necessarily mutually exclusive. I utilized both to reach my goals, and still do to maintain and improve--without feeling like I'm "on a diet." You can't ignore the fact that reducing calories (whether you're actively counting them or not) is the key to weight loss. It's true that NoS is a "normal" way of eating, but in order to effectively lose weight on NoS, you have to reduce the calories you're eating. No way around it!