Everyday Systems

I've tried No S on three occasions, but I seem to stop for one reason or another. I refer to each of my first two attempts as the "weeks of magical thinking" because I was eating like an idiot (a fattening meal for every meal, pigging out on weekends) hoping that No S was magical (like other diets promise) and that I'd lose weight anyway.

The last attempt was a couple of years after I had lost 45 lbs calorie counting. I was in my early 40s, had gotten down to a good weight for me (135ish), and was able to eat 2100-2200 calories a day to maintain. I was maintaining that weight the same way I had lost it---calorie counting. My food habits and my food obsession had not changed, though. Eventually, I got sick of that, and yes, went back to No S. After a few weeks of fear because I didn't have the security blanket of my calorie log, I quit.

Now, I'm 49 and hypothyroid. I maintained most of my weight loss. But over the past, say 3 years, it feels as if my metabolism has slowed WAY down. I seem to only be able to eat about 1700-1800 calories a day to maintain. I say "seem" because about 1 1/2 years ago, I stopped logging calories, figuring that I'd memorized the calories in all foods well enough, that I could loosely keep track in my head. Slowly, though, about 8 lbs have crept up on me. Last time I weighed at the doctor, I was 143. Since I'm only 5 ft 3, I want to get back down to about 135. I know many women who are my height have a goal of the 120s, but honestly, my face looks way too gaunt when I'm that low, and I don't want to have to sacrifice what it would take to get that low anyway.

If I had only stuck to No S that last time, my habits would be ingrained, and I'll bet I would be where I want to be. I'm not going to berate myself. I'm just hoping that this time around is different. It feels different. I don't know----I feel wiser. Reading through Reinhard's home page and through the posts of some of the longtime NoSers (oolala, vmsurbat, etc.), I just know this is the way to eat. It makes so much sense! What I didn't consciously acknowledge until recently is how much human psychology plays a part in weight loss. I'm ready for sanity!

I do have some mods, though:

1) On N days, I'm eating only two meals a day (breakfast, dinner). I've been doing this during the three days I'm at work anyway (I work from home otherwise). Also, I got braces recently, and the dental hygiene is a major pain and I'm manic about it. I'd prefer to go through that only twice a day.

2) This mod is a little looser: I want to try to go light on obvious carbs during the weekdays. Again, I've already been doing this for about 2-3 weeks. I have a family history of diabetes and carry weight in my stomach. I just think keeping an eye on my carb intake (w/out actually tracking carbs) will help.

And that's pretty much it. I'm flexible on #2, and if becomes burdensome, I'll drop it.

ETA: Exercise is not a problem. I've been consistently doing CrossFit for many years now. I have a great class that's fun, so it barely seems like a chore. Also, I've recently added 3-4 sessions of yoga a week.

Good luck, lin! Sounds like you've in the right frame of mind. I've tried to do NO S like you did on your first attempt.... Eating fast food or whatever but thinking it wasok because I was technically following the rules. We learn , then pick ourselvrs up and try again.

Welcome back. I hope no-s brings what you need to your eating habits. At least now you know what "don't be an idiot" means.😉 good luck !

lin47 wrote: What I didn't consciously acknowledge until recently is how much human psychology plays a part in weight loss. I

This is so true!

Welcome back, and I hope this time really is different for you. You sound ready to commit, and that's so much of the battle.

Thank you!

Reinhard just said recently on the Facebook group that the thinking side of things is crucial. There is no way to change eating habits without changing some thinking, especially because the body will put up a fight and produce a lot of thoughts and justifications to deviate from the plan.

That's what the whole book is. I find I sometimes need other influences with a bit different reasons or metaphors or whatever. If we were all just computers with a program that said eat three meals a day, it would be easy.

Just to let you know, at 5' 5'', I probably average fewer than 2000 calories a day, and probably closer to 1,800. That includes overages on S days. I could not have maintained on 2100! Besides that I don't feel very good anymore when I have a day that high. Even some 1,500 calorie-days can leave me feeling way full.

oolala53 wrote:I find I sometimes need other influences with a bit different reasons or metaphors or whatever.

ITA! Sometimes, I can hear the same advice for years, but one day someone conveys that same advice in a different way and it finally sticks.

oolala53 wrote:Just to let you know, at 5' 5'', I probably average fewer than 2000 calories a day, and probably closer to 1,800. That includes overages on S days. I could not have maintained on 2100! Besides that I don't feel very good anymore when I have a day that high. Even some 1,500 calorie-days can leave me feeling way full.

Good to know. I was very surprised when I first lost the weight that I could maintain on so high a calorie count. I think it was all the working out I was doing. At the time, I also had a homemade tread desk and walked 24 miles a week on it in addition to my Cross Fit. I stopped that a few months ago because it was becoming too much and I wanted to focus on yoga. Maybe that explains the slow weight gain. If it's that, I'm not going to worry about it because I felt that I was tearing myself down with that much exercise. With the CrossFit and yoga, now, I feel refreshed.

Thanks for your response!

I'm a little surprised that walking on a treadmill desk felt like it was too much. When I read about them, the recommendation was to keep the pace at about a mile an hour. 'Course, that's still several hours of walking a day! I wonder how many steps that was?

I also remember a guy named Covert Bailey back in the 80's or 90's, author of Fit of Fat, saying that if he was obese, he'd quit his job and walk 4 hours a day. Not that he ever actually walked his talk, literally, nor that you're obese.

I just did some yoga this morning. I used to be a beginning teacher, though I wasn't particularly flexible, but I knew how the poses could be guided. I wish wish wish I had never quit doing it, though not necessarily teaching it. I can't sit on my ankles anymore and my shoulders have gotten so much tighter, etc. But Im' not committed to getting that flexibility back,nor come to think of it, even maintaining where I am. Just kvetching.

It sounds like you're working things out. Kudos!
!

oolala53 wrote:I'm a little surprised that walking on a treadmill desk felt like it was too much. When I read about them, the recommendation was to keep the pace at about a mile an hour. 'Course, that's still several hours of walking a day! I wonder how many steps that was

I wasn't actually following that recommendation. I was walking at 3.0 miles per hour. I have always been a fast Walker and so it seemed natural to do that for me. After a time, though, that on top of my CrossFit just felt like too much. Right now, I am enjoying the yoga. It doesn't seem like a task at all like the walking sometimes did

Going great so far! I don't know why (maybe the braces?), but this seems SO much easier than in the past. My husband brought home chocolate covered cherries, one of my favorites, and I wasn't even tempted. It's like because I know I can eat what I want on the weekend, I don't really get tempted on the weekdays. My weekends have been a bit more out of control than I'd like, but I've been surprised not to feel as if I have to stuff it all in Sunday night. In other words, I'm not doing that desperate last-meal frenzied eating like I have in the past. I really hope this lasts!

Glad it's going great! I'm on day 4 of restarting this. I've restarted several times also but know this is the only sane way of getting through life with food!

Good luck, Barbara!

Well, the first week was flawless, but I've had three red days since---darn it! My usual M.O. would be to just say the heck with it and either not follow any plan (especially since it's the holidays) or start calorie counting again. I'm sticking with it, though.

I know that so many long-timers say vanilla No S is best, but I'm a person who seems to need a long time to establish a habit. That's why the only S I would really like to follow on S days is sweets (as in dessert after dinner or something sweet for breakfast). I hate the nibbling I do on S days. It makes me feel like an out-of-control glutton.

Anyway, just thought I'd check in to say I'm still here and won't be leaving any time soon.

I'm with you. I don't think snacking agrees with me on any day. I have embraced all kinds of health benefits from reduced eating frequency, and I don't get enough out of snacking to justify it. To be fair, I sometimes have an "appetizer" while I'm cooking the meal

good for you, hang in there! We didn't develop bad eating habits overnight--it's not unreasonable to think we won't fix them overnight either.

lin, skipping any of the S's on S days as a matter of course (meaning without making some new rule about it) because you just don't enjoy them IS vanilla to me. S days were never meant to stay free-for-alls. In the book, Reinhard said eventually S days were meant to pretty closely resemble N days with a SOMETIMES special S thrown in. There is no obligation to eat any food you don't enjoy before, during, or after eating it. (My own mantra.)

What Oolala said

That makes sense, Oolala!

Back on track this week---easily, too. Last was was TTOTM (sorry for TMI guys), so that probably explains my increased urge to eat.

It felt easy again this week. And tomorrow's an S day and I'm already planning to have homemade fruitcake for breakfast (I already hear the groans coming from cyberspace, but it's Alton Brown's recipe, and it's fantastic). I love to bake, and I have the most time to do it on weekends, so No S fits perfectly.