Everyday Systems

I’ve been on and off with No S since 2013. I think my biggest struggle/fear is in one plate of food. I’m notorious for not serving enough on my plate or virtual plating (which is never a good idea for me). It’s one plate and then the meal is finished and that sometimes scares me! Ha! Any one else feel this way? Thoughts on overcoming this?

If I took more time to plan my meal and make it pretty on the plate, I might have more success.

My only suggestion is to put a lot on your plate to start. Go ahead and fill it. Then, when the habit is solid, work on being sure that half of your plate is fruit or veggie.

i AM VERY NEW AND THE ONE PLATE FEAR IS VERY REAL FOR ME. i THOUGHT THE ADVICE ABOUT FILLING IT IS GOOD AND AT THE SAME TIME, SLIGHTLY SCARY.fOR ME, SO FAR, i HAVEN'T PLANNED ENOUGH - MORE OBSESSING THAN THINKING IT THROUGH. bUT GIVEN PLANNING WORKS IN MOST OTHER AREAS OF LIFE, i THINK MORE OF IT WOULD HELP ME ALONG HERE.

Developing a routine for what the parts of your meals are and learning to keep the foods on hand to make them is a useful skill. When I first started, I would make sure I had one item that I felt was a bit decadent. I actually was already eating relatively healthy meals. But I would plan for a biggish buttered Bisquick biscuit or some nuts at each meal. But it could have been anything. Don't worry, the rest of my plate was full, but those foods didn't seem enough like a reward for holding out. (We are SO controlled by manufactured food!) I would really think about and look forward to that "extra" at that next meal. Now it's enough just to think about the meal, "extra" or not. The "healthy" food has become the default, at least at home. That's almost all I keep around, but not out of fear, really. Why have food around that I don't plan to eat pretty often? Slim cultures don't do it. It's just not a good use of money and space. We have too much space to keep food!

I think the other thing to remember is that it's not a total disaster if you feel hungry before your next meal. I've had to white-knuckle it through a few times but you can just make your next plate a bit fuller. It's a learning process what meal content and size works for you, which is the great thing about NoS - if you fail you can learn from it and move on to the next day.