new+ questions

[Ginjer]

Hi everyone,

I"m 18 yrs old from Israel (so excuse my spelling), and really really happy I came across this site.
i"m 1.70 m' and 60 kg (thats 120 pounds).
i dont think I"m extremly overweight, just not as thin as i would like.

so just a few questions to start off:

assuming I eat 3 times a day, do my meals have to be low calorie? maybe you can give me some pointers in that erea...

and secodly. I reduced the amount of suger in my coffee to 2 teaspoons, but I do drink about 3 cups a day- is that o.k or still too much?

thats about it I think. I"ll probably think of more as I go along.

[Kevin]

Your English is excellent.

Reinhard will weigh in I'm sure, but here's what I do:

I eat exactly what I did before I started. In fact, I eat more at meals, although the addition is all vegetables. They fill you up.

There's no magic in this diet, it's based on the power of your will. If you avoid all the between meal calories, that's probably enough. I estimate that I cut 35% of the calories out of my daily intake.

This, plus a little exercise, and you're on your way.

[reinhard]

Shalom, Ginjer. I don't worry about meal sizes. Here's why:

1) The most important thing, long term, is to get into the habit of a limited number of discreet meals. You may not eat less at every meal, but if you have this habit, over time, you'll eat a lot less, and it will be sustainable, and that's what really matters.

2) By limiting yourself to discreet meals you can use this great, natural, God given, measuring device: your eyes. If you're really eating a lot, there's no way to hide it, you'll see it. You don't have to weigh, you don't have to count, you don't have to consult some manual. It's obvious. And you know the old cliche, "a picture is worth a thousand words." It's true. The sight of excess is quite compelling (especially if there are other people around to witness it!).

I wouldn't worry too much about the sugar in your coffee. It's one of those borderline issues that distracts from more important stuff. I suspect that a single soft drink has more sugar than all that coffee put together, so if you can avoid those, you should be ok. If you can manage the rest of the diet for three weeks with no funny stuff and still feel the need to do something extra, then reconsider taking some action, but you don't want to take on too much at once.

Best of luck, looking forward to hearing more from you,

Reinhard

[Ginjer]

I understand the part about being able to judge how much is too much, but thats not it.

I mean what if I have one plate, but its filled with something like pasta with cream or pizza or something like that? is that o.k?

[reinhard]

Shockingly, yes. Will you lose weight if you actually do that every day? Probably not. But I don't think you will unless you are actively determined to sabotage yourself. The idea is to systematize the behaviors (like "mealing") that require systematic intervention, and leave the rest alone. Limited meals forces you to think about healthy food because you can't make up for it in between meals. I've found, big picture, that it makes me want to eat healthier foods.

[gratefuldeb67]

Welcome Ginjer! Good luck! Coffee is my crutch too! But during the hot months I usually only have 1 or 2 cups... Enjoy it!
Use common sense, and really just watch out for the junk food and desserts. We all need to eat pasta with cream sauce sometimes... Just don't do it every day.
What part of Israel do you live in?
Your English is great, so don't worry about apologizing!
Peace,
Debbie

[Ginjer]

I live in the centre, next to Tel Aviv.

[Jammin' Jan]

Hi Ginjer,

Welcome to our happy group!

Your meals don't have to be low calorie, just have a reasonably sized portion on an ordinary size plate. Doesn't get much easier than that!

Your English is wonderful! Glad you're here, and hope you post often!

Jan

[Donna O]

hello ginjer-- i hope that you are doing well. things are quite tense
in your country as of late- i will remember you and yours in my prayers-
and pray that all of the conflict ends quickly

what has been the most important thing for me in this program is to really, really concentrate on eliminating snacks-- this habit will take about 3 weeks to develop . i personally have had to start over several times
the important thing is not to give up- just keep trying and you will get it

after 3 or 4 weeks of 3 meals a day only, then you can start working on meal size and content

good luck and God bless

Donna O

[mschalock]

Hi Ginjer-
I weigh about 5 pounds more than you (I'm 5'1"), so I want to throw my two cents into the discussion. Since you probably have very little to lose, it may take a while. I'm lucky to lose one or two pounds a month.

What I like about the NoS is that it makes me aware of what I'm really eating. My downfall is snacks, so NoS cuts out a lot of calories. I like that I can eat whatever I want at meals. There is no deprivation, which helps me mentally to stick with it. I have found that snacking and sweets really are just a habit - and habits can be changed for the better. That was a revelation to me!

The other habit I'm trying to develop is to exercise using the shovelglove. Check out the bulletin board for that too. It's fun and I'm actually seeing a tiny bit of muscle in my arms.

Good luck. I'm praying for your country.
Monica

[mommashell]

I understand the part about being able to judge how much is too much, but thats not it.

I mean what if I have one plate, but its filled with something like pasta with cream or pizza or something like that? is that o.k?

Well hi there Ginger. I'm blind so my typos and spelling errors are sometimes worse than yours might be. I wouldn't worry. As for eating less, I agree with Keven. I basically eat what I did before, sometimes healthy sometimes not and since I can't see I have one basic measuring tool. My plate. Sometimes it's a small plate and sometimes it's a big plate. Sometimes I have fruit sometimes not. Sometimes I eat *grap* fries with a sandwich, sometimes vegetables. I guess my point is that I sort of have been developing this sayle since I got on ww years ago, I just didn't have a name or formula. I did have one maxum though, I would always say, eat like you would if you still lived with your mother. If your mom's like mine it was always no snacks, don't eat before dinner and under no circumstances, can yuou eat once you're in bed. This one is my hardest to break. As I said in another post of mine, the thing with other diets is that there are so many blinders, snacks fake sweets, eating a certain number of times a day, chugging a certain ammount of water whatever, that it's impossible to make it a lifestyle change. As for your weight, don't worry about it. You're not fat, you are probably just right. I say that because once upon a time I was 18 and I thought 120 was too fat. Now I'm holding steady at 228.8 and wish I could weigh 120. But the beauty of this diet, I think, is that you can stick to it, and even if you slip, it's very easy to get back on track. And even if you don't have to lose any weight, it's just good to get into the habit of eating in this way. Eat three meals a day no snacks etc. It's especially important if you're in college. Trust me, the whole freshman 15 is no myth. It's real. Anyway, I wish you the best. Shell

[gratefuldeb67]

Hi guys.. I'm just popping in to mention that Ginger hasn't posted since June of 2005..
LOL..

But who knows.. maybe she's picking up your good vibes over there anyways!

Love,
Debs