Okay, the No-S system is a good one... but... I'm wondering if there's a point at which it becomes less effective. Especially for women.
My experience has been that (most) women burn off fat with more difficulty than men, because (most) men tend to have more muscle, which increases metabolism. (This is obviously a sweeping generalization with exceptions. But I swear my husband can say "hm, I need to lose a little" and drop 15 pounds with ease in no time, whereas that's a difficult amount for me to lose.)
Also, it's also been my experience that it gets harder to lose as you approach your optimum weight. (But that may just be me.)
At any rate... I'm within healthy guidelines for weight, but have to pay attention, which I do by taking action whenever I hit the top of my "normal range" (range is 5 lbs). But I'd still like to drop the range a little if I could.
I was at the top of my range when I found No-S. I'm now at the bottom. BUT... the last S day wiped out the previous week's loss. Still haven't reclaimed that territory, and it's Wednesday. Looks like I'll get back to where I was just in time for another S day.
So... I'm wondering if I'm going to need to be more stringent on S-days if I want to continue to lose... or if I just need to accept that any additional weight loss will be very, very slow.
Ladies - any thoughts? Does this plan still work for you after you're close to your optimum weight?
Question for the ladies....
Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating
I'm pretty close to my goal weight, and I think that it goes slower and slower as you get closer to the goal. I lose about a pound a month now. That's fine with me since it's way better than gaining! I figure I'm on NoS for life, so I'll keep eating the way I'm eating and pretty soon I'll be at a balance and will stop losing and stay the same. If I go too low (ha-ha) I will increase amounts a bit at meals until I remain the same weight.
-Monica in Oregon-
-Monica in Oregon-
-
maslowjenkins
- Posts: 56
- Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2006 7:33 pm
- Location: Tulsa, Ok
I'm not close to where I want to be, yet. I've got about 15 lbs to go...but as far as sabotaging your week with an sday, here's waht seems to happen to me: sometimes I have a great s-day, like I will treat myself to a small candy bar or scoop of ice cream. Other times, weekends are a free for all. Take last weekend, I had about half a coffee cake, a small tray of brownies, and two large bowls of ice cream (that was over the whole weekend, not at once, but writing it down kinda makes me sick!). this week, my weight was up 5 pounds!!! Now, had it really been 5 pounds, that would have meant an intake of 24,500 calories!!! I know it wasnt that much!!! I have concluded that the weight gain is fluid retention and sluggish digestion due to the bad eating, because sometime near the end of the week, those 5 pounds disappear!!!
I think the longer you stick to this, the more regulated your s- days become and the less you will overdo it.
And I do agree, the closer women are to thier goal, the harder it becomes. Women are supposed to be fatter than men. we need it to make babies, biologically speaking. But if you adopt no-s for life, you will get to your ideal body weight, eventually!
good luck!
Carrie
no-s'ing for 6 weeks and down 8 pounds!!!
I think the longer you stick to this, the more regulated your s- days become and the less you will overdo it.
And I do agree, the closer women are to thier goal, the harder it becomes. Women are supposed to be fatter than men. we need it to make babies, biologically speaking. But if you adopt no-s for life, you will get to your ideal body weight, eventually!
good luck!
Carrie
no-s'ing for 6 weeks and down 8 pounds!!!
Thanks, both of you - that helped. 
Mschalock, good point about slow weight loss being way better than gaining. You are SO right!
Maslowjenkins, it helped to hear that the weight disappears toward the end of the week. And that is what happened. Today I'm .5 lb under what I finished at last week. And it's Thursday, so I may drop a little more before the next S-day.
Guess I'll just have to accept that there's a certain "two-steps-forward, one-step-back" rhythm to weight loss at this point. And that's okay.
Mschalock, good point about slow weight loss being way better than gaining. You are SO right!
Maslowjenkins, it helped to hear that the weight disappears toward the end of the week. And that is what happened. Today I'm .5 lb under what I finished at last week. And it's Thursday, so I may drop a little more before the next S-day.
Guess I'll just have to accept that there's a certain "two-steps-forward, one-step-back" rhythm to weight loss at this point. And that's okay.
This way of eating is better for men than women. And you have to be careful how much you put on that one plate. Also, does not work as well if you are eating high fat meals for your three meals. so portion control is still an issue.
The destiny of nations depends on the manner in which they feed themselves. Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
I think you're right, milczar. It has worked for me thus far largely b/c my meals tend to be MUCH healthier than my snacks - even when I make them a little larger than normal.
But poor meal choices (over time) would undercut the diet pretty drastically. I expect I could get away with a few each week, but if the general pattern was junk food, I'd be in trouble.
There's just less "wiggle room" for women, since we generally need fewer calories. Just how it is.
But poor meal choices (over time) would undercut the diet pretty drastically. I expect I could get away with a few each week, but if the general pattern was junk food, I'd be in trouble.
There's just less "wiggle room" for women, since we generally need fewer calories. Just how it is.
I was really glad to read this post because I am a woman and I'm barely 5'2" and have sometimes thought this plan wouldn't work for me. Really I know that I just can't eat big meals, and that they should be made up of healthy foods. Also, s days totally cannot be a free-for-all for me. It was reassuring to hear other people have the same experience.
Thanks
Thanks
S days can't be a free-for-all for ANY of us. Just look around and you'll see the type of devastation that type of eating does to our plans and goals. It sabotages us every time. As Reinhard says... SOMETIMES on days that start with S...It is NOT a free-for-all. (My hardest lesson!)
~I'm still not perfect~
~Sophie~
~Sophie~
I was doing great during the week and sabotaging myself on weekends. Sunday evenings I would be inhaling ice cream and cookies and whatever else was around. I loved being on the three meals a day – hands down the best I have ever done, but I knew I had to do some personal tweaking to this plan to work for me. I decided that 2.5 lbs a month would be a reasonable amount for me to lose. I weighed myself every day and if I was at the 2.5 lb loss or less I would allow myself one treat, if I was higher than the weight I had specified for the month I could not have a treat. It is working great for me, it is getting me out of the mode of “pig outs” and I feel wonderful. If I want pancakes during the week - I can, as long as I am at the loss I should be for that month.
I am looking at S days as a very necessary 'evil'. I know that if I don't allow myself some treats on them, then I'll be that much more tempted to fall off track during my N days. So far, though, I've been careful not to go overboard, like eating a whole McCain's cake myself or something. I'll usually allow myself some snacks, but keep them more or less healthy (fruit, toast, a bowl of cereal) and have an S with my meals, like a Coke or a small dessert. Not treating my S days like a time for total abandon has been helpful to my sense of control.
Also specific to women: The sugar cravings can also become much more difficult to handle during the week before my period and I need to be aware of that so I can have some power over the situation. Saying to myself, "Yes, wanting to eat a whole pan of brownies myself is valid because it's that time of month," allows me to acknowledge what's going on. It's valid, but it's not sensible and seeing that clearly lets me breathe through it, metaphorically speaking. I'll drink lots of water and if it gets really, REALLY bad I tell myself I can eat a banana. Not strict No S, but also just a banana and it helps. A lot.
Also specific to women: The sugar cravings can also become much more difficult to handle during the week before my period and I need to be aware of that so I can have some power over the situation. Saying to myself, "Yes, wanting to eat a whole pan of brownies myself is valid because it's that time of month," allows me to acknowledge what's going on. It's valid, but it's not sensible and seeing that clearly lets me breathe through it, metaphorically speaking. I'll drink lots of water and if it gets really, REALLY bad I tell myself I can eat a banana. Not strict No S, but also just a banana and it helps. A lot.
I've only been here a couple of weeks but I have to agree with the other ladies. The way I deal with weekends is--I bake something special. Now I know that sounds a bit wacky, but for years I denied myself the pleasure of baking and where did it get me? Yup, 20 pounds overweight and feeling guilty every time I lost control and pigged out. Now I PLAN something special for the weekends and stay away from the cheap thrills like corner store candy bars and cheesie things.
I stick to the three solid meals a day for the weekends, with no between meal snacks, but I loosen up a little on fat and sugar. I make it SPECIAL and GOURMET and--most important--I give away part of the dessert to our very willing young neighbours who are living away from home for the first time without their Moms! If there's anything left over on Monday morning, my daughter takes care of it.
I know it won't work for everyone, but the important point here is to find that fine line between indulgence and complete lack of control. You don't want to feel either guilty or deprived. If you have a talent for baking, go wild with limits. PLAN your treats, and be thankful for them. No "inhaling!" Exhale, baby, exhale!
Now, I'm thinking a rustic French-style apple tart for Saturday. Who wants to visit?
~Mada
I stick to the three solid meals a day for the weekends, with no between meal snacks, but I loosen up a little on fat and sugar. I make it SPECIAL and GOURMET and--most important--I give away part of the dessert to our very willing young neighbours who are living away from home for the first time without their Moms! If there's anything left over on Monday morning, my daughter takes care of it.
I know it won't work for everyone, but the important point here is to find that fine line between indulgence and complete lack of control. You don't want to feel either guilty or deprived. If you have a talent for baking, go wild with limits. PLAN your treats, and be thankful for them. No "inhaling!" Exhale, baby, exhale!
Now, I'm thinking a rustic French-style apple tart for Saturday. Who wants to visit?
~Mada
Docendo, discimus.
Mada, I like your style!
And in fact, the weekends I've done best have when I baked something truly special (home-made pumpkin pie, when we had Halloween pumpkins to use up, for example).
I also like the line about "the fine line between indulgence and total lack of control."
Gettnbusy, thanks for the reminder that S-days are not a "free for all" for any of us (well, ideally).
Sandy, I like using current weight to gauge how much indulgence you can afford on a weekend. May adopt that one, or a variant.
One of the things I like about this system is that it's easy to come up with personal tweaks that work, as long as you keep the big picture basics in mind.
And in fact, the weekends I've done best have when I baked something truly special (home-made pumpkin pie, when we had Halloween pumpkins to use up, for example).
I also like the line about "the fine line between indulgence and total lack of control."
Gettnbusy, thanks for the reminder that S-days are not a "free for all" for any of us (well, ideally).
Sandy, I like using current weight to gauge how much indulgence you can afford on a weekend. May adopt that one, or a variant.
One of the things I like about this system is that it's easy to come up with personal tweaks that work, as long as you keep the big picture basics in mind.
You're right. Women lose more slowly than men. It's not just an issue on No-S; it doesn't matter what method you're using to lose weight. It's not only because men have more muscle; it's also partly so we're able to nourish our young in times of dietary "need." It makes sense that if we lose weight more slowly during our childbearing years, weight loss should speed up once we reach menopause, but no, it gets slower!
Everyone has offered up good suggestions. I think the main thing to remember is that it's going to take time, and not to let yourself get frustrated by the fact that it isn't happening as quickly as you would like. There are some things we're just not in control of and how quickly those pounds come off is one of them. You are, however, in control of what you do.
My suggestion to add to the mix would be to add more veggies to your meals. Fill your plate, but make sure a lot of the plate has veggies. Most veggies have about 100 calories/pound and it takes a lot of volume to make that pound of veggies. As long as you're not using too much olive oil, butter, cheese or salad dressing on those veggies, you've got something that will fill you up without adding calories.
Everyone has offered up good suggestions. I think the main thing to remember is that it's going to take time, and not to let yourself get frustrated by the fact that it isn't happening as quickly as you would like. There are some things we're just not in control of and how quickly those pounds come off is one of them. You are, however, in control of what you do.
My suggestion to add to the mix would be to add more veggies to your meals. Fill your plate, but make sure a lot of the plate has veggies. Most veggies have about 100 calories/pound and it takes a lot of volume to make that pound of veggies. As long as you're not using too much olive oil, butter, cheese or salad dressing on those veggies, you've got something that will fill you up without adding calories.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
Hi,
Something that's helped me to figure out portion sizes for my short woman body was to learn about the caloric contents of the foods I normally eat. I also initially measured out the amounts so that I could see by eye how much food I should be eating if I wanted to stay within a certain caloric range. (There's some various guidelines to help estimate food portions, e.g. 1 cup is approximately the size of your fist, 3 oz. meat is the size of a deck of cards, etc. etc.) The USDA nutritional database online has information on a wide variety of foods, including squirrel meat. I don't eat squirrel meat, by the way.
I also used the My Pyramid tracker (free website provided by the USDA) to enter my usual daily physical activities so that I could see approximately how many calories I would be burning on a normal day, and hence figure out how much food I should be eating to lose weight.
I am not into counting calories all of the time. Nevertheless, learning about the caloric contents of my favorite foods gave me an idea of the ballpark range of portion sizes that would work for my body. If you tend to have problems with over-obsessing about numbers, this approach might not be for you, but it could help if you're not too far away from a good weight and can't seem to lose any. It is impressive how cutting down a few portions can make the difference between a caloric deficit and the status quo.
--H
P.S. Speaking of calories, if for some reason you are ever tempted to eat something at a fast food restaurant try looking at the nutritional information posted up on the wall (I don't go to fast food places really at all, but last weekend I was pulled along to a Dairy Queen). The caloric content of some of that stuff is just staggering, not to mention the amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol. Last weekend, after looking at the nutritional information, even though I was pressured into getting a Blizzard, I ended up getting a small one (other people ordered bigger ones) and only eating half (everybody else consumed theirs in their entirety). I couldn't bring myself to knowingly put so many unneccesary calories into my body, even if it was an S-Day!
Something that's helped me to figure out portion sizes for my short woman body was to learn about the caloric contents of the foods I normally eat. I also initially measured out the amounts so that I could see by eye how much food I should be eating if I wanted to stay within a certain caloric range. (There's some various guidelines to help estimate food portions, e.g. 1 cup is approximately the size of your fist, 3 oz. meat is the size of a deck of cards, etc. etc.) The USDA nutritional database online has information on a wide variety of foods, including squirrel meat. I don't eat squirrel meat, by the way.
I also used the My Pyramid tracker (free website provided by the USDA) to enter my usual daily physical activities so that I could see approximately how many calories I would be burning on a normal day, and hence figure out how much food I should be eating to lose weight.
I am not into counting calories all of the time. Nevertheless, learning about the caloric contents of my favorite foods gave me an idea of the ballpark range of portion sizes that would work for my body. If you tend to have problems with over-obsessing about numbers, this approach might not be for you, but it could help if you're not too far away from a good weight and can't seem to lose any. It is impressive how cutting down a few portions can make the difference between a caloric deficit and the status quo.
--H
P.S. Speaking of calories, if for some reason you are ever tempted to eat something at a fast food restaurant try looking at the nutritional information posted up on the wall (I don't go to fast food places really at all, but last weekend I was pulled along to a Dairy Queen). The caloric content of some of that stuff is just staggering, not to mention the amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol. Last weekend, after looking at the nutritional information, even though I was pressured into getting a Blizzard, I ended up getting a small one (other people ordered bigger ones) and only eating half (everybody else consumed theirs in their entirety). I couldn't bring myself to knowingly put so many unneccesary calories into my body, even if it was an S-Day!