Hello -
I never did formally introduce myself, so I thought that I may take the time to do that - as well as ask for advice. It seems that most people who post are genuinelly concerned with the well-being of those who follow this diet - so here is my situation:
I'm 23 years old and I am not considered overweight - by the charts. My weight varies between 127-134 and I am 5'8. I know that a lot of people may read that and make the pre-judgement that my weight/body is fine and that they wish they could trade their problems for mine. It's the same reaction I get from everyone. The problem is.....it is not the way I feel. No matter what people tell me - and no matter what I do - I honestly see myself as overweight. I know that it may not be as extreme as some people's, but I still have the same fight and struggle that each and every other person with weight issues has.
I am still young, so maybe I am not fully educated or experienced in all the dieting that is out there, but I still try & fail - and become discouraged, and down on myself. There is a lot of pressure today to look perfect - and it really wears down on me a lot. I am not at the point of an eating disorder, because it is very important for me to be healthy, however, I do not know how to do this, and still look the way I would like. I would basically like to lose just a few pounds, but there are still the 'problem areas' that will continuously keep me unsatisfied. This has been a viscious cycle that began in elementary school.
My hope was that No-S would allow the freedom the eat normally without obsessing about food. I would really like to get rid of the constant worries that are associated with each food I eat. I'm tired of feeling guilty, and more so, I'm tired of people telling me I don't have a problem.
Please let me know if you think No-S is for me, or if I am in too deep.
Thanks Guys.
Should I Be Here?
Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating
Dear Ozarka,
I can totally relate to your problem.
(I AM going to go ahead and say, wow, at your weight and height I don't see No S helping you lose weight. And I am going to get it out of the way and tell you, from the point of view of a 40 year old who has never been satisfied with my own @problem areas@. that they will never go away. Really, we all have imperfections and it sucks.)
But what No S has helped me do is see my behavior[/b] as successful, sometimes even perfect, and let go of my negative body image a tiny bit. That is to say, when I write @success@ in my check in I feel successful. It doesn't matter what the scale says that day, success becomes what I do not what I look like. And I have to say that even though I still struggle with body image problems, that little change has been really good for me.
Best of luck-- zoolina[/u]
I can totally relate to your problem.
(I AM going to go ahead and say, wow, at your weight and height I don't see No S helping you lose weight. And I am going to get it out of the way and tell you, from the point of view of a 40 year old who has never been satisfied with my own @problem areas@. that they will never go away. Really, we all have imperfections and it sucks.)
But what No S has helped me do is see my behavior[/b] as successful, sometimes even perfect, and let go of my negative body image a tiny bit. That is to say, when I write @success@ in my check in I feel successful. It doesn't matter what the scale says that day, success becomes what I do not what I look like. And I have to say that even though I still struggle with body image problems, that little change has been really good for me.
Best of luck-- zoolina[/u]
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Jammin' Jan
- Posts: 2002
- Joined: Thu May 05, 2005 2:55 pm
- Location: The Village
No-S has its advantages even if you never lose a single pound. For one thing, you will finally be free from worrying about everything you put into your mouth. Just eat your three plates a day, keep it healthy, and that's it. Relax a little on the weekends. Get on with the rest of your life.
For another thing, the practice in habit-forming that you will acquire over time with No-S will carry over into other areas of your life and will have a positive impact.
Your post focused on your weight and diet, but you didn't mention exercise at all. Have you considered that perhaps you are not overweight, but that you lack tone and definition because of a lack of regular sustained exercise? Perhaps you are already working out, but I couldn't tell that from what you wrote.
Anyway, like Zoolina said, we all have our imperfections, but No-S and regular exercise can go a long way to helping us look our best.
For another thing, the practice in habit-forming that you will acquire over time with No-S will carry over into other areas of your life and will have a positive impact.
Your post focused on your weight and diet, but you didn't mention exercise at all. Have you considered that perhaps you are not overweight, but that you lack tone and definition because of a lack of regular sustained exercise? Perhaps you are already working out, but I couldn't tell that from what you wrote.
Anyway, like Zoolina said, we all have our imperfections, but No-S and regular exercise can go a long way to helping us look our best.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said that no one can make you feel insecure without your consent. I don't think anyone can make us feel anything without our consent.
You've consented to accept the pressure to look "perfect". It's really only an issue if you let it be an issue.
I've never met anyone who is satisfied with the way they look. If it's not one thing, it's another. The trick is to accept that there are some things about the way you look that you might not like, but are a great part of who you are. Remember, too, that whatever it is you don't like about your body, someone else would love to have that very feature.
Instead of trying to change to meet some ideal of perfection created by the media or Madison Ave, why not try make the best of how your body is? For instance, many of us women are blessed with wider hips and full bottoms and we do nothing but complain about them. Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce Knowles, on the other hand, use them to their full advantage.
It's not unlike a lot of other things. There are always going to be things we want that we can't have for whatever reason. I can almost guarantee you one thing: even if you were able to change the things you don't like, you probably wouldn't be happy. The trick is to accept yourself as you are.
You've consented to accept the pressure to look "perfect". It's really only an issue if you let it be an issue.
I've never met anyone who is satisfied with the way they look. If it's not one thing, it's another. The trick is to accept that there are some things about the way you look that you might not like, but are a great part of who you are. Remember, too, that whatever it is you don't like about your body, someone else would love to have that very feature.
Instead of trying to change to meet some ideal of perfection created by the media or Madison Ave, why not try make the best of how your body is? For instance, many of us women are blessed with wider hips and full bottoms and we do nothing but complain about them. Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce Knowles, on the other hand, use them to their full advantage.
It's not unlike a lot of other things. There are always going to be things we want that we can't have for whatever reason. I can almost guarantee you one thing: even if you were able to change the things you don't like, you probably wouldn't be happy. The trick is to accept yourself as you are.
"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."
I think No S is perfect for you, even if you *don't* lose weight-which I agree, it doesn't sound like you need to! 
I just want to say from my own experience *do NOT* go on another diet-when I was 22 yrs old, I decided I needed to lose about 10 lbs. I had decent self esteem at the time. I went on a low fat diet, and tried for 3 yrs off and on to get rid of this excess fat. At the end of my rope, I gave up, fully thinking I had failed because of lack of will power-I had gained over 30 pounds!!
I have been battling this weight ever since, and it's been 20 yrs. Only it's not 12 lbs, or even 42 lbs anymore. Now I have about sixty lbs. On No S I have lost about 5 lbs, and I don't obsess about food or even my weight anymore. At least not to the extent I used to-I have found *peace*. And that is worth so much more than I can say.
No S is the ONLY thing that has helped-I feel FREE! From obsession about what I eat, from guilt over eating full fat foods or carbs, from worrying in general. And I have noticed I tend not to overeat like I used to.
So again, do NOT believe a diet will do anything for you. And Nos is not going to make you lose weight if you don't need to, but it will help you feel in control. Maybe Jan is right-perhaps exercise would help you firm up and feel stronger, giving you a better body image? Exercise can do wonders in that department. I used to exercise a lot, before I got married and had 4 beautiful kids
Now fitting it in is much more of a challenge. But I still reap the benefits when I do!
Anyway, I think nos would be good for you, even if you don't lose weight. Its a healthy way to eat. Period. Non-obsessive, and easily do-able. Good luck, and welcome!
I just want to say from my own experience *do NOT* go on another diet-when I was 22 yrs old, I decided I needed to lose about 10 lbs. I had decent self esteem at the time. I went on a low fat diet, and tried for 3 yrs off and on to get rid of this excess fat. At the end of my rope, I gave up, fully thinking I had failed because of lack of will power-I had gained over 30 pounds!!
I have been battling this weight ever since, and it's been 20 yrs. Only it's not 12 lbs, or even 42 lbs anymore. Now I have about sixty lbs. On No S I have lost about 5 lbs, and I don't obsess about food or even my weight anymore. At least not to the extent I used to-I have found *peace*. And that is worth so much more than I can say.No S is the ONLY thing that has helped-I feel FREE! From obsession about what I eat, from guilt over eating full fat foods or carbs, from worrying in general. And I have noticed I tend not to overeat like I used to.
So again, do NOT believe a diet will do anything for you. And Nos is not going to make you lose weight if you don't need to, but it will help you feel in control. Maybe Jan is right-perhaps exercise would help you firm up and feel stronger, giving you a better body image? Exercise can do wonders in that department. I used to exercise a lot, before I got married and had 4 beautiful kids
Now fitting it in is much more of a challenge. But I still reap the benefits when I do!Anyway, I think nos would be good for you, even if you don't lose weight. Its a healthy way to eat. Period. Non-obsessive, and easily do-able. Good luck, and welcome!
Hilary
_______
"Habit, if not resisted, soon becomes necessity."-St Augustine
"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have."-Thomas Jefferson
_______
"Habit, if not resisted, soon becomes necessity."-St Augustine
"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have."-Thomas Jefferson
Welcome ozarka! Boy, can I relate to you! I am tall also - 5'9" - and also have never been satisfied with my weight/body image. Over time (I am older than you!), these feelings escalated with each new "diet" I tried. People also told me similar things - "What? You don't need to lose weight - you're tall!" What I was blind to, was that each time I "fell off the wagon" and became frustrated with the diet of the day - I ate more, or maybe more of the forbidden foods - and I gained weight, slowly, but surely. I became obsessed with the scale and the "number" also. That's all I thought about, sad to say, my weight, how I looked, and what I ate. It literally consumed me. And now, years later, I have a weight problem! I have at least 20 pounds that I need (for health) to lose.
I said all that to say this - No S works. It is everything that people say it is. The weight comes off slowly, but it does! What is more important to me is that I have been freed from my obsession with food. I eat three healthly meals a day (like a "normal" person!) and indulge in some sweets on the weekends. I truly love this lifestyle! I hope you will too!
mimi
I said all that to say this - No S works. It is everything that people say it is. The weight comes off slowly, but it does! What is more important to me is that I have been freed from my obsession with food. I eat three healthly meals a day (like a "normal" person!) and indulge in some sweets on the weekends. I truly love this lifestyle! I hope you will too!
mimi
Discovered NoS: April 16, 2007
Restarted once again: July 14, 2011
Quitting is not an option...
If you start to slip, tie a knot and hang on!
Remember that good enough is... good enough.
Strive for progress, not perfection!
Restarted once again: July 14, 2011
Quitting is not an option...
If you start to slip, tie a knot and hang on!
Remember that good enough is... good enough.
Strive for progress, not perfection!
Hey, Ozarka.
With a name like that, I have to wonder where you're from, cuz I live in the Ozarks.
There is certainly a difference between being overweight and being overfat. The scales may say you're right where you should be, but the mirror sends a totally different message.
In this situation, I would probably recommend following No-S and getting plenty of exercise. Stop obsessing about food and strap on some running shoes. Som road time will firm up your legs and core. Do a few pushups and situps and pullups every other day to firm up your upper body. You'd be surprised what a little muscle tone can do for your appearance.
Does this help at all?
With a name like that, I have to wonder where you're from, cuz I live in the Ozarks.
There is certainly a difference between being overweight and being overfat. The scales may say you're right where you should be, but the mirror sends a totally different message.
In this situation, I would probably recommend following No-S and getting plenty of exercise. Stop obsessing about food and strap on some running shoes. Som road time will firm up your legs and core. Do a few pushups and situps and pullups every other day to firm up your upper body. You'd be surprised what a little muscle tone can do for your appearance.
Does this help at all?
-Sometimes Fundamentalist and self-appointed King of the S-day Moderates
"As it is (sometimes) written, so let it (sometimes) be done."
"As it is (sometimes) written, so let it (sometimes) be done."
You absolutely belong here!
Your biggest problem (though not your only problem) is obsessing over food. No S is probably the only diet out there that will stop you from doing this. You can feel confident that you're not being a glutton without obsessing over every mouthful. Gluttony and obsession -- No-s navigates you between these two equally dangerous (and often related) extremes.
The results will come. But put the behavior first. It's a good in itself not to be gluttonous or obsessive (or slothful, you should definitely think about how to get yourself moving, too). It's a good you can enjoy right now. And it's a good that will bring good results, too. Maybe not as fast as you'd like, and maybe not quite to the degree you'd like, but enough (and you may be surprised, I certainly was). So stop worrying and start enjoying those behavioral goods right now.
Reinhard
Your biggest problem (though not your only problem) is obsessing over food. No S is probably the only diet out there that will stop you from doing this. You can feel confident that you're not being a glutton without obsessing over every mouthful. Gluttony and obsession -- No-s navigates you between these two equally dangerous (and often related) extremes.
The results will come. But put the behavior first. It's a good in itself not to be gluttonous or obsessive (or slothful, you should definitely think about how to get yourself moving, too). It's a good you can enjoy right now. And it's a good that will bring good results, too. Maybe not as fast as you'd like, and maybe not quite to the degree you'd like, but enough (and you may be surprised, I certainly was). So stop worrying and start enjoying those behavioral goods right now.
Reinhard
Thank you all for your supportive feedback. Not that I wish it on any of you, but it is very refreshing to hear from people who experience the same thoughts as you.
This is my 2nd whold day of No-S...... and I can tell that it is going to be something I can live with easily. In the past I spent a lot of time depriving myself of things, and because of that, it made me want them more. I would be doing well, and then I'd get stressed out and eat a ton. My only fear about this is that I sort of feel that I don't have control... or that I am going to actually gain weight... (I haven't ate 3 meals a day since I have lived with my parents).... however, I feel that this will eliminate the need for snacking, which is where I find the majority of my problems. But I think the BIGGEST part of this that will be helpful for me is that maybe I can finally get my mind off of what I'm eating....and get on with my life.
I love this quote from one of the replies:
"Just eat your three plates a day, keep it healthy, and that's it. Relax a little on the weekends. Get on with the rest of your life. "
It's the truth. Eating should not be a stressful event, it should be a source of survival
Anyways...thanks again guys and good luck with the holiday weekend!
This is my 2nd whold day of No-S...... and I can tell that it is going to be something I can live with easily. In the past I spent a lot of time depriving myself of things, and because of that, it made me want them more. I would be doing well, and then I'd get stressed out and eat a ton. My only fear about this is that I sort of feel that I don't have control... or that I am going to actually gain weight... (I haven't ate 3 meals a day since I have lived with my parents).... however, I feel that this will eliminate the need for snacking, which is where I find the majority of my problems. But I think the BIGGEST part of this that will be helpful for me is that maybe I can finally get my mind off of what I'm eating....and get on with my life.
I love this quote from one of the replies:
"Just eat your three plates a day, keep it healthy, and that's it. Relax a little on the weekends. Get on with the rest of your life. "
It's the truth. Eating should not be a stressful event, it should be a source of survival
Anyways...thanks again guys and good luck with the holiday weekend!