Everyday Systems

It's the "Joy Diet" - which is not a book about eating. The "diet" is for your spirit rather than your body. Link to Amazon.

It is a really good book, and has helped me deal with some of the life issues that used to express themselves in over-eating.

Food is mentioned in the last chapter. Her "complete and unabridged" food rules are:
1) You must only eat what you really enjoy.
2) You must really enjoy everything you eat.

She has a caveat that this works unless "and this is a big unless" you are eating for reasons other than physical hunger. But all that other stuff is what the rest of her book is about.

I am going to use the Joy Diet eating rules for my S-days - and really, now I think about it, for my N-days too. They are EXACTLY in the right spirit, equally simple and straightforward, and have the same sense of sanity and clarity that I find so attractive in No-S.

I don't think they'd have worked for me before No-S. But I think they crystallize what makes a "good S-day" for me.

I love Martha Beck!

I haven't had time to probe more deeply, but it sounds like a perfect fit for S-days. But I would prioritize "eat when it's time to eat" on N-days, just to play it safe (it's a little too close to the nice sounding but notoriously unreliable "eat when you're hungry"). You can fit plenty of joy into that meal structure, of course.

Reinhard

Eh, I'd add it to No-S, not replace.

Just asking myself "Am I enjoying this?" is a powerful question.

reinhard wrote:I would prioritize "eat when it's time to eat" on N-days, just to play it safe (it's a little too close to the nice sounding but notoriously unreliable "eat when you're hungry

I tried the "eat when you're hungry" solution, and I found it quite hard to know. Plus, with working full-time, you don't always have a chance to eat when you're hungry, or to eat what you fancy because you only have what you can buy or what you pack in the morning!
I found that sometimes I was leaving it too long to eat, and then I'd feel really ill because my blood sugar got too low.

That's why I like No S (among many other reasons!) - it's a no-brainer. You eat 3 meals, you can drink as much water as you like, and you don't eat foods high in sugar that unbalance your blood sugar and give you highs and lows throughout the day. It's simple, and it's easy

Eh, I'd add it to No-S, not replace.

Just asking myself "Am I enjoying this?" is a powerful question.

Yes! Absolutely. Sorry, I didn't mean to sound as if I was "accusing" you of replacing. As a supplement, it's a great idea. In fact, I think the basic no-s structure helps set you up for this: it puts a spotlight on your meals which reminds you to take them seriously -- and enjoy them seriously.

Reinhard