Everyday Systems

i've noticed quite an interesting thing. the later in a day i eat something sweet, the less i have to fight cravings of any kind during that day. something sweet meaning sugar in my morning tea, yogurt (i don't like sugar free or low sugar anything except chewing gums), fruit juice, simply anything that tastes sweet. since i stopped using sugar in my morning tea, cravings occur much less often. another thing that reduced cravings was when i stopped eating things that are "not so bad for you" and started eating what i really enjoy because if you eat only 3 times a day you better make it count (renihard's advice, thank you for that) but that's not what i want to talk about. quite a lot of people discovered it works by now, i hope. i would like to know about your experience with sweet stuff. if you haven't tried to reduce sugar in the morning, could you try it and let me know what happened? you'll be doing it for you too maybe it's just me. i'd like to find out if you have a similar experience. or the opposite?

just curious

I don't have problems at the level of sugar in my coffee or even a drizzle of honey on my PB toast... but if I eat something that's genuinely "a sweet," like sweet rolls or donuts, the rest of the day is shot.

I noticed this far before No-S, and usually tried not to have "sweets" before noon at the earliest.

Sugar in my coffee (1 teasp/lg cup - up to 2 cups) doesn't seem to hit the same way. Probably b/c it also has a lot of milk in it (I make cafe au lait) and
I think protein helps stabilize a bit.

Btw, there is a LOT of diabetes in my family. I think that sugar affects us all more, even those of us who have been careful about it.

see, there's diabetes in my family too. perhaps that's the reason. that's why i'd like a second, third, fourth.... opinion. nevertheless you've got a point there

I don't have diabetes in my family, but on a normal day probably the only sugar I have would be in the yogurt with fruit if I eat that at breakfast (I try to get an organic brand I like). Otherwise I don't usually have sugar, I don't put it in my coffee anyway.

Some times on the Sdays I will have a donut or scone, but not always. I don't notice cravings though, I just have it because it's the weekend and I like them, but I try not to buy more than one

I have diabetes in my family and I have Insulin Resistance (Pre-diabetes) and if I have sugar during the day I have had it! 1/2 spoon in the odd cup of tea is ok, but more than that and within an hour I am looking for biscuits or sweets. For me it is the suger high and resulting low when the insulin does finally kick in.

Major (major) bump here.

But this thread is so relevant to me.
I started No S back in June 2012. I had 3 months of 100% green N-days before I lost my way in September. Throughout this time, I struggled with S-days every single weekend. I have a history of severe restriction - which led to binge eating (something I've struggled with on-off for two years or so)...

I started back on No S on the 18th of March. And my First Sday (last weekend) was horrific. Probably worse than any of my S-days during my first stint.

And looking back on where things went wrong on Saturday - I woke up and even before Lunchtime, I had had some sweets and chocolate.
And despite a comfortable green week - after my first bite, I felt almost as if I couldn't turn down anything that passed by me. This led to what I'd can only truly describe as a binge (cereal, ice cream, cereal bars) which left my face and stomach very bloated and puffy the next morning.

On Sunday I went to my Aunty's house for her Birthday, and the cake and salty snacks were in abundance. Feeling guilty, sorry for myself, and very uncomfortble with my face looking so bloated - I overrate even more.


My mission this weekend wasn't to be 'perfect'.. But simply to go through it without making myself feel so bad again. To 'enjoy' it.

On Saturday I didn't have any sweet until 5:30pm (not really through force, or any rule).. And it was a controlled amount.. That was all I had, along with lunch and dinner. And it was, without doubt the most enjoyable weekend Sday I've ever had.
And I believe that delaying the 'sweets' until later on in the day was what made Saturday much easier.

Today was Easter Sunday. We had my Uncle over, and desserts/eggs etc. I ate more than ideal.. But not at all enough to feel guilty about...
So from now on, I'll be looking to delay my consumption of sweets until later on during my Ndays whenever possible

Anonymous> I can totally understand where you are coming from. When I tried NoS last year I would feel good on the N days but my S days would be insane. So insane I was eating sweets I didn't even like just because an N day was right around the corner. I actually weighed myself Saturday and Monday to get a gauge on the damage I was doing and found I had gained 3 or more lbs. I was so afraid of my chaotic S days that I went back to calorie counting.

If I eat sweets in the morning I'm done for the rest of the day. I've been known to skip all meals for cakes, cookies, and pies....oh my! I've stopped using sugar and creamer in my coffee because I used it as a crutch. If I wanted a snack I would have coffee and I can easily drink 6 or more cups a day.

How did going back to calorie counting work out, Eeyore?

Weighing yourself Friday and Monday was very likely misleading. Are you trying to manipulate water and waste in your body? That's about all you can measure in short periods of time. Did you really OVEREAT 10,500 calories on the weekend? Because that is how you would have gained 3 pounds of FAT.

I had as bad a weekend binge habit as just about anyone and it didn't really abate much until the end of the second YEAR. My weight would fluctuate a lot before and after weekends, but I averaged 7 days of weighing every week to see the TREND. I lost weight both years, and the third one, too. I'm still losing. S days are rarely worse than any other day now and often even better!

oolala53 wrote:I had as bad a weekend binge habit as just about anyone and it didn't really abate much until the end of the second YEAR.

Reading this makes me feel better (and worse). If it's the same for me, I have another 22 months until relief.

If that is the only thing that will bring you relief in your life. Think about it. Why should your focus be so narrow? Is this really the way you measure your success? Nothing else really matters except not eating too much on the weekends? Doesn't that put it in perspective a bit? Widen the frame of reference. What would you give up to end overeating sugar? Your eyesight? Hearing? A hand or foot? Ten points on the intelligence scale? Estrangement from a loved one? We're so focused on this ONE thing. Ironcially, when we do widen the focus, food and overeating become less compelling. I know if I could have created a more active social life during those two years, (and I"m working on it), my eating issues would have been abated sooner.

Leafy greens, Don't be discouraged. Be hopeful! I have been having crazy weekends since last June, and when I read that Oolala took two years to ease off, I feel like I shouldn't quit...that could be me. Any weight gain I have is not letting the green days be green.

Also, I got a lot of pleasure from my N days and even some of the S days along the way. It was still the most fun eating lifestyle in memory for me.

I'm not sure it's morning or afternoon/evening that makes the difference. I think sugar before or in place of a meal is different from sugar after a meal -- like dessert in a reasonable time after a meal. Not so far from the meal that it becomes a snack.

oolala> The calorie counting went horribly, which is why I'm back to NoS.

Still working well for me..
Last few weekends - I've been waiting until later to eat "sweets".. And my consumption level has decreased greatly.

More importantly - I feel more relaxed, and I'm enjoying my sdays now. And it doesn't feel like deprivation.

I used to eat sugary treats very early on my sdays - which led to craving more, and eating more, and craving more......
But now, I wait until I'm actually full with more solid food, before having a sweet treat.

AC, That's great that this worked for you. I know for me that the first candy I put in my mouth, I'm doomed. I think I'd like to avoid chocolate candy bars for a while. Sweet buns in the morning and things like that on an S-day, don't seem to trigger me as much. But I really don't know for sure as I eventually save a candy bar or two for S-days, so the sweet roll is followed up with a candy bar. Instead of mourning my out of control S -days, I think I'll experiment like you to see what causes or doesn't cause problems.