Hi There,
I started following No S in June and was pretty much on board in the summer, enough to lose a little weight and feel more in control about my eating. But when summer vacation ended (I'm a teacher) I found it really hard to stick to the plan and fell off completely--until now, I hope.
Let me explain why No S is hard for me and then if anyone has advice I would love to hear it:
So, no seconds isn't a problem for me, and no sugar (after a few days without) is also pretty easy. The problem is snacking. There is more than one reason for this.
First of all, I have always snacked, so it's a really well-ingrained habit.
Secondly, I've been on the 5 meals a day plan for years because if I don't eat snacks I sometimes "crash," getting light headed and faint. No sugar helps with this, but not always enough to go 6-7 hours between meals.
Thirdly, my schedule at work is kind of strange. I eat breakfast at 6:30 and lunch is at 1:30. It's just plain *hard* to go that long without eating.
And finally (and perhaps most perniciously) I eat for comfort. For me, in my busy day, eating is a moment of rest, of transition from one hard moment to the next. I eat when I'm bored, too. I eat when I feel angry or out of control. You can see where I'm going with this.
I really, really want to make No S work but I find that I need support to do so. Can anyone help me with any of this?
Betty
Please--some advice needed
Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating
Re: Please--some advice needed
Hi Betty,
I'm still fairly new to No S so can't claim to be an expert, but here are my thoughts:
To help with the snack issue, have you thought about adding smoothies to help fill the gap between meals? It may mean a few extra calories, but it might be a good compromise to go for instead of eating something more substantial.
My basic quick and easy smoothie recipe is 1 chopped apple + some seeds or nuts (for protein) + 1 cup of any kind of milk (I use homemade almond milk or soya), with some kind of flavouring such as a pinch of cinnamon or a little cocoa powder, then whiz it all up in a blender. This roughly makes enough for 2 small cups (I usually have 1 and leave 1 in the fridge for my husband).
This makes a much less sweet smoothie than the kind you buy, but personally I prefer that.
So far, I haven't actually had the need to have smoothies between meals, but have them sometimes as an addition to breakfast if I feel the need for extra protein.
I prefer to use hemp seeds because they are a very good source of protein, but sometimes use flax seeds, which are high in fibre and very filling. I’ve also tried variations including other fruit such as blueberries, but personally find that one apple is enough fruit for sweetness and texture.
Hope that helps
p.s. There is a lot of hype out there that you need some fancy expensive blender, but my blender is nothing special, I bought it 10 years ago for £25 and it still does the job!
I'm still fairly new to No S so can't claim to be an expert, but here are my thoughts:
To help with the snack issue, have you thought about adding smoothies to help fill the gap between meals? It may mean a few extra calories, but it might be a good compromise to go for instead of eating something more substantial.
My basic quick and easy smoothie recipe is 1 chopped apple + some seeds or nuts (for protein) + 1 cup of any kind of milk (I use homemade almond milk or soya), with some kind of flavouring such as a pinch of cinnamon or a little cocoa powder, then whiz it all up in a blender. This roughly makes enough for 2 small cups (I usually have 1 and leave 1 in the fridge for my husband).
This makes a much less sweet smoothie than the kind you buy, but personally I prefer that.
So far, I haven't actually had the need to have smoothies between meals, but have them sometimes as an addition to breakfast if I feel the need for extra protein.
I prefer to use hemp seeds because they are a very good source of protein, but sometimes use flax seeds, which are high in fibre and very filling. I’ve also tried variations including other fruit such as blueberries, but personally find that one apple is enough fruit for sweetness and texture.
Hope that helps
p.s. There is a lot of hype out there that you need some fancy expensive blender, but my blender is nothing special, I bought it 10 years ago for £25 and it still does the job!
Several thoughts...
1) If you read the No-S pages carefully, you CAN do more than 3 meals. The trade-off, of course, is that every "food occasion" adds calories and the opportunity for bad choices. So... you can do that, but do be careful.
2) An option would be to have an 11-ish snack, but to stick to a limited list of choices, like only a fruit or a veg, that kind of thing.
3) You can also do "virtual plating" (again, something to be careful of). Do a search for those discussions. On the days I have lunchtime yoga (and therefore eat late), I bring my usual lunch but eat my fruit before class and the remainder after.
4) More protein at meals may help. Made a difference for me.
I was much like you when I started - very used to snacks, and very much a comfort eater. I phased in the S-habits, with my afternoon snack (my critical one) going last. At first I did the "limited choice" routine, then "limited-but-only-if-I-REALLY-need-it," and then gradually it faded. I do eat more substantial meals now, which helps.
The other thing is eating-as-transition-or-comfort... and that's harder. The best strategy for me has been finding other comforting things - and I sometimes forget to do that, lol! My biggest advice is to be very gentle with yourself as you make these changes, so you don't need more comfort food!
1) Find other transition activities. A big stretch. Standing up. Bring flowers to work and smell them. Look at a picture of a place or people you love. Meditate. Take a short walk. Or just pat yourself on the back and say, "look, that's done!"
2) Make a list of non-food rewards - as long as you can make it. Pick out some to do. Revisit this one regularly.
3) Stop during the day and ask yourself what you want/need right now. Gentle voice, as if you were speaking to a much-loved child.
4) In general, monitor your "internal dialog." I was amazed at the tone I used to myself - one I'd NEVER use to anyone else (most days, anyway).
Hope some of this helps.
1) If you read the No-S pages carefully, you CAN do more than 3 meals. The trade-off, of course, is that every "food occasion" adds calories and the opportunity for bad choices. So... you can do that, but do be careful.
2) An option would be to have an 11-ish snack, but to stick to a limited list of choices, like only a fruit or a veg, that kind of thing.
3) You can also do "virtual plating" (again, something to be careful of). Do a search for those discussions. On the days I have lunchtime yoga (and therefore eat late), I bring my usual lunch but eat my fruit before class and the remainder after.
4) More protein at meals may help. Made a difference for me.
I was much like you when I started - very used to snacks, and very much a comfort eater. I phased in the S-habits, with my afternoon snack (my critical one) going last. At first I did the "limited choice" routine, then "limited-but-only-if-I-REALLY-need-it," and then gradually it faded. I do eat more substantial meals now, which helps.
The other thing is eating-as-transition-or-comfort... and that's harder. The best strategy for me has been finding other comforting things - and I sometimes forget to do that, lol! My biggest advice is to be very gentle with yourself as you make these changes, so you don't need more comfort food!
1) Find other transition activities. A big stretch. Standing up. Bring flowers to work and smell them. Look at a picture of a place or people you love. Meditate. Take a short walk. Or just pat yourself on the back and say, "look, that's done!"
2) Make a list of non-food rewards - as long as you can make it. Pick out some to do. Revisit this one regularly.
3) Stop during the day and ask yourself what you want/need right now. Gentle voice, as if you were speaking to a much-loved child.
4) In general, monitor your "internal dialog." I was amazed at the tone I used to myself - one I'd NEVER use to anyone else (most days, anyway).
Hope some of this helps.
my schedule is very similar to yours. i have breakfast 6.30, lunch at around two and dinner time is at about 7p.m. for me. so i simply divided dinner into dinner and 11o'clock meal. the best approach was to have some fruit and a yogurt at 11a.m. and make my dinner a bit smaller than a whole plate. and still, if i've been a good girl the whole week, with exercise, i loose 1-2 pounds every week
might work for you too
might work for you too
Good stuff here. Personally, I generally do 2 meals per day, that's what feels natural to me, and my meals are probably a bit larger than most. I don't generally want to snack, until my favorite old personal demon crops up, which is late night eating.
What I would do is take your lunch with you each day, and you can nibble on it all day long as you need to. That way you are still eating your meal, just spreading it out over time.
Also, make sure you are drinking plenty of water.
Another good tool is something I wrote about a couple years ago on this forum.... my favorite "Jedi mind trick" when you feel hungry.
If you are feeling the sensation of hunger in your body, it means that your body needs energy. If you don't eat, then the only place your body can get the energy it needs is to... TAKE IT FROM YOUR STORED FAT.
So the Jedi Mind Trick is to re-program your thinking about feeling hungry; rather than being an unpleasant sensation, force yourself to think of it as "this sensation means my body is burning fat." It's surprisingly effective as a tool.... especially in the short term when you know your next meal is only a few hours away.
What I would do is take your lunch with you each day, and you can nibble on it all day long as you need to. That way you are still eating your meal, just spreading it out over time.
Also, make sure you are drinking plenty of water.
Another good tool is something I wrote about a couple years ago on this forum.... my favorite "Jedi mind trick" when you feel hungry.
If you are feeling the sensation of hunger in your body, it means that your body needs energy. If you don't eat, then the only place your body can get the energy it needs is to... TAKE IT FROM YOUR STORED FAT.
So the Jedi Mind Trick is to re-program your thinking about feeling hungry; rather than being an unpleasant sensation, force yourself to think of it as "this sensation means my body is burning fat." It's surprisingly effective as a tool.... especially in the short term when you know your next meal is only a few hours away.
JWL[.|@]Freakwitch[.]net
Thanks for all the advice!
What I'm going to do, tentatively, is to add a small mid morning snack to my day. Make it part of my habit, then, if all goes well, phase it out over time. Because the truth is, if I fail most days I get discouraged. Hopefully a string of successes that include a little snack will still lead to stronger eating habits for me. If I could just banish emotional eating I would be so much better off, and not just weight-wise...
What I'm going to do, tentatively, is to add a small mid morning snack to my day. Make it part of my habit, then, if all goes well, phase it out over time. Because the truth is, if I fail most days I get discouraged. Hopefully a string of successes that include a little snack will still lead to stronger eating habits for me. If I could just banish emotional eating I would be so much better off, and not just weight-wise...