Everyday Systems

Hey guys, I have been formally doing No S for a couple weeks now. I went to town on Valentine's Day, which I declared an S-day. My office cafeteria went CRAZY with the treats and chocolates and candies. And I knew they would go all out, so I think it was smart to just have it be an S-day instead of trying to be "good" and failing.

I think though that I am eating too much at mealtimes on N Days. I don't want to get hungry and tempted to snack between meals, but I probably don't need to eat as much as I currently am. I figure a bigger lunch is OK, since I only have about 3.5-4 hours between breakfast and lunch, but at least 5 to 6 between lunch and dinner.

I don't really use a plate as my serving size gauge. For example, if I have oatmeal for breakfast, I'm putting that in a bowl, obviously. Without meticulously measuring the portion size like I used to do on WeightWatchers or while counting calories, I don't seem to know how much I can eat and stay full for a few hours.

Is this something that comes with practice, or does anyone have any tips? Thanks!

Why do you think it's too much? Not losing weight as fast as you'd like? Feel bloated after meals? Just looks like a lot?

What's leading you to this conclusion?

Are you hungry by mealtime? If not, maybe you can experiment with cutting back a bit. If so, then maybe experiment with what's on your plate.

I found when I started No-S that I needed more protein and complex carbs to last from meal to meal. I eat a lot of fruits/veg as well, but have slowly cut refined stuff - it just doesn't hold me well enough.

Everyone is a little different... experiment to find what works best for you.

I am brand new to this so anyone can feel free to correct me if I am wrong but I think the main goal at first is to stick to the no-s thing and once that is a true habit then you can make adjustments so that you being to lose weight. We just have to remember this isn't some miracle eat all you want kinda thing, the calories in Vs. the calories spent principle applies to this just like anything else, so once you are at a point where you can focus on your actual meals you will need to adjust portion sizes and you will need to experiment to see what types of foods hold you over until the next meal more effectively. But I think it's important that we take it one step at a time so that we don't get overwhelmed. Remember, we are teaching ourselves how to eat so that we never have to "diet" again. It may take a while to reach our weight loss goal, but for me to be free from the chains of dieting, guilt and all the crap that goes along with it, will be worth the wait. Good luck!

It's good to feel like you're eating too much!

Better than not feeling it, like when you're permasnacking all day long.

Because in time, that feeling will nudge you to eat less. Put the excess out in the open and the problem will largely solve itself.

Besides, I bet you're eating less even now, though it may seem like more. You had no sense of how much you were eating before -- now you do. More sense means less food -- probably immediately, certainly eventually.

Reinhard