Tweaking No-S?

[xJocelynx87]

Ok, so as stated in my daily check-in, I've given my myself a week 'off' (it's my spring break and i'm home from college, sleeping weird hours, eating different food than normal, etc.) No big deal, I've maintained my weight, had dessert a few times, irregular meals, etc.

During this time off, though, I've started wondering if maybe I should tweak No-S in order to lose the rest of the weight (I've lost about 10lbs in 3 months, and still have about 10lbs to go. I'm tempted to start playing around with the amount of carbs I eat, adding a '4th meal' to keep my energy up, etc. I've formed great habits in the last 3 months, and I've become aware of that because of the amount of control I have this week, even though I'm taking it easy. Another thing I should mention is that I've been exercising about 4x a week as well.

I guess my question is: Should I tweak No-S in order to drop the unwanted pounds? I really don't want to, because I think No-S is great in itsself, but since I'm not technically overweight (at least not by much), I'm afraid I may have to do so in order to get where I want to be.

Everyone's thoughts are welcome. I love hearing what you all have to say

[Hunter Gatherer]

Do you already have a fence around the law? I'm not much in favor of tweaking, but TIGHTENING is okay... observing the rules as strictly as possible.

You're exercising - that's good. Can you up the intensity without increasing the time used? High intensity shovelglove instead of low intensity? Run instead of walk? That kind of thing?

How about moving down a plate size? Stop using your dinner plate and use a salad plate instead.

Personally I say "NO!" to adding a fouth meal. Those are only for people with a doctor's note and you've been doing fine without one.

Also keep in mind Reinhard's example - he just kept getting thinner until he became the slab of rippling muscle he is now. Keep up No-S and your exercize and you WILL lose all your excess... eventually. You just have to be patient.

Don't sabotage yourself with "Maybe, maybe..." Stick to the rules!

[reinhard]

xJocelynx87,

I'd be very hesitant about tweaking... there's always a risk when you tweak, and you've now got good habits (and results) that you really don't want to risk. It's not just that the tweak might be counterproductive in itself, but every innovation diminishes the authority of the other rules. Unless the bar to changing the rules is very, very high, you'll no longer have much respect for them, you'll be less likely to adhere to them. If appetite detects wavering, that the rules aren't really firm, it's going to revolt.

Now I'm not against any tweaking ever. All my systems are the results of tweaking. But it's also important to know when to stop tweaking. I find two analogies helpful in determining this.

#1. The political analogy. Think of the vanilla rules as the Constitution. They may not be perfect in every way, but they've worked pretty remarkably well and you don't want to make all kinds of amendments at the drop of a hat. Sometimes an amendment is in order. But it isn't something to be undertaken lightly.

#2. The software engineering analogy. In software, we have "development code", which is tweaked frequently, and "production code" which is what happens to production code after it goes through a gazillion quality assurance tests and is released to the public. When your habits are in production, and performing well, you want to be very careful about modifying their source code. And when you do, you make a clear, distinct new release.

If you still feel a tweak is worth the risk, make just one small change at a time, and give it a solid month at least to evaluate. And be prepared to "roll back" the change if it turns out to be problematic.

Reinhard

[xJocelynx87]

Wow Reinhard, I live on the east coast (like you), and since it's almost midnight, I wasn't expecting a response so quickly! (You are a working father, after all) -- but I'm appreciative nonetheless.

My major concern with tweaking is that I'll reach a weight that I'm really not supposed to. In my opinion, No-S, if maintained long enough, is perfect for finding and maintaining ones 'natural weight', the weight you're supposed to be. Now I'm not a small girl. I wouldn't call myself large either, just tall--5'8--and fairly solid -- not petite. I know that I'm supposed to weigh about 145-150, and after an eating disorder, I dropped down to about 120 due to a very unrealistic diet and exercise regime. That taught me that a way of eating must be something you plan to do forever, like No-S.

I think my solution to this is making my diet as clean as possible during the week. Lots of fruits, veggies, lean protein, little sugar, and a serving of whole grains with each meal. No more 'berry muffins' (i.e. CAKE) for breakfast. Cleaning up my S-days probably wouldn't hurt either --- eating small portions of what I want at meals, plus a really nice dessert. I'm confident that if I do this and intensify my exercise routine slightly, the weight will come off for sure---and for good.

I knew No-S was right the way it was, I just needed a few people to agree with me.

[wosnes]

Here's something else to consider...

Maybe the weight you're at is where your body wants to be. You could make adjustments to lose those extra pounds, but it could very well be that once you went back to "normal" you'd be right where you are now. Sometimes we have to pay attention to our bodies and make our heads shut up. We're entirely too attached to the numbers.

[MerryKat]

I think your idea to tighten up your N days is great and you will feel even better for eating healthier food. I also agree with the upping the intensity of your exercise.

However, I would recommend against tightening your S days too much. You need the relative freedom to make the N days work.