Everyday Systems

Hi all,

I just read about the No S Diet in Woman's World and it sounds so doable. I think my husband, who hates all diets, would even approve of this way of life (God forbid he give up his precious tortillas with every meal... ).

My question is for my mom, though. She is only 5'3" and weighs 128 pounds. She exercises like crazy for 2-3 hours a day 6 days a week at her gym because she loves to eat, so it helps keep her weight down, but she'd really love to lose about 10 pounds or so.

Could I hear about success stories from those of you who have less to lose? It would really help inspire her to give this diet a try.

Thank you!

Sandy

Aww, come on! One-hundred and nine views and not one person replied? There has to be someone out there who has been going NoS for a while and only had 10 or so pounds to lose.

Step up...don't be shy.

Gee, this is the first time I've seen your post.

I'm about the same height as your mom and 125-130 is my own ideal weight range. I could weigh less, but I tend to not feel well and look like I'm anorexic when I weigh less.

There are so many variables in weight loss and those who have less to lose tend to lose more slowly. Depending on what and how much she eats, she might drop those 10 pounds relatively quickly. There was a segment on the Today Show this morning about losing 10 pounds in six weeks and a lot of it was just eliminating snacks. They showed some pretty harmless looking snacks that added up to 800 calories. Eliminating those 800 calories daily could equal a weight loss of about 10 pounds. 800 calories x 42 days = 33600 calories. 3500 calories = 1 pound. 10 pounds = 35000 calories.

If your mom followed No S, she might not have to exercise quite so much (unless she wants to).

wosnes wrote:Gee, this is the first time I've seen your post.

I'm about the same height as your mom and 125-130 is my own ideal weight range. I could weigh less, but I tend to not feel well and look like I'm anorexic when I weigh less.

There are so many variables in weight loss and those who have less to eat tend to lose more slowly. Depending on what and how much she eats, she might drop those 10 pounds relatively quickly. There was a segment on the Today Show this morning about losing 10 pounds in six weeks and a lot of it was just eliminating snacks. They showed some pretty harmless looking snacks that added up to 800 calories. Eliminating those 800 calories daily could equal a weight loss of about 10 pounds. 800 calories x 42 days = 33600 calories. 3500 calories = 1 pound. 10 pounds = 35000 calories.

If your mom followed No S, she might not have to exercise quite so much (unless she wants to).

Thank you so much for your reply.

I do realize that this way of eating is for life, not a crash diet in any way. That is what intrigues me about it. My mother is always doing one crash diet after another, then gets so hungry that she over does it on bread (her favorite indulgence). She beats herself up about it.

Well, today my father came home from seeing his doctor for sleep apnea, and his doctor advised him to lose weight. I saw this as a perfect opportunity to tell him and my mother about NoS. I showed them the article in WW, and they both seemed very interested. I told them to not expect big losses (my dad needs to only lose about 15-20 pounds himself) but that the slow losses they would get through NoSing would be permanent. That seemed to get their attention. I hope they both start it ASAP.

Thanks again for your reply!

I'm more or less in the same height/weight range as your mother.

I use this more for maintenance than weight loss, but I think the main reason that I haven't been losing weight is because I haven't been following the rules strictly (sweets during the week etc.) every day. Since I already am at a healthy weight I don't really mind. Also, I do not exercise as much as your mother.

So, I would guess that if she follows No-S and keeps exercising, she will lose weight.

I lost about that much. And they put me on the cover

It really was amazing how many calories the snacks and sweets added up to.

I'm like your Dad, I need to lose 15-20 pounds and I have been doing this for 2 months and have not lost anything yet - so why am I giving advice? Well, what I have learned in the last 2 months is more than I have learned in the past 32 years of dieting (started first diet at age 12). I really did buy into a lot of crap info out there, and I thought I was pretty smart, but the book opened my eyes to a lot.

Once you get the No-S habits nailed down, you need to find your own formula. How much can I eat and how little exercise can I do and still lose weight? It's not that I am trying to pig out or get out of exercise, but I know if I can't eat or if I have to exercise like a crazy person, then I will not be able to keep this up. I am still working on my formula. I am doing great and have maintained liked nobodies business, so now I am trying to clean up my S days a bit to see if that is what gets the weight moving. I would love to see around 2 pounds per month. That way I know by the time I reach my goal the habit will be so ingrained into me that I will not simply slip back into old habits overnight. At monthly weigh in's I should be able to see if I need to keep on trucking, or if I need to tighten up the plan a bit.

If it takes a year to lose 15-20 pounds and never have to lose them again, then it's so worth it.

Tell your Mom from one pro dieter to another, I have never felt so free, so in control. I still think of food a lot, but I love food, it's the constant obsessing I can't stand, the constant negotiating with myself - "If I eat this now, I have X amount of calories, points, grams left over for my next meal, etc. etc." N days are cut and dry, no brainer. S days are a little tougher but after a few months, I am now ready to hit them a little harder. A lot of people say S days started out hard, but got easier as they went a long.

Good luck to you and your folks.

Thank you all for the replies. They were very informative. I will be sure to pass this information to my parents. I, too, am learning a lot from this site and the book.

Blondie, I think you look absolutely wonderful on the cover of Woman's World. Congratulatios to you!!!

I'll just add my case, for the male side of things.

I'm a 5' 9.5", 36 year old male. I am very fit. I'm a cyclist, riding just about 100 miles a week - mostly pretty intensely.

I started at 143 pounds, with a goal of getting to 133. That will seem weird to most people, but just assume it's a "cycling thing", and understand, it will work for me.

Now I've been on No S for three or four weeks, and I've lost about 4 pounds. The first few weeks I didn't lose any weight, but I figured, hey, if nothing else, I'm eating much better, and I noticed an immediate improvement in my performance on the bicycle, repeatedly breaking personal records on the local climbs.

The things I've noticed or realized...

* Sugar was having a significant impact on me - and I didn't each much by most standards.

* I also went off of caffeine at the same time, and treat it like a "sweet".

* The first few Monday afternoons were tough, my body crying for a snack! By Tuesday this is gone and the rest of the week is easy sailing for me.

* Monday mornings I sometimes wake up with what I call SIH, Sugar-Induced-Hangover. Seriously.. On Sunday I might have one nice sweet, a piece of cake, etc. Monday morning it pays me back by making me feel like I went on a bender the night before.

* Now when I eat something sweet I want it to be good, like top quality. Crappy sweets just aren't worth it. So, each weekend I'm on a mission to find the best sweet I can, from local bakeries, etc.

* The weight took awhile to start coming off. But then it did, and so I'd say that No S can work for fit people too. Just be patient, and know that no matter what, eating better is never a bad thing.

I'm also going to get back into shovelgloving here again shortly, which may make my weight goal unrealistic - but that's Ok too.

--Steve

Thanks Steve. I will let my mom know about your insightful post. Wow, 100 miles a week! That is awesome.

I gave up my beloved Diet Coke almost 3 years ago on July 5th. I never thought in a million years I could do it because I had to have it morning, noon, and night. But it was giving me major brain fog. I can now think so much clearer without it.

I hear you on the sugar-induced hangovers. Sweets are my downfall and before finding NoS, I was seriously (albiet not willingly) thinking of giving them up for good, too. It's good to know that on this plan I can have some on the weekend. I do agree with you that since it is a treat now, it should be an indulgent, high-quaility sweet, not a crappy Snickers bar (no offense to Snickers lovers... ).

Good luck to you on reaching your goal!

sandooch wrote:Sweets are my downfall and before finding NoS, I was seriously (albiet not willingly) thinking of giving them up for good, too. It's good to know that on this plan I can have some on the weekend.

That's me... I've got HUGE issues with my sweet-tooth, and have many times considered giving up sweets for my health... but then I never could do it, because I like them too much!

So, finding out about NoS, and learning that it still allows me to have my sweets, but also gives me the BOUNDARIES I need for them... it almost seems sent from heaven! LOL. I can't wait to start! ((planning for Monday)).

Jaymiz,

I need those BOUNDARIES with sweets too! The amazing thing is that they actually work,

Blueskighs

I've got about 10-15lbs to lose and I am fully aware that it may take me longer. But for me, sweets is a huge issue so I think just cutting those out during the week is bound to do something.

My plan is to stick with the basics for 3 weeks...then I'll reevaluate and add in a couple more changes...like maybe drinking more water and less diet coke.

There are only 2 people that I personally know very well that have lost significant amounts of weight and kept it off. Both did it by eating what they wanted, only eating less of it. When they hit plateus, they did something else like adding another mile to their walking, etc.

Angelka71,

I am in a simliar place as you with a bit more weight to lose 15-20. I used to binge once or twice a week without even realizing it. I am thinking that without those binge episodes the weight will gradually come off.

I am also focussing on resistance training right now to increases my muscle mass and metabolism. I know the biggest challenge will be the need for PATIENCE in the weight loss area. I am hoping that the sanity and variety of the diet will help me overcome this hurdle,

Blueskighs