Everyday Systems

Seriously. How difficult are the first 21 days? I'm getting a little anxious about it now. I don't want to sound like a big baby, but I HATE being hungry - pls advise.

Welcome aboard and don't be scared. It is a great way to live. I am not hungry at all except right before supper. If I have to wait too long, I drink a glass of milk and it gets me by until it's time to eat. It is okay to be hungry. I heard that if you imagine how many fat cells that you are burning up when you are hungry that helps. Good luck! And don't worry.

I'm starting my third week. The first week was rugged. The second, not so bad. Today was fine. In an odd kind of way it was a relief to feel real hunger at lunch time.

Just keep telling yourself that it will not hurt you to be hungry for an hour or so. Then when you get to eat next, you will eat enough to make the hunger go away.

This is actually the second time I started this. I still had too much fear of food the first time so I kept tweaking and adding to the rules. Now, about the only tweaking that I do is that most of the time I try and make the largest part of the meal veggies or fruit. It's not a Rule though so if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen.

Why do you think you hate feeling hungry so much? Do you think it was because of stoopit diets where you never felt full?

Summer,
I've only just started today, and I've gotten hungry between meals, but it hasn't been uncontrollable. What I've noticed is that if I do something besides think of food, in a little while I'm not hungry anymore!
Don't worry - I'm sure you'll be fine!
Judy

This is my third week and the first was easy .. the second hard .. the third, has been a relief.

I find the structure easy to follow and yet I don't feel deprived in any way. I was hungry this afternoon (almost 5pm) and I still had an hour and a half before I could eat at home and I told myself I could get something to eat right then but it had to be dinner, I couldn't snack now and eat more later. If I was hungry I had to be hungry enough for dinner.

Strangely, I wasn't that hungry. I chewed a piece of gum and was fine until I got home for dinner.

It's honestly not as hard as it seems like it will be -- it's more enlightening than anything else to realize just how much you think about food and reach for food. I've even had food just about to go into my mouth before I realized what I was doing!

You'll do fine ..

This is my second week & at lunch today I noticed I was full before I finished my meal. I ate some more & then left some. Now I feel stuffed. It used to be hard for me to notice this much less stop! I think I'm feeling "safe" enough to actually stop next time!

Reinhard has probably said it here and said it in the book: If you're worried about being hungry between meals, eat a little more food at your meal than you think you'll need. It works. So do beverages when you're feeling hungry. Pretty soon you'll be able to determine exactly how much food you need to last between meals.

It's honestly not as hard as it seems like it will be -- it's more enlightening than anything else to realize just how much you think about food and reach for food.

Tracey,

that has pretty much been the same as my experience.


Blueskighs

Summer-This is my first week and i can't believe how well things are going. Try not to limit your food intake at mealtimes right now because I think that just sets you up for failure. I make sure i feel full after each meal and i have no trouble waiting until my next one. Today I noticed i didn't have to eat as much to get that "full feeling". I think that is a good way to measure success. I am also not as bloated and sick feeling from overeating. This is just the best way of eating-it is very freeing. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!- Queenmom

As was said before, overfill your plate at first. It really does help. It also helps to realize a few other facts:

* most people living in industrialized countries do not know what hunger really feels like.

* many obese people are malnourished. Quantity/availability of food (ie snacks) does not equal nourishment. Real hunger is your body's signal it needs nutrients, something many of our pre-NoS diets lacked.

* the sensation most of us associate with hunger is really thirst. How much hydration are you really getting?

* midday hunger is just a sensation. Our great grandparents didn't experience it because they didn't snack. When you stop the snacking habit you won't experience it either. Until then, it is still just a sensation, like boredom.

As much as you think you hate hunger, do you hate being controled by food more? I found this was the greatest motivator through the first weeks.

If your absolutely starving in the afternoon, you could always have a glass of milk too like Reinhard says. It's perfectly legal and will fill up your tummy until dinner comes around