Everyday Systems

I am just a beginner, at this but I get hungry in the evening while watching TV, and I understand the No Snack rule, But is it safee to eat an orange or banana in this instance????

I'm just a beginner too (day 11) and I'm not Reinhard, but I don't think you can do that except on S days unless it's part of a meal.

I'm using Everyday Systems to work on my caffeine addiction also and I could not sit in front of the TV without coffee (which I used to distract my attention from the food that I couldn't have). Now I limit myself to three cups a day and actually have to confront the TV without a distraction.

After you do this about a week your brain will be programmed to understand that "dinner" and "TV"are two entirely separate and distinct entities. You will also become much more mindful about eating.

f

Find something else to do with your hands! no joke, i'm only 27, but i've been knitting and doing embroidery in front of the TV to ward of late evening snacking for years.

but there are other things you could do, origami, who knows!

No, it's not. Try eating a little more at dinner -- like that orange or banana.

Or try drinking a glass of milk, which Reinhard says is perfectly okay to tame your hunger.

Even healthy snacks, which an orange or banana certainly are, are not allowed. This is to help w/ the habit building. Reinhard's main recommendation is to drink a glass of milk if you really need something to tide you over.

jules

On the other hand, if you're like me and would rather eat nails than drink a plain glass of milk -- an orange or a banana might not be so bad. I've taken to a cafe au lait at those times.

Milk seems to be Reinhard's idea of a good default snack. Maybe those who can't or don't want to drink milk could choose something else.

For, me, an absolute no-snacking behaviour really, really helps.

What happens is that your hunger (which I imagine as a kind of stupid, trainable animal) gets used to not eating in the evening. It's like your rational brain trains the slow bit to understand that food isn't an option. If the animal analogy doesn't work for you, shamrockmummy introduced me to the brilliant phrase 'tummy toddler.' The idea is to set firm but not ungenerous rules to avoid tummy toddler turning into a spoiled brat.

Once you start wondering whether or not to eat between meals, you open up a whole new level of thinking -- a kind of constant dialogue that goes;

hunger: can I eat now?
you: no
hunger: a banana?
you: um... I don't think so.
hunger: how about an orange? an orange is ok, isn't it.
you: well, it's fruit, so it shouldn't be too bad...
hunger: and it has vitamins!
...

and then you eat.

and then you hear this;

hunger: can I eat now?
you: no.

I think you can see where this is going Your hunger 'knows' that it can get fed at any time of the day, so it keeps badgering you. And badgering you. And that's the horror of being obsessed with food. So it's really about getting rid of that obsession. At least, that's the way it is for me.

No snacks means no eating between meals -- even if it's "healthy" food. Why no healthy food? Because 1) it still has calories 2) it's setting up a pretext for unhealthy snacks later (c'mon, are you really going to stick with carrot sticks forever?) 3) it's an excuse not to eat healthy foods at meals because hey, you ate your healthy food already. If meals are your only opportunity to eat healthy you won't want to blow them on junk.

Drinking is not eating. You can drink between meals -- even caloric drinks. Just make sure they're not loaded with added sugar. Yes, liquid calories are no better than the solid kind, but UNLESS you're quaffing sugar soda (which you aren't allowed to, because it's a sweet) I have a hard time imagining such drink calories will be significant, big picture. If they are, reconsider, but don't preempt, because they almost certainly won't be.

Reinhard