Everyday Systems

I read the article in WW and am finally getting started. I am retired, but still have trouble eating at a certain time. Breakfast is usually around 8-9 am, lunch has to be before 1 because I play bridge. On Thursday I play golf so lunch is not until 1 pm. (tough life I know). My main concern is I enjoy a cafine free diet coke with lunch. I have cut my sandwich to 1/2 because I need to eat some fruit for fresh veggies, and don't want to over eat.

Wish me luck

dvmccown wrote:My main concern is I enjoy a caffeine-free diet coke with lunch.

There isn't any rule against either caffeine or artificial sweeteners.
Diet coke is fine.

I've read his book several times, and in it, Reinhard doesn't object to caffeine,
and his preference for excluding artificial sweeteners
is only his philosophical opinion along with his personal tastebuds,
and...being such... is not part of the No S diet.

I find this a very good thing,
because I wouldn't even consider a diet that didn't let me have my Splenda.

Thanks, because I put sweet n low in my tea. I have been drinking diet drinks for so long, the real thing tastes like syrup.

dvmccown wrote: I have been drinking diet drinks for so long, the real thing tastes like syrup.

I feel exactly the same way.

In fact now real sugar in beverages is actually disgusting to me.
For many years, I've chosen to have artificial sweeteners in beverages
even when I was bingeing on rich, high-calorie, sweet foods....
Not to save calories, but just because that's what I like best.

Hey dvmccown I don't think you need to cut your sandwich in half. You can put fresh veggies inside your sandwich. Like lettuce, tomato cucumber. sweet peppers and fresh sprouted lentils or mung beans. You don't say how long the gap is between lunch and dinner but you need to eat enough at lunch to carry you through.

BrightAngel wrote:There isn't any rule against either caffeine or artificial sweeteners.
Diet coke is fine.

I've read his book several times, and in it, Reinhard doesn't object to caffeine

See, for me, I've had to cut out drinking Coke 'cause it's a "sweet" for me, and one of my favorites at that. I'll drink it every day, several times a day, if you let me. So, with NoS, those are saved for my "S" days (and, oh...how nice that is!)

My "comfort food" has always been a can of Coke and a chocolate bar.


So, NoS gives me the "boundaries" to put those foods in their proper place... allowing them, but only once in a while. I'm soooooo glad I'm not told I totally can't have them...ever! Because that's what's always stopped me on other diets. I just can't give up my favorite things FOREVER!

Jaymiz wrote:

BrightAngel wrote:There isn't any rule against either caffeine or artificial sweeteners.
Diet coke is fine.

I've read his book several times, and in it, Reinhard doesn't object to caffeine

for me, I've had to cut out drinking Coke 'cause it's a "sweet" for me, and one of my favorites at that.

I think this is a good example of individual "tweaking" or fine tuning No S.

There is not a No S "rule" against Diet Coke or against caffeine.
Diet Coke contains no sugar, has no calories, and can be an excellent individual beverage choice.
No S also specifially allows even small amounts of real sugar in beverages including coffee and tea.

That said...we are all individuals, and each of us
can "tweak" No S in just about any way to make it work for us.

BrightAngel wrote:There is not a No S "rule" against Diet Coke or against caffeine.
Diet Coke contains no sugar, has no calories, and can be an excellent individual beverage choice.
No S also specifially allows even small amounts of real sugar in beverages including coffee and tea.

Good point. But, even Diet Coke is a "no" for me... I have an 'addictive' personality, and the caffeine in it just isn't good for me.

But, that said, I do allow myself to have 2 tsp. sugar in my (decaf.) tea, and I drink the instant coffee (which is practically a "sweet"). So, yeah -- we *do* tweak things to suit us, I guess.

Mind you, that's one of the things I truly have loved about NoS since I first heard about it -- it gives us the general guidelines of how to set up boundaries, but then lets us make our own "rules" about exactly how we're going to apply those. As Reinhard said in his one podcast, we're not being "micromanaged"... we're given just enough instruction, but then left to do things how we see fit within those boundaries. Love that!

((Reminds me of Leslie Sansone & her walk-aerobics DVDs... she's always saying, "Modify it for how YOU need it for today"))

BrightAngel wrote:

dvmccown wrote: I have been drinking diet drinks for so long, the real thing tastes like syrup.

I feel exactly the same way.

In fact now real sugar in beverages is actually disgusting to me.
For many years, I've chosen to have artificial sweeteners in beverages
even when I was bingeing on rich, high-calorie, sweet foods....
Not to save calories, but just because that's what I like best.

Most purchased beverages don't have real sugar in them anymore; they have HFCS -- which tastes terrible to me, too. Huge difference between real sugar and HFCS.

I restrict cafine because of my blood pressure medication. I restrict real sugar al long time ago when I was diagnosed with hyperglycimia (spelling) now both are just second nature. Thanks for the hint about sticking all those veggies in my sandwich. I was afraid of over eating at one meal just to make it last till the second. The gap between lunch and dinner varies depending on what day it is. Tuesdays I play cribbage at 6 PM and eat early. After playing golf, it is usually later. My Husband just goes with the flow, god bless him.

Debbi

dvmccown

Good Luck!

Blueskighs