Amazing how our perceptions have changed

[NoelFigart]

I don't have a job. I just... kinda do stuff that earns money.

One of the things I do is teach all-day computer classes in which we go out to eat for lunch. The company serves muffins and cookies during the class. I don't eat them (nor do store bought muffins or cookies really tempt me, anyway).

I was talking to one of my company contacts who noticed that I never eat anything but "never have *just a salad* for lunch" like the other women do. I told her I was doing No S and she said, "Aren't you afraid you'll slow down your metabolism if you don't eat more often?"

I explained for that to work according to laboratory theory, I'd have to measure and weigh everything I ate so that I was eating a precisely-measured calorie count. I've actually tried it, and frankly it isn't sustainable, because it's a big, fat pain in the butt. I don't lose weight any faster doing that than NoS and NoS is far, far less intrusive.

Her response, "You're brave."

Eating three meals a day with no snacks is not "brave". Goodness. That's a little freaky how much our perceptions have changed.

[Nichole]

That is hilarious. You're so brave.

[OrganicGal]

Then all of us No S-ers must be brave.... Wow! I can't believe how much perceptions have changed. If we DON'T eat 6 times a day we will slow down our metabolism and gain weight... HAHAHA I don't know about the rest of you, but when I eat (ate) more then 3 times a day I gain(ed) weight easily!!!!!

I suspose if I did it the scientific way, it MIGHT work, but as you said Nichole...way to time consuming and unsustainable.

[cornelia]

I purchased the 6 Week Body Makeover a few years back and if you do what the diet tells you to do and eat according to your particular body type........you will lose weight. I have lost several times on the plan and quickly. HOWEVER................I can't stay on the diet. It totally consumed my time. Eating 6 times a day is not easy and it is very expensive. I'm body type E and it's like a low carb type menu. Planning, cooking, planning, cooking. It's just not something I can do for the long term. No S may is slower, but it is a forever diet. But have you tried to tell other people about it who have no idea what your talking about. Maybe it's just the mid-western mind set. But the first thing out of everyone's mouth is, "Oh, I couldn't be on a diet if I couldn't snack". I guess I thought that too, at first. But I just had to try it to see if I could do it, and by golly, I CAN.

[kccc]

Reminds me of an analysis of beer commercials I heard/read some time ago. Of course, I've forgotten the details, but the big idea remains... that's how my mind works.

But the initial commercials carried the message: "BeerX is for special times." The next was "every weekend is special with BeerX". The final one was "every day is BeerX day." The analysis talked about how the effect was to "normalize" drinking beer on a regular basis, thus raising consumption.

Based on your conversation, I'd say the snack manufacturers have done something similar with "normalizing" snacking.

[Amyliz]

"Aren't you afraid you'll slow down your metabolism if you don't eat more often?"

what a funny story, and so true that SO many people believe this as fact! almost everyone i've told about this diet hits me with 'well i just eat 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day'
right, and i'm sure NONE of those 'meals' are snacks and sweets ....

[NoelFigart]

what a funny story, and so true that SO many people believe this as fact!

It is a fact that if you eat a RIGID SET amount of calories and spread them out over five or six meals a day, you really will burn those calories SLIGHTLY faster.

The problem is, even among people who try to do this, chances are slim that they actually weigh every gram of meat they eat, use a measuring cup for every ounce of food they consume. The planning and focus to do it is absurd.

For this to work, you actually HAVE to do that! If you're eyeballing, you're going to eat too much for the extra meals to have the positive effect.

Why NoS is more workable is that you're reducing the OPPORTUNITIES for excess to such a degree that eyeballing will work. If you eat a little too much six times a day, that's a whopping amount of excess!

[angelka71]

Yeah, I jumped on the eating 5-6 meals a day bandwagon too. Everyone I knew kept assuring me it would work...I couldn't figure out why I was actually GAINING weight doing it. DUH! Because I was eating more food!LOL!

[Amyliz]

Noel - thanks for the added info. there is so much misinformation out there about the 5-6 meal phenomena.