Almost 2 weeks on No-S

[mikew]

I started No-S about 2 weeks ago. I had been thinking about dieting where I cut back on sugar and curtailed late night snacking and then I came across this.

Five years ago, I went on Atkins for almost 2 years and lost about 105 pounds. Since I fell off it in 2005, I've gained almost all back. Atkins was good at first, but I was just dying for what I couldn't have.

So far, after almost 2 weeks on NoS, I think this is the one diet I could live with forever. The big thing for me is that if I delay my gratification, I can get that gratification at some point.

Anyway, I have some questions for long time No-S'ers, particularly if you had a lot of weight to lose. I probably need to lose about 150 pounds myself.

- Did you find that consuming anything, within the No-S restrictions for your 3 meals worked - or did you have to cut-back or modify your diet.

- Did you find that slow weight loss was sustainable as long as you stuck to the rules?

Thanks for the info.

Mike

[blueskighs]

I think this is the one diet I could live with forever. The big thing for me is that if I delay my gratification, I can get that gratification at some point.

mikew,
WELCOME.

sorry I can't answer your specific questions, I am only coming up on two months myself but I can relate to your quote from above.

The only thing I can tell you that if you stick really closely to NO S your eating habits will change dramatically with out much other effort than just sticking to your three plates,

i.e. you might find your hunger diminishing thus you might find the size of your plates decreasing in a kind of natural, organic SUBCONSIOUS progression rather than a forced, unnatural CONSCIOUS one that is as Reinhard says "Unsustainable"


I guess what I mean to say is that for me the habits take on a life of there own and as long as you focus on building the habits a lot of other stuff takes care of itself,
Blueskighs

[FarmerHal]

Ugh. I had a nice reply and my 4 yr old came along and deleted it!! I've been nosing for 1.5 years and have lost (and kept off) 30lbs. I have another 30 to go.

Ok, Question 1. I found that at first "my eyes were bigger than my stomach" meaning I wanted HUGE portions on my one plate. I'd eat it all and hten my stomach would be aaaaangry with me! Eventually I had to force myself to make sure the portions were reasonable and not 2 or 3 portions piled up on the plate. I also learned to like veggies, and now I eat a lot of fresh stir-fry during the week, I LOVE the stuff (I have a great, easy recipe) and the bulk of the veggies fills me up nice, plus I believe it nourishes me well, which makes my cravings fewer. I actually CRAVE veggies now, especially if I've had a day or 2 of crappy eating (still 'green' N days but say, I ate fast food). Now it's pretty much decent portion sizes that I put on my plate without thinking about it or forcing myself.

Question 2. YES YES YES. Even with MANY imperfect N days, I lost and kept off 30 lbs (knock wood! I"m afraid of jynxing myself! LOL)
The key is to just get right back on if you fall off. Yeah, so I may have caved and had an afternoon snack (did that TWICE last week! so red X's on my calendar). But no biggie, get back on, eat the single plate at dinnertime and don't just say "oh well, I screwed up now, might as well finish off that box of crackers and have some chocolate while I'm at it..."

I also have 3 markers red, yellow and green which I mark my calendar AND my planner. So it makes a nice display to see more green than red (S days are yellow).

Good luck, post often, start a daily check in. And if you stick to the principles of noS, (and you're honest with yourself) you will be successful

[mikew]

Thanks for the info, I am already sensing that smaller and better portions is where this will naturally progress. I find myself thinking about what I'm going to, not in a craving way, but in a "will this satisfy me until my next meal" way.

Mike

[reinhard]

Mike,

-

Did you find that consuming anything, within the No-S restrictions for your 3 meals worked - or did you have to cut-back or modify your diet.

I think sticking to 3 meals DOES modify your diet, without your even thinking much about it. The "spotlight" effect of seeing what you're eating in front of you, of not being able to sneak in excess or junk, exerts a gentle, almost unconscious pressure to cut down on excess and junk. You're meals won't always be smaller or healthier, but they'll be so often enough.

This won't necessarily happen right away, if fact at first you're likely to have pretty enormous portions and SHOULD if that's what it takes you to get you through to the next meal without snacking and build the habit, but if you consistently stick to the literal rules, it'll come. It sounds like you're noticing this already.

Reinhard

[JillyBean]

... I've been nosing for 1.5 years and have lost (and kept off) 30lbs. I have another 30 to go.

Ok, Question 1. I found that at first "my eyes were bigger than my stomach" meaning I wanted HUGE portions on my one plate. I'd eat it all and then my stomach would be aaaaangry with me! Eventually I had to force myself to make sure the portions were reasonable and not 2 or 3 portions piled up on the plate. ... Now it's pretty much decent portion sizes that I put on my plate without thinking about it or forcing myself.

Question 2. YES YES YES. Even with MANY imperfect N days, I lost and kept off 30 lbs. ... The key is to just get right back on if you fall off. Yeah, so I may have caved and had an afternoon snack (did that TWICE last week! so red X's on my calendar). But no biggie, get back on, eat the single plate at dinnertime and don't just say "oh well, I screwed up now, might as well finish off that box of crackers and have some chocolate while I'm at it..."

...if you stick to the principles of noS, (and you're honest with yourself) you will be successful

Tiffani:

Thanks so much for sharing this!! It is exactly what I needed to read this morning. I want to lose about 50 pounds and I am willing to have it be slow, but lately it just feels like it is sooo slow (not because of the scales because I'm only weighing in at the beginning of each month, but just in how I feel). I want my pants to be falling down already, but I would even settle for them getting looser, which I just am not feeling lately.

Probably more exercise would be helpful for me. But I am so used to cutting back on the food that I automatically think that's what I need to do. And the thing is I've done that enough now that I know it doesn't work for me in the long run. This is what I want to do. It's just nice to read from a woman (sorry Reinhard ) that has/had about the same amount of weight to lose as me that it will happen.