Everyday Systems

I'm contemplating going on a dairy-free(ish) diet for my N days. I know this is not a part of NoS in any way but just wanted to try something new and see if it makes a difference. I'm quite skinny on top but am abnormally pear shaped so I wanna see if I can lose the few extra pounds from the hips by going dairy free.

Has anyone else gone dairy-free before? What was the hardest thing to give up??

I've never cut diary completely from my diet but I have reduced it at times. This has never been a decision taken in advance; I'll just have noticed suddenly that I haven't had many dairy products for a few weeks. A reduction in weight has generally corresponded to these periods, but I've never continued with the low dairy option because (a: minor reason) it's unsustainable for me and (b: main reason) I don't want to because I like dairy foods. Mmm, cheese. I do seem to need a lot of protein in my diet, though. Try it: if it works for you, keep it up.

I'd suggest consulting your doctor. Osteoporosis is no fun. Looking thin is not worth risking a calcium defficiency. If you really eat a lot of cheese, consider having plain yogurt or milk instead.

Personally I would tend to eat dairy products more often, not less. AND I wish I was pear-shaped instead of apple-shaped. But hey, everyone is different. How about attracting the eye to your bust/shoulder area with short jackets, padded shoulders, bulking up your shoulders a bit with weights etc? You don't _have_ to look like some ideal pseudo-normal person.

Right now I'm apple shaped, but I *used* to be pear shaped in my skinnier days.

I worked out a lot as a younger woman, and I know there are some excellent exercises for helping skim down on hips and thighs. I can't remember them for the life of me - because I really wanted to pass them along to you! - but I'm sure you could google it, or even just get one appointment with a trainer to find out.

I'd keep your dairy, and just try something for exercise. It's amazing how results will pop up even with exercises you think aren't doing anything. I lost a whopping 25 lbs last year doing physical therapy of all things. Just standing up, kicking my leg out...riding a stationery bike...leg lifts - dorky things one has to do to rehab from hip surgery. But, with all those tiny exercises which barely broke a sweat, I still lost an incredible amount of weight, all in about 12 weeks.

Try the exercises, see if they help.

I was vegan for two years, I recently added yogurt and a bit of cheese back to my diet. That being said I haven't had any yogurt this week because I don't want it anymore right now.

I have problems when I eat too much wheat. So when I started no S I kept my wheat for S days. Since I was not having a problem with overeating it I added it back to N Days, but since it affected me, I am again reducing my wheat on N days.

All of our bodies are different and need different things at different times, If you experiment with taking dairy out of your diet on N days you can assess for yourself whether or not it "works" for you.

Blueskighs

I enjoy dairy.
It is something I enjoy, is pleasurable for me, sustainable, and I am grateful for the food and humbled by the process it took to get to my table...
Anyway....
I enjoy half and half in my coffee, grilled cheese sandwiches, full fat yogurt.
A few years ago, I experimented with going dairy free.
For me, the hardest part was soy in coffee (I don't like black coffee but I do like soy chai tea lattes though!).
But, when I went dairy free at that time, I was a No S disaster.
I was eating a lot of food all of the time even though it was healthy.
I recommitted myself to No S and legalized all foods and realized that my body responds well to dairy.
For me, giving up snacking, super sizing, and seconds is more sustainable then giving up dairy and I have had many health improvements because I consume less of everything.....
But, it's personal decision for everyone.
You may not feel well with dairy or choose not to eat it for ethical reasons....
I find that when choosing to abstain from a food for moral, ethical, or religions reasons...it's easier than to do it purely for weight loss or health reasons.

I find that my body and eating preferences go through cycles....I crave certain foods or types of meals for weeks at a time and then switch when I feel ready for something different....

but I do like soy chai tea lattes though

3aday
oh boy, that IS my THING

Blueskighs

Yeah, when I read your blog I suddenly have intense cravings for soy chai tea lattes!