Five degree change...

No Snacks, no sweets, no seconds. Except on Days that start with S. Too simple for you? Simple is why it works. Look here for questions, introductions, support, success stories.

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kccc
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Five degree change...

Post by kccc » Sun Jun 29, 2008 1:48 am

I sometimes listen to "Zencasts" on my iPod. (Zencast on iTunes, or go to http://amberstar.libsyn.com/) The teaching stories and metaphors often seem relevant to No-S (or any habit-change).

Some time ago, one of the teachers was talking about change, and used the metaphor of imagining a line, then imagining another 5 degrees off. Five degrees out of a circle's 360 seems like very little, and looks like nothing... at first. But as you follow the lines out, the change becomes more dramatic and noticeable over time. The divergence from the original path becomes more marked.

Even so, a small change, over time, can take you a far distance from your original path.

Some of us on this board are just starting. Their five degrees consist of the basic No-S habits, with no other changes. Perhaps even phasing in the new habits one at a time...

Others of us have been here over time, and are finding that our changed direction is becoming noticeable in ways we didn't expect. We tend to make healthier food choices, are more consistent, have different tastes in food, etc. Our initial 5 degrees marked a change in direction that has grown over time.

I really like this metaphor, because I have learned that it's important to make gradual changes. If they're too much, the initial enthusiasm burns out too quickly. So now, when I'm trying to make a lasting habit, I look for "5 degrees I can do." (And of course, when you add 5 degrees on top of an earlier 5 degrees, you can end up with AMAZING directional changes.)

/another bloggy post from KCCC

3aday
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Post by 3aday » Sun Jun 29, 2008 2:41 am

I, for one, think your "bloggy" posts are WONDERFUL!
Great points!
:D

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BrightAngel
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Post by BrightAngel » Sun Jun 29, 2008 1:14 pm

KCCC. Good Thought. Image
BrightAngel - (Dr. Collins)
See: DietHobby. com

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OrganicGal
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Post by OrganicGal » Sun Jun 29, 2008 5:11 pm

Very powerful thoughts KCCC! Really makes you think about the 'whole' impact of a small change as the line goes out from the original path.
Creating and sustaining the No S habits are the only thing that will take me in the direction I want to go!

blueskighs
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Post by blueskighs » Sun Jun 29, 2008 8:08 pm

Some time ago, one of the teachers was talking about change, and used the metaphor of imagining a line, then imagining another 5 degrees off. Five degrees out of a circle's 360 seems like very little, and looks like nothing... at first. But as you follow the lines out, the change becomes more dramatic and noticeable over time. The divergence from the original path becomes more marked.
I agree with this wholeheartedly. When I "sobered up" and quite smoking at 24 you can look book at the dramatic shift that made in my life, especially 21 years later,

I think No S WILL be such a dramatic change for me as well,

Blueskighs
www.nosdiet.blogspot.com Where I blog daily about my No S journey

Dawn
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Post by Dawn » Sun Jun 29, 2008 10:13 pm

The simplicity is crazy. We all say we have tried everything under the sun over the years to lose weight. But I guess we never did try to make small changes and see what happens. Always in a hurry weren't we?
Dawn

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reinhard
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Post by reinhard » Mon Jun 30, 2008 2:47 pm

This is a great analogy. And I think it'll be very helpful to impatient newbies.

I think my next podcast is going to be about setting expectations and I may have to quote your post here...

Thanks again, KCCC!

Reinhard

kccc
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Post by kccc » Mon Jun 30, 2008 3:41 pm

Reinhard, I'm glad you found it useful.

One piece of the "line" analogy that I don't think I made clear enough was that we should avoid comparing ourselves to people who are at different places on their own journey, or at least be ultra-careful about it - even when we're trying to help.

It's easy for new folks to look at the things long-term people are doing and think that it's required, or something they SHOULD do, and get discouraged. ("Look at all these people eating oatmeal. I don't even LIKE oatmeal! I thought you didn't have to do this kind of stuff?")

It's easy for long-term folks to give well-meaning advice that doesn't take into account "where people are." (I am sure I've done that. :oops: ) Things that I consider "sweets" may be too stringent for a beginner... and not high on the overall priority list for them.

Thinking about the "5-degree slope" of the line is helpful in terms of evaluating how much "challenge" to offer or take on.

CrazyCatLady
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Post by CrazyCatLady » Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:52 pm

Dawn wrote:The simplicity is crazy. We all say we have tried everything under the sun over the years to lose weight. But I guess we never did try to make small changes and see what happens. Always in a hurry weren't we?
So true, Dawn! And KCCC, thanks for sharing this with us!

I was off work last week, so took the whole week as S days. Today is my first N day, and I return to work tomorrow. It was AMAZING! I was a little worried about going crazy with so many S days in a row. But our church had a Vacation Bible School, and I was supervising and helping serve an evening meal for about 20 people. There was just no way I could stick to a "diet" during that!

So I didn't. I just No S'ed. I had delicious meals (breakfast and lunch, too!) I had some sweets and snacks (sometimes) in the evenings. I got tons of exercise, being on my feet so much! And I never got painfully hungry (which would have happened on a "diet"), and I never got overly full, either.

In fact, dh bought gummy bears for the kids and I to share yesterday, and two Carmello bars for him and I to share. But I decided to make tapioca pudding, so I had that instead. Lovely No S, I could have had some candy, too, but I didn't, because I really didn't want any. This is SO WEIRD for me....in the past I could just keep on eating.

I even had popcorn twice last week....once at an outdoor movie in the park. The popcorn was stale and overly salted, so I didn't really eat much. The other was fresh movie theater popcorn, and I had plenty. With a non-diet soda.

I remember my Mom complaining about gaining weight after her work put in a popcorn popper that made movie popcorn. My Dad told her that is what they feed pigs to fatten them up, corn and oil! ROFL! So like a little piggy, I enjoyed my popcorn, but UNLIKE the piggy I used to be, I was satisfied before the tub was gone. So while I indulged, due to No S habits, I did not permasnack through the entire movie.

This is the solution to my unhealthy eating habits. Nothing is forbidden, and my body is learning to set its own limits. I LOVE
No S!

thistime4sure
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5 degrees

Post by thistime4sure » Tue Jul 01, 2008 12:46 am

An interesting way of looking at change --very helpful for a newbie!
This is how I used to eat and guess what I was thin!

kccc
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Post by kccc » Sun Jan 03, 2010 7:20 pm

This is a very old post of mine, but I really like the idea of "5 Degrees of Change" - and right now, I am SO tempted to make dozens of NY resolutions like everyone else around me. Not sure why I'm feeling that way this year, but there it is.

And I know better. I would just overstress trying to keep them, crash and burn, and feel like a failure. My path to success is figuring out small, incremental changes that I can live with, working on them until they become automatic, then picking something else to focus on.

So this is a reminder to myself, shared with all of you. ;)

wosnes
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Post by wosnes » Mon Jan 04, 2010 1:13 pm

The Zen version of babysteps? Cool!

Recently I realized that if one were to create a 200 calorie deficit daily, at the end of a year one would lose 20 lbs. For each 100 calories "lost" daily, another 10 pound weight loss at the end of a year. I think that in terms of making "easy" changes, that might max out at about 500 calories daily -- but that would equal a 50 pound weight loss at the end of the year.

I've read that it's easier to make big changes than little ones, but I'm not at all sure about that. In fact, I think making big changes tends to be overwhelming and is the reason many people fail at change.

I think it's much easier to make little changes and have them become habit, then make more little changes.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."

LoriLifts
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Post by LoriLifts » Tue Jan 05, 2010 1:40 am

Thanks KCCC,

Your "bloggy post" is a keeper!
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

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