Back after several months of ignoring No S theory.

Nay · Post by **Nay** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 10:37 pm

As many of you here have done, I *decided* that maybe No S just wasn't going to result in enough weight loss to make it worthwhile. Maybe I would tire of it. Maybe I would come to feel it was just as restrictive and annoying as Weight Watchers or any of the other weight-loss programs. So I stopped No-S-ing.

But you know what? I was an idiot. I'm back. I've been following the philosophy for 2 weeks now and feel great. This is the ONLY way I can make peace with food, and I'm sticking with it this time. I realize I will have to be very strict with myself to keep on losing like I need to, but that's OK. I MUST be able to eat regular foods. I MUST have a treat occasionally. I DESPISE counting calories or points. What is there left for me to do? No S is the only thing that makes sense, feels good, and seems natural.

BTW, I lost 2.5 lbs last week. I have been aiming at 5 days a week of exercise (a 45-minute fast walk) and that exercise has been very helpful in weight loss.

Today I bought a half of a cherry pie -- a quarter of it will be my "sweet" this Saturday, and I can honestly say I have no urge to eat it now. I'm happy to wait.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 11:00 pm

Good for you!!

Debs

blueskighs · Post by **blueskighs** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 1:06 am

Maybe I would tire of it. Maybe I would come to feel it was just as restrictive and annoying as Weight Watchers or any of the other weight-loss programs. So I stopped No-S-ing.

Thought those were interesting insights ... I think I too have also wondered if I would "tire" of No S and/or would ultimately find it "as restrictive and annoying" as traditional diets ... fortunately it seems like S days and NWS have kept that from happening.

The other thing has been that my productivity has shot through the roof on N days so I don't find them restrictive as much as a "healthy structure" for a creative and fruitful life,

glad you are back,

Blueskighs

Blithe Morning · Post by **Blithe Morning** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 5:46 pm

Every once in a while I get owly about NoSing. Then I indulge and wonder why I did that.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 6:11 pm

By staying away from the boards and having a very bad year last year, I managed to gain about 19 lbs back from the 29 that I lost over all... Not at all worth it.
I don't really think I would have, if I was at least somewhat present.. Even if I was having bad days or weeks, they wouldn't have gotten as out of control for such a long time.
Stick around Nay, it's helpful even if only to *not* gain.
Peace,

Debs

howfunisthat · Post by **howfunisthat** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 11:26 am

Nay wrote:This is the ONLY way I can make peace with food, and I'm sticking with it this time.

What a great statement! That's EXACTLY what this plan does....and how brilliant is THAT!!!

Welcome back!

janie

Nichole · Post by **Nichole** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 1:20 pm

I've been doing No-S for the past week and I swear I've already dropped about 2-3 lbs.

I went off it for a while -- kind of -- and was eating waaay too many sweets. I was overjoyed with the 145 reading this morning when a couple days ago it was 148.

Oh and I still do little cheats. For instance, I had ONE chocolate-chip cookie -- a small one Chips Ahoy one though, not a huge gourmet one. My problem was I had started eating ice cream every night or every other night. And I gained some weight from my bridal shower and the few days of eating left-over sweets after. No-S works!

Post by **reinhard** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 2:13 pm

Welcome back, Nay!

I'd go one step beyond not counting calories and carbs -- stop counting pounds.

Just focus on behavior. Moderate your eating and your (lack of) movement and you immediately, unambiguously solve two big problems. And the pounds will eventually get the message.

I don't think counting any of these things is absolutely terrible in itself (just a little boring), but if they derail you from thinking about behavior, they're counterproductive. And I think for many, many people, this is the case. People stayed thin before they had any clue what a calorie was, much less a carb. People stayed thin before there was a scale in every bathroom. Much thinner, in fact.

Best of luck sticking with it this time and keep us posted,

Reinhard

BrightAngel · Post by **BrightAngel** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 2:05 pm

reinhard wrote: Just focus on behavior. Moderate your eating and your (lack of) movement
and you immediately, unambiguously solve two big problems.
And the pounds will eventually get the message.

Reinhard

Reinhard,
While essentially True,
and wonderful advice for "normal" people,
i.e those who struggle with being a bit overweight, (10 to 40 lbs or so)
and who have had some kind of strong past lifetime experience with 3 meal a day type of eating,
which tends to make such a Plan feel comfortable and normal.

But for the majority of obese people who have had lifetime struggles with food and weight,
This advice is Idealistic to the point of being Unrealistic.
It is especially ineffective for those of us who continually fight with "Denial" issues.

I applaud you and your system. . . but never forget the CAVEAT.
Not everyone has the inner ability to follow a simple No S eating plan well enough to lose or maintain weight.
Some people need to carefully moniter what they eat and what they weigh.

la_loser · Post by **la_loser** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 4:02 pm

There is plenty of room in the world for people who follow the simple No S rules and those who are convinced that counting (something) is still necessary. It seems to me that doing both at the same time isn't really following No S. I'm not saying that doing both at the same time wouldn't work and for some people, maybe that's what they need to do . . . to be successful or to feel in charge of their own game or for whatever reason--and that's great. . . but it's not NO S.

However, it's important to remember that even in the main guidelines for No S, Reinhard is sure to point out that those who who have eating disorders should be consulting their doctors rather than relying on his ideas.

That said, a significant number of posters who claim to have various eating issues have had success on No S-without having to do the counting thing and it's been a way for them to feel in control of their eating, their habits, their lives.

One of the beauties of true No S is that it allows the freedom to avoid those kinds of substance accounting habits. As I think about it, maybe those of us who follow the pure No S concepts, are substituting counting stuff with posting on these sites on a really really regular basis or perhaps only occasionally. The difference is that we don't HAVE to do so in order to keep our HABITS going.

I know that I do carefully monitor what I eat (small plates of food three times a day), zero snacks, zero sweets except OCCASIONALLY on S days when I'm careful that I'm not an IDIOT! And I am well aware of the pounds (weighing no more than once a week) mostly because when I'm losing, my clothes are getting looser!

Reinhard is such a gentleman and kind soul that he is very welcoming to all of us. And these boards leave room for lots of opinions and interpretations--but for those who are perhaps new to this--
"Vanilla" No S is the simple solution; it's everyone's individual preference to how they want to play it out-we all get to choose. Vanilla No S will probably work for most . . . but if it doesn't, maybe a variation on the theme may work instead-but it won't be pure No S. (Guess instead that would
"No S with a twiSt!"

I love this quote from the homepage:

The No S Diet is like The Good Boss. You have just enough direction to do your job, but not so much that you resent its imposition. You have a solid framework, but the details are up to you. You have sufficient guidance and sufficient freedom. It's a system without too much system.

Ah, I'll climb down from my soapbox and make myself productive! And a very good No S day to all of you--Vanillas AND TwiSters!

blueskighs · Post by **blueskighs** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 5:58 pm

Not everyone has the inner ability to follow a simple No S eating plan well enough to lose or maintain weight.
Some people need to carefully moniter what they eat and what they weigh.

Bright Angel,

I think it might be more respectful for you to speak for yourself specifically as you have stated many times and in many ways that you are simply not satisfied with the amounts your body needs to maintain a weight that you are comfortable with and that YOU STRONGLY BELEIVE that YOU NEED TO MONITOR WHAT YOU EAT AND WHAT YOU WEIGH.

I think your stating your case individually is adequate. I don't think you need to speak for others and rob them the possiblilty of a greater freedom,

and who have had some kind of strong past lifetime experience with 3 meal a day type of eating,
which tends to make such a Plan feel comfortable and normal.

I am not sure where you draw this assumption from as there are probably quite a number of us on NO S who do not have prior eating experiences of 3 meals a day other than in OA, but don't you have that experience too? that are finding great success and great satisfaction on No S.

Finally,

But for the majority of obese people who have had lifetime struggles with food and weight,
This advice is Idealistic to the point of being Unrealistic.
It is especially ineffective for those of us who continually fight with "Denial" issues.

It is unclear what factual sources you are drawing these from. It seems they are certainly your strong opinions, but personally I would hope for more for people, like myself, who have had life time struggles with weight.

I know you get upset when I ask you directly, but all of your comments to NO S are pretty backhanded and negative. In fact, you do not follow NO S, so I am unclear why you are on these boards? Are you a "spoiler" hoping the rest of us will fail and you can woo us back into the prison cell of diet power and daily calorie coutning? Honestly I just don't get it and when pressed, you do seem quite loathe to explain,

Blueskighs

la_loser · Post by **la_loser** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 6:28 pm

Blue,

Thanks for your input on this topic. I know that FOR ME, I have for many years had issues with my weight but have been fortunate not to have had to deal with real eating disorders and for that I am very grateful. I understand that both you and BA have had these problems. And how great for both of you to have found successful formulas to keep you healthy. Certainly, life is "To Each His Own" or "Her Own" as the case may be!

And it's exciting to note that for you and as I remember, other posters here, No S has been the answer you've looked for.

I am also grateful (Is my Thanksgiving mindset already kicking in?) for this website and this board which is devoted to NO S, it's great to read about success stories from those who do follow NO S.

And Nay--bet you had no idea your topic would generate these kinds of replies! Hang in there--mind your S's on N days; enjoy (without being an idiot) your S days and the rest really will take care of itself. (Oh, yeah, that's what the man himself says!)

Oh, my, in the spirit of No S's easy-going theme, let's all "mark today's posts. . . and move on!

Ever the peacemaker. . .

BrightAngel · Post by **BrightAngel** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 9:37 pm

blueskighs wrote:
I am unclear why you are on these boards?
Are you a "spoiler" hoping the rest of us will fail
and you can woo us back into the prison cell of diet power and daily calorie coutning?
Honestly I just don't get it and when pressed, you do seem quite loathe to explain,

Blueskighs
Blueskighs,
Your post is extremely negative to me as a person.
You've made similiar posts to me before, and
as I've stated to you previously,
I will not respond to statements contained within that type of hostile post.

Each of us comes from our own place of dieting education and experience,
and I believe this forum has the generosity and space to welcome us all,
despite those many differences.

blueskighs · Post by **blueskighs** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 10:06 pm

Each of us comes from our own place of dieting education and experience,
and I believe this forum has the generosity and space to welcome us all,
despite those many differences.

As I said, since you do not do the NO S Diet it is just interesting why you do not want to share on the boards why you do not do the Diet and yet feel free to make posts like your prior that are highly negative and critical of the No S Diet.

I still don't understand why you would make negative comments about the No S diet when you have no experience doing it and you have no desire to do it.

I mean if you're intrepratation of "all are welcome" is just an opportunity for you to get on a board that you did not create to push calorie counting and diet journalling, why don't you just be open about that?

I think it would be helpful to all here to know you're point of view. That you are hostile to the NO S Diet and have huge personal resentments towards people who are taller than yourself and have a healthier metabolism than you do and can eat more food AND/OR simply able through the ACTUAL APPLICATION of NO S precepts able to limit the volume of their food to YES actually lose weight and maintain weight loss is something that has been a theme of a lot of your posts.

I just feel like you are not being honest on these boards,

Blueskighs

BrightAngel · Post by **BrightAngel** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 11:14 pm

blueskighs wrote:
I just feel like you are not being honest on these boards,

Blueskighs
You have made your negative feelings about me very clear.
It is not my responsibility to explain myself or try to change your mind,
and I will not be responding to your comments.

Anyone who is truly interested in learning more about me personally, or about my viewpoint,
is welcome to review any of my past posts, including my personal Check In Thread.

want2bhealthy · Post by **want2bhealthy** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 1:26 pm

hi nay, i feel EXACTLY like you. your post really sounds like i could have written it, i am starting again too after foolishly leaving. congrats on your wt loss and peace with food, i cant wt to get t here myself. i am glad i read this thread cause i was foolishly gonna combine cal count and no s, i know it wont work. i dont know what i was thinking, i was just setting myself up for failing and quitting again. i do have the book and will read it cover to cover. thanks for sharing.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 1:56 pm

Welcome back, Nay!

No-S may not work for everyone, but there are a lot of us for whom it is the BEST answer around! I used to do calorie counting (and even did it successfully for a long time), but like this way of eating SO much better on so many levels.

Hope it works for you, and that you continue to find support here.

Cheers,

KCCC

Post by **reinhard** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 5:00 pm

Dear blueskighs,

I tremendously value your contributions to these boards and your magnificent blog, but please let's be careful to make everyone feel welcome here. I know you wrote out of great enthusiasm for no-s, and not from malice, but still, I'm afraid the effect was hurtful.

While I don't recommend it for most people, there's nothing explicitly in the no-s rules that forbids counting calories -- it's technically at least, perfectly compatible. BrightAngel brings a perspective to No-s from years of successfully battling with extremely difficult issues that I'm very happy to see on these boards. Different people might require very different solutions. That these both fit under the umbrella of no-s is a great thing, I think.

I am happy to see disagreements here on this subject or any other. These boards would be deathly boring if all everyone did was agree. But let's be very, very careful to keep disagreements from turning into something hurtful. The thing I value most about these boards is that they're a kind and welcoming place. We have many members here who'd never previously posted to a bulletin board in their lives. There's no way that's going to continue if they're frightened off by harsh exchanges.

Thanks in advance for your understanding,

Reinhard

Post by **reinhard** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 2:52 pm

Dear Blueskighs,

I'd like to publicly apologize here for my clumsy intervention above. I was massively overtired and panicked a little at seeing a "fight" breaking out. I forgot how harsh any hint of reprimand from me "the authority" must seem.

Your generous, intelligent presence on these boards has been a wonderful thing, and it pains me to no end to think that I might have pushed you away.

Hoping you've just been distracted by the election, and that we'll see you around here again soon,

Reinhard

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Fri Nov 07, 2008 2:15 am

Yeah come back Blue. Everyone makes mistakes.
Reinhard was just trying to keep the peace here.

We miss you!
Hope you are chillin and having some Cafe Mistos and feeling okay

Love

Debs x

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 2:49 am

I'd like Blue back too - she's been a wonderful support to so many of us on these boards.

I'm also glad Reinhard stepped in as moderator. I'm all for differences of approach and opinion. When it becomes about the person rather than the issue, then it makes me a bit afraid to participate or post. (The internal dialogue runs something like ..."what will they say about me if I post what I really think???")

The added value of the NoS site is that it is welcoming.

So Reinhard - thanks for taking a stand.

And Blue - please do come back. The NoS community would be much poorer without you.

funfuture
xx

Everyday Systems

Back after several months of ignoring No S theory.

Back after several months of ignoring No S theory.

Re: Back after several months of ignoring No S theory.