Everyday Systems

Hello, I am starting today and am having a difficult time not eating a "certain" way. For instance I usually do Low Carb. Tonight at fellowship we are having stuffed potatoes. I keep thinking I can't have that, but according to NoS I can have a normal plate full and skip the dessert and the seconds. Do you really eat what is being served (or what you are serving) just sticking to the NoS guidelines? Just gotta wrap my mind around the fact that I can enjoy what others are having!!! I guess that's part of the healing process with my food issues!

Jaob,

Welcome back. I can tell you that getting past our past "diet mindsets" is one of the hardest habits to get past. As I am sure others will affirm, your N days should consist of three square meals a day. (no set rule about the three but that seems to work to keep people from feeling an intense need to snack). One plate full of food. Period. Make sure you are eating enough to hold you to the next meal. At first, your plates may look quite full with food piled on. . . but after a while, you'll begin to realize you don't need that much to keep you satisfied. I've graduated from using a full size dinner plate (even those are larger than they were a few decades ago) to a salad plate which is still good sized but not like a huge dinner plate. I can eyeball what a regular sized plate is in case I'm not eating at home.

Regarding the stuffed potato issue. . . absolutely you can have it. That's the beauty of this plan--there are not forbidden foods. It's the "anything in moderation" plan. Again, after you've mastered the no snacks and the no sweets part, you may want to watch your plate to try to include plenty of fruits/veggies, etc. In other words, find a way to have a balanced diet of the food groups. But Reinhard always cautions to let your HABITS take hold for at least a month of two before you start tinkering with what your plateful of food looks like.

Kathleen has some interesting observations in her comments about how her kids commented at first about what she was eating. . . then she documents that it's working after all!

By your "joined date" it looks like you've done this before so you've probably already read a lot of the old posts but in case you haven't, I found that when I had time, I lurked around a lot and read lots of old posts, putting in key words to find posts that seemed relevant to me at the time. I hope you find great success with No S.

You are right--this process is very healing. When we have subjected ourselves to SAD diets for so many years, it's tough to have that "click" in our heads. (Substance Accounting Diets--boo!)

Don't be shy about posting more questions. The posters here are quite supportive. (I have edited this post a bit--I thought you had just joined in Oct 2008-but noticed it was 2005. . . !)

And enjoy that stuffed potato-sounds delicious!!!

Do I eat what I want? You betcha. I try to follow some nutritional rules of thumb, i.e. veggies/fruit with every meal, just enough condiments for flavor, easy on the fatty/salty stuff.

I had a baked potato with taco toppings just the other night. It was good!

Yes.

And to a far greater degree than I did pre-nos.

Baked potatoes were a staple long before the obesity epidemic. I love them. I eat them frequently. Great recipe is chop them in half lengthwise and rub with salt and olive oil before you bake -- cooks evenly with a nice crust.

It's meal patterns, not stuff, that are the fundamental difference between how we and previous (skinny) generations ate.

Reinhard

I follow the No-S rules and eat whatever I want. Tonight, for instance, I'm making egg rolls. I haven't decided what to have with them. It might just be fried rice and some fruit. I can't tell you how I'm looking forward to this meal!

I do think that weight loss might be quicker if you're following an eating plan where you count something, be it calories or carbs or fat. But it tends not to be long-lasting unless you KEEP doing that. This is a slower weight loss for most, but once you start, you never have to do anything differently. No phases, no maintenance. You just keep doing the same thing day in and day out. It's common sense and the way people have eaten for centuries.

Yes! I eat what I want. For instance, the cafeteria at work makes killer onion rings, and every couple of weeks I will have their (fried) chicken tenders and the onion rings. Delicious! Not so 'healthy,' but once in a while won't kill me. And that's what this site is all about -- stopping the obsession with food, and simply enjoying 3 plates a day.

I do!.
I just try to make it varied throughout the three meals, but even that isn't a rule set on stone.

Wow! Thanks so much! Yes, I have been here and gone and been here and gone again! I have a "get the weight off fast" mentality. Guess that mentality hasn't worked too well for me. I always knew in the back of my mind this was the healthiest way (for my mind) to eat. I have been reading old threads and gaining lots insight thanks to all of you. I know I will still have lots of questions though, and I appreciate the support you give! I am soooo looking forward to that stuffed potato!