Everyday Systems

I had a dream several nights ago in which chocolate was sitting out on tables in the lobby of a hotel. It must have been around Valentine's Day in my dream because there were chocolate hearts as well as large bars of chocolate, all attractively arranged and free for the taking. My dream self took the same approach that my conscious self does: look and admire but don't automatically grab and consume. (I should point out that this was just a little part of the dream, not the focus; other things were happening and I noticed the chocolate in passing).

On waking and reflecting on the dream, I was surprised to realize that the No-S attitude had gone deep into my unconscious life. I am having little trouble sticking to the plan, so I guess that shouldn't come as a surprise, but it was comforting and kind of amusing to see this dream evidence of my changed eating habits. Anyone else have a similar or contradictory experience, say, for instance, do you pig out in dreams?

I'd been meaning to post here for a while to say again that No S has been wonderful for me. I started in mid-June of this year and am down a full 10 pounds last time I weighed myself. Before this I had not been able to lose more than a pound or two in about 10 years (I'm 52). I'd been carrying a good 20-25 extra pounds for all that time. My single attempt at low-carb dieting led to daydreams about and fixations on bread, till I regained my senses and chucked all that.

On No S, it took me at least 6 weeks to notice any change in body size, but the psychological and emotional rewards were enough to keep me going with it. Now I'm thrilled to be fitting into pants that had become too tight for me long ago. I continue to lose very gradually, so now these clothes are slowly becoming loose enough that I'll probably need to replace them soon.

Another thing: on weekends I sometimes have no real urge for sweets. I feel like I should eat candy or cookies or something because if I don't I'll regret it on Monday morning. So it's kind of preemptive eating. The thing I'm most likely to do on an S day is enjoy a piece of fruit outside of a regular meal or just graze on something tasty I cooked up. Do others find themselves indulging in sweets or snacks mostly because they can, not because they're dying to? I suppose these two questions could be poll questions.

Anyway, many thanks for the peace of mind, Reinhard.

Yes, I have had the "I'm eating sweets - what day is this?" dreams.

Also, I definitely experience the preventative eating behavior of S days, and I don't like it. I don't enjoy half of what I eat on the weekends and am trying to find a balance between the freedom of weekends while keeping some intelligent defaults in place.

Sounds like you're doing great!

On waking and reflecting on the dream, I was surprised to realize that the No-S attitude had gone deep into my unconscious life. I am having little trouble sticking to the plan, so I guess that shouldn't come as a surprise, but it was comforting and kind of amusing to see this dream evidence of my changed eating habits. Anyone else have a similar or contradictory experience, say, for instance, do you pig out in dreams?

Yes, it's strange. My dream compliance with No-s is much worse than my actual compliance. The dreams always follow the same pattern: I don't intentionally violate the rules, but all of a sudden, mid sweet/snack/second, I realize that it's an N-day and I shouldn't actually be doing this.

My single attempt at low-carb dieting led to daydreams about and fixations on bread

I like your new dreams better

I'd been meaning to post here for a while to say again that No S has been wonderful for me. I started in mid-June of this year and am down a full 10 pounds last time I weighed myself. Before this I had not been able to lose more than a pound or two in about 10 years (I'm 52).

Congratulations! I'm so happy to hear this.

Reinhard

Thanks, Gingercake and Reinhard. I'm still getting used to the fact that I can post here and get a sympathetic response in moments.

I read some of ginger's earlier posts and gained some more understanding of how others experience No S. I also see that my issue of eating sweets and snacks just because I can has come up before. It surprises me that my appetite for sweets has changed; things I look forward to during the week just aren't that great when I finally do eat them. I guess that's further evidence of food resuming more of its proper place in my life. As someone said elsewhere, there is the sometimes proviso--it's not as though as I must eat junk in order to feel good.

So I've finally lost enough weight for a friend to notice. That was my cue to tell said friend about No S, along with the others we were with. I forwarded the link, and two of the four read it and commented, but no one seemed to have the reaction I did: "Wow! This is great! So simple, so sane; how come I never thought of this?" and promptly put it into practice. Actually, those two did admire the idea and Reinhard's wit. Well, all I can do is share it; no one likes advice rammed down their throats, no matter how sound that advice is.

Happy Cooker,

love your dream!

Do others find themselves indulging in sweets or snacks mostly because they can, not because they're dying to?

One of the things that I am starting to find that I enjoy most about S days is simply the lack of structure. I guess I am learning I like to pick throughout the day and I do love S/NWS days for not having to put it all on one plate It just kind of makes my weekends and special days just that more relaxing,

Blueskighs

Blueskighs wrote:

One of the things that I am starting to find that I enjoy most about S days is simply the lack of structure. I guess I am learning I like to pick throughout the day and I do love S/NWS days for not having to put it all on one plate.

I think I am similar. On Saturdays I find myself feeling relaxed that I can eat a late breakfast, or have another morning snack in an hour or two, instead of feeling like I have to eat by a certain time so that I won't get hungry for lunch too early. My taste for sugar generally seems to be waning. The ideal breakfast for me used to be Danish or an almond croissant with strong black coffee. Now I often don't want something sweet in the morning even when I can have it. Quite a change for someone who once made desserts and hand-dipped chocolates for her own small business. I thought of it as making my obsessions work for me, though of course it was also a great opportunity to gain weight--and taking that off was no fun at all. (That was when I was more of an unhappy cooker, who considered throwing out her cookbooks to avoid temptation.) And I've been able to switch to different obsessions, fortunately.

Your reply helps me reconsider how to treat myself on S days. I've also enjoyed your blog and learned from it.