Everyday Systems

Hi everyone! Sorry about this long first post, but I feel like this is the best place I could vent all of this! Here goes nothing!

So about 2 months ago I stumbled across the Shovelglove site while surfing the web for some sort of weight training or exercise I could do while at home because of the cold winters here and of course, I decided it was time to lose some weight and ger healthy. I then found the No-S diet and bought the book.

I read the book as soon as I got it and this diet has sounded like something that I could do. I tried for a while, about 2 weeks, and bad habits caused me to slowly push away from the diet and I basically lost the first willpower battle I had since reading the book. I tried on and off to cut back on certain things throughout the week, to try to slowly ease back into it, but never got past that.


I was recently laid off from my job and struggled to find a new one in time to keep up with the payments for my car. After many unsuccessful searches, I was forced to give it back. I'm also facing bankruptcy for other bills and the large difference left over from my lease. This in turn has brought on a pretty bad depression and life has not been going my way lately. I've been out of school the last few years so being taken down a peg has made me feel horrible right now. no job. no school. no transportation. no self esteem entirely. =/


I'm currently still unemployed but I'm going to try to look at this in a different way. I've been collecting unemployment benefits, not enough for the car of course, but without the car and soon maybe even the other bills, I could save up. get back to school, and possibly find a career not just a job to get by. I've also had plenty of time to think and I feel that I should take this opportunity to get healthy. I'm currently hovering around 260 or 270 (our old bathroom scale is kinda busted haha, so I don't know for sure) standing 6'1" tall. My weight is actually proportioned fairly well, but I still have some areas that need a LOT of work and I could get much healthier. Working on getting fit will give me something to fill my time while I'm working on getting back to school.

I decided that I want to make a New Years Resolution to start the No-S diet once more and stick to it no matter what. I want to use this diet as the beginning of my journey to get fit. I'm thinking about using some of my spare cash to get a membership at the gym a few miles from my house. I could just walk there and back which is more healthy than driving of course. I want to be more active than I have been because in the midst of all the hardships I'm going through, I don't want the depression and stress to negatively affect my health and what better way than to take my health BACK and work on getting fit. It'll benefit me greatly and hopefully all will go well. =) I'll probably be coming here on and off to update on progress, get some tips, and generally talk with everyone and gain/give support when needed. Nice to meet you all and here's to a hopefully happy an healthy new year!!!!! thanks for listening and I'm looking forward to hearing from all of you!

Just want to welcome you to the bulletin board. I don't know if it's any help to hear this, but I have been where you are. In my early twenties I had a really bleak period--during a similar recession--when I had no job, no money, no car, nothing. Then my husband left. It was a horrible time, and I was really depressed, but just to give you some perspective, today I have a degree, am working toward my master's in the preeminent program for my subject and have moved into a job that, in my region, is considered to be the "top of my field." I still have problems, of course, or I wouldn't be on this board. But my life is 80 percent terrific. So hang in there; this period will pass and what you learn during it can be hugely important.

I really encourage you to keep trying No S; no S is a pretty gentle and non-punitive program, and seeing some green days add up may give you the sense that you have control in one area of your life. You might also find HabitCal useful for tracking job-hunting strategies.

Good Luck!

Welcome!

First of all, don't apologize for a long post! Your intro helps all of us know important fact about you & sometimes writing things out really helps....so write away!

I'm sorry this is a difficult season for you...I think your current perspective on it is going to carry you far! This is a wonderful time to get healthier and as you focus on that, you'll be so much more able to fight depression.

Don't be a stranger as you work though this. You'll find a great deal of encouragement here....it's a huge help to share your thoughts & read others' words. I know I would have given up in October if I hadn't made a personal commitment to be here regularly.

Welcome again....janie

Welcome, modernman!

I am sorry to hear about the tough times you are going through, and I know it must be hard for diet to seem at all important compared to the rest of it.

But no-s is different from most other diets in that it doesn't distract you from other concerns -- on the contrary, it builds up routines and general purpose willpower and a habit of problem solving that can help you with seemingly completely unrelated problems. It sounds like you really get this -- best wishes translating it into action!

Looking forward to hearing more from you in the coming year(s),

Reinhard