As I posted elsewhere, the company I work at is having a company-wide 10 week weight loss challenge. It's a team challenge so I am concerned about doing my part-esp since I'm the captain! It's a 3 member team and the other two are doing weight watchers. I originally was going to do the Spark (a low fat, high fiber exchange diet) but decided decided to try the No-S for four weeks and see if I lose at least 2 lbs a week. Since we have only two official weighs (one weigh-in and one weigh out at the end) I figured I had time to give the no-s a try. the recent post from Phineas, who lost 30 lbs in 10 weeks encouraged me that it is possible to lose a respectable amount of weight in 10 weeks.
So anyway, I officially started on Monday (though the offical team weigh-in was Wednesday) and I will do my personal weigh-in on Monday (to give me a couple of days at the end of the challenge so there won't be any surprises on Wedessday, April 1st). Still, since the weekend are "S" days, I unofficially weighed myself today--would you believe I lost 5 lbs! I'm not anticipating problems with S gone wild because the no-s days have been so satifsfying.
The problems I had were predictable, but not the solutions. They announced the contest a month in advance, so for the last several weeks I'm been keeping informal track of eating and experimenting before deciding on the diet I have the most chance of both staying on and of actually working. So I alreadlly knew that almost half--that's right half of my calories came from snacking and late-night eating--mostly sweets. That's the major reason I decided on no-s.
My problems and solutions:
Snacking: I did want to snack a couple of times at work and instead I had 100% fruit juice, satisfying and legal. I am sometimes hungry when I get home and instead of snacking while waiting for dinner to heat, I virtual plated a yogurt--again legal and satisfying.
Sweets and emotional eating: This was a problem twice. I had a ready bad, I mean bad day at work Wednesday. When I got off work, I wanted to sit down and eat candy and cake and cookies and. . . but on the way home I passed a Wendy's and thought that a burger and fries might be good too. So when I got home I made my own bacon cheeseburger and home-fried potatoes and felt great afterwards. So the big discovery of the week is that sometimes my emotional eating can be satisfied by fatty, greasy foods (which are legal) instead of sweets. The second problem was last night. I actually had a good day--but it was Friday. So instead of the pastries I wanted to buy, I brought hot wings--something I haven't had for awhile because it's not on any other diet "premitted" list.
Night-time eating: I solved this by having low-sugar hot coco. I always make cocoa from scratch and use half the sugar, but this week I experimented with making the cocoa without sugar and then adding sugar until I like the taste. It only took 4 teaspoons for a large 12ou mug. Since that's what some people (and less than others) put in coffee, I consider it legal. I did that twice this week, so all together I only had six temptations and solved all of them.
I had a great first week of No-S. I love this diet!
Full disclosure: I am of course exercising. I'm doing walk aerobics in the morning and weight traning with light weights in the evening. I have to go now to get to today's winter hike! Columbus OH metroparks have a program every winter and I always participate. Seven hikes and you get a patch!