Everyday Systems

So I had probably 2 tablespoons of syrup on 2 pancakes this morning - is that a Failure when it comes to the daily status?

Well, I wouldn't say it's a failure, but I'd really try to limit that to only a couple of days a week total..
Kinda borderline unless you eat it every day.
But beware, as delicious as real maple syrup is, it's quite caloric.

I think that syrup would be considered a "sweet" . . . so if you are trying to really follow no sweets, no snacks, no seconds, I don't think syrup fits the program.

I love pancakes too, but only have them on weekends.

I'd say not, but then I eat flapjacks for breakfast.

Mmm, oaty.

Syrup might be considered a sweet, but it's a condiment -- not a pastry that has sugar as it's primary source of calories. Don't trip up on the details.

It's a sweet for me. (I will use my sugar free syrup if I need pancakes on the weekdays until it's gone, but the no more!)

I would probably call 2 tablespoons of syrup on pancakes sweet...

Maybe 2 TEAspoons would get by... (2 tablespoons = 6 teaspoons = 24 grams of sugar for you quantifiers). But there's something about pancakes and syrup that SEEMS very essey to me, so I pretty much reserve that much loved combination for S-days, rather than try to figure out just what is the permissible quantity of syrup before it becomes dessert-like. I don't want even a teaspoon of guilt or uneasiness when I can enjoy tablespoons of legitimate pleasure come the weekend.

But you don't have to retroactively judge yourself. If you didn't consider it a sweet at the time but think you should going forward, then give yourself credit for abiding by the law as it then stood and abide by the new one from now on. Discipline and habit first, biochemistry second.

I will sometimes mix a little maple syrup into grits on N-days. I'm not sure of the precise proportions because I make it for the whole family and don't really measure, I just taste, but it's definitely not dessert league sweet.

Reinhard

Hopeful wrote:So I had probably 2 tablespoons of syrup on 2 pancakes this morning - is that a Failure when it comes to the daily status?

I wouldn't consider that a failure--you had PANCAKES for breakfast and the syrup was a condiment. We regularly eat pancakes (and muffins and nutbreads--all homemade) as an everyday breakfast. We live overseas and cold cereal is the S-day treat! I've been NoSing for over 7 months and continue to improve my habits and lose weight while eating NORMAL foods.

One other thought: I purposely *kept* stuff like pancakes as part of our family's menu because that is how I plan to eat long-term. I would rather lose weight more slowly than otherwise or find ways to increase my activity level than to have to change the foods we eat as I believe we eat a very good diet (nutritional as well as delicious) already.

hth,

We save pancakes for the weekend -- mostly because thigns are too hectic on weekdays. I personally consider pancakes an N food and syrup an S, but I would not worry about what you already ate and just consider adjusting for the future.

Borderline. That means you get to call it.

My criteria for borderline:
1) Is it a regular or sometimes thing?
2) If regular, is it enough to matter? (Like, I decided that my sugar in my coffee doesn't.)
3) Is it a "gateway" food?
4) Does it make you feel guilty? Do YOU think it feels "dessert-y"? (An odd one on this - instead of buying "frozen yogurt," we buy regular yogurt and freeze it. I will eat it unfrozen as part of a meal, but frozen it feels like a dessert, so I don't. Weird, I know, but I trust my emotions on this one.)

I may have to add something to address vmsurbat's point - that it is part of normal life that one intends to keep and will work around.

One of the beauties of No-S is that it encourages you to take an honest, hard look and make a decision, rather than relying on an "authority" and trying to cheat by observing only the letter of the law.

Are you new to no s? If so, I would NOT count it as an S. Pancakes for breakfast is breakfast. You are on the right track if it fit on one plate and you sat down to eat it and didn't have seconds.

Once the habit is established, then maybe make the decision to move pancakes to the weekend.

KCCC wrote:Borderline. That means you get to call it.

My criteria for borderline:
1) Is it a regular or sometimes thing?
2) If regular, is it enough to matter? (Like, I decided that my sugar in my coffee doesn't.)
3) Is it a "gateway" food?
4) Does it make you feel guilty? Do YOU think it feels "dessert-y"? (An odd one on this - instead of buying "frozen yogurt," we buy regular yogurt and freeze it. I will eat it unfrozen as part of a meal, but frozen it feels like a dessert, so I don't. Weird, I know, but I trust my emotions on this one.)

I may have to add something to address vmsurbat's point - that it is part of normal life that one intends to keep and will work around.

One of the beauties of No-S is that it encourages you to take an honest, hard look and make a decision, rather than relying on an "authority" and trying to cheat by observing only the letter of the law.

I came online this morning to add these exact same thoughts--KCCC beat me to it. If you have had a chance to browse this board at all, you will see that No-S provides a solid structure, but leaves the details up to us. (Paraphrase from the book). This is what makes NoS an ideal WOE because we all need to fill in the details based on OUR lives and OUR circumstances. That is what makes NoS workable longterm.

Hth,