New and Feeling Very Hopeful

[Anjeelique]

I’m fairly new to noS. I have been reading as many of the posts as I could and filling out the Habitcal for almost a month, but held off on an introduction because I’d already committed financially to a short-term, very low calorie weight loss program. But right before I started, I did try the noS program for two weeks and LOVED IT!

A little history…like so many, I’ve been on every kind of diet there is since I was 15 years old - now I’m 51. For many years I could not stick with a diet long enough to reach my goal weight. I believed I was a complete failure, yet never gave up trying. Mostly because my weight kept climbing upward and my eating was so out of control when I wasn’t on a diet. But then a couple of years ago, I was relatively successful at getting very close to my weight loss goal of 150 lbs on Weight Watchers and then again on a medically supervised very low calorie diet. I’m 5’5†and at my heaviest, weighed 217 lbs and for at least 20 years, could not get below 200 lbs. So when I reached my weights of 167 and 151 (I think I was literally at 151 lbs for an hour and haven’t seen that number since (was a size 6!), I was ecstatic! It felt so weird and yet great! I vowed never to get to big again.

Sadly, what I found was that maintaining my weight was as difficult, if not more so, than dieting and I rapidly gained back most of the weight I’d lost (though have not went back over the 200 lb marker). I was also a big fan of Intuitional Eating, but for probably many reasons, I was never successful in losing or maintaining weight using the concepts.

Then, in my eternal hunt for another diet after another weight loss episode and rapidly regaining, I ran across the noSdiet book on Amazon.com and immediately decided to follow Reinhard’s simple title. I didn’t order the book from Amazon as it would take too long…and bought it at one of our local bookstores the next day.

For the first time in my life, during those two weeks of nSdiet, I just kept thinking,â€So, this is what’s it’s like to eat like a normal person.†I filled the dinner sized plate, which was so odd in itself! Normally I would eat a small salad plate of “healthy†food, but then snack all day long, especially on baked goods and other sweets!!

Anyway, on noS I found I was pleasantly hungry right before it was time for the next meal. I loved that I wasn’t stuffing my face all day and feeling sickeningly full and experiencing the dread of knowing another pound was coming on. And it wasn’t a big struggle to do it. It was wonderful! And I didn’t feel the out of control need to binge…though the few S days I experienced were tough as I ate way too much junk food, but sounds like that is somewhat normal at first.

Anyway, I’m ready to begin truly noS’ing and hope I will be able to keep off the bit of weight I just lost and continue losing until I reach a healthy body fat level. And then stay there by making noS a lifelong habit.

I really appreciate everyones' posts. They have been so helpful and insightful. So many times I’d read one and think that’s exactly what I feel like or that’s what I do/did!

Hello!

Marcia

[la_loser]

Welcome!

You're right--many of us have had the same struggle! And this is a very freeing way of life. As a matter of fact on the Fourth of July last year, I initiated a post that noted we could declare our independence from crazy eating habits!

Glad to see you've been lurking-there's much to gain from reading lots of old posts.

Enjoy!

[MysteryLover]

Hi Marcia,

I'm pleasantly surprised to go through old posts and see other Intuitive Eating fans on here. I totally believe in their concept, but was unable to stay withing the guidelines. I would start off my day eating whatever I wanted when I was phsyically hungry, but by mid-day hunger I would eat junk food. I would tell myself that I woudn't eat dinner if I wasn't hungry (and who would be after eating chips and icecream?) but I always ended up eating again with the family. By then, I felt like I blew it and I'd binge eat at night. Hit repeat on this behavior every day and I've gained 30 pounds in one year!

I like that NoS believes in eating 'real' food, no restrictions. It's all about changing bad habits.

[belser]

Hi Marcia!

I'm not sure I did a formal introduction when I first started No S. I just jumped on the discussion board and shared my questions / insites on the topics.

I enjoyed your post. I too have also tried the Intutive Eating plan and Weight Watchers. I found on WW I simply could not count points for a long period of time and then when I stopped counting points I just stopped trying all together. With Intutive Eating I found that I could not follow it when stressed or I found I was hungry at times when I couldn't eat.

It was great to read your story! I really related to it.

[Anjeelique]

Belser, Gina and LA Loser, thank you for the welcome and responses.

I'll be checking in regularly and look forward to "seeing" more of you and your experiences with noSdiet!

[TexArk]

Let me add my welcome.
You are certainly among those who share a common life story. If you have read my posts the last 2 months you can see that we have had many similar experiences. I have said that the reason I am working the NoS plan is that I never learned how to eat normally and maintain a weight loss. I gained weight quickly trying to maintain with intuitive eating even though I think the principles are sound. I gained weight because I just couldn't keep the accounting work up after a few years.

When I found this program, it clicked immediately. Obviously I needed to get the N day habits established. After 2 months I think I am there. Now, my goal is to learn to handle my S days in a more normal manner. As Reinhard says, we take the training wheels off on S days. I am now trying to stay more balanced without the training wheels on my S days. So my advice would be to get your N days down as a habit, don't worry yet about the S days and enjoy the freedom from counting, weighing, and eating fake food. Posting daily and keeping the HabitCal has kept me accountable and on habit.

[Anjeelique]

Hello Tex Ark (someday you'll have to tell me the history of your online name.)

Thank you for the reminder about the S days and patience with them as I can already feel the angst of the S days (will I, won't I overeat far too much?!) coming on as the weekend looms closer.

It's comforting to know I'm not the only one who struggles to eat normally...you know what the struggle is like. But even more comforting is knowing that someone who shares that struggle is finding relief with noS! It reinforces my heatfelt hope that this is the end of 30 years of searching for a solution.

[kccc]

Welcome!

I've also done WW - several times. I could lose on it, but not maintain on it. No S is such a blessing! My whole relationship with food has changed - I worry about it les and enjoy what I eat more, and maintain my weight with ease.