This is harder than I thought

Sara · Post by **Sara** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 4:21 pm

Today is day 3. This is the first diet ever that I decided to start on a Saturday. Today is Monday and I'm finding it unbelievably hard to not snack. I think it has become an unconscious habit over the years to munch on something (lowfat) all day. Now I'm waiting to have lunch but it's a lot harder than I thought it would be to not snack. I'm excited for the challenge though. I'm really hungry right now and that is a pretty unusual feeling I'm realizing now.

I found this book at the bookstore last week and decied to start on Saturday. I'm hoping that this plan will help me stabilize my weight and get off the rollercoaster of weight loss and gain. I'm really tired of constant food obsessing.

Post by **reinhard** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 4:47 pm

Welcome!

"No snacks" is the rule most people have the most trouble with (and I think it also makes the biggest difference, long term).

The good news is that habit makes an enormous difference. If you can tough it out these first few weeks, you'll find it gets much easier. It'll probably start to seem strange to you to snack.

In the meantime, don't hesitate to reach for a drink -- even a caloric one.

Reinhard

Nichole · Post by **Nichole** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 5:48 pm

I have done this diet before, but half assed (excuse the language). I'm now trying to make it permanent, for similar reasons as you. I don't want to be obsessed with food anymore and I'm tired of putting myself down needlessly for not being a stick. The first thing will be hard because I do cook every night and I love planning ahead. So I think if we can get through these first few weeks, we'll be golden! I am also trying to avoid the scale. I got in the bad habit, lately, of going on everyday.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 8:02 pm

It is hard to give up snacks. But... you DO get used to it. Really, truly.

From my observation, there seem to be two ways of getting to No S:

1) Jumping in and just toughing it out. Your body whines a bit, but eventually accepts it.

2) Easing in one habit (or most of a habit) at a time. Add on as each prior habit becomes fairly stable.

I started with 100% compliance EXCEPT for an afternoon snack. The snack could only be a fruit/veg, and only if I NEEDED it. That extra support helped for the first few weeks, then I got read of it.

You might listen to the podcast on "strictness" during this time - it's SO helpful.

Good luck!

lindalou · Post by **lindalou** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 9:48 pm

This is what help me from not getting hungry between meals

I eat a protein, bread/starch, fruit, and two vegetable at lunch and supper I don't always have a vegetable for breakfast unless I have a omelet . For me it make it a little easier.

Starting Date: Feb. 23,2009
Starting Weight 142
Weight loss as of 3/15 3 1/2 lbs Now 138.5
Weight Goal 110
Height 4'10 1/2
Date to set goal None Very Happy

Sara · Post by **Sara** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 7:07 pm

Thanks for the advice everyone. I managed to make it through yesterday. The hardest stretch was from lunch to dinner but I ended up adding in an afternoon cup of coffee and that helped me make it through.

After dinner was hard too because I guess I usually snack on 100 calorie packs all night in front of the TV and I had to skip that. Somehow it made TV less enjoyable without the snacks so I turned it off when I kept finding myself looking around the room anxiously rather than watching it.

Today has been excrutiating without snacks. I usually eat an entire box of wheat thins every day (yes, really, a box a day) and today I've just been putting a handful on my plate with my sandwich. I've never had a box of wheat thins for 2 days before. It's really tough. Usually I have to finish the whole box that day so that I can start on my diet the next day (which I always break by noon the next day on another box of wheat thins). Today I had my lunch and since then I have reached for the box of wheat thins 3 times--even opening them once--only to put them back. I really didn't think it sounded hard to do this but I guess I'm a total snacking junkie and I didn't know. Every time I reach for the box I remind myself that I have to change and it won't be any easier tomorrow or any other day than it is today.

I also realized today that every reach for the wheat thins box came after a particularly annoying or difficult customer came in the shop. So apparently people who bother me are some sort of trigger for my snacking too.

It's 1:51 and I keep watching the clock becuase the time is passing much slower than usual. Do I live for snacks? I'm looking around the room feeling the same emptiness that I felt in front of the TV last night. It's sort of like I'm half dead. I think everyone is right though, that this is just a habit that needs breaking and I'm hoping that it will get easier if I hangin there (As everyone is telling me it will).

And Nichole, I also am trying to stop the daily weighing. Today I was determined to not get on the scale because I woke up feeling so good after yesterdays success. I ended up on there somehow and got depressed at the number. I had to remind myself that the results of a program like this won't show up on a daily basis like they will with the crash diets. How often does everyone else weigh in? Is once a week reasonable?

Thanks for all the support and advice! I'm hanging in there with this program because I like it so far. Thanks for inventing it, Reinhard. I love simplicity and common sense and your book displayed a lot of that! I hope everyone has a good day.

apomerantz · Post by **apomerantz** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 7:57 pm

Sara,

I just wanted to chime in with some support! I must admit that your fight with the wheat thins box made for interesting reading, and I find myself rooting for you to prevail!!

I'm about 60 days into No S with a very high N day success rate. I will say that it gets MUCH, MUCH, MUCH easier. If you can just tough out the first week, the next week is a bit better, and then the week after that is even better. After four weeks, it is actually easy.

I noticed that I really did use snacking as a way to procrastinate! So if I didn't want to do a chore or something, time for a snack. Apparently, there's a lot of stuff I didn't want to do, because I was snacking 24x7.

COFFEE is my secret weapon for getting from lunch to dinner. I don't really need it anymore, but for the first three weeks I really, really did. The caffeine dulls your hunger and helps carry you over. Some fat in the lunch really helps too - - a piece of cheese, a hard boiled egg, salmon, something of that nature really will make it easier at least until your habits are more firmly cemented.

GOOD LUCK, Sara. You can do this, and I will tell you it FEELS great. This has got to be the longest I've stuck with a plan very consistently. And I'm really happy on it. The results do come more slowly with this plan, but since I don't feel like I'm making many sacrifices, it is just so much easier to stick with it for the long term.

Too solid flesh · Post by **Too solid flesh** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 8:39 pm

You're doing really well, Sara, and as everyone says it really does get easier.

One thing which may help with the wheat thins is not to have them in sight, or within reach. It might be easier if you don't have them in the office at all. You could package up some individual servings to have as part of your meals, and if you do this at a time when you are full (eg after a meal on an S day) they will not be so tempting when you pack them.

I used to guzzle when watching TV in the evenings, but now I just have an apple cut up into small slices. Rubbing hand cream while watching television can also provide a distraction from food. There was a recent thread about distracting activities do do while watching television and not eating - whittling was one suggestion! See:

http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic ... ht=whittle

Very best wishes for this.

woods38 · Post by **woods38** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 1:58 pm

Hi!
I have started week 3 and I am slowly getting used to not snacking between meals. Snacking or grazing all day long was a huge problem for me. At meals I did well but all the snacking I did made me gain.
I hope that you hang in there until the weekend. It's hard but not impossible so keep that in mind. I really didn't think that I could do it but I decided to really try and I am doing it!
What has been helping me is drinking lots of beverages between meals. At first I was drinking a lot of coffee but now I am drinking more plain water, seltzer water, and tea. I also had a glass of milk yesterday to tide me over and it worked beautifully. Eating a well balanced meal and not skimping on how much I am eating is working too.
Good luck!
-woods

Mavilu · Post by **Mavilu** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 11:46 pm

Sara, if it's too hard for you, just do it in stages, as KCCC says, I first got used to one S and did it for a whole month and then kept adding an S at a time until I was used to all three, granted, I didn't lose much weight on those first three months, but I didn't have to stress it out, which is to me the most important thing; easy does it.
If no snacking is too hard at this point, try something easier; just no seconds and/or no sweets for now.

ThomsonsPier · Post by **ThomsonsPier** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 10:14 am

Sara wrote:Somehow it made TV less enjoyable without the snacks so I turned it off when I kept finding myself looking around the room anxiously rather than watching it.

Sara wrote:It's 1:51 and I keep watching the clock because the time is passing much slower than usual.

I would view both of these things as a bonus; not only are you losing weight (because you are), but you have more time to do stuff! This sounds rather bargainacious to me; two rewards for one effort.

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 11:31 am

Sara, it appears that you snack for two reasons: stress (annoying customers) and boredom (when watching TV). As some wise person has said -- and I think said it here: if hunger isn't the question, then food isn't the answer.

You might try substituting something other than food when stressed or bored. Maybe deep breathing when a customer causes you stress and some kind of exercise or activity when bored. Watching TV at night is when I get a lot of stuff done around the house. I do something during commercials. It's amazing how much can be accomplished during a commercial break.

I've got to say -- I LOVE Wheat Thins. I just checked the calorie content. They're not as high in calories as I thought they might be, but a box is a day's worth of calories for most of us.

Everyday Systems