Stress days have been S days...

No Snacks, no sweets, no seconds. Except on Days that start with S. Too simple for you? Simple is why it works. Look here for questions, introductions, support, success stories.

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~hf
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Stress days have been S days...

Post by ~hf » Sat Apr 04, 2009 7:03 am

which has me very frustrated...

I haven't had one green day this week and only one the week before.

The fact of the matter is that my stress isn't going to go anywhere for a very long while so I just have to get over it and get on with it! My mile long list of things to do, ways I feel like hell and people I hate and why is overwhelming me. I am getting in my own way and blocking progress.

I've put 40 pounds back on since June! :evil:

I guess I should just mark it and move on.

Heidi

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marleah
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Post by marleah » Sat Apr 04, 2009 11:49 am

Do mark it and move on! It sounds like you have enough stress in your life right now that you don't need to contribute with thoughts about how your day was no-S-wise. You might have a lot going on right now that you can't control, but you CAN control what and how you are eating - and that will at least take one thing off your plate. If you know you are doing the right thing for your body and your health, that might help with the stress.

I know, it's definitely tough - I have my share of stressful days too, but you can do it!
- vegan grad student -
- 5'2" starting at 140-145 in March 2009 -
- S-Days Saturday and Sunday -

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~hf
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Post by ~hf » Sat Apr 04, 2009 2:59 pm

Thank you. I know you're right. Just like Reinhard said (or something close to it), at least with no s that will be one less thing on my mind, one less decision to think about.

One thing is for sure, I'll be able to handle things better ( and with much more class, I'm sure) if I'm healthy and in control of this area of my life... :oops:

Heidi

Kathleen
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Post by Kathleen » Sat Apr 04, 2009 3:55 pm

If you've put 40 pounds on since June, I'm guessing that you are recovering from a diet in which you lost weight. How about this? Start off with following only one of the three guidelines -- no sweets OR no snacks OR no seconds -- until you make it a habit. Don't expect to lose much weight right now. Your body needs to recover from your putting it on starvation rations.

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~hf
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Post by ~hf » Sat Apr 04, 2009 9:56 pm

I was actually doing no s and seeing moderate success with out resorting to tweaking the rules.

My family has suffered quite a bit of trauma this last year and it has really taken a toll on me...my 14yo daughter was hit by a car and suffered brain damage, (did I mention her father canceled her medical insurance while she was on life support?) my grandson (8 months old at the time) was found beaten and starved, was placed in protective custody and eventually came live with me (3 weeks after my 14yo newly disabled daughter was released home from the hospital). I also have another disabled teenager and 5 other kids on top of that...Did I mention that I'm a single mom doing all this on my own, no weekends off? There's more but I'll spare you the details, sigh. I'm stressed out and exhausted. I lived in the hospital for several months and now I'm at one doctor's office or another several times a week sometimes traveling up to 4 hours to access medical care for my dd.

I can see why the first thing to look at would be coming off a restrictive diet since that's where so many who land here are coming from, but in my case I have a different question...

How do I restart, when I am so exhausted, physically and mentally that I can hardly move? I guess I just need to muscle through the first week?

Heidi

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Sun Apr 05, 2009 2:31 am

Oh wow Heidi!!!
So very sorry about the incredibly hard year and tragedies you have endured!!!
I can't even *IMAGINE* how you must feel!!
What can one say reading what you have gone through.
I hope that this year is a healing year for all of you!!!
You will get back on track.
Just be kind to yourself and find some way of de stressing in a healthy way.
I really advocate the "holy trinity" of wellness to most people.

Meditation, Exercise (my personal fave is Yoga *ESPECIALLY* for reducing stress!) and Massage.

Take good care of yourself and your family and God Bless you!!
8) Debs
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

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BrightAngel
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Post by BrightAngel » Sun Apr 05, 2009 3:01 am

becauseIcan wrote:How do I restart, when I am so exhausted, physically and mentally that I can hardly move?
Heidi
Heidi,
.......I feel enormous sympathy for you...
It looks like you have a lot on your plate.
(Hope you aren't offended by a bit of NoS dark humor)

In my lifetime, I've gained a lot more weight
due to much less stress than you are enduring.
I believe one hasn't failed as long as they continue to make an effort.
Every day is a new start.
Every meal, and every in-between meal period, is another chance for success.
Just pick one small No S Habit (whichever is easiest for you)
and work on that one thing.
You deserve a healthy and attractive body,
and, even with all your difficulties, you can have it.
BrightAngel - (Dr. Collins)
See: DietHobby. com

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~hf
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Post by ~hf » Sun Apr 05, 2009 4:11 am

Thank you BrightAngel and gratefuldeb for your thoughts.

Deb, I have to say that when I was doing my beginners yoga tape (last year before all this) I felt a huge improvement in my overall health and outlook. I like the idea of a 14 minute workout and, although I can't tolerate shovelglove, I would love to apply it to yoga. I need a good source for a short routine. 15 minutes would be fine. Any suggestions? I do have some Yoga Zone DVD's that are 20 minutes. I wonder if that would be too much of a time commitment?

BrightAngel, you're right. I do deserve to look and feel better than I do. I am only 36 but I feel like I'm trapped in the body of an 80yo. The truth is that I won't be able to carry this burden much farther if I don't improve my health. I can do this one meal at a time, one in between meal stretch at a time, one 15 minute yoga routine at a time. Thank you for the encouragement.

Thank you ladies,
Heidi

noni
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Post by noni » Sun Apr 05, 2009 4:48 am

Heidi,

I've had people tell me they have gone on diets to put some control back into their lives when everything else is out of control. No S is the perfect diet for this.

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brotherjohn
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Post by brotherjohn » Mon Apr 06, 2009 1:47 am

Dear Heidi,

I am so sorry that you are having such a stressful time! Sometimes people say, "I understand what you are going through" but that is seldom true because each heart has its own joy and each heart has its own sorrow that no one else can ever truly understand.

My grandmother was very dear to my heart, and one of the most influential people to me. She lived to be 95 years old, and had a great deal of stressful times and sorrow in her life. (Out of 95 years, she had two marriages, and was married for a total of about 10 years. Most of her life she was widowed, raising a child alone on a salary of minimum wage.)

One time I was in deep distress and she told me, "John, I have lived through this kind of thing before, and the only two things that help it are TIME and PRAYER." Well, it worked for her, so I have given it a shot in my life. I have found those things to be a great help.

I want to add this too--she really practiced the No-S diet. (I thought of her when Reinhard refered to it as the "Grandma Diet".) Also, she got down on the floor and exercised every day, and walked everywhere that she went (because she nevered learned to drive or owned a car). I watched her always try to put the most nutrient-rich food in her mouth that she could get ahold of.

I hope I have not been to preachy, but your note has touched my heart. I have found that when I am feeling down that this discussion board is a good place to find encouragement. Don't let No-S be another thing to bring you down, but just take it one day at a time, and let No-S be one of the tools that strengthens you in your battles.

blessings,

John
"Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand." --St. Paul


Read my free weekly devotional rural adventures at:

www.countrypreacherdad.com

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Mon Apr 06, 2009 3:35 pm

Hi again Heidi!
I'm sorry but I am really not sure what DVD's are available that would be best. If you had one you liked, just use that..
I used to go to a regular Yoga class, which was 70-90 min classes.
Once you learn some basic poses, which I think you probably do, I guess you could do this at home to relaxing music, but this is all so highly subjective, so I just say, experiment. Maybe find out if a local Y or community center has a class you can go to a few times a week, or even one time a week, and then continue your practice on other days at home, based on what you learn in the class?
For me, it took me three different classes to finally find the teacher that was just right. Just the right balance of Spiritual and physical. We learned some traditional relaxation exercises as well, like "Alternate Nostril Breathing", and every class finished with our teacher reading a passage from some great Spiritual, self improvement, meditative type of book, and always with a positive and loving message.
Have a great week, and take care!
I hope your daughter is okay these days.
God Bless,

8) Debs
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

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reinhard
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Post by reinhard » Mon Apr 06, 2009 5:04 pm

Heidi,

Wow. I'm not sure "stress" is sufficiently strong a word to describe what you've been going through. Or rather I'm sure that it isn't -- remotely.

You have my deepest sympathy -- and awed respect.

Diet seems and IS a trivial thing compared to these ordeals. But it's a trivial thing, like brushing your teeth, that one way or another is necessary. I think, as others have pointed out, that the only way to squeeze no-s back into your life is to not squeeze at all, but look at it as something supportive, a stable, strength-giving island of sanity and order, something that can free up time and energy rather than demand even more. It's tricky, because of course it is going to take some energy to put these support beams in place. But if you can keep in the forefront of your mind that that's what they are, it might give you the strength to make that investment.

Reinhard

kccc
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Post by kccc » Mon Apr 06, 2009 6:29 pm

Heidi,

Like others, I'm awed by all the things you have on your shoulders. Your story reminds me of the advice you get when you fly, about putting on your own oxygen mask before assisting others. You need an oxygen mask, and I hope you find whatever lets you breathe a bit easier.

On the yoga - you can simply do part of the tape you like one day, and finish it the next. Just set your timer and stop when you need to - the most important thing is to set your goal at a level where you can be successful, so this will be an area of your life that makes you feel competent, not overwhelmed. It's okay to set the bar low for now - it needs to be low enough that you won't quit.

Also, if you have an iPod, you can find free short routines from iTunes. There's a YogAmazing one that tends to run 15-20 minutes of actual workout time (a little longer for chat... but you can fast forward), and one from Yoga Journal that's just a bit more strenous to me.

One of the nice things about taped sessions is that you can replay a favorite or skip one that's too hard. And on a tough day, a "bedtime yoga" session of slow movements is sooooo relaxing, even if it doesn't actually burn a lot of calories. :)

Very best wishes,

KCCC

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winnie96
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Post by winnie96 » Mon Apr 06, 2009 7:01 pm

Heidi --

Sincere sympathies for all the challenges you are facing ... I am so impressed that you are able to think about No-S-ing and trying to put some order into your life -- bravo to you!

As far a yoga suggestions: My all time favorite yoga DVD is "Kripalu Yoga: Gentle" with Sudha Carolyn Lundeen (temporarily out of stock on amazon.com, available at www.kripalu.org). It has two flow routines of about 30 minutes each, but as another poster pointed out, you can just stop if you run out of time. This is very gentle, meditative, soothing, calming, relaxing yoga -- no fancy sets, costumes, or bodies, just the instructor and some regular-people-type students. I have a number of yoga DVD's, and take classes occasionally too, but this is the routine I return to over and over, especially in times of stress.

Best wishes to you ...

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