*ULTRA STRICT* NoS!

[gratefuldeb67]

That's it guys.. No more messing about.
Today I'm committing myself to the most hardcore ultra strict version of NoS I can do. I am going to really set my goals high because my very lame half "ssed" attempts at following (or maybe I should say not following) NoS this year, and *NOT* exercising much on N days has landed me at my all time highest weight in my life.
I'm not adding extra restrictions on food, and on S days I'm going to limit myself to two S's per day.
I'm more mad than I am upset and sad, at this point, that I haven't been more proactive and cared more about my own health and appearance to make my best effort to lose weight. I mean, I am going to forgive myself, as, yes, I've been stressed and dealing with lots of personal problems, but after I weighed myself today and saw I am now 250 lbs, I just totally freaked out and a switch went on and an internal voice said, "That's it.. do this now before it's too late!!!"

My 5'2" body is starting to really feel the strain of being this heavy, in all things I do.. even the simplest things like getting in and out of the tub, leaning over to tie my shoes, getting out of bed in the morning..
I swear to God, I feel like I need a crane to lift myself.
Walking up and down stairs is a misery for me, and I can't even feel comfortable *sitting and watching TV!!!* in the evening with my Son, because I'm too fat to cross my legs!!!
I'm so pissed off that I let myself become so complacent.
But I think being pissed off is actually better than being sad and depressed, because hopefully, that will fuel my desire to succeed a bit more.
I hope to lose between 8 and 10 pounds per month, and this is doable if I am 100 percent committed to staying on plan with NoS, and exercising daily.
If I can't lose that much, so be it, but I will attempt it.. I feel I'd rather set my sights a little high, because that will hopefully keep me more focused on trying my absolute hardest, to stay ultra strict!
I'm also doing this to set a *good* example for Richie, as I know that when I slack off, so does he.. I feel I have to take responsibility here for both of us.

Thanks for listening friends!
Have a great week.

Debs

[~reneew]

I feel your panic-pain! I'm right there with ya right now. I need to limit my s es on the s days because I'm on a weekly rollercoaster. I'm going to research to get the best advice on what to do about over the top s days. Any input? And let's all keep in mind that this topic is about Debs!!!

[gratefuldeb67]

Hi Rene Thank you!
Well, it's easy to think that it's S days that are the culprit, but for me it's not.. It's N days..
I am not too worried about the S days, because once you start restricting those, you really just resent it and that's one of the best parts of NoS.
But I'm not for gorge fests either..
My personal advice is just allow yourself between 2 and 3 S's per day, but put your focus on N days.
When I was exercising and doing NoS more seriously, I lost weight slowly, but I did.
Those are the two things which I am going to scrutinise..
*Daily*, *regular* exercise, which has fizzled right out of my life for the past few years. And only three meals per day, with no night time eating after 11 pm.

Good luck!
Lets check in again on Friday and see how it went
We can do it!!!
Love,
Debs

[~reneew]

Debs, I like your idea of setting a number of cheats on an s day. I'm going to do that. Just 2. I think that the farther I get from 'the plan' the more it fails. I need 'the maker' to give me permission to modify a plan or my cheating instincts will take over and I create a whole new plan for me and I'll be binging all week. I'm home most of the time and the pantry calls. I have never been able to eat breakfast, I get nauseated, so I wait until I get hungry and eat brunch around 11:00. So then I get it in my head that I have an extra meal to have whenever. I do my best with less eating occasions. I do best with brunch and supper mon-Fri. Forget about the extra meal! I will be green until Friday, then do 2 cheats Saturday and Sunday. One day at a time! Renee

[gratefuldeb67]

Well, they aren't "Cheats" anyway Rene.. The are allowed S's. That's the beauty of this diet. No Cheating is involved.. Just moderation.
We earn by being good during the week.
They are *rewards* and we deserve them.
Good luck with N days!
See you Friday
Love,
Debs x

[reinhard]

Dear Deb,

Best of luck -- I know you can do this. And I think it makes a lot of sense.

The wonderful thing about no-s (and a shovelglovish 14 minutes of exercise every N-day) is that it's intrinsically moderate. Normally the phrase "hardcore ultra strict" should set off alarms of unsustainable extremism, but not, as in this case when you're practicing extreme MODERATION.

I'm sure you've seen these already, but just in case you need a little extra pep:

http://www.everydaysystems.com/podcast/ ... .php?id=21

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/ ... .features4

Best, best wishes and keep us all posted,

Reinhard

[gratefuldeb67]

Thanks Reinhard!
I'll listen to the podcast for some extra pep!
I already feel better making a very concerted effort to not be in that miry muddy place of ambiguous success/failure.. sort of attempting to do this, and just set really clear cut goals and expectations for myself.
That's the strict part.
But it's good for me, because when I am not focused, I just flounder along, and at my age, it seems that floundering along has become progressively more dangerous for me and my nearly non existent "resting metabolism" and I am gaining at a frightening pace.
This just has to stop now.
I remember how it felt to be thinner and I want that very much again.
Again, for myself, and for my Son, who I have to set a good example for.
Will update next Monday.
I appreciate the encouragement from everyone so thanks again!
Debs x

[bluebunny27]

Good luck ! Losing weight is hard, but with NO S and light exercise (or crazy exercise !) , you should get good results.

There are always ups and downs of course, just yesterday I had a bad day, I was at a friend's and people ordered pizza so of course I had too much and then I didn't exercise as I was planning. Eating bad food doesn't give you a lot of energy, that's for sure !

I know I am good the vast majority of the time though so it's all good in the end. I don't feel too bad about it. The idea is to have long term goals, not 4 day goals, I know if I weighed myself today I'd be a bit heavier because of last night's excessive eating but if I think about it, I just have to be good a few days in a row now and I'll be back on track, or even lighter than what I expected.

My mother loaned to me this lil' book she had that was describing all sorts of diets. I was reading about those and I was thinking it was crazy ! Don't eat this, don't eat that, bla-bla. I was thinking No S was the best and most reasonable diet ever.

Much better than all those describe in the book, Atkins and whatnot ... cos' it's the most reasonable and adapted to day to day life as well.

Some diets are so restrictive, you can't have bread, pasta, potatoes ... how can you manage that ?? So you cheat, you get frustrated and then you quit, stupid thing to do ! I even read one where you could eat basically all fruits except bananas ... why ??

I've been reading everywhere bananas are good for you ... anyway sticking with No S is the best thing to do and also the diet you are more likely to follow in the long run.

[gratefuldeb67]

Thanks Marc!
You are one of my big inspirations these days, so I appreciate that!
And I agree totally that a restrictive diet is just bound to be a failure in the long term. I'd never even consider that now.
Hahah!! Funny about you and your Moms "recommended reading"...
I was cleaning up my Son's room today, and doing a bit of Spring purging of old books on the shelf.. Little does she know it, but I just dumped one of the failed diet books she bought years ago.. The 5 day miracle diet.. Like the stupid diets that say to avoid bananas, I think this one was telling people to not eat carrots!!! hahaha..
What a load of twaddle..
Have a great week!

[bluebunny27]

Debs wrote :
Thanks Marc!
You are one of my big inspirations these days, so I appreciate that!




********* Wow, thanks !! Who knew I could inspire somebody with my antics !!




Debs :
And I agree totally that a restrictive diet is just bound to be a failure in the long term. I'd never even consider that now.




******** Yes, I was reading the description of the diets in the book and I wasn't even considering doing any of 'em ... a diet has to be very simple or else you are bound to fail. It is hard enough to lose weight, you don't need all sorts of rules to follow, especially silly ones like the no bananas diet. I usually eat one banana every day, so that's not for me.



Debs :
Hahah!! Funny about you and your Moms "recommended reading"...




******** Yeah, not so long ago I would have been a lil' annoyed by someone giving me a book about diets and sayin' : "You might like to read this ??" ... It didn't bother me this time since I have already done the bulk of the work, I've lost around 52-53 pounds now in just over 5 months ... still at least 28 to go before nov. 1st, but I am already very pleased with what I have done so far. I still want to achieve my long term goal of course .. to be under 200 on nov. 1st, but even if I ended up at 204 on the final day, I wouldn't beat myself up for too long, I'd just persevere for a month or two and then one morning, finally .. a '1' as the first number on the scale, 199.9 ! It hasn't happened to me in 10 years probably so that'll be a proud moment. After that it'll be easy to finish the remaining 10 pounds over the next 6 months and then I plan to stick around 190 pounds long term...
with regular weigh ins so I know what's goin' on ... and what to do.




Debs :
The 5 day miracle diet.. Like the stupid diets that say to avoid bananas, I think this one was telling people to not eat carrots!!! hahaha..
What a load of twaddle..
Have a great week!




******* Yeah, sometimes you hear about diets that say 'Lose 15 pounds in 4 weeks !! No exercise !!' ... yeah, right ! Good luck on your project and remember when you are hungry, try eating foods that have lil' calories but are also filling : carrots, celery, plain air popped pop corn ... ... and drink plenty of water as well, this way you don't feel guilty and/or hungry ! Try to exercise too, every lil' bit helps, I personally jog to the mailbox at the end of the street monday to friday, adds 6-8 minutes of cardio every day. Just today I was surprising myself, how I can run all the way over there and I am not out of breath at all unlike when I started training and I couldn't get half way there without stopping.
Marc

[Amyliz]

Deb- you can do it!!!

I lost 5lbs in 8 months- then gained back 4 in the month of December alone! But since January I have been 100% committed and I've lost 6 of my total 10lbs in the last 3 months. As you know, I didn't think it was possible, but I've been working out a lot More.

Here's one practical tip- when your exercising and you can tell you're not giving it your all, remind yourself 'this is my ONE workout today, I'm not going to do this again today, make it count!'

I say this to myself all the time

Another tip - find something you actually
Like doing. I know running is great for weight loss, but I don't like running! Instead, I've found a few great aerobics classes that are fun and I never miss them.

Best of luck!

[gratefuldeb67]

Thanks guys for the great ideas!
I'm psyched!
Debs x

[MysteryLover]

You can do it Deb! Especially with so many people cheering you on. You go girl!! Don't forget we're all in this together. And like Marc & Reinhard said- nothing ultra-strict about about. You just need moderation. (no exact quotes here)

[gratefuldeb67]

Thanks Gina!
I'm actually really much better with the ultra strict approach, because I have always done well when I'm in a structured setting.. But no, I know that NoS doesn't need to be *restrictive* to be done strictly

I had a great day yesterday and was successful on NoS, exercise, and I didn't eat during the middle of the night, though I still woke up with the feeling to do it! (settled on a glass of juice, which I'm allowing.. just nothing solid...and only one small glass)
Tomorrow we are having Passover here, but I am going to pass on any desserts and definitely no seconds. I may try to go for straight N day, if I can, but since food will be served in courses, I may have to take two plates, because when there's salad and appetisers before dinner, I know I'll want some.. So I am going to use a "fourth meal" for tomorrow.
Have a nice day everyone!
Love,

Debs

[Nichole]

You can do it!!!! It's good that you care and you're not just going to give up on yourself. I want to try ultra-strict No-S, too, so you have my support!!

[gratefuldeb67]

Thanks Nichole!
Hope you are well
Debs x

[gratefuldeb67]

I'm so glad I recommitted seriously!
My only slight mess up was last night when I had a small granola bar for dessert after dinner.. It was borderline as far as the sugar and calories.. one of those little size ones kids have. But it wasn't on my dinner plate so, it was really a snack.

But since being strict again and two nights of no eating after dinner, I am down 3.5 lbs already!!!
Woo hoo!!!
Have a good week all!!
Debs x

[Nichole]

Congrats!!!! That's great news.

[bluebunny27]

Awesome work !! U see when you apply yourself, you get good results quickly. This motivates you to get better and better all the time, convenient ! Sure it is hard sometimes but when you notice the difference after a while it sure is worth the effort you put in. The hardest thing is to get started in my opinion ... at least for me it was. Once I had decided to lose weight, there was no way I wouldn't succeed, I had a plan ... I called it the MASTER PLAN.

The beginning was the hardest, then it's easier as you go along and you are pleased with the results. Just make sure not to lose your focus and not to get discouraged if you go through a bad spot, don't weigh yourself too often either, the least often the better, when I began this I was only weighing myself once a month, ironically it was the time I was losing the most too, now I find that once every 4 or 5 days is the best frequency for me.
I tried different things, once every 2 weeks, once a week, every day, every 2 days, I think I'll stick with the 4 or 5 days long term, works best for me.

If you don't weigh yourself for a while and then you weigh yourself, it's a powerful motivator ... I remember when I saw 266.0 after one month, 14 pounds down, I knew I would keep goin' then, cos' I was rock n' rollin'


Marc

[BrightAngel]

I am now 250 lbs, 5'2" body
I hope to lose between 8 and 10 pounds per month,
and this is doable if I am 100 percent committed to staying on plan with NoS, and exercising daily.
If I can't lose that much, so be it, but I will attempt it..
I feel I'd rather set my sights a little high, because that will hopefully keep me more focused on trying my absolute hardest, to stay ultra strict!
Debs

Debs,
At 5'0", even at 271, and with very restrictive eating, and lots of walking,
my average weekly weight loss was still only about 1.5 lbs.
Some weeks more.
Some weeks, zero.
5 lbs a month AVERAGE, is probably realistic together with Ideal eating and exercise Behavior.
But Reinhard is right when he says focus on BEHAVIOR,
because the RESULTS are truely out of your control..

[bluebunny27]

If you lose a lot of weight, 100 pounds or more, you may require plastic surgery though, especially if you lose it really fast, within a year or less. (Due to the stretched skin) I haven't researched this though so I don't know 4-sure. I won't need that cos' I'm only losing 75-80 pounds in a year and I'm rather young, 36. Plus I was training a lot before gaining weight so I had muscles. The skin stretches when you get heavier of course and then it shrinks back when you are losing fat, when you are younger it shrinks back more than when you are older, also if you lose the weight by exercising, it's better than having some kind of gastric bypass surgery, the muscles fill you up a bit more instead and your body has time to adjust to the change ... I haven't checked this out since it's not for me but those surgeries are sometimes required after a great weight loss. They remove the excess skin. If you have a family doctor, they can inform you better. If you want to lose A LOT of weight, I think it's better to take more time though, a couple of years steady is healthier than 6 months of starving yourself ... the skin shrinks but it takes some time...

[gratefuldeb67]

Thanks Bright Angel and Marc!
Yeah, I'll be happy losing a normal amount like 1-5 pounds a month, but I'm just trying to set my sights a bit higher now, for a few months and see how it goes.
Marc, no way in hell I'm going to have plastic surgery. I don't care if I have a flap of skin down there.. I am about as stretched out as they get, being 5'2 and 250 at my highest weight, both a few days ago, and at the final week of my pregnancy with my Son Richard.
I also have undergone two operations... One of them was a cesarean section when I had Richie...
God Bless him, he was 11 lbs and not about to go out the door so they had to open an escape window! LOL

I'm done with surgery, unless it is deemed absolutely necessary.
Whoever I ever end up with, will have to love me with or without my anatomical fannypack.
LOL

Thanks for the idea tho.
I'm pretty sure that when I lose all the weight, a good exercise regime will be all I need to stay looking fairly human, if not "Americas next top model" washboard abs looking...

I'm going to try and just weigh once a week.
I thought about not weighing for a month, and that will drive me nuts.

Have a good day all!
Debs

[Kathleen]

This may be wishful thinking, but I'm wondering if slow weight loss would make it so that skin is able to adjust to a lower weight.
Kathleen

[gratefuldeb67]

Too late for that Kathleen...
I already went from 250 lbs to 160 lbs many years ago..
Then I found my way back up again..
When I had gotten thin, I had a little flap below my belly..
That's fine.
I'll use it as a place to put my hands on cold days. LOL
Thanks guys, Marc brought this issue up, but to be honest,
at this point in my life I really don't care and am not at all worried what will become of my skin. I am sure it's been stretched to the max.
I'm not looking to try and be some kind of flawless image of "perfection" or any 18 year old.
I'm a 41 year old Mom, who has been there and back..
It's okay

[BrightAngel]

Deb,

When you're tiny, older, and have had very large weight losses,
loose skin on the tummy, upper arms and thighs is unavoidable.
This is true no matter how quickly or slowly the weight comes off.
The younger one is at the time of weight-loss the more the skin will shrink,
but the older one is, the less it matters.

I haven't had any plastic surgery, but
I look great in clothes, and not incredibly bad without them.
Formerly fat or not..
my opinion is that all woman over 60 look better clothed.
Even Jane Fonda.

It was 15 years ago that I weighed 271.
Let's get real....women in their late 40s and 50s aren't that far below 60.

[gratefuldeb67]

Let's get real....women in their late 40s and 50s aren't that far below 60.

Ahhhhh!!!!! Well let's not get carried away!!
I'm *still* in my *early* 40's!!
Heheh

Debs x

[bluebunny27]

Awh ok, it was just something to think about. I know those people, like on THE BIGGEST LOSER tv show, they often have surgeries once they are done with the show ... but then those are extreme cases, it's not really normal to lose 100 pounds within 3-4 months without any gastric bypass surgeries.

Also here in Canada, if you lose A LOT of weight and have excess skin, you can get the operation and it doesn't cost you a dime, it's covered if a doctor confirms it'll improve your life, preventing you from being uncomfortable, that sort of thing ... probably not the case in the USA, not sure how much those surgeries cost, probably a lot of money $ $ $
Geesh, I sound as if I have researched this now,

I'd like a tv show that is more realistic personally, not as extreme as THE BIGGEST LOSER, just a few people at home with a small digital camera, no challenges, people being voted off, no millions, just reality, people recording their attempts @ losing weight in their daily lives, not something stupid like having to eat cup cakes to get 'immunity' or choosing between seeing a dvd of your family and having to eat chocolates ... That would be much more interesting and informative.

Another quick tip I developed, I call it 'micro bites' ... when I am really tempted by something I am not supposed to have, nuts and chocolate syrup for example, I just have a tiny lil' bite, 5 peanuts with a few drops of the syrup on top, this way I get to taste what I have been craving and I don't feel guilty because it was a really tiny portion, a 'micro bite', I had 5 peanuts and a few drops of chocolate syrup, big deal !
... helps me avoid binge eating and regretting it later. This way I still get to taste the food. I don't feel guilty micro biting, I can burn those extra calories easily .. works with anything, if you crave chocolate, cut a really thin section of that Snickers' bar, a quarter of an inch and eat it, save the rest for another day. You taste it and you feel good, well, at least I do, for not having eaten the whole thing. The bar'll last a whole month that way, even if you micro bite daily, which I don't .. I only do this once in a while ... instead of goin' nutz. Anyway, if it can help somebody else too, it's all good.

Debs, you have to determine how often to weigh yourself, if you prefer to weigh more often, it's alright ... I tried different systems. At first I didn't want to weigh too often, once a month was enough. This way I was sure to see huge numbers ... instead of being depressed weighing every day for example and you happen to have gained weight that day ... I knew I was losing anyway, just looking in the mirror and tightening my belt, I tightened it another notch just a couple of days ago actually.

4-me once every 4-5 days seems to be the best method now since I am gettin' closer to my ultimate goal. I don't really look for huge numbers anymore. I could lose 9-10 pounds in a month, but I prefer doing it slow and steady 4-5 pounds per month for the next 6 months, it's better for my health that way and that's the whole point of doing this in the first place, to get healthier so I don't care if it takes me 6 months to get there instead of 3.

Marc

[la_loser]

As one who is approaching 60 in a couple of years, I must say that 41 seems awfully young to me, you whippersnapper you! I know age is relative but I'm pretty sure that 79 seems a lot older than 60. . . but since I'm just immature for my age, maybe I am closer to 50 than 60--at least in my mind!

And Deb, I think you've got the right idea--and we know you've been successful before on No S so it really is you and some of the other "old (in No S Experience) timers" who are the experts here rather than those of us who have not been doing No S as long. And your sense of humor and way of turning a clever phrase just makes me laugh.

You have indeed been there and back--on No S so I'll defer to you as someone who knows what she wants and needs to do!

And Bright Angel, I love your analysis of what really matters -- a little extra skin is a small price to pay to have a healthier body. You are great at cutting right to the heart of the issue. And you too have a rich history of weight loss and making sound decisions that you've worked on.

And note to other responders: Let's remember that as for the plastic surgery part--DEB never ever brought up the plastic surgery question or anything of the sort--yet all of a sudden her thread has taken a turn I wouldn't have expected! Funny how these threads go wayward sometimes.

Deb, I'm eager to hear the continuing saga of how your version of "ultra strict" No S works out for you. And I'm hoping that my sticking to Vanilla No S -- bam--NO snacks, seconds and sweets. . . period.. . will continue to work for me. Isn't it the best?! (I suspect that when we do a kinda sorta No S, it just doesn't work--and it also doesn't follow the rules!)

Have a great weekend.

[~reneew]

I like the micro bites idea. Maybe once I have a huge loss I'll feel more confident to take a bite and know that I won't have a landslide of bites.

As far as the extra skin thing goes (yucky thought) I've lost over 50lb. a couple of times and the skin did shrink back over time. I can't remember if it was years or what, but count on it so you won't have 1 more excuse to give up! It does happen. I remember even wearing a bikini after a huge loss. But then again I wasn't 42 either (though I'm still a whipper-snapper ) My friend of 40 something lost 100 and had a stomach job done. If she can afford it I think most anyone can. As a side note... she lost it eating low carbs and is gaining now. I have so many friends that have done that! I know that noS is the natural, common sense, antique, but tried and true way to eat... My great grand parents did. They napped also and both lived into their 90s.

Go Debs!!!! We're there with ya!

[bluebunny27]

Yeah, the micro bites help me out a lot. I think that's why I had a bad month of march. I only lost 4.2 pounds due to the fact I was binge eating 4 times during the month, slowing down my progress and setting me back.

Since I have been doing the 'micro bites' (almost one month now) I have only binge eaten once and that was due to my arch enemy : The pizza delivery guy. That's one thing I can't resist, pizza. I was at a friend's house when all those pizzas were ordered, I had about 4 slices all by myself, plus a couple of beers ... I wasn't too pleased. ;-(

Grilled chicken with the crispy skin still on is also really tough. Those would be my 2 main cravings, I don't crave really sweet things usually, that's pretty rare. I find it much easier to lose weight doing the micro bites since I rarely binge eat anymore. I have more control. Also if I feel like eating, I binge eat on plain CELERY and CARROTS instead of forbidden items. This way I know I am really not that bad.

Marc

[Thalia]

I just go ahead and have peanuts and crispy chicken if I want to -- they just have to fit on my plate! One of the things I like about No S is that I don't ahve to throw away broiled chicken skin -- I do toss it from braised chicken, because it's all flabby and unappealing, but if I have a chicken thigh for dinner with beautiful brown, crisp skin, I just eat it! If I have pizza, I have one or two slices, depending on size, and some salad, and it all fits on my plate and I'm happy.

[Nichole]

I can also say that Micro-biting works! I've been doing that lately. I'll have just a teaspoon of ice cream and put the rest back. And I can't return because the spoon is now dirty..... It helps me to get the taste of dinner out of my mouth My ice cream last forever this way, lol.

[brotherjohn]

I love the idea (and vocabulary term) of "micro-biting". I have done that same thing before, had success with it, and now I have a term to use to speak of it.

When I was a little kid, I remember sitting at the table with my mother and grandmother. My mom said that Art Linkletter (and his wife?) had to maintain their weight because they were celebrities. So, for dessert every day they just ate one bite of pie! My grandmother said that had heard (or read) that fact, too.

Maybe an alternate term for a "micro-bite" could be a "Linkletter"!

[~reneew]

How ya doin' Debs? I'm doin' the ultra strict too since 4/1 and green all month so far, and considering I've only gone 4 days before, that's great! I tried your 2-3 S es on the weekend and it worked. I also tried the micro-bites at Mom's for Easter and it worked. I think that she had over 4 deserts sitting out at all times!!! Tough, but I did it.

[gratefuldeb67]

That's great Rene!!!
Glad to hear you are on track and doing so well!!
Well, I've been having some mess ups, as usual, they are at night..
And I haven't exercised much at all..
So those are the two points I'm going to focus on this week.
Especially going to put my efforts on not eating in the middle of the night, as it's just the worst and most seriously ingrained detrimental habit I have.

That's great about having normal S days and not gorgefests!!
They are really more enjoyable that way anyway..
I find that if I totally overdo anything either having seconds, or just making really poor choices, I just feel badly afterward so I don't even look forward to that anymore..

I'll check in again on Friday.
Really gotta put my blinders on, and get that night time eating under control.


Take care!


Debs x

[gratefuldeb67]

Oh btw, sorry LA!! Thanks for your reply!
You are a great cheerleader!!
Debs x

[bluebunny27]

Snacking late at night ?? I always make sure I have a lot of celery and carrots in the fridge. I pick up a bag of carrots and a celery at the grocery store nearly every week now. What's a better snack for you than a bowl of plain celeri sticks and a nice plain carrot cut into little sticks (I leave the skin on, cos' it's nutritious, I just wash the carrot and then cut it) I combine the celery and the carrot into one bowl, eat all that, drink a couple of glasses of water and I am FULL, all that with only 100 calories added to my day so I don't feel guilty. It's a win-win combination. If I feel bad about 100 calories, I really need to have my head examined, or I can do 20 push ups and 20 squats and the extra calories have been used up in 2 minutes flat. Remember .... CELERY & CARROTS, that's the key for guilt free late night snacks.

[kccc]

What a very funny thread this is... it started out as "strict No-S" and wandered off into "micro-bites" (which, while they may work for some, are quite definitely a mod) and then into snacking at night, which is again not "strict No-S" (no matter what you eat, as counter-intuitive as that seems)....

Either mod would be a disaster for me, but hope they work well for those using them.

It's interesting what variety we have in "what works."

Cheers,

KCCC

[Nichole]

What a very funny thread this is... it started out as "strict No-S" and wandered off into "micro-bites" (which, while they may work for some, are quite definitely a mod) and then into snacking at night, which is again not "strict No-S" (no matter what you eat, as counter-intuitive as that seems)....

Good point! How are you doing on the original topic, Debs?

[gratefuldeb67]

Yeah, thanks again, but whether it's celery or carrots or really *anything* I don't want to eat at night..
I was saying that those were my *failures* this week.. Not a mod..
I'm very upset that this has happened actually, as I've put on the four pounds I lost and gained an extra one on top.
And, no, micro bites isn't something I want to do either..
If it's a sweet, I eat it on S days.. I'm glad it works for Marc, but I'm not particularly advocating it.
I'd say that's counter to no snacking.
Marc, it's amazing how much stuff I *could* eat, if I were exercising for an hour a day, as you are.. Thing is, when you get more sedentary, then you are stuck with all these snacking habits that eventually will work against you, I think..
And it's nothing to do with "guilt or guilt free" snacking.. it simply causes me to *not lose* weight and usually gain..
Had a failure today cos I had a snapple with sugar, when out shopping with my Son for some clothes at the mall.
Have had a monster of a headache for the past two days, and very lethargic and kinda sick.. Hope this goes away very soon, cos I miss doing some exercise, but my head is killing me.
Well, I'm done with this thread guys..
I'm gonna keep up on my own check in.
The original reason I put it up was just to say, simply, that plain NoS is what I wish to be ultra strict about, and without making any extra mods or anything.. that's the exact opposite of my whole goal actually..
Marc, I know you mean well, but I want to stop eating at night *period*..
But yeah, carrots and celery are a really good thing to choose.. I totally agree with that.. But it's the habit I want gone.. I want to totally eradicate it.. no eating at night.
I know that when I can accomplish this and add daily exercise, I will lose weight.
Have a good week all.
Debs

[bluebunny27]

Oh yeah, that's because I make my own rules, sorry if some of those are not Pure No-S, I just do what works for me, u see. I don't really count celery and carrots as cheating.

Anyway with all the exercises I do almost everyday, I can get away with some stuff easily. I try to be good though, following the No-S principles but I don't beat myself up if I have a micro bite once in a while or a bowl of plain carrots & celery sticks in the late evening. I really like nutritious food now, I am not even tempted of going to a fast food place @ the moment.

Marc

[gratefuldeb67]

Yeah Marc, it's not even *late* evening I'm talking about..
When I say middle of the night.. I mean at 2 or 3 am..
I agree that carrots and celery are incredibly good choices, and I *love* a good salad,,, but after I go to bed, no matter, I don't want to eat *anything*..
Btw.. I am not beating myself up when I have middle of the night failures, but tracking them..
I see the end result and it's *always* that I gain weight.
This is a habit I've had since early teens, so no doubt, it's gonna be the hardest (and is proving that) of my habits to break.

I am definitely only interested in doing NoS, without any mods..
That's proving to be enough of a challenge with my night time eating habit.
During the day, it's no problem tho..

Have a great week!

Debs

[~reneew]

Debs, so, you seriously wake up at 2 or 3 and go eat? Do you have trouble going back to sleep? You should work on that. Maybe go to bed later and later each night and get up earlier and earlier until you sleep through the night. Keep that up until your habit is gone, then SLOWLY go back to normal sleep habits. I had insomnia and that worked for me...

[clio]

TTapp is a great exercise program which also advocates skin brushing, to help with loose skin.

http://www.t-tapp.com/success/charlotte/default.html

[gratefuldeb67]

I've never heard of "skin brushing".. What is that????

That Ttap lady is incredibly fit..
Thanks for the link.
Debs

[clio]

It sounds a little weird, but dry skin brushing is just lightly brushing your skin with a natural bristle brush to stimulate the skin and help with circulation and exfoliation. It really is great for your skin. There are lots of sites explaining the benefits and techniques, but I use the method from the TTapp site (which by the way is a wonderful exercise program).

[Blithe Morning]

Deb, I hesitate to mention this but I am just putting this out there as something to think about.

It seems to me that NoS is meant to address out of control eating that is default or mindless. Middle of the night eating seems to be a different beast with a different cause. There is an intentionality there that is not there with other types of overeating. Yes, there is the habitual aspect but I suspect there might be another dynamic at play that needs to be addressed before you work on modifying habit.

I only put this out there because I know you have been working No S for a long time and this is the one sticking point that just doesn't seem to resolve. If after repeated attempts you can't make it work, then maybe the problems No S addresses aren't the problems you have.

Just putting that out there to think about. No need to respond, even.

[gratefuldeb67]

You're totally right Blithe Morning..
I agree completely.
Thank you.
Please don't hesitate to share any ideas, or worry about me being offended at all.. I really appreciate the thoughtfulness and insight.
I am going to start to research different ways to deal with this.
Thank you!
By the way, at this point, if anyone wants to leave me any ideas, I'd greatly appreciate it on my check in thread.
I feel really bad that my goal which was Ultra strict NoS failed so badly, so far for this month, and each time this thread keeps getting bumped up, I feel embarrassed.
Debs x

[apomerantz]

Debs,

I can't seem to find the specific post where you first mention eating in the middle of the night, but I had a couple of ideas about that. These aren't from experience at all, so take them with a grain of salt - - but logically, I'm thinking they might help.

The first idea is to set your alarm clock for a time that is earlier than the time you normally wake up and want to eat. Then, I was thinking it might be a good idea to drink an amount of water at that time - - hopefully you'll be groggy and go right back to sleep. I'm thinking you've got some really set in biorhythms that are getting you up at 2 am, and maybe you need to disrupt that sleep pattern in some way for a few nights.

Have you tried also doing some other combination of mouth distraction when you DO wake up? Maybe make a rule for yourself that I must do two things before getting the snack, and then if those don't work, I will get one. I would NOT get out of bed to do this.

1. Drink a full glass of water
2. Chew two large pieces of sugarless gum for at least 10 minutes
3. Read 1 book chapter

Maybe, by the time you do this - - you'll feel some satiety from the water and maybe some renewed sleepiness . . .I'm just thinking of how you can replace one habit with a new one. Just laying there totally hungry sounds like a prescription for trouble.

Good luck with this! My apologies if you already have had these ideas mentioned - - it was a long thread.

[Thalia]

apomerantz, that's basically how we night-weaned my daughter! Sippy cup of water from Daddy instead of nursing, a little back-patting, and within three days she was sleeping through the night because her body didn't expect to eat then anymore.

[gratefuldeb67]

Hi Anita and Thalia
Thanks for writing about ways to break that habit. I don't think it will really help me to set the clock or anything, because I get up anyway a few times a night anyway, and the times I go down to eat, can be anytime between 1 am and 4:30 so it's not a truly regular thing, timewise..
But I should just say, most people from the old days here might have heard me tell a bit about my personal background, but I believe that relatively newer members within the last two or three years, might not know this about me..
I'm Bipolar and my naturally occurring serontonin levels are very very low..
I do take some herbs, which help incredibly, but when I don't exercise and when I'm stressed. which has been almost *all the time* over the last few years with this job searching and living at home with my mom, and losing my father a few years back, the compulsion to eat at night is pretty much stress/hormones/neurotransmitter deficient driven...
I am very glad that Blithe Morning posted a few days ago that this could be something more than simply a bad habit.. It's really true..
So I looked up some helpful sites and all of them give the magic remedy of a combination of exercise, meds (which I *will not take* but I do take herbs) and making sure to eat breakfast in the morning, which at times I don't do until mid afternoon!! And stress reduction/coping exercises too..
Sooo,,, as I mentioned on my own check in, I have just joined my old gym again so I can go back to my yoga practice!!
I'm sure this will be just what I need.
I did eat something last night, but stopped myself before it became a lot..
Had half a mango... I actually feel good that I was able to tell myself to get back out of the kitchen and stop when I did.
So some progress!
Have a great weekend all!
Debs x