How hard is No S?

Aya · Post by **Aya** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 8:54 am

Let me introduce myself:

I'm a 43 year old woman who gave up "dieting" about two years ago. I just couldn't take the constant anxiety about how much I weighed, how much I could allow myself to eat. Since then I've gained about 10 pounds, which on my 5'2" frame it feels like a lot. According to my BMI, I've now entered the overweight zone...

So it's time to think about my weight again. I'm interested in No S because, though there are rules, it is not complicated, and I think that it might be possible not to obsess about my weight while doing it.

But, I have to admit, the thought of restricting anything is scary. I do like not dieting. It has been a source of freedom and peace for me to let go of the diet mentality altogether. AND, I'll admit it: I'm a card-carrying perma snacker. I eat every 3 hours on average. I'm pretty moderate about sweets, but seconds and snacking are daily routines for me. I do have (slight) problems with blood sugar, and have been advised to eat regularly.

So I guess my question is, has anyone else out there been in the same position (more or less) that I'm in, and have you had success on No S?

Thanks,
Aya

marleah · Post by **marleah** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 12:09 pm

I think there are a lot of people here who have been in that situation. For me personally, I thrive on having a few rules, so it's been really great for me. However, some people do have a tough time getting used to it.

If you think it might help, you could always pick one of the "Esses" to restrict first - maybe no seconds for a week or two until you get that down, then no sweets, then no snacks. You don't have to do everything at once if you think it will be overwhelming.

Also, you can start a Daily Check In where you can list how the day went and get support from everyone. And a HabitCal is really fun because you get to check off when you have a good day!

Good luck!

MysteryLover · Post by **MysteryLover** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 12:12 pm

Hi Aya,

Definitely in the same situation. I gave up dieting over a year ago, after almost two years of maintainence as a Lifetime member at WW. I just woke up one day and couldn't do it anymore. I tried eating intuitively (listening to my body's cues), but now, over a year later, I have gained ALL the weight back. I had hit 150 pounds on my 5'1" medium-boned frame.

So far I am really loving the No S Diet. At first, I too, was afraid of the restriction of another diet. Once I realized the freedom of being able to eat whatever I wanted at my mealtimes (within the guidelines), I found it not to be restricting at all. I'm enjoying food more than ever now that I am hungry at mealtimes (I was a HUGE snacker too). Amazingly, I don't miss the sweets much. I did crave sweets yesterday, but I made it through just fine. I know that I can have them on the weekends.

So far I have only lost 2 pounds, but my first month was full of slip-ups. Considering how I was on the constant upswing with my weight, I consider that a success. The real success so far is in my habits. I no long NEED to snack. Prior to No S I was eating at least every 2 hours from 7am to 11 pm. I fully believe that eating in this new way will bring me to my 'natural' weight.

Best of luck to you!

Kathleen · Post by **Kathleen** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 12:42 pm

Aya,

I managed to use 1,000 calorie per day diets whenever I got above 135 pounds to stay below 135 pounds for about 10 years. Then I had kids. I got back to 155 and just could not restrict anymore. I tried over and over again and got to a high last September of 216 pounds.

Even following this diet's restrictions were really tough -- for about 3 weeks. Now it's a habit. I liken it to my kids learning to brush their teeth.

Our situations are not similar in that I am now 60 - 70 pounds overweight and you are only 10 pounds overweight. Those years of restrictions made dieting impossible. I've tried lots of diets and had lots of failures. With this one, the "diet backlash" is allowed on the weekend, which is what makes it possible to restrict for me.

Of all the diets I've tried, it's the second easiest. The easiest was Intuititve Eating. My kids called that diet The Peanut Cluster Diet, and I gained 10 pounds in six months.

Kathleen

brotherjohn · Post by **brotherjohn** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 12:44 pm

Good morning, Aya, and welcome aboard!

How hard is No-S? I would say that at first it is very hard. But, with a few weeks (maybe 21 days) it becomes a lot easier. I've been faithful since January 15th, and I have lost 8 pounds. I was a perma-snacker, and I believe that doing that keeps your body in an uproar. After awhile on No-S, my body settled down to the pattern I'm in today.

One of the keys to me seems to be to make sure that some of the food on my plate is nutrient-rich. That seems to make my body feel like it is well-nourished, and does away with the feeling that I must snack and binge because I am starving.

Aya, I think No-S is the plan for you! Give it a few weeks and I think you will be presently surprised at how you feel. I look forward to seeing you around!

John

Post by **reinhard** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 8:19 pm

Welcome, Aya!

I kind of like what I put on the home page in response to this question (hidden way at the bottom):

Is it hard?

It's hard in a different way than most other diets. It can seem harder at first because it doesn't pretend that there is some trick to bypassing the work of building new habits - it does take willpower and patience and discipline. But the hard part is all up front. Once you get past this initial hump, once you've turned the rules into unconscious habits, it gets easier and easier.

This is in stark contrast to the way other diets work. Forbidden-foods diets, like Atkins, seem great at the outset, because you can go on being a glutton, gorging on unlimited steaks to compensate for never eating pasta or pizza or potatoes again. But it gets old fast. You really start to miss the forbidden foods. And then you crack. Counting calories is the same way. It can be fun for a week. Sort of a game. But after a few months it becomes a time-consuming chore. Every meal becomes a math assignment. It's almost a tossup whether you'd be more miserable sticking your diet or quitting and getting fat again.

Which brings me to another great thing about the No S Diet: it's never really hard in the sense of being unpleasant, even at the very beginning. It might take discipline, it might take patience, but it doesn't take suffering. In fact, you'll enjoy food more. The spotlight of three single-plate meals doesn't just catch excess, it focuses appreciation. And you'll enjoy your sweets on weekends and holidays more than you ever did before.

Lastly, it's socially unobtrusive. People don't have to cook you separate meals, as they would on a low-carb plan, for instance. Most of the time, they won't even notice you're on a diet, much less be inconvenienced by it.

noni · Post by **noni** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 8:38 pm

Aya,

I've done many diets, 10 years of intuitive eating, but No S is the one I feel I can stick with. I have for two months so far and lost 11 pounds. And that includes in those two months, 4 failure days, 3 NWS days and VERY enjoyable weekends. And yes, it is restrictive during the week. Afterall, it's eating sweets and frequent snacking that has put on the weight in the first place (for me that is). And remember the oasis at the week's end! I'm finally content with a diet and I've been playing with various ones for over 30 years. Hop on board!

bonnieUK · Post by **bonnieUK** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 9:59 am

Something that's made things much easier for me is having 4 meals per day instead of 3, and surprisingly I've not found it difficult to make each meal smaller. Somehow psychologically I can cope with the idea that I can only eat 4 times per day and not in between, but 3 seems too much of a challenge! I'm also much less likely to overload my plate or be tempted to have seconds.

I have minor blood sugar issues too and the 4 meal approach helps, I have less dips in mood & energy level (of course the "no sweets" aspect of No S definitely helps there too!).

I've done the 4 meals thing for about 4 months (I think?) and haven't lost or gained specifically, just happily maintaining (which is my goal).

Edit I just checked back with my testimonial from Sep 08 and realised I've been doing the 4 meal thing since then. I am 1kg heavier

too, but I think that is more likely to do with having too many S days over the last couple of months and not enough exercise - I've been a bit slack, but have recently given myself a kick up the butt

I know that when I'm on track I maintain the same weight (which I did from Sep 08 to Jan 09, but too frequent S days will show up on my scale.

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 1:26 pm

Changing any habit can be hard. It depends on so many factors. What roles does food play in your life? How unhappy are you with letting those roles rule your eating? IMHO, the more emotional value food has for you (that you may be completely unaware of), the more likely it is that it will be difficult to break the bond, no matter how much it seems like it would make sense to stop. I have found that it is easier for me to tolerate physical hunger than emotional hunger, i.e., the desire to eat--sometimes a lot! If you are perma-snacking , the likelihood is that you are rarely physically hungry. Waiting long enough to eat so that you are hungry for your meals is a gift. I wish I could say in my own life that it is pleasurable enough to stop me from the emotional eating, but I haven't given up trying because I really think it is the last stop on the line. If we didn't need some kind of structure, we wouldn't be fat. NoS gives structure while it also allows for each individual to alter the foods eaten over a period of time. It also doesn't demand that becoming psychiatrist to do it, but you will probably have to understand a bit more about yourself to get really good at implementing the habits. There are several people here who have tried the approaches advocated by those trying to help end emotional eating, and they have settled down here. Personally, I think part of their success comes from what they learned, but part of it is that the sheer discipline, without the ungodly restrictions, will also reinforce emotional independence.

In short, you won't know until you try. But it makes a heck of a lot better sense to give this a good shot rather than the nutty alternatives that are out there. And, you can always go back to what you're doing!
_________________

Aya · Post by **Aya** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 10:38 am

Ã waited after the Easter break, but now I'm ready to give No S a try. Yesterday was fairly easy. I ate at 7:30, 12:00 and 5: 30. (Couldn't wait another hour for my usual 6:30 dinner....)

Today has been a bit harder. By 11:30 am I was well and truly hungry. Forgot how that felt. It was almost like holding my breath.

I am going to do 21 days. This is going to be hard.

Thanks,
Aya

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 11:21 am

Congrats, Aya! Remember that you can have beverages, if you are really hungry. Sometimes I have my own version of a latte. But, getting hungry is good, too!

vmelo · Post by **vmelo** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 2:22 am

reinhard wrote:Welcome, Aya!

I kind of like what I put on the home page in response to this question (hidden way at the bottom):

Is it hard?

It's hard in a different way than most other diets. It can seem harder at first because it doesn't pretend that there is some trick to bypassing the work of building new habits - it does take willpower and patience and discipline. But the hard part is all up front. Once you get past this initial hump, once you've turned the rules into unconscious habits, it gets easier and easier.

This is in stark contrast to the way other diets work. Forbidden-foods diets, like Atkins, seem great at the outset, because you can go on being a glutton, gorging on unlimited steaks to compensate for never eating pasta or pizza or potatoes again. But it gets old fast. You really start to miss the forbidden foods. And then you crack. Counting calories is the same way. It can be fun for a week. Sort of a game. But after a few months it becomes a time-consuming chore. Every meal becomes a math assignment. It's almost a tossup whether you'd be more miserable sticking your diet or quitting and getting fat again.

Which brings me to another great thing about the No S Diet: it's never really hard in the sense of being unpleasant, even at the very beginning. It might take discipline, it might take patience, but it doesn't take suffering. In fact, you'll enjoy food more. The spotlight of three single-plate meals doesn't just catch excess, it focuses appreciation. And you'll enjoy your sweets on weekends and holidays more than you ever did before.

Lastly, it's socially unobtrusive. People don't have to cook you separate meals, as they would on a low-carb plan, for instance. Most of the time, they won't even notice you're on a diet, much less be inconvenienced by it.

Reinhard, I love that excerpt from the homepage. About a week ago before I found my way back to No-S, I had been contemplating going on the South Beach diet because I was so desparate to get thin fast (I was even on it for a couple of days). Then, I went to their forum, and no disrespect to those folks, but it was like most other traditional dieting forums: Many, many posts on how to circumvent the rules and eat more!

I was talking to my sister about this the other day. It seems like whenever a "career dieter" like myself starts a new restrictive diet, it doesn't take long for us to start trying to figure out ways that we can be gluttonous and still stay within the stringent parameters set forth by whatever diet we're on. I remember doing the Weight Watchers point system and ordering special bread and rolls from Wisconson (or one of those states) because each slice had 13 grams of fiber and I could each two slices for 1 point on the WW Point plan. How ridiculous is that!

vmelo · Post by **vmelo** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 2:23 am

reinhard wrote:Welcome, Aya!

I kind of like what I put on the home page in response to this question (hidden way at the bottom):

Is it hard?

It's hard in a different way than most other diets. It can seem harder at first because it doesn't pretend that there is some trick to bypassing the work of building new habits - it does take willpower and patience and discipline. But the hard part is all up front. Once you get past this initial hump, once you've turned the rules into unconscious habits, it gets easier and easier.

This is in stark contrast to the way other diets work. Forbidden-foods diets, like Atkins, seem great at the outset, because you can go on being a glutton, gorging on unlimited steaks to compensate for never eating pasta or pizza or potatoes again. But it gets old fast. You really start to miss the forbidden foods. And then you crack. Counting calories is the same way. It can be fun for a week. Sort of a game. But after a few months it becomes a time-consuming chore. Every meal becomes a math assignment. It's almost a tossup whether you'd be more miserable sticking your diet or quitting and getting fat again.

Which brings me to another great thing about the No S Diet: it's never really hard in the sense of being unpleasant, even at the very beginning. It might take discipline, it might take patience, but it doesn't take suffering. In fact, you'll enjoy food more. The spotlight of three single-plate meals doesn't just catch excess, it focuses appreciation. And you'll enjoy your sweets on weekends and holidays more than you ever did before.

Lastly, it's socially unobtrusive. People don't have to cook you separate meals, as they would on a low-carb plan, for instance. Most of the time, they won't even notice you're on a diet, much less be inconvenienced by it.

Reinhard, I love that excerpt from the homepage. About a week ago before I found my way back to No-S, I had been contemplating going on the South Beach diet because I was so desparate to get thin fast (I was even on it for a couple of days). Then, I went to their forum, and no disrespect to those folks, but it was like most other traditional dieting forums: Many, many posts on how to circumvent the rules and eat more!

I was talking to my sister about this the other day. It seems like whenever a "career dieter" like myself starts a new restrictive diet, it doesn't take long for us to start trying to figure out ways that we can be gluttonous and still stay within the stringent parameters set forth by whatever diet we're on. I remember doing the Weight Watchers point system and ordering special bread and rolls from Wisconson because each slice had 13 grams of fiber and I could eat two slices for 1 point on the WW Point plan. How ridiculous is that!

As you say, what's so great about No-S is that the discipline required is up front. There's no pretense that you can still be a glutton and lose.

janmarie · Post by **janmarie** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 3:47 am

No-s is easier then no no-s for me! cause when i was just eating when-ever what-ever i still never felt satisfied AND felt out of control and bad and bloated. With no-s i have some hours of hunger...i can deal with that. I am not feeling awful about myself.

Everyday Systems

How hard is No S?

How hard is No S?

fear of "hard"-ness

good going