What do your S days look like?

vmelo · Post by **vmelo** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:33 pm

I've been No-Sing for about 2 1/2 weeks now. My first weekend on the plan, I was really proud of myself. I only had about three "S"es, so I felt moderate and in control. On my second weekend, I wasn't so moderate. To coin a term used by another poster, I "perma-snacked" all day on Saturday and made some poor choices on Sunday (e.g., carrot cake for breakfast). I tried No-S about a year ago, and I didn't stick to it because I was not following the spirit of the rules. I was purposely pigging out on weekends and vertically stacking my plates on weekdays simply because I could. Needless to say, I didn't lose any weight. This time I want it to be different, but I'd like to get an idea of what S days look like for those folks who have been doing this a while and are successfully losing weight. I'm particularly interested in hearing stories from women. From what I've been reading on this board, it seems as if men lose much faster (no surprise there). I'm a 5 ft. 3 female who probably weighs in the range of 170-175 (I don't weigh myself) and am 41. I'd like to get down to 135-140.

So, what do your S days normally look like?

Kathleen · Post by **Kathleen** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:48 pm

Well, let's see --
There was the weekend I had four Haagen Dazs bars in under two hours.
There was the weekend I had about 1,100 calories of caramel popcorn in a 15 minute drive home.
There was the weekend I had more than 2,000 calories of caramel macademian clusters.

I decided I could violate the spirit of the diet all I wanted so long as I kept my N Days greens.

Guess what?
I'm sick of Haagen Dazs bars.
I'm sick of caramel popcorn.
I'm sick of caramel macademian clusters.

I'm starting to want fruits and vegetables.

My weight loss is unimpressive -- from 215 on September 8 to 202.8 this morning.

Why stick with it?

Because I know I can follow this diet with ease for the rest of my life, and I think I'll be able to continue losing weight.

Kathleen

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:36 pm

I think that as time and S days go by, they get less out-of-control (with rare exceptions). I have weekends that I forget to have an S!

dockanz · Post by **dockanz** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 12:12 am

My weekend was a permasnacking gorge-fest too. I believe that the longer I do this, the less I will go crazy because I am trying to learn long term behaviors.

Kathleen · Post by **Kathleen** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 12:22 am

My first S Day weekend after five N Days:

"We were visiting my brother in law's family at their cabin in Wisconsin for a glorious fall weekend.

I ate 2 1/2 doughnuts and eggs and sausage for breakfast. I had tons of chips and then tacos for lunch. I ate pumpkin bars. At 1 PM, I didn't feel too well and took a nap. At 3, I used the bathroom -- several times. I didn't go on the boat ride. I got up at about 5:30 and felt better for the rest of the night.

My husband lectured me that night about how, if you can eat everything in sight, maybe you still shouldn't. He asked me if I was embarassed that I ate so much I got a stomach ache. I told him that, yes, I was embarassed. I could even describe myself as mortified.

Actually, I also felt encouraged by this. My body revolted against overeating. It occurred to me that, by following the N Day rules, I won't be able to overeat significantly on S Days.

This was lifted from another blog: "Take care of the N Days, and the S Days take care of themselves." I think it may be my motto for this diet.

Tonight, I'll have a Haagen Dazs ice cream bar, and then I'll brace for another five N Days of no snacks, no sweets, no seconds. I'm expecting this week to be easier than last week."

It's true. I endured stomach aches often through about the end of January, and now I'm smarter -- I don't want to eat so much that I don't feel well!

Kathleen

janmarie · Post by **janmarie** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 1:05 am

I really looked forward to this past saturday and sunday. someone at work was eating cheetos and put that on my list as an s day snack, ate some, ate some ice cream, it was kind of nice to indulge in junk food (i am a former junk food junky). anyway, towards the end of each week i make a little list of foods that i have been craving (usually seeing something someone was eating during the week) and look forward to partaking. surprisingly my list has only included 1 or two treats! the other part of my s-days include nibbling and tasting but not much more.

apomerantz · Post by **apomerantz** » Sun May 03, 2009 1:42 pm

I'm petite, like you, and am 42 years old. Now, thanks to no S, I am in the normal weight range, but I am definitely not skinny.
I've been on no S for 3 1/2 months.

So far, I can tell you that my weekends are evolving. The first few, I basically ate like I always used to eat - - nibbling all day long with a lot of not-so-great foods (especially sweets). And that would go on all weekend.
It had an out of control feeling to it . . .like I was eating uncontrollably.

Now, my weekend usually consists of one immoderate day and one moderate day. The immoderate day is not totally out of control anymore, but might include a dessert after lunch AND a dessert after dinner. It could also include a cookie in between. Lunch seems heavier on this day i.e. a calzone instead of a plate half filled with fruits/veggies plus a sandwich. Honestly, I seem to never feel too great after this day.

Which then leads to a very reasonable second S day - - more like three meals, maybe some fruit as a snack, and then one dessert after dinner.

I'm hoping that eventually both my S days will look like the second S day . . .we'll see.

I'm losing slowly, but I don't have much to lose. Seems to be a definite 1 lb each month. But I feel great, love No S, and have the patience to wait.

janmarie · Post by **janmarie** » Mon May 04, 2009 12:44 pm

yes, slow and steady! the parable of the hare and the tortoise keeps coming to mind. when others are trying this or that quick weight loss scheme we on the no-s are slowly plodding along. i have seen it already with aquaitences.

susieb · Post by **susieb** » Tue May 05, 2009 1:11 pm

Hi- I'm pretty new to all of this and actually it is really great to read that there are lots of people who are having similar issues to me in terms of S days. I have perma-dieted for so many years now that if I "lose control" of my portions- I will just go mad- and that's what I have done. I do realise though that this will change as the new habits set in and I'm feeling pretty positive about the process rather than doing what I usually do- try and make up for binges by starvation which then, a few days later, sets me up for another binge!
Anyone have any ideas for long (9 hour) plane journies? I'm thinking of taking my own food on board rather than eat airline s**t but is that also being a bit obsessive? Help welcomed!
Cheers
SusieB
www.susiebnosdiet.blogspot.com

Post by **reinhard** » Tue May 05, 2009 1:41 pm

I don't worry at all about S-days.

Some are not too different from 3-meal N-days (+ some dessert, at least).

Others would be embarrassing if someone was following me around with a camera. But don't worry about these either (except to occasionally look over my shoulder to make sure someone isn't ACTUALLY following me around with a camera)

.

In terms of excess, the biggest difference between S-days and pre-no-s days is that I don't snack as much. I'm not going to say I don't do it at all, but if feels weird, and that friction of weirdness, combined with the awareness that I don't actually enjoy mindless snacking, makes it happen significantly less.

My advice would be to worry less, NEVER "compensate" for suboptimal S-days by depriving yourself more on other days, repeat to yourself over and over again like a mantra that "it takes time for new habits to form and carry over to S-days" and pro-actively reward away the resentment and boredom that causes automatic permasnacking on garbage with deliberate, delicious treats. Deliberate, delicious MEALS help too (leverages your N-day habit even more to keep that basic pattern).

Have you seen/heard this podcast?

http://www.everydaysystems.com/podcast/ ... .php?id=34

Reinhard

StrawberryRoan · Post by **StrawberryRoan** » Tue May 05, 2009 1:45 pm

My first S days were this past weekend. I didn't deprive myself of anything I wanted. It seemed like I was eating a lot because I had ate normally all week. However, it really wasn't any more than I always ate.

However, I was very happy to see Monday come as I prefer to have some control in my life.

Thalia · Post by **Thalia** » Tue May 05, 2009 3:53 pm

Anyone have any ideas for long (9 hour) plane journies? I'm thinking of taking my own food on board rather than eat airline s**t but is that also being a bit obsessive?

Susie, I don't think that's obsessive! Now that the airlines are cutting back, your choices are all too often to eat nothing or to pay them $8 for a "box lunch" of stale crackers. We always pack food for a flight longer than two hours, because otherwise it's just too grim.

~reneew · Post by **~reneew** » Tue May 05, 2009 4:23 pm

wosnes wrote:I think that as time and S days go by, they get less out-of-control (with rare exceptions). I have weekends that I forget to have an S!

Wow!!! If that didn't just give me a boost!!! I can't imagine! But I will strive for it!!!

Kathleen, 12ponds lost is great no matter how long it took. It's way better that going up!

vmelo · Post by **vmelo** » Tue May 05, 2009 10:28 pm

Thanks for all the feedback!

Reinhard, thank you for the link. Yes, I actually did listen to that podcast, but I appreciate the reminder. I remember you saying that the biggest concern of people who start this way of eating is that they think they're eating too much on S Days. That would be me.

Your comment about snacking is interesting. I have only been back on this plan for about three weeks or so. I have had a couple of red days in there. However, last Sunday, I had this urge for a late-night snack. Now, knowing it was Sunday, I knew I could have it. I wasn't actually hungry, though, because I could specifically identify what I wanted and I didn't want anything else besides that one thing. Yet when I ate it, I did feel weird! One of the habits that seems to be the easiest for me to adopt is getting rid of evening snacking. I'm not saying I don't have the tremendous desire for something after dinner, but the longer I do without something after dinner the easier it gets. Perhaps this will happen with the other S's (keeping my fingers crossed).