Everyday Systems

Hi there,
I've been on the No S diet for only a short period of time (about 2 weeks). After only a couple of days, I got the hang of it and the rest of the days went fine. However, when the S days come along and I eat snacks or sweets (small amounts) it becomes very difficult to resume the regular NoSdiet afterwords. The cravings come back and it becomes hard to re-adjust to the diet. So, I've decided that my diet should be the same for all the days of the week. Mostly the regular "vanilla" NoSDiet but I've added a fruit snack a couple of hours after dinner to hold me over. And I also drink hot tea with some sweetner between meals. I welcome your feedback.

I noticed something similar. I've had only two weekends so far, but I found that I'm not crazy about my S days. I'm thinking of having only one snack on S days, instead of throwing all rules overboard. All last week I was looking forward to a soft-serve chocolate ice cream cone on Saturday or Sunday, but I grazed non-stop all weekend and never wanted the ice cream. I really think I might do better with just one treat.

I've never found S days to be difficult to overcome. If you start to restrict them more, you're defeating their purpose, I think.

Remember, S days aren't meant to be a license to go wild, but to relax and enjoy yourself and eat without guilt in social situations.

I have a really bad sweet tooth, and a lot of extra weight to lose. So, loosening the restrictions on the weekend is causing havoc with my psyche. I want to smooth things out by making the S days as similar as possible to the N days, with some exceptions for Special days. Jumping on and off the proverbial wagon is more difficult for me and in the end makes the S days less rewarding due to the extra effort I have to make to re-adjust.

I'm not trying to overcome them, just accepting them as a phase in this diet. I have a memory of standing in the kitchen with an unwrapped Haagen Dazs bar waiting for the digital clock to register midnight -- Saturdays start at midnight!

ProfCalderon wrote:I have a really bad sweet tooth, and a lot of extra weight to lose. So, loosening the restrictions on the weekend is causing havoc with my psyche. I want to smooth things out by making the S days as similar as possible to the N days, with some exceptions for Special days. Jumping on and off the proverbial wagon is more difficult for me and in the end makes the S days less rewarding due to the extra effort I have to make to re-adjust.

I've been having the same thoughts, i.e. trying to make the S days more like the N days. I too have trouble getting back on track once I've loosened the restrictions, and then at the end of the S days I feel I've ruined everything and it's like I keep starting over every Monday morning. I was thinking of maybe restricting the S days to only one (Saturday OR Sunday) and see how that goes.
Butterfly

I think they're a necessary "release valve," so that you don't blow it when the stress builds too much. On the other hand, they don't have to be a free-for-all. Finding a balance between letting them be too strict or too wide open is a balancing act, different for each person.

There's an old post I wrote calledmemo to self, in which I figured out what limits I did or didn't want to place on myself on S-days. I DO eat three meals. I DON'T set a limit on S's, because I would instantly rebel against that.

Oh, and check out the sticky thread above on "S-days gone wild" and the accompanying podcast - many alternatives there.

I am never sure how to manage my sweet tooth. S days don't work for me personally. The psychology of it isn't good for me - you can have seconds, sweets, snacks... It becomes, well, crazy. So I'm just trying to be good always and if I want something, I have it, once in a while, no matter the day. But that's just me! I couldn't handle two days in a row of doing whatever I wanted.

It's nice to see the different ways that people find to make No S work for them. I have to try and see what will work for me. The No S days are straightforward and very precise, so it's easier to follow (mind you, with all the reds I've been having these days, it doesn't seem easy -- but it has nothing to do with the system -- it has to do with me eating my emotions). With regards to the S days, I'll need to establish some guidelines so that it doesn't become a "free for all", and then making it almost impossible to get back on track by the Monday. I'll keep reading the posts to see if I get an inspiration that will work for me.
Butterfly

I've been on No S for almost three months and I love it. I'm finally getting the hang of S days. I've never had a problem with Non-S days; I love the structure and simplicity (unlike WW, when I'd agonize over having a 2-point or 3-point snack). It's taken longer for me to get S days under control. My problem with unstructured time is that it usually leads to unstructured eating (perma-snacking or binging). But this past weekend was interesting - I had no desire to eat the crap I had been eating during past weekends. I realized it wasn't worth it and I didn't crave it.

I have to say I have not lost much, just two pounds, but as I'm trying to lose only 5-10 pounds, I'm happy with it. I'm closer to 50 than 40, menopausal, and I know my metabolism has slowed considerably. But I also know that if I weren't on No S, I would've kept gaining.

I've also been on No S for a little over 3 months and I now have an attitude change about S days. I'm no longer clawing the walls waiting for the weekend and my weekend eating is more discretionary. I was hoping this finally would come about. It just takes some people longer to settle in.