Hi everyone! I'm new to the No S Diet and this board. Right now, less than a week into this lifestyle, I'm doing great. Managed to survive the weekend without inhaling everything in sight. I know this isn't about the number on the scale because that fluctuates, but I've lost 4 pounds (another 80 or so to go).
But, I'm a near lifelong vegetarian who tries to eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day. I'm managing this, but notice a reluctance on my part to include salad as part of my plated meals. I'm just too concerned I'll end up feeling STARVED until the next meal. The result is I'm craving salad and other raw veggies, but avoiding them.
Breakfast isn't a problem (some days oatmeal; other days omelet and fruit). It's more lunch and dinner. Here's what I've been eating pretty predictably:
Some days it's soup and sandwich. Other days it's 1/3 plate of something hearty (pasta or bean dish; baked potato stuffed with cheese; veggie patty; fake meat like Quorn). Then, I add 2/3 cooked green or yellow veggies.
Just wondering if a day will come when I will be able to bravely eat salad or raw veggies as a meal without fear of being impossibly hungry. Do some of you allow yourself a small salad in addition to your plated meal?
Fruits/Veggies and satiety
Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating
I'm vegan, and I too had that fear/weird factor of including my fruit as part of my meal rather than as a snack. Surprisingly, I find it works really well. So here's a sample of what I do:
Breakfast: Either a smoothie (fruit) or cereal topped with walnuts/pecans with a banana on the side.
Lunch: My main dish (usually leftovers from the night before - often a rice/bean type of dish) takes up half the plate. The remaining half is taken up by raw carrots and cherry tomatoes and my apple.
Dinner: Main dish (similar style to lunch) takes up half the plate. The remaining half is taken up by some sort of fruit (grapes? strawberries?) and a handful of raw spinach leaves topped with a bit of salad dressing and walnuts/pecans.
So that comes to about 3 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables by my count. This plan works for me, even on my crazy schedule when on Mondays I have breakfast at 7am, lunch at 3pm, dinner at 9:30pm. Drink a lot of water too! That helps you stay full.
Breakfast: Either a smoothie (fruit) or cereal topped with walnuts/pecans with a banana on the side.
Lunch: My main dish (usually leftovers from the night before - often a rice/bean type of dish) takes up half the plate. The remaining half is taken up by raw carrots and cherry tomatoes and my apple.
Dinner: Main dish (similar style to lunch) takes up half the plate. The remaining half is taken up by some sort of fruit (grapes? strawberries?) and a handful of raw spinach leaves topped with a bit of salad dressing and walnuts/pecans.
So that comes to about 3 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables by my count. This plan works for me, even on my crazy schedule when on Mondays I have breakfast at 7am, lunch at 3pm, dinner at 9:30pm. Drink a lot of water too! That helps you stay full.
- vegan grad student -
- 5'2" starting at 140-145 in March 2009 -
- S-Days Saturday and Sunday -
- 5'2" starting at 140-145 in March 2009 -
- S-Days Saturday and Sunday -
Me, too. Sometimes they're actually pretty big, but all veggies, not those with meat and cheese, etc.Nichole wrote:I have small salads on the side all the time
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
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guadopt1997
- Posts: 339
- Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2009 10:10 pm
- Location: Arlington, VA
Thank you
What a wonderful board! Thank you all for sharing your experience. I'm going to try a tiny dessert bowl of salad with balsamic vinegar for dinner tonight, in addition to my plated meal and I'll see how that goes.
Interestingly, this eating plan is reminiscent of the one I recall eating as a kid in the early '60's in many respects. It centered around one plate of food, and no snacks. For dinner, my mother would serve a small salad first (iceberg lettuce and pink tomatoes with bottled Italian). And then a dinner served family style. Back then, eating seconds was my bete noire and still is. It's much easier to plate the meal in the kitchen and bring it to the table. I'm finally getting some use of the plate warmer drawer my kitchen designer convinced me was vital (he was thin BTW).
Interestingly, this eating plan is reminiscent of the one I recall eating as a kid in the early '60's in many respects. It centered around one plate of food, and no snacks. For dinner, my mother would serve a small salad first (iceberg lettuce and pink tomatoes with bottled Italian). And then a dinner served family style. Back then, eating seconds was my bete noire and still is. It's much easier to plate the meal in the kitchen and bring it to the table. I'm finally getting some use of the plate warmer drawer my kitchen designer convinced me was vital (he was thin BTW).
Even when I allowed myself to have seconds, I ate way less if I left the food on the counter and had to get up for more. My family of 6 is used to it and doesn't mind. It also makes it easier to clean up because it's closer to the sink and fridge.
I guess this doesn't work unless you actually do it.
Please pray for me
Please pray for me
When it comes to vegetables, including salads, I don't impose limits as long as there's not a lot of "extra" calories. A pound of salad greens has about 100 calories. Ever tried to eat a pound of greens? Forget small dessert bowls of greens. I have a friend who regularly (daily) eats a 1 qt serving bowl of salad in addition to the rest of her meal. She's not overweight.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
I am also vegetarian. I put my salad on the plate, but my fruit I put in a small chinese 1 cup bowl on the side, not on the plate with the rest of the food. I guess it technically is wrong, but, on the other hand, portion control is what we are trying to achieve, and overall it is less food than I used to eat!
"Our doubts are traiters, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt"
William Shakespeare, "Measure for Measure"
William Shakespeare, "Measure for Measure"
So happy to see that there are many ways to work this out.
I totally agree that the goal is to learn portion control. That's why I'm trying not to stray too much from the plain vanilla NoS while I'm new to this all. Still, I HAVE used small bowls on my plate for runny foods that I don't want to contaminate the other things there, so why not do the same for salad. I'm thinking this fear of feeling hungry by eating too light is a temporary glitch as I learn what works best for me.
I'm getting off a period of incessant snacking, and feel grateful to have broken that whole pattern. Funny thing was that I wasn't snacking on salad, and here I am craving it! I can be such a strange human sometimes.
I'm getting off a period of incessant snacking, and feel grateful to have broken that whole pattern. Funny thing was that I wasn't snacking on salad, and here I am craving it! I can be such a strange human sometimes.
I think it's safest to try for all in one physical plate, both for the sake of habit forming clarity and to take advantage of caloric "displacement."
Yes, salad is not very caloric and nutrient dense. But that's a GOOD thing!
Use it to displace denser stuff.
Salad shouldn't give you license to eat EXTRA meat and potatoes.
Eating more because you think you've been immunized against excess by some healthy food is a very real phenomenon, Brian Wansink calls it the "health halo" effect.
That being said, the most important thing is to see everything in front of you at once so you can learn to eyeball excess. 1 plate makes it easier, but two smaller plates side by side (aka virtual plating) can work, too. But I think if you serve courses, one plate after the other, it quickly gets dangerous because then excess can more easily sneak past you, it doesn't look so bad in little increments as it does all at once. Again, you CAN do it. People clearly have. But I think it's harder.
What do I do personally?
I almost always try to fit it all on one physical plate. I don't usually have a hard time with this. The only times I do is when we're eating a soup and salad combo, which involves two smaller than ordinary plates so easily "virtualizable."
Reinhard
Yes, salad is not very caloric and nutrient dense. But that's a GOOD thing!
Use it to displace denser stuff.
Salad shouldn't give you license to eat EXTRA meat and potatoes.
Eating more because you think you've been immunized against excess by some healthy food is a very real phenomenon, Brian Wansink calls it the "health halo" effect.
That being said, the most important thing is to see everything in front of you at once so you can learn to eyeball excess. 1 plate makes it easier, but two smaller plates side by side (aka virtual plating) can work, too. But I think if you serve courses, one plate after the other, it quickly gets dangerous because then excess can more easily sneak past you, it doesn't look so bad in little increments as it does all at once. Again, you CAN do it. People clearly have. But I think it's harder.
What do I do personally?
I almost always try to fit it all on one physical plate. I don't usually have a hard time with this. The only times I do is when we're eating a soup and salad combo, which involves two smaller than ordinary plates so easily "virtualizable."
Reinhard
I find myself eating more than I should at one meal, prophylactically! I am afraid if I don't eat enough, I will feel hungry later on. I know this is bad. When looking thru the boards I see what others eat, and I can see why they are losing... its not that much food. I know I'm eating more than that. Any ideas to get over this psych block that "I'd better eat now... or else I'll be starving in two hours mentality?"
"Our doubts are traiters, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt"
William Shakespeare, "Measure for Measure"
William Shakespeare, "Measure for Measure"
Ignorance was bliss!
But Thalia, haven't you already experienced success with No S? If so, maybe what you've been doing works for you anyway. . . or if you've been struggling recently, maybe this will help?
I know I just had what we call "big salad" for dinner and it was awesome and filling. . . Mostly salad veggies with a small amount of deli roast beef and reduced fat bleu cheese, some toasted walnuts and homemade buttermilk ranch dressing-oh, an a little avocado. A local restaurant calls it "Black and Bleu Salad" for the cheese and the beef. But it's really good! And it all fits on one plate!
I know I just had what we call "big salad" for dinner and it was awesome and filling. . . Mostly salad veggies with a small amount of deli roast beef and reduced fat bleu cheese, some toasted walnuts and homemade buttermilk ranch dressing-oh, an a little avocado. A local restaurant calls it "Black and Bleu Salad" for the cheese and the beef. But it's really good! And it all fits on one plate!
LA Loser. . . well on my way to becoming an LA Winner. 
I've had great success with compliance -- I find it very comfortable -- but I'm losing very slowly. Of course, I'm not getting 14 minutes of exercise every day either, so maybe I should focus on that first before turfing my salads out of the bowl and onto the plate with the hot food ... or do both ...
I mean, I'm losing one to two pounds a MONTH, which is a lot better than gaining, but I think perhaps I need to get a little more hardcore without embracing the monk-on-a-bike lifestyle at the other extreme.
I mean, I'm losing one to two pounds a MONTH, which is a lot better than gaining, but I think perhaps I need to get a little more hardcore without embracing the monk-on-a-bike lifestyle at the other extreme.
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Blithe Morning
- Posts: 1221
- Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2008 10:56 pm
- Location: South Dakota
Small bowls on the plate
I have these cute little lotus bowls which I use all the time. I bought them at Pier 1 at a point where I was determined to downscale the size of my plates and bowls. The bowls look like this: http://teamsugar.com/group/182239/yummarket/182653
They fit nicely on a plate and hold about 1/2 cup of food. I use them for low calorie things like cubed fruit. I try to make my plate look attractive, and this helps. My dinner plates are small, and one of these bowls takes up 1/3 of the space on them. I am trying not to stack my plate vertically per NoS recommendations. It's just that I'm trying to avoid jumbling stuff onto a plate like I used to at a buffet.
My goal is to compose a plated meal which is pleasing to the eye most of the time. I try to envision eating like the fictitious people in 'Town and Country' who seem to eat normal food, but not too much of it.
I must say, this is the best 'diet' for training my eye for portion control. Simple, but powerful.
They fit nicely on a plate and hold about 1/2 cup of food. I use them for low calorie things like cubed fruit. I try to make my plate look attractive, and this helps. My dinner plates are small, and one of these bowls takes up 1/3 of the space on them. I am trying not to stack my plate vertically per NoS recommendations. It's just that I'm trying to avoid jumbling stuff onto a plate like I used to at a buffet.
My goal is to compose a plated meal which is pleasing to the eye most of the time. I try to envision eating like the fictitious people in 'Town and Country' who seem to eat normal food, but not too much of it.
I must say, this is the best 'diet' for training my eye for portion control. Simple, but powerful.
Speaking of vegetables and fruits:
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/heal ... index.html
Not all of the recipes here are for vegetables and fruits, but a majority of them are. I particularly like this week's focus on fruit drinks/smoothies. Especially at this time of year, smoothies are often breakfast. I think they're filling -- never a problem being hungry before lunch.
http://www.eatingwell.com/eat_drink/eat ... _life.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-h-m ... 05355.html
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/heal ... index.html
Not all of the recipes here are for vegetables and fruits, but a majority of them are. I particularly like this week's focus on fruit drinks/smoothies. Especially at this time of year, smoothies are often breakfast. I think they're filling -- never a problem being hungry before lunch.
http://www.eatingwell.com/eat_drink/eat ... _life.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-h-m ... 05355.html
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
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bluebunny27
- Posts: 831
- Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2009 8:07 pm
- Location: Montreal, Canada
Veggies, my friends !! 
I love veggies cos' they fill me up and hardly have any calories at all. They're all very good for you too, vitamins, minerals, etc.
I have 2 small bowls of veggies I cut down to size by myself daily, one for lunch, one for dinner. I use a board to cut them up cos' I had a few minor accidents in the kitchen trying to take shortcuts ...
I have carrots, celery and cucumbers every day + mixing this with other veggies that may have been on sale that week ... For example this week I picked up quite a lot of mushrooms since they were on sale at a great price. Sometimes I add a tablespoon of salad dressing, not too much, just a lil' bit.
I've never eaten so many fruits and veggies actually, every day I have some raw fruits and vegetables now. I put the pieces of fruit in my plain homemade yogurt
I am not too fussy anyway, the only thing that I don't like to eat : Olives. Pretty easy to avoid.
Talia : "I mean, I'm losing one to two pounds a MONTH, which is a lot better than gaining, but I think perhaps I need to get a little more hardcore without embracing the monk-on-a-bike lifestyle at the other extreme."
Huh, yeah, that would be me !! I was just cycling like a madman 15 minutes ago. Great cardio exercise. I cycle every day when the weather is alright. Nice Bicycle path just behind the house, trees all around in part. It's lovely, but I'm not really sightseeing much ... Remember to exercise ... HARD.
Cheers !
Marc
I love veggies cos' they fill me up and hardly have any calories at all. They're all very good for you too, vitamins, minerals, etc.I have 2 small bowls of veggies I cut down to size by myself daily, one for lunch, one for dinner. I use a board to cut them up cos' I had a few minor accidents in the kitchen trying to take shortcuts ...
I have carrots, celery and cucumbers every day + mixing this with other veggies that may have been on sale that week ... For example this week I picked up quite a lot of mushrooms since they were on sale at a great price. Sometimes I add a tablespoon of salad dressing, not too much, just a lil' bit.
I've never eaten so many fruits and veggies actually, every day I have some raw fruits and vegetables now. I put the pieces of fruit in my plain homemade yogurt
I am not too fussy anyway, the only thing that I don't like to eat : Olives. Pretty easy to avoid.
Talia : "I mean, I'm losing one to two pounds a MONTH, which is a lot better than gaining, but I think perhaps I need to get a little more hardcore without embracing the monk-on-a-bike lifestyle at the other extreme."
Huh, yeah, that would be me !!
I was just cycling like a madman 15 minutes ago. Great cardio exercise. I cycle every day when the weather is alright. Nice Bicycle path just behind the house, trees all around in part. It's lovely, but I'm not really sightseeing much ... Remember to exercise ... HARD. Cheers !
Marc