What's the toughest S for you?

No Snacks, no sweets, no seconds. Except on Days that start with S. Too simple for you? Simple is why it works. Look here for questions, introductions, support, success stories.

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vmelo
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What's the toughest S for you?

Post by vmelo » Thu May 28, 2009 1:49 pm

I thought mine was sweets. Even though I definitely had a problem with snacking and portion size (aka "seconds"), I've always had a vicious sweet tooth, so I thought that would be the hardest part about No-S for me. However, I realized yesterday that one of the biggest challenges for me is not to "pick" (as my husband calls it) while standing and preparing food. I'm not exaggerating when I say that it's almost a compulsion. God knows how many calories I used to consume while standing and cooking my food. If I'm slicing some cheese, I'll bet for every two slices, I eat a slice. If I'm cutting a loaf of bread, I'll break off a hunk and eat it (sometimes, with butter). Of course, I realized that this was a issue, but I guess I never realized how much of an issue it was until No-S.

The sweets are controllable as long as they're not in the house. If they're in the house, then I'm constantly thinking about them. The eating-while-standing problem will be a tougher nut to crack.

So what S is your biggest challenge?

StrawberryRoan
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Post by StrawberryRoan » Thu May 28, 2009 2:41 pm

I think what you mentioned might be mine as well, the unconscious fried potato out of the skillet on the fork with a little salt, etc. while cooking - the croutons while making a salad - little stuff that adds up.

I am working on that now.

:?

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Nichole
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Post by Nichole » Thu May 28, 2009 2:52 pm

Hmmmm. Ice cream! We have Butterfinger ice cream in the freezer right now and ... I want it so bad. My husband has a huge amount of ice cream everynight - about 4 scoops! I get jealous sometimes.
"Anyone can cook." ~ Chef Gusteau, Ratatouille

StrawberryRoan
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Post by StrawberryRoan » Thu May 28, 2009 3:24 pm

Well, get this Nicole.

My husband is recovering from serious vascular surgery - has lost weight - and has been ORDERED to have a malt or milkshake every night (mixed with EnsurePlus which is actually pretty good, they even have ButterPecan flavor).

So, here I am every night saying, What kind of milkshake do you want?

And not even licking the spoon... :roll:

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Thu May 28, 2009 3:39 pm

Just overeating at one sitting... so I guess that's closest to "seconds" because I often have twice what I should have to be comfortably full and not over stuffed.
Snacks aren't a problem..
Sweets are only a problem during pms week.

8) Debs
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

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mimi
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Post by mimi » Thu May 28, 2009 3:40 pm

Ohhhh....ice cream, my serious downfall! Can't ever keep it in the house! We go out to Dairy Queen, Cold Stone, or a local establishment that makes excellent homemade ice cream and have a cone or sometimes a Blizzard or sundae - most always on Sunday afternoon. My hubby has been doing this for almost every Sunday that we've been married, and that's a long time (I was a child bride :lol: )

Sweets are my other downfall (but I guess ice cream is considered a sweet too, isn't it?). I used to eat sweets following my meals (except for breakfast) and sweets as snacks and sometimes sweets AS meals - candy bar for lunch, etc. Not good! But, glad to report that I am not doing any of that these days - except on S days, and then I try to eat the sweets with a meal - NOT as a snack or as a meal!

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wosnes
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Post by wosnes » Thu May 28, 2009 3:46 pm

I'd have to say sweets, especially cookies (I can leave ice cream alone except for a serving or two during the summer).

The funny thing is I was doing some math re: how much sugar in each cookie and realized that most of the cookies I make have very little sugar per cookie -- less than many of us use in our tea or coffee.
"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

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Thalia
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Post by Thalia » Thu May 28, 2009 3:49 pm

In my case, no question: snacks, snacks, snacks! I had no problem with the sweets at all, that just isn't my biggest weakness. As long as I can have some ice-cream or a cookie on the weekend if I want them, that's plenty for me. The seconds haven't been hard, as long as I make sure my meals are filling.

But it took weeks before I stopped craving something to eat after dinner! It didn't have to be "dessert,' but it was SO HARD not to have a piece of fruit or a bowl of cereal or popcorn or yogurt and honey or some nuts while relaxing at night. That was a really ingrained habit for me, and I sometimes ate ridiculous quantities of food after dinner. If we had anything sweet or snacky around, that's when I would eat it.

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Nichole
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Post by Nichole » Thu May 28, 2009 4:02 pm

mimi wrote:Ohhhh....ice cream, my serious downfall! Can't ever keep it in the house! We go out to Dairy Queen, Cold Stone, or a local establishment that makes excellent homemade ice cream and have a cone or sometimes a Blizzard or sundae - most always on Sunday afternoon. My hubby has been doing this for almost every Sunday that we've been married, and that's a long time (I was a child bride :lol: )

Sweets are my other downfall (but I guess ice cream is considered a sweet too, isn't it?). I used to eat sweets following my meals (except for breakfast) and sweets as snacks and sometimes sweets AS meals - candy bar for lunch, etc. Not good! But, glad to report that I am not doing any of that these days - except on S days, and then I try to eat the sweets with a meal - NOT as a snack or as a meal!

Mimi

I used to go on Dairy Queen runs for my hubby and me all the time. I've told him straight up this season: I am not going to Dairy Queen runs, don't even try to convince me. I basically put my foot down. Not even on my high calorie days. If he wants one, he can get one himself. A blizzard has a ridiculous amount of calories. Ridiculous!!! I'd rather have a 200 calorie scoop of Edy's at home than an 800+ calorie Blizzard. I'd not keep ice cream in the house at all, except Justin loves it, so I don't have much choice :/ But that's all we buy as far as sweets. I don't keep cookies and cake on hand or other junky foods. He keeps Wheat Thins and Cheese Nips around to snack on but I'm not tempted by them too much- blaaah.
"Anyone can cook." ~ Chef Gusteau, Ratatouille

vmelo
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Post by vmelo » Thu May 28, 2009 4:09 pm

Another ice-cream lover here. I mean, what's not to like: It's got sweet and fat all in one! :) Also, I like to try all the "weird" flavors ("weird" to my husband who likes plain chocolate or strawberry). My current favorite is Ben & Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie Chunk. If you're an ice-cream fiend like me and haven't tried it, I'm not sure I'd recommend that you do: It's tough to resist.

But why oh why am I describing this on a Thursday!

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butterfly1000
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Post by butterfly1000 » Thu May 28, 2009 4:11 pm

Sweets as snacks is my big problem (so it's actually 2 problems). At first, when I had a snack on a non S day, it ended up turning into a free for all day because the day was red anyways. Then I thought that if I let a healthy snack be yellow, I would be less tempted to eat sweets because it would turn the day red. It worked for a few days, but recently the snacks have turned into sweets and I've gone totally out of control again :oops: .

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Post by kccc » Thu May 28, 2009 4:26 pm

At this point, I'm with Vmelo - the biggest issue for me is what WW used to call BLT's - "bites, licks, and tastes." They can really add up if you're the family cook and table-clearer.

However, a little tasting IS necessary at times when you cook. So my rule of thumb is to question every taste. ("Is there really something here I need to know?" If I can't answer that with something like "yes, I'm checking to see if the spices are correct," then it's not a taste.) I also use a tiny spoon - like a 1/2 tsp measuring spoon.

Still, this is what gets me the most. That, and licking the spoon after I use it to put away leftovers, that kind of thing. Hard habits to change.

StrawberryRoan
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Post by StrawberryRoan » Thu May 28, 2009 4:33 pm

So does having to know if crispy fried potatoes taste yummy count?

Or would I have to actually be checking to see if they were cooked?

:roll:

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Post by kccc » Thu May 28, 2009 4:40 pm

StrawberryRoan wrote:So does having to know if crispy fried potatoes taste yummy count?

Or would I have to actually be checking to see if they were cooked?

:roll:
If you aren't essentially eating another serving (which I have been known to do, alas - and others here have reported the same), it may not matter.

I just had to set personal guidelines because this is an area where I can easily end up doing "seconds" without noticing.

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~reneew
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Post by ~reneew » Thu May 28, 2009 4:41 pm

I'm with ya on what I call "snitching" while I cook for everyone. That's the ultimate S for me! As I calculated on my daily check in back at the end of March, I had innocently been snitching and honestly thought I had a good day. I was going to call it a green day! I was upset that I wasn't seeing results, then I thought about it and realized I was snitching a bit... so I calculated... A 2015 calorie :shock: huge snitch I'd say!! Duh! I now take seriously absolutely every bite!

As for the icecream... my hubby has it most nights too. He does have it in the other room so I don't have to see it, but I still hear the spoon tinkling in the bowl. :roll: :evil:
I guess this doesn't work unless you actually do it.
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StrawberryRoan
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Post by StrawberryRoan » Thu May 28, 2009 6:05 pm

Well, I will admit to (in the past) eating more while getting dinner ready than I did at dinner. :shock:

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reinhard
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Post by reinhard » Thu May 28, 2009 8:18 pm

Social pressure is the only s that gets me these days.

But even that is rare (having a book out is a great excuse -- do they really want me to be a hypocrite?).

Reinhard

kccc
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Post by kccc » Fri May 29, 2009 1:26 pm

Reneew, I like the term "snitching" - an easy "S" to remember! I'm going to adopt that one from you. :)

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Fri May 29, 2009 1:33 pm

reinhard wrote:Social pressure is the only s that gets me these days.

But even that is rare (having a book out is a great excuse -- do they really want me to be a hypocrite?).

Reinhard
No!!!! They don't!!! :wink:
You are one of the only true "Gurus" I actually follow who really lives up to his own high (yet attainable) standards.

8) Debs
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

StrawberryRoan
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Post by StrawberryRoan » Fri May 29, 2009 2:54 pm

I agree with Deb.

I tell people about this plan (and this site) and tell them

and the author of the book is a real person,

he actually talks to us!

:P

Thalia
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Post by Thalia » Fri May 29, 2009 3:53 pm

Honestly, I'm pretty sure I would never have tried this, without seeing Reinhard's testimonial pictures -- year after year, the exact same weight ... otherwise, I would not have believed anyone could lose weight by just eating three meals a day without starving or byzantine restrictions.

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~reneew
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Post by ~reneew » Fri May 29, 2009 6:48 pm

Yea, Reinhard... you're real... and our inspiration!
I guess this doesn't work unless you actually do it.
Please pray for me

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winnie96
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Post by winnie96 » Fri May 29, 2009 8:30 pm

Thalia wrote:In my case, no question: snacks, snacks, snacks!
Couldn't agree more! I don't have an issue with sweets, and am doing fine on seconds now that I know how much to eat at each meal, but it's taken a long time to get accustomed to not having snacks. For the most part, I realize now, my snacks were mindless, pointless eating, so I'm glad to be rid of them, but it was a tough thing to overcome.

kccc
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Post by kccc » Fri May 29, 2009 8:55 pm

winnie96 wrote:
Thalia wrote:In my case, no question: snacks, snacks, snacks!
Couldn't agree more! I don't have an issue with sweets, and am doing fine on seconds now that I know how much to eat at each meal, but it's taken a long time to get accustomed to not having snacks. For the most part, I realize now, my snacks were mindless, pointless eating, so I'm glad to be rid of them, but it was a tough thing to overcome.
When I was beginning, that was the hardest for me as well. Had to phase in that habit gradually - cutting all but the one REALLY hard one, limiting the snacks for that, then gradually cutting that one.

But for me, it's also the one habit that has made the BIGGEST difference. Which is why I'm very much an advocate of vanilla No-S... if I put in mods to allow myself a bit extra here or there ("the apple I saved from lunch"), I KNOW from experience that I'm setting myself up to fail. (YMMV, of course.)

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~reneew
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Post by ~reneew » Fri May 29, 2009 9:17 pm

When I first started no S I remember thinking that snacks were the hard part, but as I look back, they kind of all blended together with my snitching... just a continual eat...eat. I can say that the 'snack' part has gotten way better with time. It's all mindless munching.
I guess this doesn't work unless you actually do it.
Please pray for me

Cornfed
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Post by Cornfed » Sun May 31, 2009 3:54 am

No Sweets is extremely simple for me on N days. I'd already built that habit.

I'd have to say no snacks. On work days, I already had the habit of small breakfast then reasonable lunch with nothing in between.

But I'm always ravenously hungry by the time I get home (usually stop at the gym on the way). And I basically chew on anything/drink copious water to tide me over until dinner.

I guess no seconds is a little hard, too. Not so much no seconds, but just keeping my serving size small enough to basically fit on a plate while also trying to eat enough so that I don't snack any more that night.

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Post by FarmerHal » Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:26 pm

Snacking. It gives me something to do when I'm bored, comfort when I'm lonely or anxious.

Sweets- I cannot keep cookies or ice cream in the house. I feel bad for my kids that they don't have any sweets for each day, but otheriwse I eat it too!
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Marianna
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Post by Marianna » Mon Jun 01, 2009 6:24 pm

don't feel bad for your kids--this is healthier for them as well--until very recently families only had dessert on the weekend--give them a nice piece of fruit!

StrawberryRoan
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Post by StrawberryRoan » Mon Jun 01, 2009 7:31 pm

Exactly, feel GOOD for your kids. They will thank you when they're night fighting the battle in a decade or so.

:?

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Jun 02, 2009 2:02 am

Yeah I totally agree with Marianna and Strawberry!!!
You are doing something good for all of you Tiffany.
You shouldn't feel bad.
My Son seems to gain weight when *I* slack off of NoS, and when I am good on it he follows my example.. Believe me, if you don't want your kids to be overweight somewhere down the line, you don't want them to have sweets everyday now.
8) Debs
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

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