Everyday Systems

Hi everyone!

I've been doing "no s" for about a month. It's not very difficult compared to all the other things I've tried in the past.

I have about 20 pounds to lose (5'2 @ 145lbs). I've read the book and the website (a bunch of times). I understand that weight loss is slow, but at this point, no weight loss. Is it recommended to just "keep on keeping on (aka patience) or is it time to add a mod or two?

Just wondering... and trying to stay positive.

Well, if I hadn't seen any weight loss or changes in clothing size after a month, I would up my exercise or watch how much food was being put on each plate.

But, I am no expert, fairly new myself.

I know that the plan is based on altering lifestyles for the duration but to not lose a single pound would be rather discouraging.

Good luck and welcome

SR

Maybe if you've got the habits down pat, try smaller plates... or aim for half of your plate being fruits and veggies. Or if all else fails add more exercise!

I'd say the first thing to try is the exercise, you maximize your chances of losing weight that way. Try doing any kind of cardio exercise 20 minutes a day 5 days a week, or less at first if you are not used to it. I'm sure you'll see results in no time. No S is a great plan by itself, you can tweak a thing or two later on of course to suit your needs but the exercise is really a key point of any weight loss program.

Also try to limit the 'bad food' you may eat and replace those with healthy items with few calories, celery, carrots, cucumbers, etc. I eat small salads twice a day. Instead of having a huge plate of spaghetti for dinner and nothing else as I used to, I have a small plate of spaghetti and a salad, much better, healthy and it gives me more energy to work out as well.

Cheers !

Marc

Disclaimer : I am following a more extreme version of the 'No-S' diet.
I made my own personal modifications to the original plan (Diet & Exercise)
What I am doing should not be misinterpreted as being a typical 'No-S' diet experience.
11/01/2008 : 280.0 pounds - - - 06/01/2009 : 215.6 pounds
7 months 1 day / 64.4 pounds

I guess I will have to eventually consider "exercise" and the actual amounts of what's on my one plate.

This is the first time I've posted anything anywhere. Thank you again for your support.

Hello klauver! Welcome to the board!

The others have all provided good advice.
*Don't start modding until you've seen what you can do within the system
*First step examine what you are eating on your 3 plates
*If that needs modification see what you can do there
*Add exercise

Exercise is great because it doesn't deprive you of anything except time. If you can find some form of exercise you enjoy then it's even better. Remember that you don't have to "start an exercise program" to exercise more. You can burn many calories with simple choices during the day
*Park farther away in the parking lot
*Take the stairs instead of the elevator
*Use the door you have to push instead of the one that opens for you
*While brushing your teeth do something with your lower body (calf raises, standing pelvic tilts , walking in place)

klauver,

Welcome!

Some questions to help you decide next steps:

1. Was your compliance was good this last month?

If not, don't mod. Try for better compliance next month. I wouldn't consider a "results" inspired mod until at least a month on 100% behavioral compliance, preferably longer.

2. Keep in mind that No-s gets more both easier and more effective over time. Your weekday habits start to carry over into the weekend, unconsciously. You train yourself to get a better visual sense as to how much food it will take to see you through to your next meal without undo hunger or excess.

3. It's not unusual to not lose any weight the first month -- and then go on to lose a good deal. A good (though crude) rule of thumb for a sustainable rate of weight loss is half a pound a week -- so a mere 2 pounds in a month. Most of us naturally fluctuate about that much from day to day, plus our scales aren't that accurate, etc. So I wouldn't be too alarmed.

4. If no-s is keeping your weight stable, that's a good start, a good platform, especially is you're enjoying the way you eat. It's much safer to add some moderate exercise before diddling with no-s. If you're not exercising regularly now, this is a good idea in any case, whatever your weight. If the thought of exercise seems dreadful to you, I've found that a really good, flexible, moderate structure is committing to do "14 minutes of ANYTHING every N-day." On monday you can do a yoga video for 14 minutes. On tuesday do jumping jacks, pushups and squats while you watch the news. On wednesday try out shovelglove with a broom. Whatever. As long as you meet the temporal requirement you're OK. At some point you'll probably find a kind of exercise you want to do more frequently, but with this structure, you don't put off exercising until that eureka moment -- and it encourages you to experiment and find that moment sooner.

Have you heard/seen the mods and tweaks podcasts I put out recently? I hope to have the last in the "trilogy" up soon as well.

Best of luck, whatever you decide, and keep us posted,

Reinhard

Thanks to you all!
Your suggestions are all very good! Very reasonable!
I'm going to keep on no s'ing. and address the issue of exercise- ugh! But I think it has to be done!
14 minutes might be do-able.

You guys are teachers! And very encouraging.

THANK YOU!

klauver wrote:I'm going to keep on no s'ing. and address the issue of exercise- ugh!

I feel the same way about exercising - ugh! Recently I've been trying to do 15 minutes per day in the hopes that it will grow on me and then I'll try increase the time and intensity.

Good Luck!