Everyday Systems

I have had 3 greenlight days, both with eating and exercise. It has been past 21 days so it is now a habit. For me, the biggest success with No S has been dealing with seconds. I was not a big snacker or dessert eater. I rarely eat ice cream or candy, etc. Except for homemade cookies I can usually pass. (Is there something secretly wrong with me???)

I really have not been eating sweets on my No S days because I don't have that sweet tooth that a lot of people talk about. My issues were more related to eating too much "comfort food" - things like mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, meatloaf, spaghetti and meatballs, roast beef, fried chicken, foods like that. There was no way I would pass up seconds on my favorites. So for some it is sweets, for me it is seconds. To be able to eat just one small plate and not go back and maintain this way of eating is a victory.

Because in the end it wasn't about carbs or fats, I was just plain eating too much. If I tried to count calories or points, I would end up replacing real food to keep the counts low plus I spent way too much time thinking about food. Or I would not make my favorites because I afraid I would end up eating too much. If a meatloaf comes out of the oven it would be too much for me just have one slice. Does anyone else experience that?

By adopting the no seconds rule I can have the meatloaf and mashed potatoes but not stuff myself. It's a win-win because I can enjoy my favorites and still lose weight which is what has been happening for me the past few weeks.

It kinda reminds me of when I was growing up - I ate all those foods and never thought about gaining weight or dieting because I just had the one plate and did not go back - I knew the next day it would be another comfort meal so I never felt like I was going hungry. I don't ever remember thinking about fat or carbohydrate grams. It was when I started feeling guilty about eating those foods and I stopped cooking them. Instead I starting thinking "low fat" and then switching to "low carb" - I noticed that I gained weight after going on those diets ( to lose a measly 10 pounds) when I came off of them because then I would eat like it was my last supper.

I can relate a lot to your experience, as the Seconds part was the 'problematic' one when I started. As the new habits became automatic, I learned how to moderate this rule (I failed with seconds with the greasy stuff I love). The factor that finally helped me to avoid failing so much with the seconds was just doing it and eating one plate, one plate with filling food (not junk).

It sounds silly but it's true, after a few weeks of respecting for real the no seconds habit, and doing exercise, my appetite "normalized" and it became automatic too. One in a while, on S days, I eat a little bit much more but on normal days I feel full with my plates. The key I believe is eating mostly normal food that gets you full for a while, not substitutes or crappy stuff.

Believe it or not, growing up not asking for seconds meant that we didn't like or appreciate it and my mom/grandmother/aunts/et c. would feel insulted. Absurd, wouldn't you say?

Well, here I am an adult and if my loved ones don't ask for seconds I tend to take it personally. True, really, really, sad but true.

You know what, though. When I started this NoS thing, I have held my daughter to no seconds, too. Strangely, neither of us is having a problem with it. My daughter is just a thin rail and I wondered at first but we've both taken to it with seeming ease so far.

That's for he sequel. My current challenge is with the prequel. I NEVER realized how much I graze while cooking. It's completely mindless and I don't want to do it but I've noticed that it's in my mouth b/f I know I've even touched the food. I've really had to focus on this more than seconds even though seconds has been so ingrained in my psyche.

Seconds was my biggest issue too. I think I was kind of a food addict, basically if food was in range I'd want to eat it until it was gone, no matter how stuffed I got

Surprisingly though the seconds habit was the easiest to get out of. The No S structure helped me re-condition myself to not having seconds and it only took about a month to get used to being a single plater

I have also developed a couple of mods that helped, eating 4 smaller meals instead of just 3 and allowing a dessert of fresh fruit & nuts after dinner if the meal is quite light/small. I generally don't even eat seconds on S days now becase I don't want to have that stuffed feeling.

Something else that helps is putting leftovers away into containers immediately after putting the food out on plates, then you don't go back to the kitchen to find pots and pans of food waiting to be eaten. I suppose if you serve all your food at the table though that could be tricky!

bonnieUK wrote: Something else that helps is putting leftovers away into containers immediately after putting the food out on plates, then you don't go back to the kitchen to find pots and pans of food waiting to be eaten. !

Yes Bonnie. That has been one of my new behaviors. I also took Reinhard's advice of cooking from a regular cookbook and bought a cookbook that I love that had servings for only 2 people. None of the recipes call for low fat whatever or splenda, etc. so I find more satisfying. I plate half and put the other half away. Before if I made a pan of lasagna I would alway end up eating half the pan . That has not happened since I started no S because I take one serving and freeze the rest right away. Simple idea but effective.

I did not think about the people or well mothers/aunts/coworkers who want you to have seconds. That did not happen growing up but I do notice at office parties if the ladies cook, you are compelled to try everything less you hurt any feelers. Of course most people are going to have many more helpings of homemade desserts than the broccoli casserole. The food pushers can be hard to deal with.

I completely understand where flightisleavin is coming from!! Sweets were never my #1 priority, I grew up with much more of a "salty carb tooth." POTATOES (especially french fries), pasta, rice, that sort of thing. I never even flirted with the idea of going on a Low-Carb diet because I'd rather jump off a bridge than give those things up. The "no sweets" thing has been insanely easy for me.

Seconds are very difficult to give up. I tend to shop/cook for 4 people, which is weird because I grew up as an only child with a single mom and I only live with one other person now. I like leftovers so it's okay, as long as the leftovers make it into Tupperware after dinner and not in my mouth.

What works for me seems to be the opposite of the consensus here...on days when we're having something really yummy for dinner, I DO NOT go back in the kitchen for at least an hour or so for any reason, not even to put dishes in the dishwasher. I like my food to be piping hot, so once the food has cooled significantly it's a lot less tempting (and I've had a chance to talk myself out of it) and I'm able to put the leftovers away. Sometimes I'll wait until I put on my nightclothes and then go clean the kitchen... for some reason nightshirt = no eating for me. Too bad I can't wear it all the time, haha

flightisleavin wrote:
I also took Reinhard's advice of cooking from a regular cookbook and bought a cookbook that I love that had servings for only 2 people. None of the recipes call for low fat whatever or splenda, etc. so I find more satisfying.

Would you mind sharing the name and author of the cookbook you mentioned above? I've been looking for a decent cookbook for 2 as a wedding gift and haven't found one that I like yet....

Thanks so much,

I agree that if one immediately puts the food in containers and puts them in the fridge, it helps.

I do that before I even eat.

It takes a lot more thought process to get the food out of the fridge, rewarm it, etc. than it does to just scoop out some more mashed potatoes!

I do that. I give myself and my husband a proper portion, then I put the rest in the fridge.

I also own an Eating Well cookbook. "Healthy In a Hurry" it's called. I <3 it.

Seconds were my biggest problem S!

I always ate more like a lion than a cow.

I used to eat routinely eat 3 whoppers on 99 cent "family night" at burger king.

I could forget about eating for ages, but I didn't really have an "off" switch, once I got going.

Now I do: the sight of an empty plate.

Reinhard

Hi Everyone- I'm bumping up this delightful and informative thread, though many of the original posters are no longer so active on here.
Vmsurbat - did you wind up buying the "Eating Well - Serves Two- 150 Healthy In a Hurry Suppers" for the happy couple?

just bumping this up.

Very interesting topic. Like the original poster, I virtually stopped cooking all my favorite comfort foods because I was unable to stop at one portion. I was also not able to stop myself from picking at the food as I put it away and I especially liked anything left sticking to the pan...meat bits, roasted veg etc. The only way to keep a lid on my weight was to make food low in caloric density so I could eat seconds (sometimes thirds) and not gain. Right now I'm toggling back and forth on these two concepts as I try to establish good eating habits.

I think toggling is very appropriate. I'd bet that many successful No S-ers, like myself, do it at various times.

My biggest problem with seconds are actually "firsts". That is, before dinner is served. Making a roast - beef, pork, lamb - and popping the crispy ends into my mouth. I was thinking of getting one of my sons to carve it for me, but I had a better plan: tuck the end parts under the main roast and retrieve it when time to eat. I don't fee guilty, because no one ever took notice or asked for them. You do what you have to to make it work

It seems better to have tactics that others don't have to do much for us for. If tucking the ends under helps you, wonderful! It's a pretty easy remedy. Easy is good.

Noni, that sounds exactly like my problem. The crispy bits, the ends, the pickings, and what ever is left over in the pan. I was slicing an avocado for dinner last night and found myself tempted to scrape out the shell for the last of it and pop it in my mouth. I stopped myself but just barely!

Sorry if this is somehow repeating anything but I was looking for something else and saw this.

https://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=10913