Everyday Systems

Hey everyone! I was just wondering what you think of my changing S days to Saturday and Wednesday. This is obviously quite a difference from the S Days in the book. I've been on the No S diet for about 3 weeks, and I've noticed that waiting 5 days feels like forever and then I end up gorging more than I think I would if the S days were spaced out more. Do you think this is ok?

Unless Wednesday is a day off for you, I wouldn't. It seems like it'll be harder to get into a good habit, and you'll probably be tempted to splurge on Sundays anyway.

I don't think it's a good idea.

For me, it depends on what's going on with my social schedule. I have fairly firm commitments for Friday and Sunday. Therefore, I make those my S-Days so that I can enjoy myself with friends.

But if a Friday or Sunday event is canceled, I don't freak out or "make up" ... I usually switch the S-Day to the Saturday if Friday is canceled ... if you have something social that happens on Wednesdays, maybe that would make sense for you, but otherwise I'd agree with the others that keeping the S-Days more weekend-ish is better. With practice, you won't feel that 5 days is so much time to wait between S-Days. Having said all that, the beauty of No-S is that you can figure out what works best for you, within the No-S structure, and give it a shot ... if it doesn't work for you, review and revise.

Well, my initial thought is to just give it more time. Try to stick with Saturdays and Sundays and you'll probably even out with it.

My other thought is that if you really just think you must, maybe you could do a few weeks with Wednesday and Sunday or whatever you were thinking. Then move it to Thursdays and Sundays for a few then Fridays and Sundays and eventually Saturdays and Sundays. It's a thought anyway.

Before you begin making any mods at all, I'd suggest you not only give it more time and take time out to listen to the podcasts. . . maybe more than once. . . particularly S days gone wild and the two newest ones that relate specifically on mods and tweaks. Some wise thoughts included there.

Patience IS a virtue! Hang in there!

While I won't warn you completely off doing mods you should be careful. If you take a look around the forums you will see that mods are the ruin of people more often than helpful.

I'm not the best one to give advice since I haven't ever successfully completed 21 days on No-S. However, I do know what you mean about waiting the five days, and I think it's really important to do what works for you. Also, I remember reading a post about a year ago about someone who reached her goal weight, and she did just as you're describing--i.e., had one S on Wed. and the other on Saturday. It worked for her (perhaps you can find her post on the "Testimonials" page?).

Best wishes!

Like what Reinhard said S-days should remain S-days and N-days should stay N. It is that simple. Am I wrong?

Hi Ari,

You certainly can do this -- people have successfully.

But there are significant risks.

1) You're no longer working with the calendar. For most of us, weekends bring far more temptations than weekends. That non-S S day is going to be really hard to keep green.

2) It may seem silly, but Wednesday just isn't as irrationally compelling as Saturday or Sunday. It doesn't SOUND quite right. And most of us need all the help we can get -- rational and otherwise.

It could be that the trade off is worth it to you, that these risks are easier to navigate than the risk of breaking down between long stretches. But be aware of them.

Best of luck, whatever you decide,

Reinhard