Everyday Systems

Hi everyone! I'm just starting -- Day 3. So far I really like this way of eating! It sure doesn't seem like I will lose weight, though, b/c I am not really hungry. I don't miss the snacks or sweets. Maybe I'm eating too much at meals?

Anyway, my regular dinner plates are 11 inches! I know -- big! Should I still use these? My smaller plates are 8 1/2 inches. What do you think?

Use whatever seems suitable. You will be able to tell with your own eyes if your servings are gluttonous much better than we can over the internet. Trust your mind, if you are honestly at ease with your portions stick with them, but if you have a niggling thought "hey that's a lot of food" I'd look at cutting back. However, I would not focus on the portion sizes as much as just getting the 3 meals and no S's drilled into your head at the moment. They are by far the most important habits to solidify in the beginning. The beauty of No S is that it’s very relaxed in general but its rules are specific enough to bring about powerful changes.

Oh, welcome aboard too.

I use both 10 inch plates and 8 1/2 inch plates. I use the 8 1/2 inch plates most of the time, but sometimes get out the big ones if I want to squeeze a salad on there. When I use the smaller plates there is little plate to be seen. But that is just how I was used to eating before I even knew about No-S.

I think it's great that it is coming so easy for you! I have been No-Sing for a month and I really felt hungry that first week. I probably should have used my 10-inch plates more.

After a while you will just know how much food you will need to get to the next meal. I gave myself permission to go overboard (despite my small plates) the first week until my fear of feeling hungry between meals went away. Now my plates look more sensible. I'm sure you will figure out what works best for you after a while.

Hope this helps, and welcome!

My plates are 10 1/2 inches with a raised rim around the circumference. I keep the food away from the raised part. I don't stick to one plate -- I use a smaller plate or bowl for salad most of the time and still fill the center of my dinner plate.

My plate is 8 inches. I am perfectly comfortable with that and even started with that size. I freely confess that every now and then I suprise myself with how much food I can squeeze onto a plate that size. The one I use is white and there have been times that I can't even see the color of the plate, just the food upon it. I blush . . .

When I first started, I gave myself permission to do that. Now, I work on the white. Also, when I first started, I leaned very heavily on my b/t meal cup of milk and was having one b/t every meal. Gradually, I didn't need them anymore. I can get through the day just fine w/o my milk so now I'm working on seeing a bit of white on my plate. I am now working on filling my plate the way I think it should be and then going back to my milk again if I need to. I know that after a while, I won't need it again. I'll gradually get used to it just as I did when I first started.

I don't know what size my plates are but I know they're much bigger than 8 inches. So, I went to Target and bought 3 plates to keep for me. I was planning to buy something nice and prett so I wouldn't feel as if I were eating off the penalty plate or something. However, all the cute plates were plastic. I ended up getting ones that seem a lot like corning wear. They're great! Microwave, Dishwasher, and Oven safe! Seriously, if it can't go in the dishwasher, it has no place in my home and I really don't like to eat off plastic.

So, all that to say this: if you want to use a smaller plate, I encourage you to do so. I can't remember numbers but I read somewhere once that in the 1950s, dinner plate sizes were much smaller than current dinner plate sizes. It was that little tidbit that made me want to use an 8 inch. Remember, you can have milk or something b/t meals if you need it and eventually, your need for that filler will gradually decrease.

Once you've gotten down to having an 8 inch plate, you can start working on modestly filling that plate in the same way you got used to No S and using an 8 inch plate in the first place.

Buy a nice plate and go with it!

Seriously, if it can't go in the dishwasher, it has no place in my home and I really don't like to eat off plastic.

lol. I'm so glad there are others that think like this.

I am now working on filling my plate the way I think it should be and then going back to my milk again if I need to. I know that after a while, I won't need it again.

I think I will try this! Thanks for sharing your idea.

Thanks for the info.

When I do eat off the 11 inch plate, there is always at least an inch around the edge that is empty and almost always other "white" space on the plate. So I would guess that if I had to, I could usually fit my food onto the 8 1/2 inch plate.

I do also drink a glass of milk (10 oz) with at least 2 of my meals as well. Is this good to do? Maybe this is why I am not hungry between meals? I want to ensure that I'm getting enough protein and I just like milk.

Like today, I had breakfast at 8:30 and a mocha from McDonalds (yummy) since it is an S day (and I love my coffee beverages) and I am struggling to finish my plate of food for lunch at 12:30. But I know Reinhard says in the book to eat anyway to ward of future hunger this afternoon. I won't finish my meal, but I will eat what I can.

Seriously, do people actually lose weight this way? It just doesn't seem possible!

I will continue to do my workouts that I've done for the last 6 months (and managed to not lose weight, but gain weight!). Running for 30 minutes (3.5 miles) or doing the 30 Day Shred. Trying to get 3-4 workouts in per week.

I am just in a little disbelief right now that this way of eating will actually result in weight loss!

I worry more about food than the size of the plate ...

This never bothered me personally, I can see with my own eyes how much food is on there ... but I saw somewhere that people eat less if they use smaller plates (Doh !) It's a psychological thing, if you have huge plates you feel like you must fill 'em up nicely.
Just changing the size of the plates you would eat 15-20% less apparently.

Drinking milk is good for you, this way you don't absorb as much fat from your diet, it goes right through without sticking around.

Dairy products in general, yum ! Just go easy on the cheese because of the calories ... I've been eating a lot more milk and plain yogurt since I started dieting.
I make my own yogurt every 5 days too, 7 1/2 cups last me 5 days. I have a lil' bit of yogurt twice a day.
It seems to be working pretty well so far (see my signature below ... lol !)

Personally I do my own thing with the original rules, I do what works best for me and I don't worry too much. If you feel full and you still have some food left I would advise to save some of the food for later in the day when you really need it, this way you don't need to add more calories later, feeling deprived or weak ... but that's just what I do ... see disclaimer below since this is a NO S No-no for the purists.

Purists, you know I love you, right ?!



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
08/14/2009 : 197.0 pounds
( 9 months 14 days / -83.0 pounds )
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Goal : 11/01/2009 : 190.0 pounds ( 1 year / -90.0 pounds )

shelly_k wrote:I do also drink a glass of milk (10 oz) with at least 2 of my meals as well. Is this good to do?

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I am just in a little disbelief right now that this way of eating will actually result in weight loss!

Drinking milk with meals seems like a perfectly reasonable thing to do! As mentioned, a lot of people use milk (or real fruit juices) as a way to ease away from snacking between meals, but drinking milk with your meal is just part of the meal, and that seems like "classic" no-S. (To the extent that there is such a thing.)

People really do lose weight this way, by all accounts. (Why would a bunch of random strangers on the internet lie to us about this? ) I certainly find it plausible, though I'm a relative newcomer (a month and a half) and I haven't been keeping track of my weight ... but my clothes are a bit looser and I'm absolutely certain that my total food consumption is way down, even counting S days. If you eat three reasonable meals a day, and nothing else, it's hard to cram in so many calories that you'll gain weight. I wouldn't think that you should ever feel compelled to stuff yourself out of a concern about feeling hungry later, though. It's amazing, once you get used to it, how little you really need to worry about that. By the time the next meal rolls around, most people find that they're starting to get a bit hungry, but that's not a bad thing, it lets you appreciate the meal that much more. Normally it's nothing like a feeling of impending starvation.

Re: the plate issue, I'm not actually a strict classical No-S-er on that front. I follow the spirit of the one-plate rule, which is that I decide in advance how much I'm going to eat, and don't go on to eat more than that, but I don't really care if it's on one plate, or two plates and a bowl, with a banana hovering off to the side. I can still see how much I'm eating and I don't just absent-mindedly keep on eating, and that's the point, for me. I realize The Founder is pretty strict about the one-plate thing, but different things are important to different people.