Everyday Systems

I've just had my first NoS weekend, so of course I'm reviewing how I feel I did. I am not feeling all that great about it - so also thinking about what I'd like to change - or whether I'm expecting to much or being too hard on myself, etc.

I thought it would be helpful if some of you with more experience could share what your S days are like, or maybe what it was like when you were just starting out.

Thanks!

My S days have a big range. Ideally, I like them to be three basic meals plus a treat or maybe a snack. Sometimes they are.

Last weekend, I did find myself snacking on some really good bread most of the day on Saturday. Thing is, that's okay. I'm trusting to my good S-day habits to gradually carry over without guilt or upset. Sunday, it didn't feel good to permasnack, so I didn't. I ate three meals, because that felt natural to me.

Not only that, I'd bought one of those Ben and Jerry's single serve ice cream cups for each person in the family only to find that I was not hungry after dinner for it. I thought about it, and decided that as late in the evening as it was, stuffing myself didn't seem pleasurable or fun, so I didn't. That ice cream is there in the freezer, ready to be enjoyed when I'm hungry for it next weekend. Understand, I would have felt no guilt at all if I'd eaten it and I really don't feel much virtue in not having eaten it. S-Days are FREE for a reason.

If this is early on in the development of good No S habits. really, relax. Don't shoot for anything in particular for at least four or five months, no kidding. You really will find your N day habits gently moving in to contain it.

My typical S Day is 3 square meals, plus a small dish of ice cream somewhere, and occasionally a handful of Doritos. That's about it.

Kathy

I'm finding that snacking isn't really a big priority for me on S days, though I do a bit if I happen to feel like it. Normally, I plan ahead to have one big dessert item on each day of the weekend, something like an ice cream sundae, cookies, some cake, that sort of thing. I also usually start each day with a bit of chocolate (some chocolate-covered almonds, say), just to give myself that "Yay, it's an S day!" feeling right away. But after not having sweets all week, it doesn't take much to satisfy the urge for something sweet.

I try to keep S days healthy, unless there is a party, in which case I will have a treat. I don't like throwing away all my good habits on the weekends because it really sets me back and makes it hard to get back into it.

It varies a lot, and if you're just beginning, the best advice is to really focus on the N-days and get them PERFECT before you even start to worry about the S-days.

Over time, the N-day habits will creep over to the S-days. Honest. But it may take a while, if you've had a long history of dieting. It took me quite a while.

Here is an old post of mine, which gives you the range of my S-days. Over time, more are "good" ones... but there are still S-days that are over the top. (The good news is that my current definition of "over-the-top" now looks MUCH less excessive than it used to.)

Best wishes.

When I first started I really lived it up! On Friday I bought what I'd been craving all week or I'd find my stash of things I'd been offered all week but hadn't eaten and actually ate them for breakfast (and all the rest of day) on Saturday. On both days I lived on treats. Thankfully, that got old really quick.

I didn't make any great effort to slim down my S Days. After a couple of weekends, maybe three, I, my brain, my body, spirit, whatever realized that I am happier and more comfortable in moderation. It just happened. I think it is a grace, actually.

Now my S Days are a lot like N Days but if I go to a party or something I eat whats offered. Sometimes we have dessert, sometimes not. I have a doughnut and coffee after church. Stuff like that but I don't go hog wild anymore.

I really believe that if you stick to it, this will happen for you, too!

My S days vary widely. Some days I'm a glutton, some include a treat here and there and/or some snacking, and some look like N days (that's usually not a plan, just the way it happens). While I do tend to bake something to be enjoyed on the weekends, I don't plan S days and I don't worry about them, either.

My S days are still a problem for the most part and I've been on No-S since the end of January. If I really overdo it on an S day, I mark it read on my HabitCal, if it's a pretty good day, I mark it yellow. So far this month, all my Saturdays are yellow and my Sundays are red. To me this means that I still have the "oh-oh I'm starting a diet tomorrow mentality" even though N days are hardly restrictive and I have an easy time with them... I've started to write down what I eat on weekends and post this on my daily check-in, hoping that the embarassment factor might help. So far it hasn't.

Good luck!

Dandelion, I am one weekend ahead of you, and this past Sunday was my "worst" S-day, although I try not to think of it like that. Breakfast was a bowl of Kix cereal with skim milk and a banana. I didn't eat lunch, but snacked on chocolate-covered almonds. I made spaghetti with meat sauce for supper, and it was fantastic, so I ate two plates of it, and that was the worst part. But I told myself it was an S-day and to just enjoy it - so I did.

I have to say I find S-days harder than N-days at this point. I've been perfect on my N-days since I started on Labor Day - I know what the rules are, and I stick to them. But I feel stress about the S-days and have to consciously let myself enjoy them.

For those of you worrying over S-days, I'd like to recommend the "S-days gone wild" podcast and discussion. See the "sticky" above.

It sums up a lot of experience that others have had with S-days, and offers some useful strategies if you're concerned about yours.

I will add once again that it's really premature to worry about S's until you've got your N's down. (But it is kind of irresistable, isn't it? No matter how much good advice one gets to the contrary... we all have to live through that stage for ourselves, I suppose.)

That's good to hear stories from so many of you - both long-termers and newbies like me.

Thanks for letting me know about the podcast. I'm going to go look it up now

I have no restrictions on my S-days. Usually, I feel sick on Monday mornings because I ate like crap.

Still losing weight and having no trouble with N-days, so I don't worry about it. S-days are free, free, free!