Tracking?

NoelFigart · Post by **NoelFigart** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 8:06 pm

I had occasion to replace my computer and in deciding what should go on the new one, I took the leap and did not migrate my diet tracking software.

I really think that keeping No-S as vanilla as possible for the first few months is the best way to make sure that you're cleaning up your habits, and I realized that if I'm counting calories, I'm doing a mod. Not that mods are evil, but I really want to do this as out of the box as possible for a few months before deciding if I need a change or not.

I am going to stop weighing every day and tracking it. I'll weigh the first of every month and leave it at that.

What do you do?

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 8:34 pm

Nice one on moving forward and leaving your tracking software behind Noel. I'm sure you will be *fine* without it.

Habit Cal is an excellent and "accurate enough" I'd say..
Not sure, if you already use it??
I know a lot of people weigh every day.. I used to be one of them. But it was always a drain on my energy and mood to be honest. When we moved to our new apartment in May, I didn't bother buying us a scale, because scale stepping never really made a difference in whether I did or didn't lose weight.. just drove me nuts and usually ruined my day, even when I was in a good mood before I stepped on it.
So I only weigh at my Moms house about one to two times a week if that much.. I'm much much happier with this arrangement and don't miss the scale here one bit!! I use a tape measure about once a week too, and track my changes, when they occur, on a regular calendar.
I think weekly or bi weekly weigh ins are good, just to make sure that if one does gain a bit, we see it soon enough that it never gets really out of hand.
Other than that, I usually try to weigh, *only* when I feel I've been pretty good on habit for a period of time, and actually feel the change in my body first, like waking up and feeling my tummy isn't feeling as bloaty or whatever.
My general rule is not to weigh when I'm very depressed or stressed, as it's most likely going to make it even worse.
Anyway, that's what works well for me.
Good luck finding what does for you.

Debs

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 8:49 pm

Um, I don't do anything. No counting calories, no weighing, no anything. And I'm supposed to weigh every day due to my CHF.

Mounted Ranger! · Post by **Mounted Ranger!** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 8:56 pm

I pretty much just stand on the scales and just get off to eat. At least it seamed that way for a while . . . the first couple of weeks or so. I weigh a couple of times per week now.

maslowjenkins · Post by **maslowjenkins** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 9:05 pm

I haven't weighed in about a month. I've been back to vanilla no-s for about 7 weeks and I notice a small change in my size and I feel great. I'm so afraid if I weigh now and see no change or only a pound or two, that I will give up again. I don't think I'm ready to weigh yet. So I'm simply tracking my accomplishments on habit cal and reward myself with feeling good.

Dandelion · Post by **Dandelion** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 9:11 pm

The battery on my scale died last week - just days after I started NoS. I decided to leave it dead. I don't know how long I'll stick it out, but I am going to try to avoid it for a few weeks.

Post by **reinhard** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 9:29 pm

All I do is update my habitcal, usually once a week. As for the scale, it's pretty much just at the doctors office. If we had one, I'd probably step on it once in a while out of idle curiousity, but the children busted it.

Nichole · Post by **Nichole** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 9:58 pm

I use HabitCal and I count calories. Some people can not count calories, but if I don't, my eating gets out of hand. That's just me... Just find what works well for you

Starla · Post by **Starla** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 10:22 pm

I'm only on my third week, but I don't track except for Habitcal. I plan to weigh myself after a month. Now, I've weighed myself a few times in the three weeks, but I always sabotage it - with clothes on, at weird times, just after I've eaten - and I tell myself the only time it "counts" is at the one-month mark. And yes, this makes no sense.

When I decided to start No S, one thing I did was go back and read the archived messages from the Yahoo group (at least the first 2,000 or so). And one thing that struck me was that the people who really succeeded were doing a vanilla version, and they were more focused on establishing a habit than on moving the numbers on the scale. And I've tried to remember that.

sporkfancier · Post by **sporkfancier** » Fri Sep 25, 2009 2:38 am

I do Habitcal for No-S and Shovelglove. I don't count calories or "S-events" (my weekends are totally free).

I do try to remember to step on the scale on Saturday mornings, my one "official" weigh-in. Sometimes I forget, though.

This is not something most people can do, I realize, but when I step on the scale and I see a bigger number than I expect, I don't become discouraged; if I see a smaller number than I expect, I don't feel like I "deserve" a cheat.

During the week I will often hop on the scale. I consider these "guides" to how my body is feeling. If I'm not feeling well, I'm probably a little heavier. While I acknowledge that these are "unofficial", they do often provide me with resolve or reassurance (depending upon the number). I've found through trial and error that the scale keeps me motivated in a small way--nothing like Habitcal or the 21 club, though!

frugaltexan · Post by **frugaltexan** » Fri Sep 25, 2009 3:06 am

I'm not tracking calories, and I have gone to weighing myself once a month. I used to be a 2 - 3 times a day weigher, but decided that what I needed to focus on right now was getting the habits thoroughly ingrained into my head, then maybe I can let myself weigh more often.

guadopt1997 · Post by **guadopt1997** » Fri Sep 25, 2009 12:12 pm

I use HabitCal, weigh in once a week, and have recently started keeping track of what I eat on weekends on my daily check-in, because I've been overdoing it. An S day gone wild gets a red on my habit cal.

Yesterday I discovered a website called Skinnyr, where you can chart your weight loss. I've been using weight commander but you can't see more than a few months on that, whereas Skinnyr let's me see since January, when I started this no-S journey. What it shows me is that I lost 35 pounds between the end of January and mid-May but that since then I've been yo-yo'ing up and down within a five-pound range.

I know what I have to do: get moving!!!

Mounted Ranger! · Post by **Mounted Ranger!** » Fri Sep 25, 2009 12:43 pm

as far as tracking goes, I started with habitcal for both walking and No S-ing. After the first couple of months, maybe three, I stopped and now I just live it. I don't keep track of days on habit but if I felt myself slipping, I'd go back to it. I really do think that's the way for me.

I'm actually thinking of using habit cal for some other habits I want to build.

mimi · Post by **mimi** » Fri Sep 25, 2009 12:55 pm

I pretty much just stand on the scales and just get off to eat. At least it seamed that way for a while . . .

I chuckled at first when I read what Mounted Ranger posted, and then I realized that used to be me too...pre-NoS.

Now I keep three Habitcals: one for NoS habits, one for only weighing on the first three days of the month, and one for exercise (which now, unfortunately, is out for an undetermined amount of time due to broken ankle).

I also keep a regular calendar in plain view on the side of my refrigerator on which I mark days with red, green, or yellow markers - big green X's across the day at the day's end. This is a great visual tool for me, and a constant reminder of NoS, as I plainly see it each time I enter the kitchen!

Oh, and not to forget my *NoS jewelry collection!* (several pieces of costume jewelry with green stones) My favorite is a sterling silver ring with three green stones (Mt. Saint Helen's stones). Again, a visual reminder to stay *green* with just three meals a day - no snacks, no seconds, no sweets. Here's what it looks like - but when I got it, I only paid $19.99 plus shipping!

http://www.palmbeachjewelry.com/jump.js ... uctID=3124

TunaFishKid · Post by **TunaFishKid** » Fri Sep 25, 2009 1:16 pm

mimi wrote:...a sterling silver ring with three green stones (Mt. Saint Helen's stones). Again, a visual reminder to stay *green* with just three meals a day - no snacks, no seconds, no sweets. Here's what it looks like - but when I got it, I only paid $19.99 plus shipping!

http://www.palmbeachjewelry.com/jump.js ... uctID=3124

I love that! Both the idea, and that ring. I think I may be buying myself a present today....

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Fri Sep 25, 2009 3:41 pm

I have 4 Habitcals right now:

No-S - standard use. I use my daily check-in to post details on N-days and occasionally on S-days (but less often)

Idiotic S-days - Got this idea from someone else on the board - LA_Loser, I think. On my regular No-S habitcal, S-days are yellow... they can NOT be red. But on this one, I keep a tally for S-days-only, tracking whether they felt "good" or "over the top" to me. No judgment - just want to know.

Exercise - I get a green if I do 15 minutes of ANYTHING a day, with up to two exemptions per week allowed to be taken on any day of the week. I usually do more, and I rarely take an exemption, much less get a red... but setting the goal this low keeps me going when I might otherwise drop exercising when life is crazed. (I use my daily check-in to post details.)

Vino - was drinking 1-2 glasses EVERY night, which was a little more than I liked, and this is just to track and keep within self-imposed limits. May drop this one soon, since it's become less of an issue.

Weighing is erratic, but I try to avoid weighing on Mondays!

masher · Post by **masher** » Mon Sep 28, 2009 3:09 pm

To stop keeping records after years of recording can be frightening.
After 8 years (YES - EIGHT YEARS) of keeping a food diary, I finally gave it up. It wasn't improving behavior or nutrition or food choices or fun or anything. It was just a habit that was useless. So I stopped cold turkey last month. I am happy although the first few days felt strange. I have more free time to spend on far more important and enjoyable activities. Sorting the sock drawer would be more important and enjoyable!

I now rely on HabitCal with three topics; NoS, 2 glass ceiling and 30 minutes of Pilates or weight lifting. Things are going well in general.
HabitCal is much easier, PLUS my habits are improving. OK....I may have a few extra reds in the 2 glass ceiling but I have still improved.

My 2 cents. Oh and BTW, with NoS and HabitCal I am maintaining my ideal weight and enjoying everything I eat. This is a HUGE benefit.

Masher

MerryKat · Post by **MerryKat** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 12:27 pm

I have been weighing myself daily for more years than I can remember - probably around 11 years as it was after I had my eldest son that my weight became a real issue. (Just checked my records and they go back 13 years!)

I have tried monthly weigh-in's without being fully committed to a healthy lifestyle (ie. No S) and it did not work. I have found recently that I am obsessing about the scale and what it reads in the morning seriously affects me for the rest of the day.

However I am thinking a brand new start is exactly what I need and I am going to change to monthly weigh-in's with my new focus on No S and getting back to exercise. I will continue with the HabitCal as that is a practical visual tool.

Here's to my new life