Introduction

[Cantab]

Background on me: 33, 5'2", weighed 128-132 for most of the 13 years I was in college and grad school in bicycle- and pedestrian-oriented cities. For a couple brief years, I weighed 122-125, and it was glorious, but I had been overly restrictive, so I was extremely anxious eating out.

I moved to a car-oriented and dangerous city and tapered off a medication which had made me lose weight when I started it 7 years earlier. I found myself practically eating sugar out of the bag, and my weight went up 12 pounds to 143. I restarted the medication and dieted down to about 137 +/-. I want to get back to 128-132 and to be able to squat and deadlift my body weight, and then we'll see.

I heard about No S years ago through the geek circles, but I was reminded last week. No S appeals to me because it is how my grandma ate, and also because it is similar to the treatment for binge eating in a book I read a few years ago: regular meals of normal food, one serving only following package guidelines, and continual reinforcement that moderation is possible. Also it is the diet that a European ex-boyfriend of mine followed: no seconds, no dessert, with no snacks implicit; since hearing that, I realized that seconds gave me a marginal improvement in utility, but perhaps doubled my calories or at least increased them by 50%.

I have a piece of fruit at mid-morning and mid-afternoon because of blood sugar, as I've done since high school (and my grandmother always did). I am also having about 300 +/- flavorless calories first thing in the morning (see my post under the mods to explain and the reason why).

In the week, I have done well. It's nice not to have the option of having seconds or to eat food outside meals, and it's also great to eat treats at meals that I would not normally justify, like a single serving of boxed mac and cheese, or eating the skin from the chicken but only having one piece. And I haven't overeaten even though I'm at the phase of month where I normally would (justify overeating).

[~reneew]

Welcome! It sounds like you're doing great. My great grandma ate this way and was thin and into her 90s. My grandma ate this way and lived to 97. The generations seem to snack more and more and get bigger ang bigger... no S is common sense.

[reinhard]

Welcome!

One of the (many) alternate names for No-s that has been proposed is "the Grandma diet."

Reinhard

[Cantab]

I've been doing No-S for a month, and it's been a good one, though with lots of exemptions due to illness and travel: 15 green days, 1 red day, and 15 yellow days. The yellow days were designated S days retrospectively, and mostly resulted from eating sweets and baking cookies on holiday break. But I kept to the no seconds rule well, and also no snacks (other than 1 piece of fruit if I need it).

Exercise is a better record: 20 green days, including a streak of 10 consecutive days.

What I appreciate most about No S is learning to be normal and not having off-limits foods. I don't think that I've lost any weight, at least not noticeably, but I feel much more sane than before. I have also noticed how many calories go to seconds. I had a houseguest recently who weighs 50 pounds more than in college, and I noticed her taking seconds, thirds, and fourths that at least doubled her calories from the meal. I've done the same thing myself, and I'm glad to have gotten out of the habit, so far.

The hardest discipline for me, though, is patience. I'm tempted to spend a month making an intensive effort to lose weight just to be able to fit into all my clothes again. Just 5 pounds would make a big difference. But I'm afraid that would ruin this wonderful moderation that I've learned. More on that in another thread.

[Hunter Gatherer]

Welcome to the forum Cantab!

Isn't it fun to be "grandma approved"?