If No S is easy for you, don't read this....

twosleepy · Post by **twosleepy** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 7:22 pm

I started No S on Monday, Feb. 22. I can't remember how I came across it, but I started reading and thought it made sense and was something I could actually do and keep up. I thought I might not be able to lose any weight, but I decided to try it, and stick to it for a month, at least. I honestly thought it wouldn't be all that difficult, but I would miss the chocolate...

First day, I thought I would gnaw my arm off in the afternoon! When I get home from work, it is so hard to refrain from snacking. I have had no problem with the Seconds or Sweets, but apparently I have been snacking my way through life, and not snacking has been very difficult. It's okay during the day, but when I get home my hunger alarm goes crazy. It's better now after a week and a half, but it's still pretty strong. I think if I weren't so determined, I would have quit.

I believe it's mostly all in my head. On the third day last week I accidentally ate 2 Oreos. Not possible you say? Oh, but it is! I am a "table parent" for our weekly children's dinner program at my church. The menu is kid-friendly, and sometimes I don't even eat it. But they always have dessert, which I usually would eat. So I was talking to the kids when someone came over and handed me 2 Oreos, and I just ate them before I realized it. I gave myself a "failure" for that day because of it. On the second day, I was really craving chocolate, so I ate one sugar-free caramel turtle, about 2 inches across. I gave myself a "failure" for that day too. Those are the only 2 failures so far. We even had a snow day, all day at home AND it starts with "s", but I stuck to it.

Hopefully there is someone else out there who discovered they were what I was: a SNACKAHOLIC!!!! Please write me a reply about how this was hard for you because you were addicted to snacks!

Interesting things about my diet so far:

1. It seems as though I am eating way more than I was, because I am really making the meals count and trying not to get hungry in between.

2. I have started eating a good lunch. I always ate breakfast, but I ate little at lunch so I would balance out a bigger dinner. Now I eat a decent lunch and probably the same at dinner, but no snacks in between. Time will tell if this balances out or results in fewer net calories (no, I'm not counting them; I am assuming weight loss=fewer calories).

3. I did not expect this, but I seem to be a bit more energetic. I have not changed my exercise routine at all, either.

4. I anticipated going nuts on the weekend, and although I did snack, I did not go overboard. It was a welcome respite, for sure!

5. This is the "easiest" diet in terms of remembering what to do to stay on it, but definitely the hardest to live through, especially the first few days.

6. That's all I have to say. For now. :0)

oliviamanda · Post by **oliviamanda** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 7:48 pm

Thanks for sharing, twosleepy! We each have our own struggles! It seems that a lot of snacks are actually sweets, too... so you are double offending by eating oreos or other-like snacks. It really takes awhile to get in the groove. Just think, if you were not doing No S, you might have eaten several turtles and even more oreos.

And sometimes we get on autopilot with snacking... mindlessly plowing through bags of chips or boxes of cookies, etc. while we watch tv or talk on the phone. Just the other day I grabbed a few banana chips and found myself just chowing down and I just kept going for more and more! I was greatly disappointed in myself. But the great thing about No S is that this happens sometimes and you identify it as what you don't want to be doing... and instead of just giving up on the whole diet, you try again tomorrow.

I have red days on my HabitCal. I am very conscious of having to mark it red when I am about to break my N day. It takes willpower every day to divert and say no to the vast amount of snacks and sweets that are available at every turn. BUT, understand that it is this constant eating of the S's that has us all here in the first place. These S's are major contributors to why we gain weight or don't lose it.

My advice would be to add in that 4th mini-meal if you find you are really hungry. Also, make sure you are eating enough at mealtime, and drink plenty of good fluids in between to curb hunger and hydrate your body. I recently read that being dehydrated actually works against your weight loss. If you dislike water, try H2Orange (search the No S site for this thread).

twosleepy · Post by **twosleepy** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 7:55 pm

Thanks, oliviamanda! Actually, the Oreos were only a single Sweets failure because it was with a meal, and not in between. I probably would have tried that 4th meal suggestion last week, but now I fear I would abuse it. If I've lost weight in 2 weeks (this coming Monday), I will not add a 4th meal, and the weight loss will support my willpower. I think I have lost weight, but I don't want to jump on what may be a fluctuation.

I drink only water and coffee on a regular basis. I usually drink plenty, and I like water, so I'm fine there. Thanks for the support! :0)

Sarah Jean · Post by **Sarah Jean** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 8:04 pm

I too am a snack a holic. I have a desk job and the ladies i work with are ALWAYS bringing in sweets that they have made, or just munchies....so needless to say there is always something around me at work to snack on....

I have been doing good so far, yesterday i slipped up, im hoping not to slip up anymore...i also stopped drinking pop, and havent had any for about four days now which is huge for me because i usually had at least one can......

marygrace · Post by **marygrace** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 8:54 pm

Twosleepy, I used to be a huge snacker. An afternoon and post-dinner snack were like daily rituals for me and I'd have them even if I wasn't hungry at all (plus, I felt the snacks were completely justified, since they were things like trail mix, a smoothie, or crackers with peanut butter instead of chips or cookies). For a while, not having them just felt WEIRD, like something was missing. And though I sometimes was craving the taste of the snack, a lot of times I think I just missed the act of having something in my mouth. I'd solve that by chewing gum or occasionally having a cup of tea or almond milk.

I am familiar with the feeling of being legitimately very hungry when I get home from work (especially when I used to have a 30 minute bike commute--I felt famished!). Sometimes, the thought that I'll have to spend a half hour or 45 minutes to cook dinner seems like an unbearable amount of time to have to wait. Usually, I'll have something to drink. Even water will do the trick for a little while; I guess it's just putting SOMETHING in my stomach to take the edge off.

Mostly, this not-snacking is just a new habit you have to get used to. After a while, the idea of eating when it's not mealtime will become automatic and even unappealing, because it'll mean ruining your appetite.

Girl Next Door · Post by **Girl Next Door** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 9:14 pm

Not snacking was the hardest S, by far. I felt ravenous between meals. Plus, food is everywhere! Every meeting. Every get together. Every kid event.

I started to feel better between weeks two and three, and after week three my appetite dropped off by a surprising amount. It alarmed me actually, but after reading through the forums I discovered that it happens to a lot of people.

I'm still tempted, strongly tempted sometimes, to snack at certain points during the week. But I don't tend to give in to it anymore. I really do like the structure of it.

You'll get used to it. Besides feeling more energetic (I think I did too) you may also find you have more time.

marygrace · Post by **marygrace** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 10:11 pm

Also, I find that when I overeat, I feel sluggish. Same thing when I eat too much sugar. So the lack of snacking itself and sugary snack foods might be the reason for your increased energy.

twosleepy · Post by **twosleepy** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 12:21 am

Thank you all for your testimonials and encouragement! I'm glad I have some fellow snackaholics with whom to commiserate! I'll keep you posted on how things go. :0)

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 12:31 am

Even some of us who generally find No-S relatively easy at this point didn't at first. It takes time to build new habits - and break old ones.

I found breaking the snacking habit really hard. I had to phase it in, much like weaning a baby - dropping the easiest ones first, then limiting the one "hard" one to drop (afternoon). Eventually, it went too - but it took a while.

The good news is that it gets easier over time... unlike most diets, that get harder as you go. So hang in there!

Starla · Post by **Starla** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 2:26 pm

I agree with KCCC. When I started No S, I got so hungry between breakfast and lunch I got a headache, and for the last 45 minutes all I could think about was how hungry I was. I figured out a better breakfast, and now I'm just mildly hungry by lunch, which is exactly how I want to feel.

This coming Sunday will be my 6-month No-S anniversary, and I can tell you it gets much easier as time goes on. Good luck! I think it's a very good sign that you're able to stick with it even when it's hard.

MDScot · Post by **MDScot** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 1:22 pm

When I falter on No-S, it is with snacks as you mention. With teenage boys there are NO seconds available!

What works is

1) Good solid breakfast - for me that is a mix of whole grains, etc - complex stuff that stays with me.

2) Water

3) Not having snacks around when I am most vulnerable. I used to make my kids lunchs - with snacks - late at night and I always ended up eating one, and then another, etc. Now I try to get the lunch bags packed earlier in the evening.

4) If all else fails - sugerless gum.

alarkaspree · Post by **alarkaspree** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 5:08 pm

I've been doing this for almost two weeks and the no snacks thing is the hardest for me too. But I knew that snacking was a big problem for me and I was expecting to be hungry between meals at first. Since I was expecting it, I don't mind it that much. I've been drinking a lot of tea in the afternoons.

Honestly I've been trying to eat like this for years. But I just couldn't do it until I saw that someone else had written it all down on the internet! The simplicity of 'no snacks at all' is what makes this work for me - as opposed to what I would come up with myself - 'healthy snacks' or 'occasional snacks' which turns into 'have no lunch and then munch your way through the entire kitchen cupboard in the afternoon'.

twosleepy · Post by **twosleepy** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 5:26 pm

You guys are great! Some good suggestions in there, plus some nice commiseration, for which I am grateful. I am starting week 3 today. I thought I was on track to lose some, based on what I weighed last week, but I guess I must have enjoyed my S days a bit too much. Dang. I'm giving it a month, anyway. It has gotten easier, probably mostly from habit. Habits don't seem to hurt as much, especially psychologically. I think I need to tweak things now. I know I can do it. Now I need to do it sensibly.

Kathleen · Post by **Kathleen** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 5:52 pm

Setpember 10, 2008: I had 5 or 6 ice cream sandwiches today as well as 4 or 5 peaches and an entire bowl of popcorn. I just need to face that the transition to this lifestyle is going to be tough, tough, tough.

twosleepy: Guess what's hard for me now? Recovering from S Days. Today I don't feel so great because I ate so much yesterday. What used to be normal eating was overeating. Now overeating makes me feel bad.

It's taken a long time, and it's been worth it.

Kathleen

Vegasgirl · Post by **Vegasgirl** » Tue Mar 09, 2010 7:57 pm

This is my first post here but I've been lurking around the site for several weeks now. I've also decided to give it a try and even bought the book a while back.

So I've been practicing No S for a couple weeks now so I can really see where my weaknesses are and same as everyone on this thread, surprisingly it's the snacking part. I guess I was just unaware that I was eating pretty much all day long. You know, trying to get those 5-6 small meals in each day !!

I've been keeping track on my own chart and I've had at least two red days each week for the four weeks or so that I've been No S'ing so I'm definitly seeing a pattern develop. This is actually very helpful though, I haven't tryed to control it yet, I've just been letting it happen so I can "see" what I actually need to change. My problem is evening snacking, middle of the week. It seems on the weekends and at work I'm too preoccupied to worry much about snacking, but in the evenings when I'm home, look out !!

I'm sure I'll be able to overcome it, it'll just take a little time.

jbla · Post by **jbla** » Wed Mar 10, 2010 4:59 am

Just (re)started No S. I actually was doing it back when I was in really good shape but didn't know it had a name. I even had one day where I ate a lot!

Anyway, I was a grazer when I was really heavy. I ended up adopting the "out of sight, out of mind" philosophy. Unless you're snacking on a staple like bread or meat or something, just don't buy it. It makes it much easier to not snack when you literally can't at home, and it builds a good habit for when you're in the office and someone brings in brownies or whatever.

Granted, I'm also a single guy in my 20s, so the only person I have to say no to when I walk past the Doritos aisle is myself.

leafy_greens · Post by **leafy_greens** » Tue May 04, 2010 4:53 pm

I'm a week in, and still feel like gnawing my arm off, despite solid meals. Trying to be patient for that 3rd week to see what happens...