Everyday Systems

This may be against the principle of "eat whatever you want on S days--therefore, it's not something to be too concerned with", but I (and I'm sure many people) would be grateful to hear about what S days look like for people who've been No S-ing for 6 months or more. Do you tend to snack just because you can or because you want to? Do you sometimes scarf sweets or just have a dessert or two? How similar are they to your pre-No S regular days? Or whatever you'd like to share...

My S days vary, some weeks I want a particular treat and I will go out and buy that and then I am satisfied.

Other weeks I just snack inbetween my meals and as a result the meals tend to be smaller.

Some weeks I eat normal meals and raid the sweetie cupboard for cheap kiddy sweets (usually out of party packs) which the kids do not even want!

I now enjoy whatever happens and no longer beat myself up over the S days - regardless of how they turn out.

I often don't eat breakfast till around 11 on S-days. I get up, make myself some tea, and surf the web for a few hours before finally getting hungry and deciding to have breakfast. Breakfast is usually the same as on N-days. Then often I end up having a big meal in the afternoon because I'm hungry earlier than dinner, but I haven't had lunch. I'd say I drink a pop maybe 50% of S-days. Sometimes I have candy, sometimes not. Ice cream maybe once every 3 weeks.

The big thing with my S-days is they're a lot less structured than my N-days. When I retire I'm going to have to figure out how to give my days structure! That's not for 20 years, though.

It's different for everyone Oolala
Our first few years on NoS, we really made S days a major event and went a bit nuts.. But it was just part of the process.. At least we had something to look forward to each week, while trying to stick to NoS during the N days..
Now several years into it, the allure of overindulging is completely gone and in fact is a big turn off to us both.. We usually have two normal sized treats a day per S day on average, but sometimes we skip them altogether on one or the days, if we aren't really in the mood for something special "just cos we can eat it"..
Pre NoS, we would routinely eat two pints of ice cream without batting an eye, in one sitting, plus seconds on food, whether it was pizza or Chinese.. and now, it's more like, one pint of ice cream will last the whole S weekend.. if we eat the whole thing in one shot, it feels like totally over doing it.
We're being so much more selective about S day treats as well, and also eating much healthier during the week this year, and weeding out as many sources of garbage as possible.
Go for quality, not quantity
Good luck!
Debs

Like Spudd, my S days can be much less structured than N days. I've been doing No S for just over six months, and for the most part my S days have evolved into "one treat" versions of S days. I wrote down what I had this past weekend in my check-in thread:

Saturday:
7:30 - about 7 ounces of chocolate-covered almonds.
12:00 - large bowl of Kix cereal with a banana and a cup of skim milk.
6:00 - large bowl of beef/barley/vegetable soup with two pieces of toasted and buttered sesame semolina bread.

Sunday:
9:00 - large bowl of Kix cereal with a banana and one cup of skim milk.
1:30 - large lemon bar from a bakery near me.
4:30 - small bowl of fresh pineapple.
5:45 - hamburger on a small bun, roast potatoes and stir-fried broccoli.

My S days weren't always moderate, but over six months they've naturally developed. They're not always healthy (chocolate-covered almonds for breakfast or lemon bar for lunch), but they are rarely over-the-top.

I pretty much stick to the 3 meal structure with 1-3 Ses thrown in for good measure, although I don't have a set limit. We tend to eat out once or twice during the weekend and I usually have a pre-planned dessert/sweet ... or two (going for quality over quantity) ... on each S Day. If we've had a heavier meal for lunch, I'll typically thaw some homemade veggie-based soup for one of my weekend dinners. I'm definitely a "sweets" as opposed to a "snacks" girl. I weigh and graph my weight daily and I can count on seeing the scale go up a pound or two after the weekend but I know that it is temporary and it doesn't freak me out anymore.

My typical S-days (18 months into NoS) have their own "rhythm and routine."

My S days are Friday and Sunday and have been that way from the very beginning.

Fridays have worked out to:

Fri. Breakfast--something a bit more special than typical Nday meals, perhaps homemade cinnamon rolls (not gigantic store-bought ones) or homemade coffee cake or dutchbaby pancakes. I always also have coffee, a small glass of OJ, and normal glass of milk at breakfast. I feel best when I have plenty of liquids to start my day....

Fri. Lunch (our main meal): Something a little heartier and richer than Nday meals. We often have homemade pizza or fried tacos or burgers with the works. Plus salad and other typical side dishes.

Fri. Dinner: This is "movie night" at our house. Dinner is an assortment of odds-and ends, finger foods, popcorn, etc. I now usually make a batch of cookies as our treat.

Sunday is also rather "fixed" in terms of structure due to church and our usual practice of inviting people over for a meal after the morning service.

Sun. breakfast: cereal, toast, oj, milk, and coffee. Easy to serve and clean up!

Sun. lunch: This is our "feast" meal of the week, with nice main meal, lots of side dishes, and "dessert." Dessert being anything from pie, cake, cobbler, etc. When there is lots of great summer time fruit, dessert might be fresh fruit compote, but it will be accompanied by whipped cream and cookies!

Sun. eve: Homemade bread, sliced smoked meats and cheese, and any leftover dessert from lunch.

As you might have noticed, this is what I said my Sdays have evolved to. In the beginning, I had seconds at most Sday meals. Now I rarely do. I've learned that one plate really does satisfy me and more than that leaves me stuffed. I think I have a slight stomachache most Sundays nights for the first 5-6 months....

I also don't snack in between meals now. At the beginning, I would just because I could. But honestly, I *like* being reasonably hungry for my meals--they are much more enjoyable that way.

As for sweets, I used to make "dessert" for Friday nights as well, but found that two biggish desserts over the weekend was too much. Making cookies has proven to be more fun--I am getting to try all sorts of new recipes, and a small homemade cookie or two satisfies without overwhelming. Plus I have cookies to share with others....

In all honesty, I never had really wild S days, even in the beginning, but am very happy with the rhythm of our S days now. I think the fact that there is some "routine" helps keep them sane.

HTH,

Vicki

This is all great to hear. I've had some S-days similar to these, but I'm still a bit like a kid in a candy store, although I do allow more breaks between eating than I used to. I was hoping this was temporary and it sounds like it most likely will be. The amazing thing is I can now buy sweets during the week, if I come across something I know I might like, but it can sit in the house until Sat.

I didn't say this to stop anyone else from posting as I am new enough that I almost never tire of reading the board. Please "weigh in," if you like.

THis thread is very interesting in order to see how healthy, moderate eating patterns & structures emerge if you give it time. I would love to see if there's any similar patterns for N days that people who have been on NoS for a while find helpful?

Actually, that is basically what the Intelligent Dietary Defaults thread is all about: the meals or patterns of eating that people fall back on as a rule. It sounds like most people eventually get to the point where they are eating plates like the dinners I grew up on: some meat, some starch, some vegetables, although I think we eat more vegetables, and more fresh ones. But you can check out the thread for more details.

For my first S Day after a five successful N Days, I ate so much that I got sick -- and I embarassed my husband because it was obvious I was sick from overeating and we were at my brother in law's cabin.

Now I still overeat, but it's way less. I often eat to the point where I don't feel great, but I no longer get to the point where I have to go to bed because I've eaten so much.

Yes, this is progress. After 33 years of dieting, I've learned to eat everything I'm allowed to eat. That habit is now changing. Now I am starting to eat what makes me feel good.

Kathleen

My S days look like N-days plus a treat if I feel like it.

I'm trying to think of a treat I want today, and the only thing I could think of was the homemade bread I made, but I had some of that with lunch. It was a treat to me because I'd been wanting it, but goodness knows it's N-Day legal. And that's okay. I'm satisfied.

Habit really does take over. Seriously. Oh yes, at first you'll be holding out for the weekend when you can eat anything anytime you want. You stop doing it after awhile.

I've found for myself, I prefer that my S-day treats be REALLY GOOD, or I'm not into it. I don't want to snack just to snack, even if I can.