One successful day down!

[janieb]

I started No S yesterday. As a hypoglycemic and master of the mini-meal, I wondered if I could do No S, and (surprise, surprise) I was able to make it through the day! (I did decide that I will allow myself one small snack at 4:30 every day because we tend to eat a late dinner.)

So, hurrah for me!

A couple of observations:

1) I haven't been hungry for a long, long time. When my stomach started growling I was, like, this is new

2) I haven't been full in a long time either. After my lunch (on a full dinner plate!) with a bunch of nuts, giant fish sandwitch, and a heaping of veggies, I realized that it's been a quite a while since a meal totally filled me up. I doubt, actually, that I lost any weight yesterday, but those big meals sure were fun.

3) When I get bored I want to eat. I found it very strange, after that ginormous lunch, NOT to snack throughout the afternoon. It felt like there was an emptyness there where the snack should be. It was kind of tough, actually, not to give in to the impulse to snack. I wonder if the impulse will always be there?

So, we'll see. It's the second day now and I just had another gigantic lunch. Yum!

Jane

[Elspeth]

I found it very strange, after that ginormous lunch, NOT to snack throughout the afternoon. It felt like there was an emptyness there where the snack should be. It was kind of tough, actually, not to give in to the impulse to snack. I wonder if the impulse will always be there?

A friend of mine who successfully quit smoking said the first 72 hours or so was all about the physical addiction. But after that, he had to deal with the psychological addiction to smoking, which he found much more difficult than the physical side. There were all those activities he associated with smoking: eating breakfast, driving in the car, coffee breaks at work, etc. It took a long time for him to stop missing smoking at those times. I think breaking the habit of snacking is similar in many ways. If we eat nourishing, satisfying meals we don't need to snack between them, but the craving is still there.

The good news is that, much like my ex-smoking friend, we can retrain our brains by consistently not giving in to the impulse to snack. Within a few weeks (and I know that sounds like a long time to you now, but trust me it will fly by), I'd lost the desire to snack. One thing that helped me was to focus on enjoying my meals. Take the time, if you can, to make healthy, satisfying food that you love to eat and then savor every bite. Eventually the idea of snacking will lose its appeal and may even seem vaguely repellent.

Best of luck on your journey.

[finallyfull]

After six weeks, I don't spend much time thinking about snacking, because I am very used to not doing it. But when I start to feel hungry an hour or two before a meal, I make sure to remind myself that the hungry feeling is a happy anticipation of a meal, not some important signal to eat something now. We have really lost touch with the "don't spoil your dinner" philosophy, but it makes so much sense.

[kccc]

3) When I get bored I want to eat. I found it very strange, after that ginormous lunch, NOT to snack throughout the afternoon. It felt like there was an emptyness there where the snack should be. It was kind of tough, actually, not to give in to the impulse to snack. I wonder if the impulse will always be there?

Congrats on a good first day!

The urge to snack when bored does diminish... but I have found that, once I stop filling the space with food, I have found new hobbies that I want to do more. And the more you control the impulse to snack, the weaker it gets.

Enjoyed your reflections. Your tendency to observe what is happening will help you as you progress.

[janieb]

Thanks for all the support, guys.

It really is amazing how hard it is not to snack when I'm not even hungry. I'm glad to hear that it gets easier over time. I guess I have to keep reminding myself that it will get easier---

Fingers crossed,

Jane

[reinhard]

Welcome and congratulations!

It really is amazing how hard it is not to snack when I'm not even hungry

Yes, for most people snacking is more like a nervous tick than anything to do with real appetite. That's bad news short term, because it can be hard to get over, but great news long term, because you won't miss it a bit.

Reinhard